SEAN PATRICK
Staff Writer
More than 70 years ago, Fredonia State University students purchased 200 acres of forest now known as The College Lodge.
The FSA recently made a proposal to begin a management plan that would eliminate a large amount of species from The College Lodge forest in order to grow a few controlled species. This is known as a “managed forest” or “tree farming,” as mentioned in the Dunkirk Observer.
“The forest was intended to be a nature preserve,” said Associate Professor of plant biology Dr. Jon Titus.
“A managed forest is designed to promote the growth of timber species such as cherry and sugar maple,” Dr. Titus said. “To do this, undesirable tree species are removed through cutting and herbicide use to create a forest comprised of the desirable species.”
The forest that Fredonia State has preserved since 1939 is home to Hemlocks over 200 years old, as well as Northern-Hardwoods
more than 100 years old.
“An ‘old growth’ survey in the 1990s recorded that 40 to 50 percent of the 200 acres at the College Lodge were old growth,” Dr. Titus
said.
Ancient Forests, New York Directory (an online record of this survey) shows eight forests in Chautauqua County; these forests are home
to trees that are defined as “old growth.” The College Lodge has the highest acreage of old growth out of all eight forests in the county by more than twenty acres.
This directory defines “old growth” with many characteristics, some of which are: at least four trees per acre over 150 years old, multiple ages of trees (saplings, mature trees, etc.) and the tree’s lowest branches are 40 to 50 feet above the ground.
“High-quality mature forest is quite rare in this region,” Dr. Titus said. “Forests of this quality make up less than 1 percent of Chautauqua County’s forests.”
Trees left undisturbed have contributed to the establishment of mature forest—an environment vital to the life of many species that inhabit the forest understory of shrubs and herbs.
“The presence of many New York State protected species, expanses of club moss, rare orchid species and more than twenty fern species are just a few understory species which are tributes to the quality of this forest,” Dr. Titus said. “The College Lodge has a remarkable spring ephemeral flora, including many species, which require high quality mature forest and take decades to colonize a forest after disturbance.”
The mature forest that Fredonia State has preserved has also created a safe haven for many bird species.
“These interior forest species are experiencing dramatic population declines because most forests are highly disturbed,” Dr. Titus said. “The presence of over 130 bird species in The College Lodge is truly remarkable.”
It is clear that the deforestation of this environment would greatly impact the species and wildlife that have lived there for decades. These are just some of the major impacts logging will have on the forest.
The FSA was not available to speak on the subject, but a reason behind this was alluded to in the proposed management plan, although, “The plan was never intended to be set in stone,” said Executive Director of the FSA Darin Shulz during an open forum in July 2013. (the Dunkirk Observer: Jul. 26, 2013).
The management plan will develop the forest to grow a limited number of tree species for the use of timber production.
“Shelterwood cutting, one of the forestry techniques in the forestry plan, is used to create a forest of trees of the same age,” Dr. Titus said. This will greatly limit the number of species able to inhabit The College Lodge forest.
The FSA wishes to convert the mature forest of The College Lodge to a managed forest, the benefits of which are limited to tree production and deforestation—not conservation.
“When foresters say ‘healthy forest,’ they mean that the desired species are growing rapidly,” Dr. Titus said. “When ecologists say ‘healthy forest,’ they mean that a rich diversity of species is present, and forest ecosystem processes are operating.”
The proposal has been put off until further research is done on the state of The College Lodge forest.
It seems SUNY Fredonia students, faculty and staff need to make a collective decision on whether we want to preserve the mature forest of rare trees, birds and other species or a managed forest in which timber production is utilized to generate revenue.
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