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The Rural Voice, 1999-06, Page 46Book Review Book offers woodlot management advice Reviewed by Andrew Grindla� Many pamphlets and books — some free — are available to help woodlot owners get an attractive financial return from their trees while being careful stewards of the environment. A new book. The Woodlot Management Handbook, by Stewart Hilts of the Ontario Agricultural College and Peter Mitchell of the University of Guelph, purports to do just that. It describes an approach to woodlot management in an easy -to -read manner and pretty well covers all the bases. Since the professional interest of both authors is land stewardship rather than forestry it is not surprising Book looks at that the focus of the book benefits of wo is concern for the environment. The economics of woodlot management, while discussed broadly, is not covered in sufficient depth to inform woodlot owners how to ensure they get maximum financial return from their woodlots over the long term. For example, although the authors mention the importance of pruning plantation trees, there is neither a description of the recommended procedures nor a list of the species of trees for which it is economical to prune. When listing the nine values of a woodlot the authors include various environmental and aesthetic values in the first seven, followed by maple syrup and firewood production as number eight. Lumber production is the last. Perhaps they did not intend the list to represent priorities, but it reinforces the view that lumber production is not top -of -mind with the authors. According to a map in the Introduction, the book is aimed at readers across a huge geographic area stretching from near Winnipeg on the west to New Brunswick on the east and from Kenora in the north to the upper reaches of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia to the south. This enormous spread probably explains why the authors focused on environmental and aesthetic considerations, which are quite DAVID E. GREIN LOGGING Buyer of Standing & Felled Hardwood Timber & Bush Lots • Competitive Pricing • Quality Workmanship • 20 Years Experience R.R.#1 Neustadt (519) 799-5997 environmental odlots. ,0N L. PP '� GP OLANO 59 - Marvin L. Smith B.Sc.F. (Forestry), R.P.F. Farm Woodland Specialist 765 John St. West Listowel, Ontario N4W 1 B6 Telephone: (519) 291-2236 Providing advice and assistance with: • impartial advice/assistance In selling timber, including selection of trees and marking • reforestation of erodible or idle land • follow-up tending of young plantations • windbreak planning and establishment • woodlot management planning • diagnosis of Insect and disease problems • conducting educational programs In woodlot management • any other woodland or tree concerns 42 THE RURAL VOICE general, rather than on recommended woodlot management practices, which tend to be more specific to a local area. In a table listing endangered species, rare species and threatened species of animals, birds and plants, only two trees are included - the cucumber tree (endangered) and the Kentucky coffee tree (threatened), neither of which ever grew profusely in Ontario. No mention is made of the American chestnut, which is listed by Natural Resources Canada as a threatened species and is causing considerable concern among environmentalists in Ontario. It was once a prominent tree in the hardwood forests of Ontario but, according to Emeritus Professor John Laird Farrar of the Faculty of Forestry at the University of Toronto, it is now rare due to chestnut blight. Much space in the book (about 20 per cent) is devoted to explaining how to take an inventory of the trees in the woodlot and indeed, the authors say, "The first step in managing woodland for timber harvesting is to prepare a detailed inventory of it." They describe the procedure to be used to estimate the basal area of the forest, including the use of a hypsometer and a Biltmore stick. The woodlot owner who wants to take an inventory and learn how to use these tools will find the explanation quite adequate. The authors do not, however, offer an explanation of why a woodlot owner should take the time to take an inventory other than, "The woodlot inventory should provide a basic foundation for many management decisions." For the woodlot owner whose objective is to learn how to look after the environment, the book has much to offer. For the person who wants to grow trees as a crop while doing little, if any, damage to the environment the book offers few insights.0 The Woodlot Management Handbook, by Stewart Hilts and Peter Mitchell. Firefly Books Ltd. paperback. $24.95.