Bernard Braun

Education:
A.A.S. Forestry, Paul Smith's College 1979.
B.S. Forestry & Wildlife Biology, State University of New York College of Environmental Science & Forestry (SUNY ESF), Syracuse, NY, 1982.
M.A. Water Resources, SUCO, Oneonta, NY, 2000.
Society of American Foresters, Certified Forester
New York Institute of Consulting Foresters
NYS Cooperating Consulting Forester
Inspecting Forester, American Tree Farm Program

Continuing Education:
SUNY ESF, Certificate of Training in Silviculture & Wildlife Habitat in Northern Hardwood Forests, 2000, SUNY ESF, Certificate of Training in Managing Northern Hardwood Forests, 1986, Pennsylvania State University, United States Department of Agriculture, Certificate of Training for Allegheny Hardwood Silviculture, 1984, US Army Core of Engineers Wetland Delineator Certification Training Program, 1996, NYLT Trained Logger Certified, Tree Felling and Game of Logging Levels 1 - 3, Northeastern Association of Watershed Managers Training, 2000, The Science behind Forest Management in Watersheds, 2001, WAC courses in: Approved Forestry Contractors Planning Update, Sedimnent Training, Forest Stewardship Training and Forest Management in Riparian Areas of the Catskills and Lower Hudson Valley.

Special Interests:
Educating the Public

Forest Management is limited in many areas and on many properties because landowners and policy makers in many cases have their opinions formed by bad logging jobs they have seen, by media attention always focusing on clearcutting, and because we are constantly bombarded by the present policy of much of the environmental movement which is in many cases led by people who have a shallow understanding of the science behind forestry and whose most effective fundraising tool is the, "Save the trees Campaigns", these environmentalists mistakenly believe that forestry is the main cause of deforestation.

Early on in my career I saw teachers in schools teaching their students that cutting trees was bad. It wasn't just individual teachers, forestry was portrayed negatively in their text books! In 1892 Gifford Pinchot wrote of the lack of understanding by the American People of what forestry was and of the bitter need for it. This statement is still relevant today.

I have spent my adult life training loggers, landowners, educators, college students and anyone else who will listen, about the benefits of properly applied forest management. I have used many different forums to spread the conservation message. Some of them are listed below.

Taught the Silviculture and Ecology Series for the New York Logger Training Course held May 25, 2000 at the Lennox Forest and September 23, 1999 at Frost Valley YMCA.

Guest Lecturer for the Watershed Forestry Institute For Teachers, July 23, 1999 and July 21 2000.

Introduced high school teachers to concepts of forest management and what a forester does for a living.

Testified before the Senate Committee on Agriculture and the NYS Legislative Commission on Rural Resources during the "Timber Theft Hearings", about the impact of timber theft on private landowners, the resource and professional timber harvesters, February 8, 2000.

Served on the timber theft committee for the duration.

Guest Lecturer for the Northeastern Loggers Association

Taught at a workshop entitled; "Logging Doesn't Have To Be Ugly", gave a tour of a recent timber harvest I managed on the 594 acre Crumhorn Mountain Boy Scout Camp. The objective was to show loggers techniques utilized to improve the appearance of timber harvests. October, 1996
Guest Lecturer for D.E.C. workshop entitled: Timber Theft: Law & Order, A workshop for Law Enforcement and the Legal Profession, October 25, 1994.

Gave presentation on determining and investigating timber theft, types of evidence & collection of evidence for prosecution to over fifty law enforcement personnel including the Assistant Attorney General of New York State.
Guest Lecturer at S.U.N.Y. Cobleskill

Give a day long tour of my Tree Farm to SUNY Wildlife Biology class each year on forestry management techniques used to improve wildlife habitat
Gave presentation on managing renewable resources for Earth Day
Published Articles On conservation Issues In:

The American Tree Farmer, a national publication
The New York Forester, a N.Y.S. S.A.F. publication
The Soil Conservation Newsletter
C.D.C. New York Forest Owners Assn.

Mission Statement:
Wildlife Habitat Improvement and management has always been the driving force behind my educational choices and career development. Wildlife habitat improvement is accomplished by manipulating the forest cover to provide conditions favorable for the species desired whether it be song birds or white-tailed deer. Manipulating the forest cover means cutting trees. When done properly the landowner can derive income and the many benefits associated with timber harvesting such as a useable trail system and improved growth on the remaining forest to name a few.

Recent surveys show that most landowners own forests because it is part of their home or farm and for the wildlife and aesthetic values. The same studies however show that more than 70% of landowners will conduct a timber harvest even if they thought they never would. Although you may not be thinking about a timber harvest, if you own forestland you will probably be approached about one.

Many landowners sell timber without the benefit of professional advice. Indiscriminate cutting decreases the quality, health and productivity of your forest, decreases future income, and overall devalues your sizable investment. In addition without putting timber on the open market using the sealed bidding process most landowners sell their timber way below its true value.

On a recent sale I received seven bids as follows: $44,000, $48,005, $52,218, $61,092, $65,105, $67,120 and a high bid of $71,633. If the owner had taken the first offer he would have sold his timber for $27,633 below its actual worth. This was the second sale I managed on this 50-acre forest in ten years and there is still an additional $30,000 left in the forest to continue growing and increasing in value. This same property has been enrolled in NYS Forest Tax Law program, which grants an 80% reduction in land and school taxes. Using professional advice and being an informed landowner has made this property truly affordable for the downstate owner who uses it as a recreational retreat.

Finally in closing let me say that when a landowner is undertaking their search for a forester to work with they should look to find an experienced forester who can help them develop their objectives and implement them. Landowners who are being counseled to make their decision of which forester to hire based on a certain type of fee schedule are often limiting their choice of foresters to work with and as a result they may not realize the full range of their options nor do they explore the full potential of their property.