Things have become eerie. Life has changed. As I write this, we remain “hunkered” in. My fire company pager has remained strangely quiet for an unprecedented 2 solid weeks. After 10 days with seven early season wildfires, among other fire, rescue and EMS calls, nothing. No wrecks, fires, medical calls or water rescues. Quiet. How long will it last?! I expect to hear the tones at any moment and I find myself on edge waiting for it.

Rather than staring at the TV news all day we have taken advantage of this time to get out and get things done on the property. A new bridge has been put in place to shorten travel. We have been clearing winter debris from our trails and roads. New raised beds have been built in our yard garden. We have attacked the oriental bittersweet along the stream.

The hunkering has helped us to get out and about much more - at home. We have enjoyed the increasing chorus of the birds as they arrive or pass through. The red squirrels are very active gathering nest material. A late snow gave us several inches that transformed the woods for a day. The intermittent stream is flowing strongly. The buds are swelling. On top of it all, it is strangely quiet. Hardly any noise from the state highway a mile east. From the ridge top, the drone of I-80 miles to the south is greatly reduced and completely gone at times. It seems fewer planes are above.

Sadly, though not as consequential as many other closings and cancellations, the Earth Day activities are generally being shut down. The annual Tree Planting Ramble in Sproul State Forest is cancelled. The trees will be planted by DCNR. The Earth Day celebration at the Governor's residence in Harrisburg has been cancelled. Our Seminar on April 20th including the screeningof “Penn’s Woods - Cradle of Conservation” followed by a panel discussion in conjunction with PA Parks & Forests Foundation, Penn State Mont Alto, Friends of Michaux, The South Mountain Partnership, DCNR, and others has a chance at life through Zoom conferencing. The Seminar Event Planning Team (Katie Hess, Roy Brubaker, Craig Houghton, Peter Linehan, Sara Scholl, Marci Mowery, Kimberly Bohn, Pam Metzger, and Rich Lewis) is hard at work trying to convert this in-person Seminar to a virtual interactive Internet based event. We will get the details out, through a free standing e-Blast, if it can go forward.

As we all work through the pandemic, use some of your time to get out and improve Penns' Woods through your own forest or on public lands. Get out and enjoy a hike. Though State Park, PA Game Commission, and DCNR Forest facilities are closed, you can still go and enjoy the parks, forests and game lands. Early spring is great at bringing the joy of life into focus. I hope you and yours pull through with no serious consequences. Be safe.

Mark Ott

PFA President

The spring issue of Pennsylvania Forests was originally formatted to list nearly 50 events on this milestone anniversary of Earth Day. The Pennsylvania Forestry Association deeply regrets that virtually all Earth Day 50 events and activities have been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Any updates from the many dedicated partners and volunteers who planned these celebrations can be found at www.earthday50pa.org.

The PFA Encourages You to Continue to Safely Enjoy the Outdoors and Our Home Earth!

We suggest that everyone:

Watch one of the commonwealth’s three eagle cams or the Rachel Carson building’s peregrine falcon cam – all of which will have hatchlings by April. — Do a deep dive into your bookshelf or ask a friend to suggest a favorite environmental classic. There are two terrific lists on the EarthDaypa.org website. — Read aloud to someone. — Sit in the woods and use all your senses. — Start a nature journal; draw, color, carry your camera. — Clean out the bird boxes for new residents. Watch the clouds; practice forecasting the weather. — Investigate a pile of dirt. — Find online ID guides and aps; learn to use them. — Share, find a way! — Attach a youngster to your woods! — Plant a tree!

For Homebound Students:

The PA Association of Environmental Educators has opened a special Teaching Environmental Ed At Home resource webpage to help parents, grandparents, teachers and school officials provide an EE learning experience while their students are home.  http://www.paee.net/teaching-ee-at-home.html

DCNR’s Bureau of State Parks Outdoor Programming Services Division put together two lists of EE At Home activities. There is a rich mix here for parents, teachers and students to explore!

List #1 - Webinars, Activities, Resources https://tinyurl.com/rfga9qn

List #2 - More Activities, Make Your Home Green, Resources. https://tinyurl.com/vyfcq54

PA Parks & Forests Foundation is busily finding fun things to do to entertain the little ones (and yourself), including the freebies you can find at https://paparksandforests.org/about-us/publications/ . One of those freebies is the Art in the Parks coloring book. Snap a picture of your finished product and send it to [email protected].  We'll draw one at random for a gift from the prize closet!

The Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Wildlife Student Guide includes 58 pages of wildlife coloring pages, education facts, fun activities and more. https://tinyurl.com/sg3xzgd

The PA Conservation Heritage Project has 9 documentaries about PA conservation leaders, and initiatives free for viewing online.  https://paconservationheritage.org/documentaries/.

The Pennsylvania Forestry Association’s Forest Heritage Discovery Center located in the Caledonia State Park near Fayetteville, Pennsylvania is seeking interns to help staff the Discovery Center on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays from 12:00 to 5:00 pm from Memorial Day weekend (May 23rd) to Labor Day (September 7th). We are seeking motivated and responsible applicants with an interest in forestry, conservation, forest protection, wildlife, outdoor recreation, or the environment. Applicants 18 years of age or older with good verbal communications skills are preferred. The payment for this position is $15.00/hour.

 

The successful intern will:

 

 

 

Please email a one-page application letter and brief resume by April 17, 2020 to:

Peter Linehan

[email protected]

PFA Forest Heritage Committee Co-Chair

 

For more information, contact Peter Linehan via email or call 717-440-4348.

The PA Tree Farm Committee would like to announce a new opportunity for PA forestland owners. The American Forest Foundation (AFF) in partnership with The Nature Conservancy has launched a pilot carbon sequestration incentive program in selected areas of Pennsylvania in March 2020. It is called the Family Forest Carbon Program. A map of the eligible forestland is included below. The partnership has plans to extend the area to include all of PA private forestlands by next year.

The Family Forest Carbon Program is designed to be easily accessible to small landowners, removing the barriers landowners often face—access, lack of expertise and cost—to help them manage and optimize their family forests for carbon sequestration. Landowners will get payments to maintain their forestland with the agreed upon practices. This is accomplished by:

The Family Forest Carbon Program makes it economically feasible to engage family lands at a large scale, thus making a significant contribution to the nation’s climate mitigation strategy. According to the initial estimates from the program’s science team, if 20 percent of these family forest acres (54 million) were managed using practices that optimized carbon sequestration by 2030, this program could sequester over two gigatons of CO2 through the balance of the century.

Program participants are expected to work with professional foresters to implement one or more practices that align with the landowner’s management goals. The recommend forest management practices have been scientifically demonstrated to enhance carbon sequestration. Those interested in participating Family Forest Carbon Program should   sign up at : https://www.familyforestcarbon.org/.     Sign up now- even if the pilot is not yet in your area and you will be notified when it is available. For more information, visit the American Forest Foundation's site at " Sequestering Carbon from Family Forests " and click on Family Forest Carbon Program link at bottom of page. 

Note: Due to Coronavirus precautions, you may not be contacted immediately after signing up. But please use this time to express interest and when/if life goes back to normal, the program will be prepared to kick into gear. Stay safe and use this time to work in your woods for a healthy mind and body. 

The 2020 Pennsylvania Log a Load for Kids fundraising shoot was held Saturday, March 14 under sunny skies and ideal temperatures. This event is co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania Forest Products Association and the Pennsylvania Forestry Association and raises money for the Children’s Miracle Network. All the monies raised will be distributed to the five children’s hospitals in Pennsylvania.

 

Thirty-six people participated, representing companies from these types of businesses: forest products, excavating, roofing, automotive repair, forestry equipment and the private sector. In addition, thirty-three companies and individuals either sponsored or donated money to the event. Due to the outstanding generosity of all these people we were able to raise $12,000 for children’s medical care in Pennsylvania.

 

I want to thank all the participants and the sponsors for their commitment of time and money to make the event a success and for supplying door prizes. Also, thank you to the boards of PFPA and PFA for your support to this great cause. Brant Forcey volunteered to help me at the event with whatever I needed, and he was a great help, thank you Brant. Bob Rorabaugh also helps with the event and has done so for many years, thanks Bob. A special thank you goes out to PFPA’s Business Manager, Michelle McManus, who handled the invoicing, mailings, requests for donations, data tracking, accounting and all my requests, emails and phone calls with her usual efficiency and good humor.

 

Sincerely:

Bob Long

PFPA Membership Coordinator

As shared by the Central Susquehanna Woodland Owners Association. Unfortunately, their April 19 and May 3 events.

In this difficult time, throughout the state and country, many of us are cooped up in our homes and cabin fever is quickly setting in. I understand many of us were looking forward to the transition from winter to spring as well as getting back out to do some field work. We all need to do our part to practice in social distancing to help slow the spread of this virus, and allow everyone to get back in the field safely later in the growing season.

Luckily the governor has said frequently that outdoor activities such as walking, hiking and exercising are acceptable activities to participate in as long as you are not in large groups. As forest landowners, I would encourage you to take advantage of this by getting out into your woodlot. This is a great time of year to scout for invasive species which can sometimes blend in later in the year when everything is green. Many of the invasive species such as Japanese Barberry, Multiflora Rose and Honeysuckle will be the first to start greening up. This gives them an advantage over the native species as they are able to extend their growing season by several weeks. Lucky for you this also makes them stand out against the dormant conditions around them. A little flagging or a GPS point will make them easier to find when it’s time to treat them in the coming months.

While you are practicing social distancing in your home take some time to look through your management plans to assess your progress toward your personal goals you set when your plan was written. As with many projects, more time is spent planning how to accomplish it as opposed to the actual time completing the work. Look at the 10 year work plan, try to pick out some of the upcoming steps then put the boots on the ground. You can see if your forest has progressed to the point these steps are needed and see how they can be accomplished in the most efficient way. For instance, if crop tree release as a followup to a recent cut is recommended you can see if the stand has responded to a point this is needed. It is also a good time to locate oak in these young stands as many will still be holding on to last year’s foliage.

This is also a good time to further your forestry knowledge. Take advantage of the many online resources available such as Penn State Extension. There are webinars and research papers on almost anything you can think of.

At this time we are not available to get out in the field right now your Service Foresters are still available to help assist you with questions. While working from home email and phone calls are still available. If you are uncertain of the forester assigned to your area visit the DCNR Bureau of Forestry website.

Stay safe, practice social distancing and we can all get back out in the field together in the future!

Steve Ziegler

Service Forester, Schuylkill and Carbon County

DCNR Bureau of Forestry , Weiser Forest District

March 30, 2020

PSU Extension is offering the following forestry courses for free through the month of April:

Understanding Forests: Education for the General Public

Sections 6

Length 9 hours

Free

Learn practical knowledge and skills about forest trees, wildlife, and water, as well as forest ecology, management, and silviculture.

Teach for Forests: Forest Education for Teachers and Youth Leaders

Sections 6

Length 9 hours, 30 minutes

Free

Learn about trees, wildlife, water, and ecology. Learn to teach children and teens with activities and through curriculum recommendations. Earn Act 48 credits.

Woodland Stewardship: Management Practices for Landowners

Sections9

Length12 hours

Free

Learn about forest ecosystems, management, and stewardship practices, as well as wildlife, water, tree identification and measurement, and legacy planning.

Forest Taxation: Forest Finance and Timber Tax Education

Sections13

Length8 hours

Free

Tax professionals and forest landowners learn about finance, taxation, and timber sales and taxation in order to save money on taxes. Earn 8 CFEs or 8 IRS CEs.

Pond Management for Rural and Farm Pond Owners

Sections: 6

Length: 8 hours

FREE

Learn basic pond maintenance and how to address common pond issues including excessive plant and algae growth, nuisance wildlife, and fishery management.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation has compiled a list of education resources on their website. Topics include:

View the resources here.

Additionally, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation is sharing resources and activities that individuals can do during the quarantine to connect with nature. In their blog, they discuss the value of nature journaling. Each week, different prompts are shared to help folks connect to nature. You can view them here.

Project Learning Tree is sharing online resources to celebrate Earth Day! From their website, "Amid the recent Coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic, Earth Day Network, the global organizer of Earth Day, will mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day with the first Digital Earth Day. To support Earth Day 2020, we’ve compiled stories and resources to help educators and youth learn about sustainability issues, climate science, and actions they can take this #EarthDay2020 and every day. Plus, PLT teamed up with Earth Day Network, Project WET, and Project WILD to produce a guide that lists all our available education resources to advance climate education."

Additionally, Project Learning Tree is offering free at-home activities for families. Click here to view.

Increase your knowledge about best practices for planning, planting, and managing trees in your community forest with this weekly webinar series which starts on April 1.

As we welcome in the spring tree planting season, we are also unfortunately faced with limitations on our ability to get out and plant because of coronavirus-related restrictions. While we may be stuck inside for the time being, this provides a great opportunity to brush up on our knowledge and skills on urban and community forestry management and arboriculture. To this end, the Penn State Extension Urban and Community Forestry team is pleased to offer a free weekly webinar series starting Wednesday, April 1, 2020. This webinar series will cover a range of topics including tree planting, site analysis, species selection, nursery stock considerations, and dealing with tricky planting sites in built environments. Other topics will address management of the urban forest, including inventories, ordinances, and planning. Join us each Wednesday at noon for these webinars. If you miss one, recordings will be available on the Penn State Extension website.



Community Forestry Management Webinar Series Schedule:

The webinars are free to attend, but you will need to register online and then you will receive the weblinks to the live webinars.

Wednesday, April 1, 2020:  Large Bare Root Trees: Cost Effective and Volunteer Friendly  , presented by Vincent Cotrone

Wednesday, April 8, 2020:  Site Analysis: The First Step to Successful Tree Planting Projects  , presented by Scott Sjolander

Wednesday, April 15, 2020: No webinar

Wednesday, April 22, 2020:  Planting Landscape Trees  , presented by Brian Wolyniak

Wednesday, April 29, 2020:  Modifying Tree Planting Sites in the Built Environment  , presented by William Elmendorf

Wednesday, May 6, 2020: TreeVitalize Recommended Tree Species, presented by Julianne Schieffer

Wednesday, May 13, 2020: Planting Aftercare: Essential to Establishment and Long-Term Survival for Trees, presented by Vincent Cotrone

Wednesday, May 20, 2020: Community Tree Inventories, presented by Brian Wolyniak

Wednesday, May 27, 2020: Municipal Tree Ordinances, presented by William Elmendorf

Wednesday, June 3, 2020: Community Tree Plans, presented by William Elmendorf

If you look at a forest top from above or below, you might see a pattern of nicely spaced pathways twisting between the trees. This phenomenon is known as "crown shyness."

Attempts have been made to explain it, with most experts concluding it's due to many factors. Initially, it was thought to be wind making the upper branches rub against each other, damaging them to the point where they stop growing. But one study found no difference between windy and sheltered forests.

One hypothesis is that light levels allow the growing tree tips to detect when another is too close, causing them to stop growing in that direction. Others think it could be natural adaptation to help trees maximize access to resources like light and minimize competition.

Despite their crown "social distancing," many trees communicate with each other through underground fungal networks, or "mycorrhizae." As Peter Wohlleben explored in  The Hidden Life of Trees and Wayne Grady and I in  Tree: A Life Story, these "wood-wide webs" allow fungi to derive sugars from the trees, while providing trees with water, nutrients and better conditions for root expansion. They also facilitate transmission of warnings between trees about threats from insects, drought and more.

Read the full article here.

Forest researchers in New York may have found a way to restore the once-dominant American chestnut that doesn’t involve non-native chestnut genes. You can help.

Apple. Persimmon. Jujube. Pawpaw. Pear. Sawtooth oak. In the never-ending pursuit of the ultimate hunting property, mast production is common to the conversation. Spend just a little time around die-hard QDM’ers and chestnuts are likely to enter the discussion.

In days past, the American chestnut was among the most common trees on the landscape. From Maine to Mississippi, chestnut trees spanned the Appalachian Mountains and beyond, offering to wildlife an abundance of nuts with more digestible protein than acorns or beech nuts. Some estimate that American Chestnut comprised a quarter of the standing timber in the eastern United States prior to its downfall. In the wake of the infamous chestnut blight, caused by the invasive Cryphonectria parasitica fungus, naturally occurring American chestnut trees have become increasingly rare within their historic range.

Today, hunters seeking to offer local whitetails this highly preferred food source have options including Chinese chestnut trees and hybrids which include genes from both the Chinese and American chestnut. As many deer managers would tell you, establishing these on your hunting grounds can make whitetails feel right at home. However, concern over the loss of the native American chestnut and its unique characteristics has been the cause for research into restoring the species.

“The real issue is regaining tree height.”

Those words come from Dr. William Powell of the State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) in Syracuse, New York, who has invested decades into restoration of the species.

Read the full article here.

04-01-2020 Will Pennsylvania’s state parks, forests and trails survive our ‘stay at home’ coronavirus response?

While it seems to be a minority of hikers and other park, forest and trail users flaunting Pennsylvania’s coronavirus restrictions, including the stay at home guidelines, there may be enough of them to leave a significant mark, on the landscape, on social media and on efforts to flatten the curve... - Penn Live, Patriot-News

04-01-2020 Layoffs hit state park, forestry workers due to COVID-19

Nearly three-fourth of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ hourly employees have been laid off due to the ongoing spread of COVID-19, which led to the closure of state park facilities. “As a result of operational changes to address COVID-19 there are... - Lancaster Intelligencer Journal

03-27-2020 PFBC Responds to Frequently Asked Questions About COVID-19

  (Press Release)