June has been a busy month of activities and summer work. In last months “NYCU” I protested the release of balloons and suggested alternatives such as butterfly releases or planting trees to celebrate the life of someone who passed away. A reader was quick to alert me to the woes of butterfly releases. Releases can spread disease to the wild population as there are no regulations on raising the released butterflies and they can harbor disease depending on the conditions they were raised in. Releases can also skew the results of those monitoring the populations by introducing them where they were not or falsely increasing the population above what was naturally there. There were further reasons not to do butterfly releases. That said, I suggest planting native trees where they would naturally exist, get such trees from a trusted source and care for them so they become well established. I stand corrected.

A couple years ago Krystaleigh called and asked me what two types of wood there are. I said softwood and hardwood. She then told me that in a Middle School CAD design class the teacher asked that question and she had answered Real Wood and Fake Wood. Olivia recently picked up some wood window blinds at a sale and when we looked closely at the box, the smaller print noted that they were “faux wood.” I let Krystaleigh know that perhaps there was a third type of wood out there. The sad thing is, we have faux wood posing as the real thing in too many products. Simply put, they are plastic and we just do not need so much of that, especially when there are great alternatives for many applications. Real wood could easily fit the bill. The PA Hardwood Development Council (HDC) as part of the Real American Hardwood Coalition recently rolled out the nationwide logo for Real American Hardwood. Look for the red rectangle with black tree rings and the words Real American Hardwood when you purchase wood products and hardwood lumber. We should be seeing it pop up more as the promotion takes hold.

We had a walkthrough of our forest with our co-Forest Stewards, Harry, Marth & Nate Bryans and David Brown. We hosted our Consulting Forester Mike Eckley so he could answer questions we had on our new forest management plans while we were in the woods looking at where a management practice was suggested. It was a great day with lots of questions, answers and education. At the top of the ridge in the Bryans’ golden winged warbler cut David found a plant that looked like a hickory sapling but different. My new plant ID app said it was Amur Cork. We were skeptical of this ID, but Mike later confirmed it with the Supervisor of the PGC’s Howard Nursery. There were a couple more around the one David found. They are not a desirable plant, and we will be removing them from the landscape before they get out of hand. We followed the tour of our properties with a trip to John Hoover’s nearby Tree Farm to view his vernal pools. I had seen them on an earlier tour and believe we have a few locations where we could build similar pools. Our group was impressed with John’s work and inspired to investigate such additional work in our forest.

Our one remaining tadpole pool started to dry up early in the month. I hauled 15 gallons of water from the creek each day for several days to keep them swimming. David then set up a “faux wood” concrete mixing tub in the shade of some nearby bushes with some leaves, sticks and a ramp for froglets to escape when they were ready. We then captured every tadpole we could and transferred them to the tub. They are incredibly happy there and some are finally showing back legs forming. Just after the move, a small snapping turtle showed up in the old pool. Krystaleigh is sure it is the same one from last summer that we thought had been harvested by the neighborhood bear. This year it moved on after a few days. Apparently, there was a lack of tadpoles in the pool to feast on. A box turtle moved into our compost bin where it feasts on vegetable scraps, mulberry pulp and corn on the cob that was too old to enjoy. The turtle enjoys it all. David and I are sharing the garden by the creek and trying to outwit deer and chipmunks. He found a toad in the garden and built a shelter for it which it continues to enjoy off and on. The spring peas are near the end of their run but were fantastic over a few weeks of near nightly feasting.

The gypsy moth outbreak has become evident here and even more so on the ridge tops to the east. I had hoped to never see another outbreak such as we had back in the 1980’s. There are always a few around but the biological controls seemed to be keeping them in check. Unfortunately, I am seeing the specks of frass (caterpillar poop) all over the driveway along with pieces of leaves that have fallen from their chewing. Next year will likely be a full-blown defoliation here as can currently be seen on Nittany Ridge, Brush and Winkelblech Mountains. The State sprayed Bt on 200,000 acres of Game Lands, State Forests and Parks. I suppose that is a good thing for helping the timber survive. On the other hand, it devastates the other types of caterpillars also. I recently found a Spice Bush Swallowtail caterpillar and had we been able to spray our property that little fellow would likely have been killed also. Forest management is complicated and always evolving. There is plenty of help available, just ask. Unfortunately, gypsy moth is beyond the ability of most private landowners to control.

The Pennsylvania Forestry Association had a Board meeting in June. Jon Geyer of the HDC reported on the success in obtaining five of the seven grants that were applied for with financial backing from PFA, PA Forest Products Assoc., the three PA Hardwood Development Groups and others. Of four applied for under PA Ag Promotion, three were granted. One is for signs promoting PA Working Sustainable forests and industry with at least one sign in each county. Another will support social media efforts in promoting PA Forests and a third will produce species samples to be used in promoting PA wood to manufacturers, importers and exporters, etc. The fourth grant was to establish a PA Forest presence at the Farm Show building such as benches or permanent displays. There is still hope to gain this presence after all, perhaps with a sample of several important PA species being planted inside the circle in front of the building’s main lobby entrance. Under Specialty Crop Grants, two of three were awarded. One will bring a Lumber Grading course to PA which will save the industry quite a bit as they have previously had to send workers out of state for several weeks and pay for the course, travel and lodging. Having the course held here in PA will be a great boon. The second was to distribute Project Learning Tree Green Jobs documents to all schools in the state as well as other venues where students can learn of the job opportunities in the forest industry in PA. The one that was not awarded was for maintenance of the PA Forest Career website. There is enough support among the partners that this will still be able to move forward without the grant. Please note that the industry needs more workers and support. Without the forest industry, we could not manage our forests. Be sure to hug a logger. I attended the Kane Area Logger Safety Committee Annual Meeting near Ridgway and saw over 110 loggers there. They learned about Spotted Lanternfly and then tested to obtain their permits to operate in Lanternfly quarantine areas. Sam Lincoln from Vermont spoke to the group about Vermont’s efforts to make Workmen’s Comp affordable for the loggers in that state. PA has been wrestling with this concern for several years and I hope the work and success in Vermont will help move PA’s efforts forward. Again, hug a logger, we need them.

Matt Sampson, Chair of the PFA Outreach Committee is in his second year of developing a forest calendar. Last year he had 6 partners sign on so each had two pages of the resulting calendar. This year he has 13 signed on so there may be a January 2023 page added to the end of the 2022 calendar. I thank all the organizations who signed onto this effort. Be sure to get your copy when they come out. They will be announced in the News You Can Use at the time.

Linda Finley and Nancy Baker, co-chairs of the Communication & Education Committee have rolled out a draft new PFA logo. Final copy is still in the works, but we will soon be seeing a change from the current round logo. PA Big Trees has a new website pabigtrees.com – there is a link on the PFA website.

The Tree Farm Committee reported that the third-party assessment of 14 Certified Tree Farms was completed in May. It is believed that all went well, and we look forward to a report on the inspections. The PFA and Tree Farm were represented at our booth at the Timber Expo with several Board members staffing the booth over both days. Thanks to Matt Sampson, John Laskowski, Randy White, Mark Ott, Linda Finley and John Hoover for their presence there. The Tree Farm Committee completed revamping their three-section manual on how to run the program. This should be of great help to current and future Tree Farm Program administrators and inspectors. Tree Farm is also developing a budget to get a handle on income and expenses. Finally, Tree Farm is promoting the Family Forest Carbon Program being run under the auspices of the American Forest Foundation and the Nature Conservancy. Search for Family Forest Carbon Program to get more information on the program and see if it is a fit for you.

The Forest Heritage Committee reported that the Discovery Center has an assistant manager for the summer and the venue will be open on weekends for visitors to Caledonia State Park. The 4th video in the Forest Heritage series has been released for review by the committee and after some work it will be posted with the first three on YouTube. The 4th is on Smoky Bear and wildfires in PA. The 5th will be on Forest Products.

Enjoy the summer and be safe,

Mark Ott

The Pennsylvania Forestry Association is seeking nominations for the 2020 Sandy Cochran Award for Excellence in Natural Resources Education. This award honors individuals or programs designing, developing, and implementing educational programs focused on the conservation and management of Pennsylvania’s natural resources. Nominations are by letter of support and include background information on the nominee, such as would be included in a vita. As well, the nominator should provide information on program focus (e.g., water, forests, recreation, wildlife), principle audiences affected (e.g., adults, students, youth programs, resource professionals), geographic area targeted (e.g., statewide, region, county, school district), and, if possible, behavior or impact changes linked to the program. Each nomination must also include three letters of support for the nominee. Deadline for application is September 1, 2021.

For more information or to submit a nomination, contact the Pennsylvania Forestry Association, Attention: Cochran Award Chairman, 300 North Second Street, Suite 1002, Harrisburg, PA 17101 or email: thePFA@paforestry.org.

Celebrating the value of the contributions of women to Pennsylvania’s natural resources, the Pennsylvania Forestry Association is pleased to announce the Mira Lloyd Dock Award. Mira Lloyd Dock is recognized as the first Pennsylvania woman to lead the way in forest conservation. In order to honor her outstanding contributions to the foundation of forest conservation in the Commonwealth, her skills as an advocate for Penn’s Woods, and her diligence as a “Friend of the Forest,” it is only appropriate that PFA names this award for her. Ms. Dock’s character and motivation set the example for future women of conservation, who PFA wishes to recognize for their professional and/or personal commitment with this award.

Award Criteria

Nominations shall be made in the form of a letter, not more than two typed pages long, with content based on the following criteria:

1.   Forest Conservation Activities

2.   Effective Outreach

3.   Engagement with others/building collaborative relationships

4.   Commitment to learning/resource-based knowledge

5.   Additional Recognition related to Natural Resource Conservation

The award will be announced at the Pennsylvania Forestry Association Annual Symposium.

The deadline for nominations is September 1, 2021. Nominations are welcome from any interested individual or group. Membership in the PFA is not a requirement for the nominee or those submitting a nomination. For more information or to submit a nomination, contact the Pennsylvania Forestry Association, Attention: PFA Awards Committee, 300 North Second Street, Suite 1002, Harrisburg, PA 17101 or email: thePFA@paforestry.org.

Mira Lloyd Dock (1853-1945), pictured above, was a botanist, educator, author, civic leader, conservationist, and activist.

Each year at its annual meeting, the Pennsylvania Forestry Association (PFA) recognizes an individual, organization or group’s significant contributions to the public recognition of the importance of Pennsylvania’s forest resources in the same tradition and spirit of Dr. Joseph T. Rothrock. Dr. Rothrock served as the first president of PFA and earned the title, “Father of Forestry in Pennsylvania,” through his untiring efforts to promote the forest conservation movement in Pennsylvania.

NOMINEES FOR THE AWARD WILL BE EVALUATED ACCORDING TO THREE SELECTION CRITERIA

1.   Value of contributions to the continued conservation of Pennsylvania’s forest resource. (60%)

2.   Public recognition and stature of the individual in the field of resource conservation. (30%)

3.   Other Unique or special considerations which demonstrate a long term commitment to conservation. (10%)

Nominations for the award should address these three criteria in appropriate detail.

Nominations are welcome from any interested individual or group. The deadline for nominations is September 1, 2021. Membership in the PFA is not a requirement for the nominee or those submitting a nomination. For more information or to submit a nomination, contact the Pennsylvania Forestry Association, Attention: Rothrock Award Chairman, 300 North Second Street, Suite1002, Harrisburg, PA 17101 or email: thePFA@paforestry.org.

The achievements of Ms. Dock in pursuit of urban beautification and forest conservation are worthy of celebration on their own merits. That she accomplished these things as a woman in a time when women were expected to remain out of public discourse is no less significant. The Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership, in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Forestry Association, provides an important opportunity to retell this story, calling Pennsylvania to respond to leadership in its own history and continue this important work. In so doing, Ms. Dock's contributions can be appropriately honored and the public embraces the shared values and sense of ownership necessary to achieve the Partnership's ambitious goals.

This award will recognize a diverse conservationist within the Keystone 10 Million Tree Partnership with the context of local history, courage, leadership, and purpose.

AWARD CRITERIA

The partnership award recipient should use these trees and supplies in a project in a diverse, equitable, and under-represented community. If the awardee cannot accept this project on their behalf, they may name a project to which the grant should be applied. This award will be given along with the PFA Dock Award at their October virtual event.

Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership Dock Award Nomination Period Open 5/3/21 – 9/3/21

Hosted by the Society of American Foresters

Register for this online short course at ForestEd.org to develop foundational knowledge in the relationship between climate regulation, forests, and forest carbon over the course of five modules.

Pricing: $175 Member/$220 Non-Member

Start Date: July 20, 2021

Duration: 6 weeks, self-paced

CFEs: 3.5 Category 1

> Be familiar with and able to identify the carbon cycle and its connection to natural and human-caused global warming

> Know about trends in atmospheric GHG emissions and their impact on the carbon cycle

> Understand sources and sinks, and the role of natural forests and the forestry sector

> Understand that forest composition, structure, and function influence carbon storage

> Remember the pools of carbon with forested ecosystems

> Apply knowledge of forest structure differences to forest carbon pools and fluxes by forest type

> Be able to communicate global distribution of carbon storage in forests

> Remember that management planning and decision-making can minimize the carbon losses from natural and human-caused disturbances

This course is intended for the novice or aspiring forest carbon and climate novice who is seeking to get a better understanding of climate regulation and forest carbon within the context of forests and forestry. This foundational course covers the fundamentals to help better equip you in the conversation of climate and forest carbon with your colleagues, customers, and other diverse audiences. This course may also serve as a refresher to your understanding. Reinforcing your knowledge can strengthen your understanding, especially as new resources, tools, and policies may emerge as they relate to climate regulation and forest carbon.

Join us the third Wednesday of every month from 1-2 p.m. to meet and interact with college personnel and guest speakers and learn how the college is impacting Pennsylvania agriculture and communities across the Commonwealth.

On July 21 we will feature – THE SPOTTED LANTERNFLY: WHERE WE ARE AND WHY IT MATTERS.

Dean Roush will be joined by Julie M. Urban, Research Associate Professor, Department of Entomology, and Jillian Stevenson, Associate Director of College Communications. The panel will discuss the latest research on this invasive pest that is continuing to spread throughout the northeastern United States and how the college is collaborating with the PA Department of Agriculture, USDA, and other states to translate and communicate research findings to provide tools for improved management of this pest.

We hope you can join the conversation on July 21 at 1 p.m. We look forward to seeing you on Zoom!

Click here for the event summary to learn more or to register for the College Connections.

Hosted by Forest Resources Association

Thursday, July 29 – 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM ET

This webinar will provide an overview of an exciting new platform recently launched by the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, in partnership with the state logging associations in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Timberhauling.com is designed to provide national buying power to the small independent trucking and hauling businesses serving the forest products industry. Project goals include providing significant cost savings on goods and services as well as improving the overall operational efficiency for this critical sector of the supply chain. Enrollment is open for contractors in VA, NC, and SC during the pilot program phase; however, there is optimism that a national scale platform will result upon successful completion of the initial project serving the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Webinar presenters include Pete Madden, President and CEO of the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, and Ewell Smith, Executive Director of the Carolina Loggers Association. The webinar will last one hour and include time for questions from participants.

This webinar is eligible for one Category 1 SAF CFE credit.

Designed to increase working tree knowledge and professional arborist skills, successful completion of the four-day Arborist Short Course will prepare participants for the ISA Certified Arborist exam, as well as improve their marketability. This certification designates a level of professionalism that most arborists do not have.

Day 1: Tue., Sep. 28, 2021

(9:00 AM - 5:00 PM ET)

Day 2: Thu., Oct. 7, 2021

(9:00 AM - 4:00 PM ET)

Day 3: Fri., Oct. 8, 2021

(9:00 AM - 5:00 PM ET)

Day 4: Tue., Oct. 12, 2021

(9:00 AM - 4:00 PM ET)

Penn State Extension York County

2401 Pleasant Valley Rd.

York, PA 17402

As reported by PA Forest Products Association:

Act 70 of 2008, the Pennsylvania Climate Change Act, requires the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to update the state’s “Climate Change Action Plan” every three years. The Act also established the Climate Change Advisory Committee (CCAC) to provide input into the process. In late-June, the CCAC reviewed the 2021 Final Draft Climate Change Action Plan, which has several items of interest to the forest products community.

The utilization of wood products and the sustainable management of our forests is a key component of any strategy aimed at reducing carbon in our atmosphere. As policymakers at the state and federal levels continue to focus on the carbon equation, it is important for members of the forest products industry to understand the helpful role we play.

There are two major aspects to the carbon equation: how much is released into the atmosphere, and how much is captured (or sequestered) from the atmosphere. Any action plan aimed at this equation would look to reduce emissions while increasing the amount of carbon captured through various processes.

The forest products industry’s role in carbon capture falls under the category that is often described using the acronym LULUCF, which stands for “Land Use, Land Use Change, and Forestry.” Pennsylvania’s Final Draft Climate Action Plan addresses the forest products industry's role beginning on page 95 of the report, and includes the following important data point:

“Pennsylvania’s 17 million acres of forest land are estimated to sequester about 34 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually.”

Since trees take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and release oxygen, the carbon gets captured and stored in the wood. The greatest carbon capture and sequestration benefits are achieved when wood is made into durable goods or long-lived products (LLP).

The National Clean Air and Streams Council (NCASI) has provided a helpful fact sheet that shows the impact of our industry on the carbon equation. Of note, it shows that younger forests capture carbon faster than mature forests do. Therefore, the utilization of wood products in our society, coupled with the regrowth of harvested forests, will result in an increased rate of carbon capture from the atmosphere as well as an increased capacity for carbon storage over time.

Unfortunately, the Climate Change Action Plan Draft also states, “Of several natural strategies evaluated for their potential to increase the carbon sequestration of forestland in Pennsylvania, extending harvest cycles and reforestation showed the highest potential.” The accompanying footnotes cite several sources (see, footnotes 69 and 70) whose conclusions are based on assumptions that should be questioned.

Ultimately, these studies assume that delaying harvests will increase the amount of wood utilized for LLP’s while decreasing the wood used for biomass energy, paper, and other uses that are less effective in storing carbon. There are plenty of reasons to question these assumptions. Pennsylvania’s forests continue to grow at two to three times the rate of harvest. Many times, harvest cycles happen slower than planned. It is certainly questionable whether further delays to harvest cycles would result in a higher proportion of saw logs harvested.

The contributions of the forest products community to the carbon equation depend upon the success of all sectors of the industry. Low-grade utilization for products such as biomass, paper, mulch, etc. continues to be important to enabling successful, sustainable forest management that enables the harvest of high-quality saw logs that ultimately become durable goods.

At the PFPA, we will continue to monitor the developments of the climate and carbon conversation in Pennsylvania, and we will continue working with allied organizations, especially our partners at the national level, to ensure our community is appropriately represented in ongoing conversations on carbon, climate and forest management.

WASHINGTON, June 28, 2021 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that Randy Moore will serve as the 20th Chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Forest Service.

“Randy Moore has been a catalyst for change and creativity in carrying out the Forest Service’s mission to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations,” said Secretary Vilsack. “In his role as Regional Forester, Randy has been a conservation leader on the forefront of climate change, most notably leading the Region’s response to the dramatic increase in catastrophic wildfires in California over the last decade. His proven track record of supporting and developing employees and putting communities at the center of the Forest Service’s work positions him well to lead the agency into the future at this critical time in our country.”

Upon swearing in, Moore will serve as the first African American to hold the role of Chief of the Forest Service.

Current Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen will step down from her role on July 26. Chief Christiansen and Regional Forester Moore will continue to collaborate on an intentional leadership transition between now and then as the Forest Service gears up for a tough summer of predicted elevated fire activity across the Western United States.

Randy Moore has been serving as Regional Forester in the Pacific Southwest Region in California since 2007 where he has responsibility for 18 national forests, covering one-fifth of the state on 20 million acres of land. Additionally, he oversees State and Private Forestry programs in Hawaii and the U.S. affiliated Pacific Islands.

Previously, Moore served as the Regional Forester for the Eastern Region headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisc., for five years.

Moore started his career in conservation in 1978 with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in North Dakota. His Forest Service career began on the Pike and San Isabel National Forests in Colorado and the Comanche and Cimarron National Grasslands in Kansas. He served as Deputy Forest Supervisor on the National Forests of North Carolina and the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri before serving as Forest Supervisor of the Mark Twain National Forest. Moore also has national-level experience in Washington, D.C., serving as acting Associate Deputy Chief for the National Forest System and the National Deputy Soils Program Manager.

Moore earned a bachelor’s degree in plant and soil science from Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He and his wife Antoinette have two sons, a daughter-in-law, and two grandsons.

A new series of educational videos from Penn State Extension is now available to assist natural resource professionals and landowners in the identification of fourteen common invasive plant species. These videos join a larger portfolio of available resources related to invasive forest plant identification and control.

Both the video series and factsheet series can be found at the button below!