Pennsylvania Forestry Association
News You Can Use
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A Message from PFA President Mark Ott
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As we continue to deal with COVID-19, I hope that all are doing OK. Personally, EMS calls remain lower than normal. In our zip code, we have had no confirmed cases as yet. We have been able to do much more work in our forest and we are pleased with what we are achieving. We have been attacking our invasive plants with renewed vigor. The result is that we have discovered that our oriental bittersweet problem is much worse than we thought. Bush Honeysuckle, Autumn Olive and Barberry are being chopped off. The strategy we are using is to cut the invasives back to the ground then go back and spray the sprouts. Much less spray is needed - it can be directed at a small sprout rather than a large bush or vine. This method worked great on Ailanthus years ago and we no longer have any of that on the property. I’m afraid this war with invasives will never end. It is encouraging to win a battle occasionally.
We have opened roads and trails that time did not permit us to give attention to in the past. We continue that job and have much better access to some far reaches that have had less attention until now. We have established many brushpiles from this work which are already drawing birds and chipmunks. My tree seedling order was cancelled this year by the supplier. We have instead purchased 30 native trees and shrubs which have been planted. The best part of this outside work is watching spring unfold. Hearing and seeing the various woodland birds return. Harvesting fiddleheads for dinner. Looking for the so far elusive morels. Just being out and about is wonderful. Try it if you can.
The PA Forestry Association has remained active. We partnered with several organizations to hold an
Earth Day webinar which included a screening of a video on Environmental Rights Act of PA followed by a panel discussion. Thank you to all of those who zoomed in to the presentation and thanks to those who coordinated the show. The Executive Committee has continued to meet by phone and the team at Versant Strategies has been working from home so our phones are being answered, mail being dealt with and bills being paid. Congressman G.T. Thompson stated to me that he met with “your people” last fall. Versant, the organization who handles our administrative work are indeed our people.
One disturbing incident has been an email scam that appears to have mined our website for a name to use. In this case it was Richard Lewis.
It has been brought to our attention that members of the Board of Directors, and potentially other PFA members, have been receiving spam emails on behalf of the Association. These emails make a request for the purchase of gift cards.
Please note that the Pennsylvania Forestry Association will not solicit donations in this manner.
Additionally, the solicitation contains many errors and inaccuracies including listing the wrong individual as President.
If you have any questions regarding any solicitations from the Pennsylvania Forestry Association, please contact the PFA office at 800-835-8065.
Apparently scammer’s jobs have been deemed “essential” during the current crisis. What a shame.
Our spring issue of PA Forests magazine centered on the 50
th
Anniversary of Earth Day was published and mailed on April 3
rd
. They then spent a couple weeks in the mail system. My issue arrived on April 20
th
, just in time for Earth Day. The issue is also available digitally on the PFA website (
www.paforestry.org
). I hope you enjoy it.
In the end we will get through this. I hope you and your families make it through unscathed. Our thoughts are with those who are affected either through their health, finances or life. Hang in there and get outside.
Mark Ott
President
The Pennsylvania Forestry Association
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The PA Tree Farm Committee hopes this spring find you well while we hole up in our homes. My husband and I are lucky enough to be living on our tree farm and we have used this time to get lots of brush clearing done. It certainly has been wet enough in southwest PA to grub out invasive shrubs more easily. We even got some tree transplanting done and logs sawed and stickered. When this is all over the property will be ready for a tour! As an added bonus, the exercise and the outdoor air has been good for us.
The PFA/PATF Deer Impact Committee has had some successes in their lobbying efforts to the PA Game Commission to control the overpopulation of deer in PA and its effects on forested lands. Some of the changes to deer hunting regulations that are advantageous to tree farmers include:
- Two Sunday hunting days for deer- one archery and one after the opening day (which is a Saturday)
- Instead of the buck/doe concurrent season for all wildlife management areas, concurrent seasons were granted for 10 areas, however the harvest allocation was reduced in these areas.
- If your land is part of DMAP, one hunter can now get up to 4 tags. This allows for “alpha” hunters to harvest more deer.
The Game Commission is still discussing some of the issues, especially for the areas effected by Chronic Wasting Disease. Comments on changes in the season are being accepted until May 7, 2020. Please continue to contact the
Game Commissioner
for your area to relay the effects of deer overpopulation on your forest.
In other business, the Committee has been planning for its annual tree farm inspections. Inspections are not occurring at this time due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but as soon as the restriction for travel are lifted and it is deemed safe, inspection season will start.
Gary Gilmore has agreed to be the PATF Inspection Coordinator. He along with the Area Chairs will be managing the inspections. This is going to be a short season for inspections so, as a tree farmer, if your forestry management plan is more than 5 years old than you can use this time to prepare for an inspection. Start looking over the plan and making notes on what was accomplished, new issues on the property, or new plans Call an inspector to talk about your ideas (Find an Inspector
here
). We are not encouraging any face to face visits at this point in time. But you and your inspector will be ready when visits are once again allowed.
In the meantime enjoy springtime in your forests and stay safe.
Gay Thistle
PA Tree Farm Co-Chair
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Forestry Happenings During the Pandemic
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PSU Offers Free Online Courses
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UPDATE: This offer has been extended until May 10th!
PSU Extension is offering the following forestry courses for free through May 10th:
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.
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.
Sections9
Length12 hours
Free
Learn about forest ecosystems, management, and stewardship practices, as well as wildlife, water, tree identification and measurement, and legacy planning.
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.
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.
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PSU Extension Webinar on Spotted Lanternfly in Forest Ecosystems
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Penn State Extension is offering a webinar,
Spotted Lanternfly in Forest Ecosystems, on
Tuesday May 19 from 1:00 – 4:00 pm. This webinar is modeled after the SLF information that was going to be presented at the canceled PA Forest Health Update. This webinar will be an expanded version, at 3 hours. Registration is required, but is free. Credits are available:
2.5 SAF (Cat. 1) credits
3 ISA credits
0.75 SFI credits
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Maryland Forests Association Hosts Biomass Webinar Series
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Forest Stewardship is critical to the health of Maryland’s environment and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. But, healthy forests are the result of deliberate maintenance and management, which costs money to accomplish. Creating markets for the wood material products that are generated by forest maintenance could help cover these costs and provide local economic benefits, jobs, and wages. Demand for wood material products not used for construction and manufacturing could also serve as an affordable, sustainable, locally accessible, source of energy using advanced energy technologies. How does this renewable energy opportunity balance with forest conservation and preservation priorities?
This five-session webinar series will highlight available technologies, economic competitiveness, ease of installing and operating biomass energy systems to examine how Maryland commercial and institutional consumers can benefit from the adoption of thermal biomass energy solutions.
Speakers will share case study examples of successful projects and discussions will cover a range of economic, operational, environmental, policy, and regulatory considerations. During the sessions covering Biomass Energy Systems, presenters will examine system types and operations, emissions, economics, financing, and incentives.
Webinar 1: Economic & Environmental Opportunities for Woody Biomass Energy in Maryland.
Webinar 2: Economic Framework – Supporting Forest Conservation with Woody Biomass Energy
Webinar 3: Environmental Framework – Incentivizing Woody Biomass Energy & Regulating Carbon Emissions
Webinar 4: Biomass Energy Systems - Operation
Webinar 5: Biomass Energy Systems – Economics & Finance
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Community Forest Management Webinar Series Starts Soon
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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, 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
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Forestry News You Can Use
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Forest Health Needs Survey
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The University of Illinois, University of Kentucky, and Clemson University are conducting a survey to better understand how to best provide forest health and invasive species information to forest and tree landowners and managers. (IRB #20037). Much information is available, but historically it has come in many forms, some of which may be less useful than in the past, and some of which are gaining in popularity. By understanding how information is obtained and disseminated, it will help us improve forest health educational efforts, publications, and delivery systems.
The survey should only take about five minutes and all answers will be kept completely confidential.
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Penn State Vector-Borne Survey
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In response to the growing concerns on ticks and tick-borne diseases in the commonwealth, Penn State Extension is developing a vector-borne disease team.
To best serve you and different at-risk groups, we have launched a survey through Qualtrics to better understand the current knowledge the public has on ticks, tick-borne disease, and tick bite prevention and control. More information on the team and the survey can be found in the write up in
Penn State News.
We are trying to get as wide a distribution as possible and to get responses from a range of demographics. If you have a moment, we would appreciate responses from you and members in your group and if you have any organizations that you work within Pennsylvania (professionally or personally), we would certainly appreciate your forwarding this to those groups.
You can access the survey
here. Please keep in mind this survey is limited to folks over 18 and those currently residing in Pennsylvania.
Thank you and please let me know if you have any questions.
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Amazon commits $10 million to support small forest
owners in Vermont, PA
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Tue, 04/21/2020 - 12:12pm --
Vermont Business Magazine-
Today Amazon announced a $10 million grant to conserve and restore sustainable forestry and wildlife across the Appalachian Mountains and other US regions, in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, the American Forest Foundation, and the Vermont Land Trust. Starting in Vermont and Pennsylvania, this donation will support two projects that will help family forest owners sequester carbon across the Appalachians.
Investment will help remove over 18 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere—equivalent to 46 billion miles driven by an average passenger vehicle—by helping to restore and conserve family-owned forest lands.
In light of COVID-19, this initial grant will immediately help small family forest owners in Vermont and Pennsylvania and create a new source of income to help restore and conserve forest lands and protect wildlife. Nature based initiatives like these are critical in addressing climate change and helping maintain water and food security, biodiversity protection, human health, and disaster risk management.
This is the first investment of the $100 million Right Now Climate Fund, which Amazon announced last fall as part of
The Climate Pledge
commitment to become net zero carbon by 2040 – 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement.
Families across the country own 290 million acres of America’s forests, more than the federal government or the forest industry, and have an opportunity to help reduce carbon in the atmosphere and slow climate change through sustainable forest management and restoration that conserves and maintains the ecosystems of forests for the benefit of present and future generations. Families will be provided the tools and resources needed to assess, plan and implement forest management practices that increase the economic and ecological values of their forests.
Amazon, The Nature Conservancy, the American Forest Foundation, and the Vermont Land Trust are partnering on two innovative projects – the Family Forest Carbon Program and Forest Carbon Co-ops. The Family Forest Carbon Program will open up carbon credit markets to small family forest owners. Amazon's commitment will expand the program in the Appalachians and other U.S. regions, and go towards designing new methods for measuring and verifying reforestation and forest management practices.
The Forest Carbon Co-op will help owners of mid-sized forests use sustainable forest management and protection measures to earn income through the carbon credit market. Amazon’s grant will support efforts to expand the program in climate resilient forests across the Appalachians, develop a scientific approach to regional carbon impact measurement, and enhance the project verification methodology.
Amazon is the largest funder of these programs and will help:
- Conserve and sustainably manage forest land and wildlife in Pennsylvania and Vermont, with plans to expand the projects across 4 million acres of the 2,000-mile span of the Appalachians, and beyond.
- Generate economic opportunities by creating a new source of income for family forest owners and rural communities that taps into the carbon storage potential of forests – in the U.S., families and individuals own the largest portion of forests (38%), more than the federal government or corporations.
- Achieve a net reduction of up to 18.5 million metric tons of CO2 in the atmosphere by 2031 – the equivalent of 46 billion miles driven by an average passenger vehicle.
“These projects will conserve forests and wildlife for future generations – and the planet – and help remove carbon from the atmosphere,” said Kara Hurst, Vice President, Sustainability, Amazon. “Amazon’s Right Now Climate Fund will be investing $100 million in nature-based climate solutions like these that tackle the climate crisis while also having a positive economic impact in the community and in nature. We are delighted to work with The Nature Conservancy, the American Forest Foundation, and the Vermont Land Trust on our road to achieving Amazon’s Climate Pledge goal of being net zero carbon by 2040.”
“Family forest owners are a critical piece of the puzzle when it comes to tackling climate change,” said Lynn Scarlett, Chief External Affairs Officer, The Nature Conservancy. “But many of America’s nearly 11 million family forest owners may face barriers that prevent them from taking action. Those who own small acreages have not been able to access existing carbon markets – which can provide income as well as help sequester carbon on their lands – due to high development costs. This funding from Amazon will, for the first time, allow small-scale forest landowners to tap into the economic opportunity linked to the carbon sequestration and storage potential of U.S. forests.”
“Across the U.S., 1 in 4 rural Americans owns forest land,” said Tom Martin, President and CEO of the American Forest Foundation. “Collectively, they own the largest portion of forests in our country – making them key to addressing our climate challenges. More than their size is their dedication to the land – these individuals want to help the environment. Amazon’s commitment will go a long way and open doors for nearly 11 million Americans families to do even more to remove carbon from the atmosphere.”
“In partnership with Amazon and The Nature Conservancy, we are creating something which has never existed before: the opportunity for small forest land owners to join together and manage their land in such a way that earns them revenue through the carbon credit market,” said Nick Richardson, President and CEO of the Vermont Land Trust. “That’s an incredible benefit for the forest landowners of Vermont and all of us who rely on their efforts. That’s the future of our work and the future of conservation across the country.”
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THE 50
TH ANNIVERSARY OF EARTH DAY UNITES TENS OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ACROSS THE WORLD
IN ACTION AND A MULTI-PLATFORM EVENT
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Washington, D.C., April 22, 2020 – Despite 3.9 billion people sheltering in place and the tragedy of the pandemic, over 100 million people took action in 192 countries in honor of Earth Day’s 50
th
Anniversary. Mayors, national governments, and multilaterals made commitments on a wide range of environmental issues, including climate literacy, plastics, renewable energy, and other issues, while faith groups around the world held virtual prayer services in support of ending climate change. People pledged to vote, parents and teachers educated millions of their students and children about climate change and environmental issues, and hundreds of millions of trees were planted.
Earth Day Network (EDN) also hosted a
live-streamed digital event
broadcast around the globe and across platforms. With messages of unity, teach-ins and artist performances, the all-day event featured global leaders, activists, actors, artists and musicians.
Highlights of Earth Day’s 50th include:
- The Earth Day 50 livestream reached more than 8.5M views (syndicated through earthday.org, Twitter, Twitch, YouTube, and earthdaylive2020.org) and more than 20M impressions, and had peak simultaneous views to the livestream of over 120,000, while Earth Day Network’s website had more than 2 million unique visitors. EDN’s posts on Weibo had over 25 million unique views.
- Using state of the art technology, more than 2 million people using avatars participated in a digital march on the Ellipse of the White House.
- His Holiness Pope Francis recognized Earth Day with a message of hope for the planet broadcast to the global community.
- Just after midnight on Earth Day, the Roman Coliseum was lit with Earth Day Network’s 50th anniversary logo, and world-renowned musical artist Zucchero Fornaciari played the piano in its shadow and with Bono off-camera together they sang “Canta La Vita” adapted from Bono’s “Let Your Love Be Known” to Pope Francis, Earth Day Italia, and Earth Day Network.
- Earth Day Network’s stealth Street Art Protest included more than 500 well-known and community graffiti and street artists from every continent.
- More 2.1 million people downloaded a multi-Grammy award winner song Dharti Ma
- Earth Day trended number one in many countries, including many African countries, with 20 million people from 30 African countries participating in teach-ins, digital clean ups, citizen science projects and digital protests.
- Women’s participation in Earth Day in 22 MENA countries this year was 50% higher than any other year.
For a summary of the spee
ches and performances, which included the Secretary General of the UN Antonio Guterres, mayors around the world, Sec. John Kerry, Vice President Al Gore, Denis Hayes, Ministers of the Environment from multiple countries, Zdeno Chara, Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, Roger Waters, Michael Franti, Nahko, Jason Mraz, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Ed Markey, Dave Matthews, Prince Albert of Monaco, Vanessa Hauc, UNFCCC Patricia Espinosa, go to
earthday.org/earth-day-live/.
Hollywood actor and environmental activist, Ed Begley and his daughter writer and actor, Hayden Begley, co -hosted Digital Earth Day. “I am beyond grateful to everyone at Earth Day Network for all the incredible work they have done and for making such a momentous occasion possible,” said Hayden Begley. “Words cannot describe how honored I feel to have taken part in Earth Day 2020.”
“I am once again energized, as I was back in 1970, when we first gathered in loving respect for the planet we call home,” wrote Ed Begley. “More than 8 million glorious souls gathered together on the live stream to pursue the notion of a sustainable future for ourselves and our children. A half century later the spirit of Earth Day lives.”
“Despite much of the world sheltering in place and the tragedy of the pandemic, tens of millions of people participated in Earth Day in 192 countries,” said Kathleen Rogers, President of Earth Day Network.
Earth Day Network would like to thank Twitter, USAFacts, the City of Rome, The Vatican, Earth Day Italia, RAI, We Don’t Have Time, WeAre8, the entire UN system, Megan Herbert, Parents for Future, Fridays for Future, ICLEI, streets artists worldwide, Connect4Climate, Playtika, and Future Coalition for their support.
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Earth Day 2020 comes 50 years after the first Earth Day in 1970 which mobilized over 20 million citizens to demand action on the environmental challenges of the time. Today, Earth Day is observed in more than 190 countries. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world. To learn more about Earth Day 2020, please visit
earthday.org
.
For information or photos please contact:
Denice Zeck
+12023558875
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Yale Reports on the Emerging Threat to Urban Water Supplies
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This week, Yale Environment 360 has a report from
journalist Jon Hurdle reports on
the emerging threat
to urban water supplies as rising seas push saltwater further upstream. Hurdle focuses on the Delaware River, a major source of drinking water for Philadelphia, where saltwater now reaches some 40 miles downstream from drinking water intakes for the city and southern New Jersey. Scientists say sea level rise and increasing drought due to climate change could push this line to within just a few miles of the intakes in the coming decades, threatening the water supply for millions. As Hurdle explains, it’s a problem that other places, from Miami to Shanghai, will also be confronting.
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Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay Articles
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The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay has shared the following articles that may be of interest to PFA members:
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Facilities have been shut and some activities prohibited since April 6 because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Allegheny National Forest will start a phased reopening of its campgrounds and recreation sites starting Friday. Facilities have been shut and some activities prohibited since April 6... -
Erie Times-News
From illegal dumping of household trash to offense graffiti on landmark rock formations to intentional damage to infrastructure and the environment, state forests and state parks across Pennsylvania have been taking a beating during the coronavirus pandemic and resulting stay-at-home... -
Penn Live, Patriot-News
(Press Release)
(Press Release)
WARREN — The Allegheny National Forest is offering to extend contract deadlines on certain timber sales, stewardship contracts and forest product permits awarded or issued before April 1, 2020. Extending these deadlines supports the long-term viability of the timber industry in markets where... -
Bradford Era
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The Pennsylvania Forestry Association | 1(800) 835-8065 | thePFA@paforestry.org | www.paforestry.org
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STAY CONNECTED | #ForestProud
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