August was hot and steamy in our area. That weather kept us in doors more than I like. We managed to get some things done outside. It is never as much as we hope. The month started off with a visit to the Port of Philadelphia along with representatives of the Hardwood Development Council, PA Forest Products Association, PSU Extension and the three Hardwood Utilization Groups. We met with representatives of EcoLab and Holt Logistics to discuss the export potential for PA hardwood logs and lumber through the port, including fumigation before export to ensure no invasives are exported. Holt Logistics manages the importation of the bulk of fresh fruits and vegetables on the east coast, including bananas, in addition to rice, Portland cement, huge numbers of Asian autos and all the furniture kits from a Scandinavian manufacturer among other goods. China is the largest importer of PA Hardwoods. One of the ships we saw that day was unloading cars and heading back to Korea essentially empty. It could have easily been loaded with containers of logs and stopped in China on the way back for more cars. The Holt Logistics terminal is ideally placed to accept cargo via rail or interstate highway. There are efficiencies to be had by using Philadelphia to export our hardwood. Currently most PA hardwoods are being exported further south from Norfolk VA, Wilmington NC, Charleston SC and Mobile AL. We can do this all in PA, we just need the exporters to know the potential is now there in a port closer to the forests producing the material. PA Hardwood exporters are encouraged to contact either the HDC or PFPA for further information on this potentially money saving opportunity.

 

The wet weather has been great for forest growth and mushrooms. We feel like we are in a fast-growing rainforest here. David has become interested and joined me in identifying mushrooms and has found that the variety is astounding. We have been watching for more chanterelles but are thinking the few found last month were a fluke. I am hoping we will see them appear in great numbers in September. We did find a group of large Cepes mushrooms along the drive. These are also known as porcini. Having never tried these from the wild, I cautiously did not harvest these. When we decided that we really were seeing another gourmet mushroom we went back and found that they had gotten beyond the fresh edible stage. David found a fresher batch of them towards his house and collected a few to sauté for dinner. He said they had an intense flavor and were very meaty. I tried one and found them to have a great mushroom flavor but an aftertaste that I would call astringent. I would not eat them by themselves in any quantity but perhaps incorporated into a hearty beef dish. One problem with the explosive growth this summer is that the invasive plants are also thriving. Japanese Stiltgrass is exploding as is the Oriental Bittersweet. Our Forest Management Plan gives us goals and methods to address these as well as others. We have our work cut out for us.

The birds are much quieter now. We continue to see warblers moving through. A hooded and a worm eating warbler were highlights this month. The feeders have fewer visitors likely due to the abundance of insects and fruits available. There are lots of what we call “pin cherries” littering the driveway and pathways under the cherry trees. It is fun to watch the young birds learn how to balance on the clotheslines holding the feeders and the edges of the feeders themselves. They learn quickly but the learning curve often gives us a laugh. The hummingbirds are of course vicious in defending feeders. Olivia is distressed that the young hummers are being bullied but that is nature. She switches feeder locations and places the smallest feeder where the most aggressive male is defending so he doesn’t have the motherload to himself. We see them making use of the jewelweed flowers which are now abundant and have also seen them snatch moths from the air. They are not starving, some of them just do not get all the homemade nectar that they might want and must work for their food.

The improved vernal pool by the garden continues to shine. The tadpoles are now all gone. I guess what we thought were bullfrog tadpoles maybe were not. However, that little snapping turtle is back again and enjoying the new digs. It may have finished off the remaining tadpoles. I watched it swim under water one morning and it looked quite at home as it raced to hide under the leaves at the pool bottom. We are seeing dragonflies over the pool, and we are not seeing a mosquito problem. We plan to expand and deepen the pool even further as it is looking to be very successful. The pool in the logging rut at the head of the hollow has also maintained water in it all summer and has a very healthy population of frogs around. We hope to someday build a much more extensive pool there. The water features add diversity to our wildlife, and we all find watching the life around them exciting. 

PFA was present at the hot and steamy Ag Progress Days, and it was good to be back at the booth and promoting working sustainable forests, Tree Farm and the PFA. Zoom meetings continued with Forest Heritage Committee, HDC Forestry Signage and Forestry Careers website planning and PFA Executive Committee. We are sponsors for the meeting of the National Association of State Foresters coming soon to Pittsburg and are honored to have the meeting in PA this year (held over from last year). Please investigate getting signed up for the Annual Symposium and the Log a Load for Kids Sporting Clays Shoot. The information for all of this is in the summer issue of Pennsylvania Forests magazine which all PFA members should have received last week, 3 weeks after it was sent to the post office! Also please note that the Annual Symposium will be held at Toftrees Resort in State College. That information was missing from the flyer inserted in the magazine but was on the back cover.

Be safe,

Mark Ott

8:00 am – 8:45 am: Registration and Morning Refreshments

8:45 am – 9:00 am: Welcome: Mark Ott, PFA President

9:00 am – 9:45 am: Prepare for Meeting with a Consulting Forester, John Hudson, Hudson Forestry Services

9:45 am – 10:00am: Break

10:15 am – 11:00 am: There’s an App for That!, Matt Sampson, The Forestland Group

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Annual Meeting Reports, Board Elections, Award Presentations

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm: Lunch

1:00 pm – 1:45 pm: Drones in Forestry: Applications, Regulations, the Future, Harold Thistle, TEALS LLC

1:45 pm – 2:30 pm: Story Maps: A Cohesive Story of Your Forest and Woods, Clare Boerigter, Minnesota Forest Resources Council

2:30 pm – 2:45 pm: Break

2:45 pm – 3:00 pm: Using Remote Sensing Technologies, Jeff Hershey, Penn State University

3:00 pm – 3:15pm: Board election results-Parting Comments

3:15 pm – 4:00 pm: Optional: Hands On, Outdoor Demonstrations

Merlin Benner, Co-Founder/President, Remote Intelligence and Wildlife Specialists

Matt Sampson, Forest App Applications

The 2021 Log A Load for Kids Sporting Clay Shoot will be held on Friday, October 3rd at Shenecoy Sportsmen's Club in McConnellstown, PA. Registration is still open! All funds raised support the Chidren's Hospitals of Pennsylvania.

Dear friends,

Pennsylvanians of all ages are invited to get out and explore a piece of our state’s 12 million acres of forestland during the 5th annual Walk in Penn’s Woods on Sunday, October 3. Whether you join in one of the many organized woods walks happening across the state or take to the woods for your own adventure, take time on October 3—or anytime the first weekend of the month—to discover all that Pennsylvania’s forests have to offer.

Since 2017, the first Sunday in October has been set aside for the public to join hosted walks at sites throughout Pennsylvania to learn more about Penn’s Woods and gain easy access to expert forestry, wildlife, and natural resources professionals. Some walks have children’s activities; others highlight managed wildlife habitat or watersheds; you may see the results of harvesting activities or plantings of native trees and shrubs; still others may demonstrate the effects of urban tree cover or riparian buffers. Walk in Penn’s Woods also features a growing number of sites that are wheelchair and stroller accessible. 

If a hosted walk isn’t for you and yours, you can still get out and discover Penn’s Woods in your own way! Create your own woodland learning adventure at a trail, park, or forested landscape near you, and be sure to report your adventure at www.walkinpennswoods.org to receive your “I did it!” stickers and some great resources about Penn’s Woods and the people who care for them. 

Pennsylvania’s forests bring us a wide array of benefits—some values we see clearly; others are a little more hidden. The trees and ground cover provide nutrients for the soil, food and homes for wildlife, clean air and water, wood products that we use in our daily lives, and peace and tranquility for us to enjoy. Walk in Penn’s Woods – whether at a hosted walk or a family afternoon in the forest - raises awareness about the importance of forests to our lives and the effort that goes into caring for them.

The Walk in Penn’s Woods partnership includes the Center for Private Forests at Penn State, the Pennsylvania Forestry Association, Penn State Forestry and Wildlife Extension, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Pennsylvania Forest Stewards, the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Association of Consulting Foresters, the Pennsylvania Sustainable Forestry Initiative, the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation, and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.

For more information about trails, parks, and sites across the state, and a listing of hosted walk locations, times, and descriptions, go to www.walkinpennswoods.org.

Sincerely, 

Walk in Penn’s Woods Partnership 

The Walk in Penn's Woods working group has been actively posting trails and organized walks. To find a walk near you, visit: https://sites.psu.edu/walkinpennswoods/find-a-woodland-adventure/find-a-trail-near-you/.

When your community trees need work, who are you going to call? There seems to be so many so-called tree experts, but how do you find the most qualified professional to plant, prune, or remove your trees? Learn what questions you should be asking as you search for an arborist or putting out a contract to work on community trees during Community Forestry Webinars: Finding Qualified Professionals to Work on Your Community Trees. Explore the benefits of using ISA Certified Arborists to perform the work!

Tue., Oct. 12, 2021

(12:00 PM - 1:00 PM ET)

Format: Live Online, via Zoom

About the Series:

The trees that line our streets and roads, shade our yards, beautify our parks and playgrounds, and protect our streams are all part of the community forest that provides a wealth of benefits to each of us. Over the years, the number of trees (or tree cover) in our communities have been declining for various reasons including attack from invasive pests, injury from construction activities or deicing salts, improper tree care practices, unwarranted removals by some and lack of funding for replacement of declining trees. Each month the Community Forestry Webinars will explore topics related to the planting, care, and management of our community trees.

Credits Available:

Interest in natural carbon storage is on the rise. We asked three experts to help us look at why industry, landowners, and policymakers are talking about forest carbon.

Ellen Shultzabarger, Pennsylvania State Forester, Dept. of Conservation & Natural Resources

Kevin Yoder, Forester, The Nature Conservancy of Pennsylvania

Matt Gabler, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Forestry Products Association

Join Citizen's Climate Lobby, Susquehanna Valley and State College Chapters on October 12.

Sunday, October 31, 2021 — 1:30 pm

Prescribed Fire — Tour of Recent Prescribed Fire Site; Discussion of the

Process of Conducting a Prescribed Fire

Spruce Run Road, Union County

For more information, contact President Fred Fries at (570) 784-8490.

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

Today, Governor Tom Wolf unveiled a State Forest Action Plan, which assesses the condition of Pennsylvania forests and sets a framework for strategies for long-term forest sustainability in the commonwealth.

“Since the founding of our commonwealth, ‘Penn’s Woods,’ our forests have been critical natural resources that we must continue to preserve, maintain and grow,” said Gov. Tom Wolf. “The State Forest Action Plan provides a wealth of strategies to ensure that our forests continue to thrive for future generations of Pennsylvanians.”

The 681-page plan highlights current conditions and trends of forests, delineates priority landscapes, and provides a suite of broad strategies to ensure the long-term sustainability of Pennsylvania’s forests and trees. In addition to making recommendations for all public and private forests in Pennsylvania, the plan also includes stakeholders and partners to help ensure a shared vision and coordinated efforts.  

“Now more than ever, it is critical that we are good stewards of our forests and the natural resources within them,” said Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn. “This plan will help protect and maintain diverse ecosystems in the commonwealth, help provide guidance in the fight against climate change, help the department carefully manage our energy resources to minimize and mitigate negative impacts, and address important areas of need in our forests. I am grateful to Bureau of Forestry staff for developing this comprehensive plan to protect the future of our forests.”  

Forests cover more than 60% of Pennsylvania’s land and provide an array of values including clean air and water, recreation opportunities, wood products, habitat for plants and animals, carbon storage. 

“Maintaining healthy forests is key in ensuring a healthy environment in the commonwealth,” said State Forester Ellen Shultzabarger. “Accomplishing this goal will require support from the legislature, stakeholders and the public. We intend to build on the progress we have made since implementing 2010 Forest Action Plan and will continue to make positive strides in managing our forests and improving their overall quality.” 

The Forest Action Plan builds on the sustainability meters developed in the 2010 plan and notes changes in the past 10 years. The plan also the identifies the 11 priority issues to address, which are:  

Visit DCNR’s website to learn more about the Pennsylvania Forest Action Plan.  

Click here to learn more about federal forest action plans. 

BELLEFONTE, Pa. - Did you know that Pennsylvania is nearly 60 percent forested? Approximately 70 percent of this land is owned by over 750,000 private forestland owners. Most of the remainder (25%) is owned by the public in the form of state forests, game lands and national forests. While our public forests are professionally managed and cared for in a sustainable fashion, our privately owned woodlands are the focus of ongoing efforts to promote the practice of sustainable forestry.

What is sustainable forestry? “Sustainable” means to maintain, continue, and keep, while “forestry” is the science and art of managing forests. Thus, sustainable forestry is about caring for and managing forests to provide the resources, such as wood and clean water, we need now and in the future. It also means sustaining other things we value from the forest, such as wildlife habitat and beautiful landscapes. Sustainable forestry is concerned with all parts of the forest, trees, other plants, soils, wildlife, and water. It involves protecting forests from wildfire, pests, and diseases, and preserving forests that are unique, rare, or special.  

Sustainable forestry also puts an emphasis on people. People need forests for the resources they provide and as a place to live or to make a living. Sustainable forestry assures the ability of future generations to meet their needs and values. As you can see, sustainable forestry is complex and can involve many things. Let’s look at a few of these things more closely. You will also see how sustainable forestry can mean different things to different people.

To care for and manage a forest in a sustainable way it is necessary to use responsible management practices. These are often specifically adapted to each site. One of the most important practices is to look at whether the forest has enough tree seedlings (called regeneration) to make a future forest. High populations of white-tailed deer in a forest greatly reduce regeneration by browsing or eating tree seedlings. Too many ferns or too little sunlight can also play a role in reducing the number of tree seedlings. 

Many sustainable forestry practices protect or encourage forest regeneration. They include putting up a fence to exclude deer, controlling weeds and other undesirable plants, and removing some trees to allow more sunlight to reach the forest floor.

When it comes to removing trees, or timber, from the forest, many practices can assure the forest’s future. One good practice is to think more about which trees to leave than about which trees to cut. The trees left in the forest will continue to grow, occupying the forest for many years to come. Properly chosen, the remaining trees may provide many of the same values and resources, and, perhaps, new ones in the future.  

Other sustainable forestry practices include protecting forest streams and wetlands. Harvesting trees can disturb and expose soil in small areas. This is especially true on roads and trails built for the machinery used to remove trees. The flow of water across, and under, roads must be carefully managed with proper road design. This helps prevent soil from washing off site and into streams or wetlands. Soil in water, called sediment, is harmful to aquatic life. Trees and other vegetation left undisturbed near streams helps prevent soil from entering streams. These areas are called buffer strips.

There is no single way to carry out sustainable forestry. People approach and practice sustainable forestry in many ways. To a forest landowner, sustainable forestry might mean selling firewood or timber and passing the land to an heir in good condition. To a logger sustainable forestry might mean protecting the trees left during a harvest and constructing roads properly. To a professional forester, sustainable forestry might mean implementing proper forestry practices for each property they manage. All these people want to sustain forests, even though each uses the forest in different ways.  

Sustainable forestry is a broad concept. It requires concern and commitment on everyone’s part. For more information about sustainable forestry practices in Pennsylvania plan to attend the Sustainable Timber Harvesting Workshop, offered by Penn State Extension, in partnership with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Tuesday, October 26, 2021 (8:00 AM - 4:00 PM ET) at the Tiadaghton State Forest District Office in Waterville, Pennsylvania. For more information and to register, visit: https://extension.psu.edu/sustainable-timber-harvesting

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For more information, contact Dave Jackson (814-355-4897, [email protected]).

A recent University of Maine study, led by graduate student Christine Conte, has confirmed what many foresters have suspected for years: active forest management reduces ticks. The study, titled “Active Forest Management Reduces Blacklegged Tick and Tick-Borne Pathogen Exposure Risk,” was originally published in the journal of EcoHealth. Forests harvested within the past five years had drastically lower tick populations than those that had not been harvested. This is likely due to the microclimate of each forest. Actively managed forests had higher temperatures and vapor pressure deficits, both of which reduce tick longevity. While this research was done in Maine, it is likely applicable across the U.S.