It is with sadness that we announce the passing of past PFA President Bob Rumpf on April 9, 2017.  

 

Robert H. Rumpf earned a BS in Forestry at PSU in 1949. He began his career with the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters, filling several assignments between 1949 and 1953, including a tour in the U.S. Army.

After earning a Master of Forestry Degree in Forest Economics at Duke University in 1954, he joined The Glatfelter Pulp Wood Company in Virginia. In 1961, Rumpf returned to Pennsylvania to open a District Office in Carlisle. While there, he expanded the woodland acquisition program and installed scientific forest management on company lands. He also encouraged private landowners to recognize the value of management and harvesting on their forestlands. He served as Area Forester, District Manager, Administrative Assistant, and Vice President and General Manager at the Spring Grove headquarters of the Company. He retired in 1993 with 39 years of service.

Rumpf's hard work and keen insights earned him the respect of others both inside and outside of the forest conservation field. A proponent of industrial forestry, he was an articulate spokesman for responsible stewardship on industrial and private woodlands. Rumpf's service to the profession includes being President and Director of the Pennsylvania Forestry Association, and Chair of the Association's Policy Committee and Forest Industry Committee; he was Chairman of the Pennsylvania Tree Farm Committee, Chairman of the Mid-Atlantic Communications Committee of the American Forest Institute, Chairman of the Forest Resource Committee of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, and a Member of the National Board of the American Pulpwood Association.

Rumpf's service to the PSU School of Forest Resources (SFR) included being a member of the School's Advisory Board (1991-1995), a member of the Goddard Chair Committee (1992-2000), and a member of the Penn State Forest Issues Group. He also served on the SFR Alumni Group Board of directors for two three-year terms from 1995 to 2000. He was instrumental in establishing the Distinguished Lecture Series in the School in 1993.

Rumpf's service to the community included being a member of the North Middleton Township Planning Commission for 10 years, activity in the Presbyterian Church, and leadership in the Boy Scouts of America.

His awards included the Joseph T. Rothrock Conservationist of the Year Award in 1996 from the Pennsylvania Forestry Association, the 1993 Maryland Governor's Proclamation for leadership in Maryland Forestry, and in 1993 his election as a Fellow in the Society of American Foresters.

There’s a new opportunity to show your PFA pride! Denim shirts, poly tech golf shirts, quarter-zip fleece pullovers, and other tops embroidered with PFA's logo are now available for purchase. Follow the link below, place your order online, pay with a credit card, and wait for your shirts to arrive on your doorstep. 

Pennsylvania Tree Farm targets the more than 500,000 private forest landowners in the State. Tree Farms are privately-owned managed forests producing continuous crops of trees while providing wildlife habitat, clean water, and outdoor recreation.

Over 200 visitors stopped by the PTF's booth at the 2017 PA Private Landowners Conference. Interest was high to find out more about the recent changes to the PA Tree Farm Program.

 Thirteen informational meetings are planned across the state. Anyone interested in finding out about Pennsylvania Tree Farm Program is welcome to attend one of the informational meetings.

Andrew Heath, Executive Director for Growing Greener III, is seeking support for the Growing Greener Capitol Day rally. Following is his request for support:

This will not only be a day to meet with your legislators to discuss the need for increased funding for a Growing Greener III program, but this is our opportunity to show our decision makers in Harrisburg that Growing Greener III is a critically important issue for them to address this year.

The volume of unmet conservation, recreation and preservation needs facing our communities is at a tipping point. If we do not act now, any chance of passing a Growing Greener III program with increased investments this year will disappear. For the health of our streams and rivers, for our family farms, for our outdoor recreation, for our parks and for our heritage – we must come together.

We will be holding a rally on the Capitol steps (outside) at 10am. We need you to be there to lend your voice, to be heard. Consider bringing your staff, interns, family (especially kids!), friends, volunteers and membership. If you need assistance with transportation, let me know.

Here is how you can help:

1. Attend
2. Schedule meetings with your legislators.
3. Bring supporters with you.
4. Forward the attached Keep PA Growing Greener Capitol Day flyer to your contacts.
5. Call your State Senator and Representative and encourage them to attend the rally (10am) and reception (5pm).

 One voice can only do so much. A few voices can get attention. Hundreds of voices make change.

Would you like to learn how to conduct an interesting and superior educational walk on your woodlot? 

The Pennsylvania Forestry Association and the Pennsylvania Project Learning Tree Program are offering a “Walk in the Forest” training workshop, Saturday, June 3, 2017 at the Little Buffalo State Park, Newport Pennsylvania. The Workshop is open to forest owners who want to learn how to plan and conduct a "Walk in Penn's Woods" on their forest lands. The $10 Workshop fee includes break refreshments, lunch, and a complete set of Walk in the Forest/PLT Training Materials. Please note the revised Friday, May 19th registration deadline which is necessary to facilitate ordering of lunches and other refreshments.

The Pennsylvania Forest Heritage Association and the Pennsylvania Forestry Association have joined forces to sponsor a the 16th annual golf outing on Friday, June 23 at the Rich Valley Golf Course in Mechanicsburg, PA.  The revenue raised from this event support the Forest Discovery Center in Caledonia State Park. 

 On June 9 and 10, see working harvesting equipment in the woods and in the field. More than 100 high-quality indoor and outdoor exhibitors will be at the Ag Progress Days site in Rock Springs, PA – focusing on forest products harvesting, land clearing, and biomass marketing. 

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04-28-2017 Kiss your ash trees goodbye ... unless you treat now
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04-26-2017 Tidioute students help bring chestnut trees back to ANF
To restore this forest icon, Leila Pinchot, Ph.D., a research ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service’s Northern Research Station and her colleagues, began a 10-year study on the local Allegheny National Forest to understand how American chestnut restoration can be merged with national... - Warren Times Observer

 

04-26-2017 Do your part to help stop spread of invasive pests
To the editor: Are you helping invasive pests spread in Pennsylvania or around our country ? You may have heard that invasive plant pests and diseases are primarily introduced through commercial trade; that’s true. But once they are here, these destructive plant pests don’t move far on their own; they... - Lewistown Sentinel

 

04-24-2017 Growing Greener Coalition: Still More Work to Do to Protect Water & Other...
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04-24-2017 Pennsylvania Master Naturalist program moving closer to Lycoming County
statewide initiative that puts out highly trained natural science envoys is moving closer to the area and looking for individuals who are ready to take on the rewarding challenge of connecting people to their ecosystems. The Pennsylvania Master Naturalist program is a venture directed toward... - Williamsport Sun-Gazette

 

04-23-2017 Volunteers plant trees in Pinchot State Forest to celebrate Earth Day
Nearly 200 volunteers got down and dirty Friday, planting roughly 4,000 trees in celebration of Earth Day. Volunteers made their way up the rocky terrain in the Pinchot State Forest on Friday morning, holding buckets full of saplings that would soon find new homes in the wet, milled ground off of Avondale Road.... - Wilkes-Barre Times Leader

 

04-18-2017 For sale: Downed timber on part of Allegheny National Forest
The Allegheny National Forest is looking to move some product. The ANF recently completed a commercial timber sale at Kiasutha Campground. That sale resulted in a large number of downed trees ready for removal. Those interested must have a Forest Service firewood permit. Permits are... - Warren Times Observer

 

04-17-2017 Pennsylvania DCNR Officials Planning Prescribed Burns in State Parks...
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04-10-2017 Woodsmen’s meet highlights logging skills
By Zach Glenn The weather was brisk and cool Saturday, but in Mont Alto the competition was hot. Penn State Mont Alto played host to the 16th annual Mid-Atlantic Woodsmen’s Meet. In addition, the Stihl Timbersports Collegiate Series Mid-Atlantic Qualifier, which allows regional teams to vie for a chance to... - Waynesboro Record Herald