After reviewing and critiquing the 2018 Conservation Dinner, your PFA Executive Committee voted to rename this 2019 event the “Pennsylvania Forestry Association Conservation Banquet" with the tagline "Raising Funds for PFA Projects and Activities”. The Executive Committee also voted to offer a maned poster session, show a continuous-loop slide presentation highlighting current PFA projects and activities, seek opportunities for joint educational sessions during the day with other organizations, charge all board members with a ticket selling goal, and offer sponsorships at the 2019 event.

I’m pleased to report that PFA has purchased a “MemberClicks” association management software package to help us modernize our invoicing, manage our membership base and committees, manage our meeting registrations, sync with QuickBooks, and streamline our Tree Farm billing. See this link for MemberClicks information.

The transition of the PA Tree Farm Program from a recognition program to a Certification Program is progressing with over 350 PA Tree Farmers electing to become dues paying Certified Tree Farmers. The Tree Farm Committee is focusing on 2018 project/activities that offer value to Certified Tree Farmers. The Committee is also planning to reinspect 75 Tree Farms in 2018 to accomplish a statewide five-year re-inspection goal. 

Please join me in recognizing long-term PFA Board and Committee member Terry Hoffman (tehoffman@hotmail.com) for over a decade of service to PFA. Terry has retired and will soon be relocating to Colorado to be closer to his children. Thank you, Terry, for twelve years of exemplary service to PFA. We wish you much happiness and good health in your retirement years ahead.

I also again want to thank former PFA President Roy Siefert for his personal $5000 gift to PFA derived from a recent timber sale on his property. PFA is privileged to have such long term engaged leadership members like Roy!

Our semi annual Board meeting will be held 12:00 noon to 4:00 PM Tuesday, June 14th at the Penn State Visitors Center,800 E Park Ave, State College, PA. This is an open meeting. If you have an interest in the workings of the PFA Board we invite you to attend....but please notify Caleb wright (thePFA@paforestry.org, (800) 835-8065) in advance so we can plan for your attendance

#forestproud

Richard Lewis

rlewis7575@aol.com

April 16, 2018

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — With spring and the accompanying emergence of insects upon us, grape growers, orchardists, nursery operators, homeowners and others in southeastern Pennsylvania are bracing for infestations of spotted lanternfly, an invasive pest from Asia that appeared for the first time in the United States in Berks County nearly four years ago.

Potentially at stake are Pennsylvania's grape, tree-fruit, hardwood and nursery industries, which generate agricultural crops and forest products worth nearly $18 billion annually. The insect also can cause damage to high-value ornamentals in home landscapes and can affect quality of life for residents.

After the lanternfly's discovery in 2014, the state Department of Agriculture imposed a quarantine regulating the movement of plants, plant-based materials and outdoor household items out of the quarantine area. Originally covering parts of eastern Berks County, the quarantine now encompasses all of Berks, Bucks, Chester, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Carbon, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Monroe, Philadelphia and Schuylkill counties.

Penn State Extension educators and College of Agricultural Sciences researchers are working with state and federal agriculture officials to study the insect, develop control strategies, and educate local leaders, growers and the public about what to do if they find spotted lanternflies or their eggs. The goal is to stop the pest's spread and, ultimately, to eradicate it.

Emelie Swackhamer, Penn State Extension horticulture educator based in Montgomery County, her Northampton County-based extension colleague Amy Korman, and other Penn State specialists have spoken at scores of public meetings and industry workshops, authored articles and fact sheets, served as expert sources for news media stories, trained Penn State Master Gardeners and other volunteers, and testified at General Assembly committee hearings.

Swackhamer said enlisting the public to help control lanternfly populations is a top priority. "This is a community problem, and it's going to take a community effort to solve it," she said.

Part of that effort is ensuring that citizens and businesses don't unwittingly carry lanternflies or their eggs to other areas. "Spotted lanternflies are great hitchhikers, and they will lay eggs on a multitude of outdoor objects, such as cars, RVs and campers, plant materials, and other items that could be transported out of the quarantine area," Swackhamer said. "To raise awareness, the state Department of Agriculture is using the slogan, 'Look before you leave,' emphasizing the need to inspect vehicles and other items before traveling out of a quarantined county."

Lanternfly eggs are expected to hatch in late April or early May, so knowing what egg masses look like and destroying any that are found is an important control tactic, she said. But as eggs hatch, what can a grower or homeowner do to combat an infestation?

"When I get calls from residents seeking advice, I talk them through an integrated pest management (IPM) thought process," Swackhamer said. "Start with mechanical approaches, such as scraping and destroying egg masses and swatting or vacuuming nymphs and adults, if practical. If you kill one female that could lay 100 eggs in its lifetime, you can have an impact on next year's population."

She also recommends conserving natural enemies such as spiders and praying mantids that prey on lanternflies. "If someone wants to use pesticides, they can try least-toxic options first, and they must take timing into account — not all methods will work on all life stages of the insect."

The pest does not attack fruit or foliage. Rather, it uses its piercing-sucking mouthparts to feed on the woody parts of plants, such as grape vines and the trunks and branches of trees, where it excretes a substance known as honeydew and inflicts wounds that weep with sap.

The honeydew and sap can attract bees and other insects and provide a medium for growth of fungi, such as sooty mold, which covers leaf surfaces and can stunt growth. Plants with heavy infestations may not survive.

The Deer/Forest group is looking for a representative from the Pennsylvania Forestry Association to attend a strategy meeting. In recent months, a number of groups have meet discussing concerns over rising deer numbers. These groups include the Society of American Foresters Deer/Forest Committee, The Forest Health Collaborative, and the PA Forest Stewards Deer Working Group. All have expressed similar concerns; deer over-browsing, the need for increased hunting opportunities, controlling deer that have managed to get inside of deer exclosures, and threats from chronic wasting disease. To that end, all three groups have decided to come together to strengthen their voice and unify their message. A meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 20th from 9:30- Noon, location to be determined. If you are interested in joining this group as a representative of the Pennsylvania Forestry Association please let Dave Jackson (814-355-4897 or drj11@psu.edu) know as soon as possible. Thank you.

Planting trees on seemingly unfavorable conditions has become an Earth Day tradition for the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC). April 20th marked the third consecutive year PEC has coordinated volunteer tree planting events on former mine lands within Pennsylvania’s State Forests with help from partners at the local, state, and federal levels. 

More than two centuries of coal mining has Pennsylvania with hundreds of thousands of acres of previously mined land. Unfortunately, only a small percentage of these scarred landscapes have been reforested. Many legacy mines were previously reclaimed using post-mining practices intended to stabilize the surface and prevent erosion resulting in heavy grass cover and compacted mine soils.

Today, these lands are in a state of arrested succession, meaning that current conditions hinder the establishment of native forest trees. For these lands to become productive forests and support diverse plant and wildlife, intervention is needed.

To remediate these conditions, PEC’s project partners at Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative (ARRI) provide technical guidance. ARRI advocates using the Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA) to reclaim coal mined lands. To this end, project sites are mechanically “ripped” to a depth of 4 feet on an 8x8 ft grid, allowing rainfall to infiltrate and be absorbed by trees’ roots, and making it possible for young seedlings to grow easily and quickly in the loosened soil. 

Over time, the trees and the annual dropping of leaves will rebuild the soil chemistry organically and help improve water quality. The goal of PEC’s Reforestation Program is to restore forest habitat on disturbed mine land sites and thereby enhance water quality in the Susquehanna River watershed.

As land managers, the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Bureau of Forestry prescribes the tree species and provides seedlings, grown at the Mira Lloyd Dock Resource Conservation Center. Most often, early succession species for wildlife and soil stability with a mix of commercially valuable crop trees are selected for the planting sites

This year in Weiser and Pinchot State Forest a total of 7,200 seedlings, including Pitch Pine, Scrub Oak, Bigtooth Aspen, Staghorn Sumac, Common Elderberry, Silky Dogwood, Black Locust, Quaking Aspen, Virginia Pine and White Pine, were planted on 7 acres by nearly 150 local volunteers. Two hundred Restoration 1.0 American Chestnut were generously donated by the American Chestnut Foundation. 

The Pennsylvania Environmental Council was the first recipient of The Pennsylvania Forestry Association’s Henry Wessel Grant, a memorial fund established to aid with the planning and completion of seedling planting projects on State Forest Land. 

Support from the grant enabled PEC to purchase comforts for volunteers, including bus transportation to the project site, lunch, and restroom facility rentals. Additionally, tree planting bars were purchased to begin building a tool inventory for the continuation of PEC’s reforestation program. Whenever possible, PEC contracts local vendors and purchases supplies from the area’s small businesses to benefit the local economies. 

The remaining funding from the Henry Wessel memorial fund will be used to underwrite a portion of the costs associated with a volunteer tree planting event, coordinated by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, in Moshannon State Forest next spring. 

[Recently], EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt issued a policy statement endorsing the carbon neutrality of forest biomass energy. Below are a few notable items from the EPA policy statement.

“[T]his statement of policy is intended to: 1) provide clear recognition of the benefits of using forest biomass for energy production at stationary sources; and 2) signal the Agency’s intent to treat the biogenic CO2 emissions associated with the use of forest biomass for energy by stationary sources as carbon neutral in future regulatory actions and in various programmatic contexts, in accordance with the Executive Orders and Congressional direction described above.” 

“U.S. forests have been historically and are currently a net sink of carbon; in 2015, the forest sector offset approximately 11.2 percent of gross U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Use of biomass for bioenergy can support the management of U.S. forests and can lead to increased carbon sequestration from U.S. forests over time. “

If you wish to see the EPA’s entire policy statement ( Click Here)

This step by Administrator Pruitt is necessary to highlight the scientific principles surrounding the carbon neutrality of biomass, and recognizes the long standing commitment of the forest products industry to develop a sustainable approach to renewable energy. FRA represents the entire forest supply chain, and as one of the largest manufacturing sectors our member companies strive to create jobs while also being good stewards of the resources with which we have been entrusted. We look forward to working with the EPA as they continue to fully implement this policy.

[Recently], the House Agriculture Committee introduced the first draft of the 2018 Farm Bill. On private forest issues, the bill makes positive changes and shows real promise. Here’s a run-down of what’s included. 

The Good News

Foremost, the Farm Bill draft includes strong funding for conservation programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), with $3 billion dedicated by the end of the bill’s term, up from $1.75 billion. The bill also merges EQIP and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), while retaining vital pieces from CSP that aid in a variety of conservation efforts. In addition, the bill improves the Healthy Forests Reserve Program (HFRP) which supports voluntary conservation of at-risk species habitat. Also of note, the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), which helps target conservation program investment to the biggest needs, has $250 million, roughly on par with this year’s spending in the program.

Addressing landscape-wide challenges, the bill includes a Landscape Scale Restoration Program and new cross-boundary authorities that allow the Forest Service to work with you on issues like wildfire threats or insect infestations—issues that don’t respect property boundaries. 

When it comes to supporting markets, the bill supports research and development on new wood products, such as products in tall wood buildings, by including pieces of the Timber Innovation Act, and supports investment in market infrastructure by expanding the Community Wood Energy Program (CWEP). 

Importantly, the bill also prevents the EPA from discriminating against wood from American Tree Farm System® (ATFS) certified forests in federal procurement. Previously, EPA’s policy left many of our forest products out of federal purchasing. The bill fixes this by calling USDA’s BioPreferred program the policy for federal forest product purchasing. 

Areas for Improvement

While the bill contains many improvements to conservation initiatives, AFF will continue working with the House and Senate to improve a few items as the bill moves through the process. We will work toward securing mandatory annual funding for the Healthy Forests Reserve Program (HFRP) and the Community Wood Energy Program (CWEP). In addition, we will advocate for the removal of caps to funding for various State and Private Forestry programs to ensure adequate funding is available for these important programs.

An additional provision of the Timber Innovation Act, Wood Innovation Grants, was excluded from the bill. This program, along with CWEP, would encourage innovation among wood products and addresses the lack of markets for small diameter and low value wood from our forests. We know markets for this material will help more family forest owners do needed forest management for wildlife, forest health, and reducing wildfire risks. Lastly, AFF will be working to improve upon the changes made in the introduced bill, to the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to ensure CRP continues to provide support for landowners to grow trees on marginal cropland. 

A special thanks to all who have helped with the advocacy during this process. With your continued support in expressing your concerns to Congress, we are expecting another Farm Bill that provides the assistance many landowners nationwide need to make a difference in their woods!

Tree Farmers uses many tools to manage their woodlots. One of the more important and dangerous is the chainsaw. The PA Tree Farm Committee understands the value of practicing safe chainsaw operations and is pleased to offer a discounted price for PA Certified Tree Farmers to participate in Level 1 Game of Logging training. PA Tree Farm has formed a partnership with the Pennsylvania Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Implementation Committee that offers this training at a variety of locations throughout PA.

Game of Logging is acknowledged as one of the premier chainsaw safety and felling trainings in the United States. Instructors combine demonstration with participation to teach chainsaw safety, productivity, conservation, and cutting techniques that includes directional felling. Level 1 training topics include personal protective equipment, chainsaw safety features, chainsaw reactive forces, bore cutting, pre-planning the fell, and understanding hinge wood strength.

To participate in this offer, Certified PA Tree Farmers should visit the SFI website at www.sfiofpa.org/register  to register or call 888-734-9366. Participants will pay the full price of $95 to register. Please note that the registration is nonrefundable. Once the course is completed, the Certified Tree Farmer should contact Caleb Wright ( cwright@versantstrategies.net or at 1-800-835-8065) to arrange the scholarship of $35. Information that you will need to provide Caleb will include your name, Tree Farm number, and date of Game Of Logging course completed. The course must be completed to receive the refund. This refund offer is valid for only the SFI offered Game of Logging Level 1 trainings. Check the SFI website for the schedule of courses beyond the listed dates.

 

PA Tree Farm Committee values landowners that are taking part in actively managing their forestland. This scholarship refund is only available to Certified Tree Farmers. To check on your status contact the PFA office at (800) 835-8065. Stay tuned for more information about benefits offered to Certified Tree Farmers that will help you be safe on the job and learn skills needed to manage high quality forests.

2017 Outstanding PA Tree Farmers of the Year Field Day

Date: Saturday, May 12

Time: 9:30am - 3:00 pm

Location: Perkey Tree Farm, Greene County, PA

(Meet at junction of Muddy Hollow road andGas Well road. Coordinates are N210901.657 E1237155.693)

Registration: 1-800-835-8065 or thePFA@paforestry.org

Tractor Safety Training

Date: Saturday, June 9

Time: 11:00 am

Location : Burnham Woodlot, (420 Birch Rd. West Finley, PA 15377)

Washington County, PA

Registration: http//evite.me/M8dCglUrc4 or swpwopa.com

PA Tree Farm Committee Meeting

Date: Thursday, June 14

Time: 9:00 am - 11:30 am

Location: Centre County/Penn State Visitor Center/CPCVB, (800 E. Park Ave, State College, PA. 16803)

The Pennsylvania Forestry Association is seeking nominations for the 2018 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 August 1, 2018. 

For more information or to submit a nomination, contact the Pennsylvania Forestry Association, Attention: Cochran Award Chairman, 116 Pine Street, 5th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101 or email: thePFA@paforestry.org.

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

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 August 1, 2018. 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, 116 Pine Street, 5th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101 or email: thePFA@paforestry.org.

(RUTAN) Arlyn and Marial Perkey, 2017 Pennsylvania Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year, invite you to their Greene County, Pennsylvania Tree Farm. They are anxious to share 27 years of releasing crop trees, controlling invasive species, influencing wildlife habitat, and improving the aesthetic appeal of their 77 acres of forest and grassland. Arlyn, a retired Forest Service Silviculturist, spent much of his career practicing, studying, and writing about crop tree management.

The Field Day will be held Saturday, May 12, 2018 from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm at the Perkey Tree Farm in Rutan Pennsylvania, Greene County. The group will meet at a parking lot at the junction of Muddy Hollow road and Gas Well road. The coordinates are N210901.657 E1237155.693. The field day is sponsored by The Pennsylvania Forestry Association Tree Farm Program. 

The Perkeys have engaged 11 presenters to explain numerous forestry and wildlife habitat treatments, share minerals management experiences, discuss forest regeneration practices, and relate road construction and maintenance history. Forestry and natural resource professionals will be stationed along pre-planned walkways discussing various relevant management activities and observations. Visitors will tour the property, spending as much or as little time as they wish at the educational stations they chose to visit. Volunteer ambassadors will help visitors locate and join presentations as they are in progress. Dress appropriately for the weather and your walking ability.

This field day is intended for landowners and others interested in forests and wildlife. It will provide attendees with a better understanding of how forests are managed for many objectives including, timber, wildlife, water, recreation, energy (natural gas), and the conservation of unique areas. The field day will provide information to participants on how they can begin to manage their own properties to meet various objectives. This field day will emphasize walking and talking vs. sitting and listening.

Those interested in attending must pre-register by Monday May 7, 2018. There is a $20.00 per person registration fee which includes lunch, refreshments, and educational materials. To register please contact the Pennsylvania Forestry Association at 1-800-835-8065 or email thePFA@paforestry.org. For questions please contact the Penn State Extension office in Centre County at 814-355-4897 or e-mail drj11@psu.edu.

The Pinchot Chapter Allegheny SAF will be hosting a Deer Management Workshop and Chapter meeting on May 10, 2018 at Nescopeck State Park - Environmental Center, 1137 Honey Hole Road, Drums, PA 18222. The program will begin at 10:00 am. Below is the current agenda. 

 

10:00am - Introductions

 

10:15am to noon - Presentation concerning deer management with speaker Dr. Christopher Rosenberry - Pennsylvania Game Commission Deer Management Section Supervisor and/or Bret Wallingford a deer biologist for the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Deer and Elk Management Section in the Bureau of Wildlife Management. Topic: Status of deer management including antlerless allocations, results of fawn survival study, chronic wasting disease and deer movements from current and past studies. 

 

Lunch at noon  

 

1:00pm to 1:30pm - Recap of Deer Committee meeting and testimony at the Game Commission January meeting, 

 

1:30pm to 1:45pm - Summary of Allegheny SAF winter meeting 

 

1:45pm to 2:30pm - Pinchot Chapter business meeting. 

 

The cost to attend the workshop will be $10.00/person for SAF members and $20.00/person for nonmembers; this includes lunch and drinks for each attendee.  Pennsylvania Forestry Association members can elect to attend at the $10 member rate! Checks are to be made out to “Allegheny Society of American Foresters” and sent to Robert Remillard (Treasurer) at 103 Maple Court, Milford, PA 18337. For questions you can contact Robert Remillard at 585-764-8611 or email at remrdr@aol.com. SAF continuing educations credits have been requested for this meeting.

Healthy Trees, Healthy People is a two-day program featuring presentations on the link between human health and community forest health, as well as information essential to the care of community trees. It is a great opportunity to share ideas with shade tree commissioners, foresters, arborists, and others.

The first day will take us outside to explore examples of the role of community forests in contributing to healthy communities. During this afternoon field trip, we will see an urban tree nursery’s efforts to develop healthy and genetically diverse trees, the impacts of oak wilt on tree canopy in a city park, and how active neighborhood volunteers organized to care for their street trees. The field trip will wrap up with a visit to a furniture workshop to see how reclaimed urban wood is being transformed into fine furniture. The second day will feature a variety of presentations on tree health, its impacts on communities, and ways to plan and manage the community forest to ensure success.

For information and to register, go to extension.psu.edu/healthy-trees-healthy-people

Woodland value may not always measured by the quality of timber. There are untapped treasures in the forest that can be managed and cultivated. These non-timber forest products can bring forest landowners some additional enjoyment and possible income. On June 15, the PA Bureau of Forestry, Community Partnerships RC&D, and the Mifflin County Conservation District will be hosting an Agroforestry Workshop from 9:00AM - 3:30PM at the Reedsville Volunteer Fire Company banquet hall (171 N Main St, Reedsville, PA). Registration starts at 8:30 am. A $5.00 fee will include lunch and handouts. There will be information presented about Diversifying Farm Income, Edible and Medicinal Plants, Mushroom Propagation, Tree Syrup Production, Multi-function Riparian Buffer plantings, small batch Charcoal Production and PA Forest Grown - Certified Organic. Preregistration is required by June 5th. For more information or register please contact the Mifflin County Conservation District at 717-248-4695 X 3148 or ddunmire@mifflinccd.com.

Join thousands of other concerned citizens like yourself. Become a Tree Tender and help increase tree canopy cover in your community. Tree Tenders® is a training program that empowers concerned residents to make dramatic strides towards restoring and caring for the tree canopy in their communities.

We hope you can join us! 

When

Fri., Jun. 22, 2018

(8:00 AM - 4:00 PM)

 

Where

Southeast Agricultural Research & Extension Center 

1446 Auction Rd., Manheim, Pennsylvania 17545 

05-02-2018 Tick and Mosquito Infections Spreading Rapidly, C.D.C. Finds

Farewell, carefree days of summer. The number of people getting diseases transmitted by mosquito, tick and flea bites has more than tripled in the United States in recent years, federal health officials reported on Tuesday. Since 2004, at least nine such diseases have been discovered or newly introduced here.... -  New York Times

05-01-2018 Students partner with conservationists for tree planting, habitat improvement

DuBOIS — A group of students in the Penn State DuBois Wildlife Technology program has partnered with local and state organizations to help improve the habitat of a wild trout stream in the area. Situated at the edge of SBElliott State Park on Rockton Mountain are... -  DuBois Courier-Express

04-30-2018 Outdoorsman puts elbow grease to hiking trails, forests

Luke Miney of Latrobe is organizing another party at the scenic Beam Rocks overlook in Somerset County along the Westmoreland border. Miney's gatherings atop Laurel Mountain aren't traditional parties people associate with Beam Rocks. Instead, the affairs can be described as... -  Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

04-30-2018 One tree planted, another 10 million to go as Pa. initiative begins

HARRISBURG - National, state, and local partners gathered on a Lancaster County farm on April 24 for the announcement of one of Pennsylvania's most ambitious, collaborative, and challenging efforts to restore and protect its rivers and streams - the planting of 10 million trees by the end of... -  Penn Live, Patriot-News

04-24-2018 Trees planted with charcoal in soil to be studied for positive benefits

PRIMROSE — Trees planted Monday at St. Nicholas Picnic Grounds might have extra help in becoming healthy and robust. Half of the 12 trees received biochar, charcoal that is added to the soil to improve fertility and plant hydration. It is believed that biochar will... -  Pottsville Republican and Evening Herald



04-18-2018 DEP: Wolf Administration Honors 23 Organizations and Individuals with...

  (Press Release)