April 8, 2021
The Pennsylvania SFI Implementation Committee (SIC) is comprised of many knowledgeable and dedicated volunteers who, in addition to their regular day-to-day duties, make the commitment to show up to meetings, support and guide the program, and contribute their valuable input.
April 8, 2021
I am John Hoover and my first article for Forest Leaves is to introduce myself as the 2021 Chair of the Pennsylvania Tree Farm Committee. One of my responsibilities is to submit articles about our future activities. I have been active in the PA Tree Farm system since joining over 20 years ago.
April 8, 2021
As reported last quarter, the Pennsylvania Forestry Association (PFA) held its Annual Symposium over five days of online lunches last fall. Over those days, the PFA awarded the Joseph Rothrock Award to Reneé Carey, the Sandy Cochran Award to Jean Devlin, the Mira Dock Award to Sally Zaino, PA Tree Farmers of the Year to Rebecca Trigger and Mark Foley, and PA Tree Farm Inspector of the Year to Rob Piper. While this was highlighted last issue, it’s worth repeating. Save the date of October 9, 2021 for what we hope will be an in-person Annual Symposium event.
March 24, 2021
Over the past year, as we have sought outdoor experiences, have our attitudes towards forests changed? For many, time in forests and woodlands provided solace and distance from others. These are seemingly disparate ideas seeking comfort in isolation when so many were pining for interactions with others. Regardless of individual intents, records and observations suggest the past year has drawn many to new outdoor experiences.
March 18, 2021
Let us start by taking a closer look at Pennsylvania’s forest resource. Based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Forest Inventory & Analysis (FIA) program, 2019 data, Pennsylvania has more than 16.6 million acres of forest land and is 58% forested. From this data we also know that Pennsylvania has the largest hardwood forest volume of any state. The Commonwealth has historically provided about 10% of the nation’s supply of hardwood lumber and leads the U.S. in lumber exports.
March 18, 2021
A new three-session webinar series offered by Penn State Extension provides a roundup of current information and strategies to help natural resource managers understand, assess, and manage deer impact in forested systems.
February 15, 2021
Many years ago, back in the mid-1970s during the “oil embargo,” heating with wood became the rage. Although I did not track it, new stove manufacturers sprung up seemingly overnight, chainsaw sales and accidents (I expect) were epic, and cords of wood left the stump as fodder for stoves and fireplaces.
February 15, 2021
An eight-part, four-week webinar series offered by Penn State Extension will give green industry professionals the knowledge they need to provide natural area management services to small acreage clients.
February 15, 2021
An online, interactive course on the American chestnut (Castanea dentata) (use Edge or Chrome) is now available from the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station. The course is available for free to anyone through a simple registration process.
February 15, 2021
The forest products industry begins in the forest with foresters and loggers. Foresters help forest landowners implement practices that lead to healthy, well-managed, sustainable forests. It is the Loggers job to harvest the trees the foresters indicated should be cut. Loggers are an essential link in helping to enhance the health of our forests, improve wildlife habitat, and provide the industry with raw material.
January 8, 2021
Wanda points to places they used to pasture pigs, plow potatoes, and pick apples. The former farm, tiny by today’s standards, fed five generations of her family before groceries eclipsed gardens. It’s where she’s lived all her life. Lately, she’s wrestling with how to stay put and care for a place so special to her.
January 8, 2021
As we move into a new year, it’s a time of hope and transition: hope for a successful vaccination program and opportunity to communicate forest stewardship face-to-face again, sharing programs and resources for woodland owners and stakeholders, while remembering those we’ve lost to COVID-19 and other diseases; and transition into new strategies for programming and engagement to help landowners care well for their woods.
January 8, 2021
The 2020 Walk in Penn’s Woods carried on despite the restrictions of a worldwide pandemic.
January 8, 2021
Seed banks are usually thought of as cryptic pools of buried seeds waiting for their “moment in the sun.” The scientific consensus on forest seed banks reveals a disappointing picture of an underground soil desert inhabited by weedy plant species that nobody cares about. This perspective is almost certainly false, and recent research reveals why we may have gotten it wrong … there’s far more to seed banks than we ever suspected.
January 8, 2021
Well-educated and prepared timber harvesters are critical to the sustainable management of our forests. That is why logger training has been a foundational principle of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) program since its start in 1995.
January 8, 2021
Many years ago my wife and I started a family walk in the forest we owned with our four small children. In the course of the walk they asked many questions about the forest and we tried to answer the questions as best we could. When we completed the walk and went back to the house, we ended our family adventure by treating the children to pizza.
January 8, 2021
Many people believe that after a forest is harvested the carbon sequestering capacity of that area is reduced. This is a narrow viewpoint and does not accurately depict how the forest carbon cycle works. When looking at the forest carbon cycle it is important to take a “broad” view. A broad view of the forest carbon cycle considers a larger geographical extent, a wider range of activities, and reflects a longer time scale.
January 8, 2021
Last September, Penn State Extension’s team of Forestry and Wildlife experts launched an e-newsletter, Woods and Wildlife News and Notes, a curated list of the most recent information, events, demonstrations, partnerships, and activities coming from the team. Forest Leaves shares the title and a thumbnail of these articles with you each quarter.
January 8, 2021
Do you have woods in your backyard? Penn State research estimates that nearly half a million Pennsylvanians own a small patch of woodland—something fewer than 10 acres in size. In fact, the majority of Pennsylvania landowners have fewer than 10 acres. These small patches add up to about a million acres, or about 10 percent of our state’s privately-held woodlands.
January 8, 2021
As many groups have, the Pennsylvania Forestry Association (PFA) has had to take our usual slate of events and programs into the virtual realm. And we’ve met with a strong measure of success.
January 8, 2021
The 2020 Pennsylvania Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year award was given virtually during the PA Forestry Association’s (PFA) 134th Annual Symposium to Rebecca Trigger and her son Mark Foley for their tree farm, Keystone Woodland and Field, in Greene County in the far southwest corner of the state.
December 15, 2020
One of the things that is certain about this crazy year, we can all find things to be grateful for.
November 24, 2020
A carbon neutral fuel is one that does not increase the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) cycling through the atmosphere. For example, burning wood is considered carbon neutral. When burned, it does not increase the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.
November 24, 2020
The Center for Private Forests at Penn State is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Allyson Muth as the Center Director.
November 23, 2020
As we close out 2020, we all have many personal and shared opinions and memories of this very different year. We hear much about how people are longing for companionship and family. Scanning your local paper or listening to the evening news, we read and hear much about the need for human contact and closeness.
October 30, 2020
Whether you are someone new to the sport or are a lifelong hunter, you are probably familiar with the term “mentor.” This is because, here in Pennsylvania, before becoming a licensed junior or adult hunter, you have the opportunity to participate in the Mentored Hunting program.
October 9, 2020
A new law took effect in early 2020 that all of Pennsylvania’s landowners and everyone who spends time outdoors should know about.
October 9, 2020
There are many myths and misperceptions about forests and forestry in Pennsylvania. Before we examine them, we need to define what a “forest” is. Simply put, a forest is an area of land characterized by extensive tree cover and other associated resources such as meadows, streams, and wildlife. We often use other names to describe forested land including woods, woodland, and woodlot. We also have “urban” or “community” forests located within our cities. Pennsylvania‘s very name means “Penn’s Woods,” “Penn” after Quaker William Penn’s father, and “Sylvania” meaning woodland.
October 9, 2020
A carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere because of one’s own energy needs. The choices we make every day and how we decide to live affect our carbon footprint. When determining one’s carbon footprint, transportation, electricity, food, clothing, and many other everyday products need to be considered.
October 8, 2020
As for everyone, it’s been an interesting time at the Center for Private Forests at Penn State during COVID restrictions. Fortunately, we’ve been able to complete much of our work remotely and continue to engage at the intersection of people and forests.
James C. Finley Center for Private Forests
Address
416 Forest Resources BuildingUniversity Park, PA 16802
- Email PrivateForests@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-0401
- Fax 814-865-6275
James C. Finley Center for Private Forests
Address
416 Forest Resources BuildingUniversity Park, PA 16802
- Email PrivateForests@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-0401
- Fax 814-865-6275
