Members and Friends,

At the Pennsylvania Forest Stewards (PaFS) annual meeting we were told to “get the word out.”  That admonition is especially appropriate this fall as there are two events that you should put on your calendar.

The first event is the Southwest Pennsylvania Woodland Owners Walk.  This field day is free and open to all friends of the Pennsylvania forests. Topics to be covered include chain saw safety, directional tree felling, and the status of the chestnut tree recovery program. The event will take place on September 18 at the Burnham Woodlot in East Finley, PA starting at 8:00 a.m. East Finley is about 30 minutes south of Washington, PA. The site is especially significant because John Burnham is a contender for Tree Farmer of the year.

The “field day” is for the ten counties that make up the southwest corner of the state and is possible thanks to a grant from the American Tree Farm System and the Woodland Owners Association. Similar programs will be available through woodland groups in the remaining counties in the state. The southwest PA program will feature tours and presentations by forestry experts and will include a complimentary breakfast and lunch. The program is scheduled to end at 4:30 p.m. The members of WWIA, extend special thanks to the Washington/Greene County Woodland Owners Association for sponsoring this important event. Additional details and a link for registration are included here in the newsletter. Just be sure to register by September 8.

The second event is our own WWIA annual business meeting and program. This year we will have a talk by beekeeper Curt Fisher. He will bring several implements for use in keeping an apiary and collecting the product. A question-and-answer session will follow. The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 21, at WCD headquarters, the barn behind the Donohoe Center. We will start at 5:45 p.m. with an indoor picnic. You may bring a favorite dish or dessert, but it is not required. We will provide a main course and refreshments. The business meeting will start at 6:45 and Curt’s presentation will start about 7:15.

I’m looking forward to seeing and speaking with you at both meetings.

Fred Lau, President, WWIA

 

Clearcutting: Good or Bad?

by Tony Quadro

There has been a lot of negative press lately regarding the practice of clearcutting. It can be a very emotional issue because of perceptions that it causes environmental damage. However, most of these perceptions are not true.

The principal objective of clearcutting is to regenerate the forest with healthier trees, not to harvest timber. Timber harvesting is a secondary objective.   In a true clearcut, all of the trees greater than two inches in diameter are cut (as opposed to a commercial clearcut, where only marketable trees are removed). Clearcutting is especially useful in regenerating shade-intolerant species such as black cherry, which is highly valuable and needs full sunlight for optimum development. The practice actually mimics openings that tornadoes and fires create naturally. 

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Pest Arrives in Westmoreland County - The Emerald Ash Borer

The emerald ash borer (Agrilus Planipennis Fairmaire),  an invasive beetle that attacks all native species of ash trees, was first detected in Michigan in the summer of 2002. This wood-boring insect is native to China and eastern Asia, and likely first arrived in the U.S. on solid wood packaging materials used to protect commercial goods during shipment. Infestations have since been discovered in eleven states and parts of Canada. It was first discovered in Pennsylvania in Butler County near the Ohio border in 2007. More recently, it has found its way into Mifflin and Westmoreland counties.

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Westmoreland Woodlands Improvement Association