State Lifts Emerald Ash Borer Quarantine

Harrisburg – The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture today announced that the state Emerald Ash Borer quarantine restricting the in-state movement of ash materials and all hardwood firewood will be lifted April 15. However, a federal quarantine remains in effect.

The Emerald Ash Borer is a highly invasive, wood-boring beetle that kills ash trees and poses a threat to the state’s $25 billion hardwoods industry.

“Lifting our quarantine will allow free movement on Emerald Ash Borer-regulated materials within Pennsylvania,” said acting Agriculture Secretary George Greig. “As Emerald Ash Borer has moved rapidly across the state, the in-state quarantine restrictions no longer serve a productive purpose.”

Because of the beetle’s aggressive movement across Pennsylvania, the in-state quarantine – initially intended to slow the pest’s spread – is now unnecessary.

Since 2007, when the Emerald Ash Borer was first observed in Butler County, the pest has been found in 17 additional counties, including Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Centre, Clarion, Cumberland, Fulton, Indiana, Juniata, Lawrence, Mercer, Mifflin, Somerset, Union, Washington and Westmoreland.

The state quarantine includes the counties where the beetle was found in addition to the contiguous counties, for a total of 43.

A parallel federal quarantine, also established in 2007, will remain effective in Pennsylvania to help stop the spread into other states. International and federal interstate restrictions will apply to exporting Emerald Ash Borer-regulated materials from Pennsylvania to non-quarantined domestic areas and regulating countries.

Greig added that Pennsylvania remains committed to finding ways to control the beetle, which in turn will protect the state’s important hardwoods industry.

The quarantine initially restricted the movement of ash nursery stock, green lumber, and any other ash material, including logs, stumps, roots and branches, from the quarantine area. Because it is difficult to distinguish between species of hardwood firewood, all hardwood firewood—including ash, oak, maple and hickory—was quarantined.

The Emerald Ash Borer is native to China and eastern Asia. The pest likely arrived in North America in wooden shipping crates. It was first detected in July 2002 in southeastern Michigan and neighboring Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

In addition to Pennsylvania, the beetle is attacking ash trees in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Typically, the Emerald Ash Borer beetles will kill an ash tree within three years of the initial infestation. Adults are dark green, one-half inch in length and one-eighth inch wide, and fly only from early May until September. Larvae spend the rest of the year beneath the bark of ash trees. When they emerge as adults, they leave D-shaped holes in the bark about one-eighth inch wide.

For more information about the quarantine, contact Walt Blosser at 717-772-5205, and for more information about Emerald Ash Borer, contact Sven-Erik Spichiger at 717-772-5229.

Values of Pennsylvania Forests

A new short presentation is available to view on the Bradford County Extension Forestry website. The presentation will give you a broad overview of the many benefits provided by Pennsylvania woodlands. Go to http://bradford.extension.psu.edu/NResources/forestry.html and scroll down to "Upcoming Programs". From there click on the Forest Value$ icon. Wait a few seconds for the presentation to load. It should start automatically. Comments would be appreciated. You can send them to my email at rsh7@psu.edu.

Woodland Owner Conference Registration Now Open

Registration for the 2011 Woodland Owners Conference at the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport is now open. We are trying something new this year. Hopefully it will be advantageous for you. The new system will allow you to register online using a credit card, by phone using a credit card or filling out a form and sending in a check. To register on line go to: http://guest.cvent.com/d/mdqt94 and follow the step by step instructions. You can also register by calling toll-free 1-877-489-1398 or by mail at:

Woodland Owners Conference

Attn: Registration

Penn State Cooperative Extension

323 Ag. Administration Bldg.

University Park, PA 16802

Make checks payable to Penn State Cooperative Extension. Price for the conference is $30 per person or $50 per couple from the same property if registered by February 25.
Conference brochures will go out by email and regular mail soon. If you have never received a brochure and would like one you can contact me at rsh7@psu.edu and we will send you an electronic version. You may also call the Bradford County Extension office at (570) 265-2896 and we can send you a copy by regular mail. Hope to see you there!

Woodland Owners Conference 2011

The 2011 Woodland Owners Conference will be held Saturday, March 5 in Penn’s Inn, Bush Student Center on the campus of the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport. The tentative agenda for the conference is:

9:00 – 9:15 Welcome/ Information

9:15 – 10:00 “Cost Share Programs Available for Woodland Owners”, Andy Duncan, PA DCNR, Bureau of Forestry

10:00 – 10:15 Break

10:15 – 11:15 “Regenerating Penn's Woods”, David Jackson, Penn State Cooperative Extension, Centre County

11:15 – 11:30 Break

11:30 – 12:15 “Drill Pad/Pipeline Revegetation Options for Landowners”, TBA

12:15 – 1:15 Lunch

1:15 – 1:30 WOA updates/Jack Murray Award

1:30 – 2:30 “Dealing with Emerald Ash Borer Threats to Woodlands and Communities”, Amy Stone and Kathy Smith, Ohio State University Extension

2:30 – 3:15 “Woodland Beneficial Insects and Pest Outlook 2011”, Tim Marasco, PA DCNR, Bureau of Forestry

3:15 – 3:30 Closing Remarks/Evaluations/Dismiss

The cost for this year’s conference is again $30/person or $25 each for a couple from the same property. Registration will be different this year. It will be online through CVENT. Registering through CVENT will allow you the additional option of paying by credit card. If you don't have internet access you will still be able to register by phone or send in your registration and your check.  Further registration details will be included in your brochure or in the instructions you will receive by email. Registrations will be due Friday, February 25. Registrations after this date will be assessed a $5 late fee and the couple discount will no longer be in effect. If you have any questions about the conference, please contact me at rsh7@psu.edu, 570-265-2896, or 570-724-9120.

Pennsylvania Energy Impacts Assessment

The Nature Conservancy-Pennsylvania Chapter, The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and Audubon Pennsylvania recently released an assessment of energy exploration and development in Pennsylvania. The assessment was funded with support from Heinz Endowments, RK Mellon Foundation and William Penn Foundation. Highlights of the report are below. For the complete report go to http://www.nature.org/media/pa/tnc_energy_analysis.pdf.
 * About 60,000 new Marcellus wells are projected by 2030 in Pennsylvania with a range of 6,000 to 15,000 well pads, depending on the number of wells per pad;

 * Wells are likely to be developed in at least 30 counties, with the greatest number concentrated in 15 southwestern, north central, and northeastern counties;

* Nearly two thirds of well pads are projected to be in forest areas, with forest clearing projected to range between 34,000 and 83,000 acres depending on the number of number of well pads that are developed. An additional range of 80,000 to 200,000 acres of forest interior habitat impacts are projected due to new forest edges created by well pads and associated infrastructure (roads, water impoundments);
* On a statewide basis, the projected forest clearing from well pad development would affect less than one percent of the state's forests, but forest clearing and fragmentation could be much more pronounced in areas with intensive Marcellus development;
* Approximately one third of Pennsylvania's largest forest patches (greater than 5,000 acres) are projected to have a range of between 1 and 17 well pads in the medium scenario;
* Impacts on forest interior breeding bird habitats vary with the range and population densities of the species. The widely-distributed scarlet tanager would see relatively modest impacts to its statewide population while black-throated blue warblers, with a Pennsylvania range that largely overlaps with Marcellus development area, could see more significant population impacts;
* Watersheds with healthy eastern brook trout populations substantially overlap with projected Marcellus development sites. The state's watersheds ranked as "intact" by the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture are concentrated in north central Pennsylvania, where most of these small watersheds are projected to have between two and three dozen well pads;
* Nearly a third of the species tracked by the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program are found in areas projected to have a high probability of Marcellus well development, with 132 considered to be globally rare or critically endangered or imperiled in Pennsylvania. Several of these species have all or most of their known populations in Pennsylvania in high probability Marcellus gas development areas.
* Marcellus gas development is projected to be extensive across Pennsylvania's 4.5 million acres of public lands, including State Parks, State Forests, and State Game Lands. Just over 10 percent of these lands are legally protected from surface development.
* Integration of conservation features into the planning and development of Marcellus gas well fields can significantly reduce impacts. For example, relocating projected wells to open areas or toward the edge of large forest patches in high probability gas development pixels in the southern Laurel Highlands reduces forest clearing by 40 percent and forest interior impacts by over a third.

PDA Secretary Urges Hunters to Share the Harvest

Harrisburg – Hunters can help food banks, soup kitchens and pantries feed Pennsylvanians in need by donating deer meat to a statewide distribution network, said Agriculture Secretary Russell C. Redding today.

Redding visited Diller’s Custom Deer Processing in Enola, Cumberland County, to promote Hunters Sharing the Harvest, a program that encourages hunters to donate deer for processing into ground venison for the state’s hungry residents.

“With more than 1.3 million Pennsylvanians at-risk for hunger, it’s important for everyone to lend a hand,” said Redding. “I encourage hunters to do their part by donating to the Hunters Sharing the Harvest program.”

Hunters can take their deer to one of 125 participating meat processors throughout the state and identify how much of the venison – from several pounds to the whole animal – they wish to donate. Anyone donating an entire deer is asked to make a minimum $15 tax-deductible contribution to help cover processing costs. The program covers all remaining fees.

The Department of Agriculture, through the federal Emergency Food Assistance Program, contributes $0.85 per pound of venison donated towards reimbursing meat processors.

Established in 1991, Hunters Sharing the Harvest today covers 53 participating counties and provides more than 750,000 meals annually to food banks, churches and social service feeding programs. Last year, hunters donated nearly 100,000 pounds of venison to more than 4,000 emergency food assistance agencies through the state’s 21 regional food banks.

“Across Pennsylvania, the number of citizens at risk for hunger increases every year,” said Kendall Hanna, executive director of the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. “Hunters Sharing the Harvest provides food that is high in protein and lean. We are extremely grateful for hunters’ participation in the program and for their support of Pennsylvanians in need.”

To learn more about the program or to obtain a list of participating meat processors, visit www.sharedeer.org or call, toll-free, 866-474-2141.

Pennsylvanians Urged to Heed Emerald Ash Borer Quarantine When Hauling Firewood During Winter Months

Harrisburg – Agriculture Secretary Russell C. Redding reminded Pennsylvanians—particularly those that heat their homes using wood—that the Emerald Ash Borer quarantine remains in effect in 43 counties. The quarantine is designed to restrict the movement of ash materials and all hardwood firewood and wood chips.
“Consumers who use wood to heat their homes and businesses are urged to burn local firewood only and heed the restrictions on moving firewood from within the quarantined area,” said Redding. “By obeying the quarantine, we can help limit the further spread of the beetle.”
The Emerald Ash Borer is an invasive, ash tree-killing beetle that threatens the state’s $25 billion hardwoods industry.
This summer, the department’s Emerald Ash Borer survey crews collected nearly 6,900 samples and tested 500,000 specimens from among 6,000 purple panel traps from ash trees in 21 counties.
The beetle has been found in 18 counties, including Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Butler, Centre, Clarion, Cumberland, Fulton, Indiana, Juniata, Lawrence, Mercer, Mifflin, Somerset, Union, Washington and Westmoreland.
As a result, the Agriculture department expanded its quarantine to include counties where the beetle was found this year, as well as in the contiguous counties of Blair, Cambria, Cameron, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Cumberland, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Huntingdon, Jefferson, Lycoming, McKean, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Potter, Snyder, Somerset, Tioga, Union, Venango and Warren.
The quarantine is intended to restrict the movement of ash nursery, green lumber, and any other ash material, including logs, stumps, roots and branches, from the quarantine area. Because it is difficult to distinguish between species of hardwood firewood, all hardwood firewood and wood chips—including ash, oak, maple and hickory—are considered quarantined.
The wood-boring beetle is native to China and eastern Asia. The pest likely arrived in North America in wooden shipping crates. It was first detected in July 2002 in southeastern Michigan and neighboring Windsor, Ontario, Canada. In addition to Pennsylvania, the beetle is attacking ash trees in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Emerald ash borer galleries in infested ash tree