WHISPERS FROM THE WOODS
March 2013
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Festival of Trees 2012 – Jim Walizer, Dave Jackson, and John Buzzell, along with CPI students had set-up almost done when the rest of the WOCC members arrived. At right is a picture of WOCC members taken after teardown. Jim and Libby Walizer's grandson, Jason, helped, as well as Dave Jackson's sons, Tyler and Austin. These guys went right to work with the rest of us and, in 1-1/2 hours, all traces of the Festival were gone!! Thanks to these young men and WOCC members that helped with setup and teardown.
(picture)
Kim Hacker from United Way sent WOCC members the following note:
As you know, the event moved from Penn State’s Ag Arena to the Central PA Institute of Science and Technology (CPI) this year. We were excited about the change in venue but also concerned with the limited amount of setup and teardown time. Thanks in large part to the Woodland Owners volunteers we realized we had nothing to worry about! Your help with laying the tarps, installing
the tree stands, stringing the lights and coordinating the electricity to the trees was simply amazing. We can’t thank you enough for your continued work with this event.
The proceeds of this year’s event were over $11,000.
Very nice pictures of the Festival of Trees may be seen here.
Next WOCC Program:
Thursday, March 28, 2013 – 7pm – Foxdale Village Auditorium, 500 E. Marylyn Ave., State College (parking available in Foxdale Village parking garage – deck level – well lighted). Early Lumber Industry, Jim Walizer, WOCC Board Member – a slideshow on the early lumber industry in the Williamsport, PA area which will cover the era from when the first log raft came down the Susquehanna in 1807 to the flood of 1889 when Williamsport lost its dominance in lumber manufacturing. Jim will discuss how new technology continually improved harvesting.
Anya and Josh’s Maple Syrup Adventures (photos missing)
We first started making maple syrup a few years ago with a few buckets and a general knowledge of the process. Over the years we’ve added a few more buckets and learned a lot, making our process more efficient and yielding a better product.
Syrup season in our area generally starts in early February. The weather has to be just right, with warm days above, and cool nights below freezing. This starts the sap flowing in the trees and begins our season.
e use a 7/16" aluminum spout and metal buckets to collect our sap. he bucket hangs from the bottom hook, and the lid sits just over the top point. When the equipment is thoroughly washed and the spouts and drill bit sanitized, they are ready for the tree. We drill into the tree 1 ½ to 2 inches at a slight upward angle, remove the sawdust and lightly tap our spouts into the hole. If the weather is right, the sap will begin pouring out of the tree as we drill the hole! The bucket is hung on the spout and we are in business!
Newlyweds Anya and Josh Miller grew up loving the outdoors in Bald Eagle Valley. Their new home is in Julian woodlands.
We empty our buckets daily. Depending on the weather, sometimes they are overflowing, sometimes they are empty. Although it is best to boil down sap as soon as it is collected, our schedule does not allow for that. Instead, we collect our sap in food grade plastic containers and boil down on weekends. As long as the weather remains cold enough, the sap will keep. If it gets too warm, the sugars in the sap will start to ferment, turning it cloudy and spoiling our hard work!
e boil our sap down the old fashioned way in cast iron and copper kettles over a wood fueled fire.
St As it gets close, the syrup starts to foam up and bubble.
When the syrup is finished, we pull it off the stove and quickly filter it again through the pre-filter and a felt filter. It is then jarred hot so it seals. Syrup processed early in the season will naturally be lighter in color versus syrup produced late in the season, which is often darker in color and has a stronger maple flavor to it. (We like it better this way)The color and quality of the syrup is also greatly affected by the amount of time it is heated and type of process used to evaporate the water out of the syrup. One thing is for sure, though. It is always, always good!
Upcoming WOCC programs and activities:
Saturday, April 27, 2013 – 9am – Laurel Haven Education Center, located in Julian, PA. Spring Cleaning Day!! - Bring cleaning supplies, work gloves, and outdoor equipment to clear trails. One of the jobs is to plug holes drilled by carpenter bees. Lunch and drink will be provided by WOCC. Many organizations will visit the site during the springtime, and the cleaning of the facility makes these visitations more pleasurable.
Friday and Saturday, May 10 & 11, 2013. Private Forest Landowner Conference, The Future of Penn’s Woods, Blair County Convention Center, Altoona, PA. This is the first-ever comprehensive conference for private landowners in PA. Whether you own five or 500 acres, you are one of nearly 740,000 PA woodland owners who make decisions about the health and well-being of nearly 12 million acres of private forests. Presentation topics will include conservation options, invasive species, taxes, tending your woods, water quality, wildlife, and woods in your backyard. Registration information and forms are available on the WOCC website: http://woodlandownerscc.info/ or visit ecosystems.psu.edu/private-forest-conference.
WOCC will have a display table at this event – stop by and visit. Also, bring someone with you that is interested in forestry and is currently not a member and WOCC will give you a one-year free membership!
PA Timber Show 2013 – Friday and Saturday, June 7-8, 2013 – Ag Progress Grounds. Exhibits of forest products equipment and technology. More information is available at: PaTimberShow@psu.edu or call: (814)863-2873.
Thursday, June 13, 2013 – WOCC Annual Picnic and Program - 6:00-8:00 – PSU Ag Progress Grounds, Special Events Building.
This annual event is a time to enjoy a picnic meal provided by WOCC and visit with members. Following the meal, a woodlot tour will be led by Dr. Jim Finley, Penn State Professor of Forest Resources and State Forest Resources Extension Leader. Dr. Finley has been managing the Ag Progress Days Woodlot for nearly 40 years.
The tour will focus on a recent timber sale to salvage hemlock dying from the wooly adelgid. The hemlock wooly adelgid is an exotic invasive insect that attacks hemlock. Seeing the pending loss, plans were set in motion to harvest the dying trees. The tour will discuss why some trees were left and others selected for harvest. Tree value as seed sources, wildlife habitat, and aesthetics will be highlighted. A discussion of harvesting options will demonstrate how to achieve appropriate future forest conditions, the highest long-term economic return, and improved wildlife habitat. The tour will also touch on other items including pre-commercial thinning, woods road stabilization, invasive plant control, and deer browse impact.
WOCC dues for the current year 2013 or the coming year 2014 may be paid at the picnic.
Contact: Kathy Ryba <kryba@beasd.org> or 355-5949 for reservations.
Mark your calendar - 2013 PA Tree Farm of the Year Tour. August 17, 2013 Beartown Tree Farm - 2087 acre property owned by the third generation of the Shoemaker family located at 1225-2189 Governor's Road, Snow Shoe, PA.
Presentations and discussions on integrating natural gas and wind energy resource development with good forest management. Also included will be discussions of water and soil protection and site management during and after development. Tours of current management practices will be included. Due to the remote location, only the primary site is handicap accessible.
PFA annual meeting field day - Saturday, September 28, 2013 – at Lake Raystown, Huntington County; the topic is Forestry and Recreation. Details will be in the summer issue of the PA Forest magazine and on the web.
Festival of Trees – dates to be announced at a later time.
Wildlife Young Forest Initiative, May 7,2013 - Bald Eagle State Park, Howard, 9:00 am-1:00 pm.
The Pennsylvania Sustainable Forestry Initiative will be holding a “Wildlife – Young Forest Initiative” training course in our region as part of their 2013 spring training block. Developed through a cooperative program with the Wildlife Management Institute, this course discusses the importance of creating early successional forest conditions for the benefit of multiple wildlife species. Participants will learn and be given tools to identify and create habitat systems for the American woodcock, golden winged warbler, and other young forest dependent wildlife species important to forest landowners. This course involves classroom and outside components and will be presented by Carl Graybill Jr., former director of the PA Game Commission Bureau of Information and Education.
Call Chuck Coup, Program Manager, Sustainable Forestry Initiative (814-355-1010), for further information.
Other Woodland Owner Associations Programs:
Mifflin County Woodland Owners Association - Contact: Gerald Hoy, phone: (570)922-3344
March 27 – Backyard Forestry
April 27 – Kid Connection
June 25 – Invasive Species ID and Control Field Tour
August 24 – Managing Declining Hemlock Stands
North Central Forest Landowners Association, Inc. website for events: www.orgsites.com/pa/ncfla - click on 2013 events and activities.
WOCC Board Meetings:
Tues. May 21st; Oct. 8th
WOCC dues are for the year Jan. 1 through Dec. 31.
$15 – Individual or Family Associate (owns less than 5 acres)
$20 – Individual or Family/family Partnership (owns 5+ acres)
$50 – Sponsor (commercial or industrial)
Please send your check payable to WOCC, to Woodland Owners of Centre County, POBox 1156, State College, PA 16804-115
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WOODLAND OWNERS OF CENTRE COUNTY, P.O. BOX 1156, STATE COLLEGE, PA 16804-1156
WHISPERS FROM THE WOODS
Feb 2012
EVENTS OF INTEREST:
WOODLAND OWNERS OF CENTRE COUNTY,
P.O. BOX 1156, STATE COLLEGE, PA 16804-1156
WHISPERS FROM THE WOODS
August 2011
Vice President (vacant)
Secretary (vacant)
Treasurer Mark Ellenberger
Newsletter and Publicity Kathy Ryba (kryba@beasd.org)
Board Members Bill and Ruth Park, Jim Walizer, Susan Benedict
Advisors Tim Cole (DCNR); Dave Jackson (Cooperative Extension)
Forestry, Wildlife Habitat and Weed Control Field Days
3 Programs will be held in August and September –
3rd Field Day will be held on September 17 in Elk County
Ag Progress Days – Rock Springs – August 16-18, 2011
The 10th Annual Central Pennsylvania Woodlot Management Workshop--West Branch Forest - A workshop to help forest landowners make good decisions about the management of their woodland. Saturday, September 24, 2011—9 am to 3 pm -
The School of Forest Resources invites you to celebrate the International Year of the Forests at The Arboretum at Penn State, corner of Bigler Road and Park Avenue, University Park, PA. Learn about our forests while enjoying music, exhibits and other activities. This Penn State Extension program is free and open to the public. Sunday, September 25, 2011 – 10 am to 3 pm.
Festival of Trees, Ag Arena, Penn State University – WOCC will be a co-sponsor of the festival again this year. Setup will be Tuesday, December 6 at 9 am (lunch provided) and teardown on Monday, December 12, at 10 am (drinks provided). Centre County United Way has now undertaken the festival. Proceeds from the event benefit The United Way which partners with 40 Centre County agencies. Come out and spend the morning with WOCC members as we place trees, trim with lights and run electrical cords. Bring ladders, gloves, cutters, and a chainsaw is always useful. Please support this worthy cause.
Centre County Woodland Owners Serve at Laurel Haven Members of the Woodland Owners of Centre County (WOCC) recently volunteered to do spring clean-up chores at the school’s Laurel Haven Conservation Education Center. This is their second year of collaboration at Laurel Haven. WOCC members are also involved in teaching educational programs conducted at the Center. Participating at this year’s clean-up day (l to r) are John Buzzell, Tim Cole (Center County Service Forester), Ed Meek, Kathy Ryba, Andy Bater, and Jim Walizer.
About ForestConnect Webinars
- Webinars use internet technology to connect national-caliber speakers with woodland owners, managers, and practitioners
- Free, but require one-time registration
- Offered live at noon and 7 PM on the third Wednesday of each month Documentation of participation is available and provided for participants of the live webinars.
- Documentation allows for CEU credit requests by the participants to their professional organizations.
- Educational effectiveness has been documented Learn more and register
Favorite Publications available through the webinars.
- Managing American Beech
- Northeastern Regeneration of Hardwood Forests
- Tree Planting Guide
- Woodlot Management for Wildlife
- Forestry Guide for Municipal Officials
Woodland Owners Forum
A place to ask and answer questions
Where to Find Assistance
- Master Forest Owner Volunteers, peer counseling
- Links to other agencies
Fall webinar dates are under discussion with speakers.
Save these dates: September 21, October 19, and November 16. There is no ForestConnect webinar in August.
Tentative topics, in no particular order, include:
Update on Emerald Ash Borer Control and Management
An Introduction to Silviculture: Regeneration and Intermediate Treatments
Forest Harvesting Considerations: Harvesting Systems and Using Harvesting for Landowner Goals
December 21, 2011Webinar - Restoring the American Chestnut. Join Bryan Burhans, President and CEO American Chestnut Foundation for a discussion of the history and restoration of the American Chestnut. The American chestnut once stood as the dominant hardwood tree in our Eastern forests. An Asian fungus introduced to the US in the early 1900 eliminated the chestnut as a canopy tree in just four decades. Efforts are underway to develop a tree that can withstand this pathogen. Presentation will provide up-to-date status of efforts by the American Chestnut Foundation to develop a disease-resistant tree and eventually reintroduce the species back into our Eastern forests.
Other Forestry Webinars
Cornell Maple Program
National Network of Forest Practitioners
Penn State University - Forest Stewardship Webinar Center
Penn State University - Woody Biomass Webinars
Purdue University
Southern Extension Forestry Webinars
University of Minnesota Webinars
USFS Northern Research Station Webinars
Pests and Disease
Insect threat to U.S. forests worsened by drought, climate change Marauding insects have become a leading threat to the nation's forests over the past decade, a problem made worse by drought and a warming climate, a federal report says. Bark beetles, engraver beetles and gypsy moths are the primary culprits behind a threefold increase in forestland mortality caused by insect attacks between 2003 and 2007, according to the 2010 National Report on Sustainable Forests. The volume of forests in the lower 48 states killed by bugs totaled 37 million acres during this period, up from 12 million during the previous five years. Millions of additional acres have perished since.
Some links at which to look:
National Association of State Foresters: http://stateforesters.org/blog/insect_threat_u_s_forests_worsened _drought_climate_change
A federal report: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/07/07/1736659/insects-leading-threat-to-forests.html 2010 National Report on Sustainable Forests: http://www.fs.fed.us/research/sustain/
This is not good news... Federal and State Officials Announce Tree Survey Efforts in Ohio Due to the Discovery of Asian Longhorned Beetle Area Residents Are Encouraged to Report Any Signs of ALB And to Avoid Moving Firewood
WASHINGTON, June 17, 2011--The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) announce that surveys are under way in Bethel, Ohio, after the detection and identification of the Asian longhorned beetle. Bethel is located 30 miles southeast of Cincinnati. http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/2011/06/adult_detection_ALB.shtml
The following program aired on National Public Radio. It’s what we (forestland owners) already know. Subject: NPR Deer Survival of the Forest: Growing Deer Population Hurts Survival Of Forests : NPR www.npr.org 2011
WOCC membership dues are for the calendar year January 1 – December 31.
Associate Membership (no forest land owned) is $15
Full Membership is $20
Sponsor Membership is $50
Make checks payable to WOCC and send to: WOCC, Box 1156, State College, PA 16804.
Include mailing address; phone number (optional); and email address.
Next Board Meeting: September 13, 2011
06Jun 2010 Copyright . Woodlandowners. All rights reserved.
