SMALL ACTIONS. LASTING FORESTS. For the 34th year- the PA Forestry Association's dedicated group of volunteers are proud to announce our 34th annual tree planting!
these tree planting rambles are possible due to Norm Lacasse, a longtime pfa member, and his spearheading of this effort and is friend Henry 'hank' Wessel. Hank established a fund to expand planting efforts on state forest land across the Commonwealth.
We provide lunch and snacks as well as water. As usual come prepped for the weather!
Call into the office or email us at thepfa@paforestry.org for us to best prepare for lunch!
On 28 April 1990, a small incendiary fire conflagrated out of control burning 3903 ha of the Sproul State Forest District in north-central Pennsylvania. Within the Two Rock Run fire area, dominant pre-burn and post-burn vegetation data was compared to document wildfire’s effects on oak and red maple regeneration after nearly eighty years of fire suppression. The crown fire top-killed most vegetation resulting in rejuvenating oak stump sprouts and accelerating red maple into the same canopy position as oak. Burned stands exhibited significant numbers of oak stump sprouts (13,700/ha) whereas unburned control stands had no significant oak regeneration (<2500 seedlings/ha, 0 saplings/ha) an increase from 0% to 38% of total regeneration. The unburned areas are currently undergoing oak replacement as indicated by high red maple density in the overstory and understory. This fire may have acted to preserve oak presence in these forests that would have succeeded to near complete red maple domination without fire. Periodic fire disturbance on these sites may be essential for controlling red maple regeneration and restoration of the historical mixed-oak forests of the Allegheny Mountains.
Citation: Ruffner, C. M. 1997. Early plant successions following wildfire in Pennsylvania's mixed-oak forests, in Greenlee, J. M., Proceedings: First Conference on Fire Effects on Rare and Endangered Species and Habitats. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. International Association of Wildland Fire,Fairfield, WA. p. 239-244,