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Some Good news In PA

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Some Good news In PA

Old 03-10-2009, 01:58 PM
  #1  
Nontypical Buck
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Default Some Good news In PA

Here is a quote from a recent PGC PR.
2009 Press Releases
Search Pennsylvania Game Commission - State Wildlife Management Agency Home Back Printable Version
Release #030-09

GAME COMMISSION HABITAT IMPROVEMENT PROJECT INVOLVES CONTROLLED BURN ON 95-ACRE PORTION OF SGL 176
Project will address safety for nearby communities; preserve Barrens unique habitat

STATE COLLEGE – Pennsylvania Game Commission officials today outlined detailed plans for conducting a controlled burn on the Scotia Barrens on State Game Land 176 in Patton Township, Centre County, to improve habitat conditions within this unique ecosystem. Agency officials also covered how the planned prescribed burn will reduce the possibility of an uncontrolled wildfire impacting the surrounding developed communities.

In a briefing held today on SGL 176, agency officials explained that, if weather conditions cooperate, this one-day controlled burn will be conducted on a designated 95-acre parcel sometime between April 6 and May 8.

“The Scotia Barrens ecosystem, which is a scrub oak/pitch pine barrens, depends on fire to regenerate itself,” said Bill Capouillez, Bureau of Wildlife Habitat Management director. “Prescribed burns are a tool used by the Game Commission to improve habitat and, in this case, will help maintain the ecological integrity of this unique habitat, which supports a number of wildlife and plant species of special concern.

“Also, this controlled burn will reduce the fuel load – the leaf litter, pine needles and twigs on the forest floor – that increases the chance of a catastrophic wildfire being ignited by a lightening strike or by a cigarette carelessly tossed on the ground. Because of decades of fire suppression, fuel loads are unnaturally high. Prescribed fire allows us to control when and where fire occurs rather than react to an emergency situation.”

Additionally, this 95-acre burn will serve as a firebreak for future prescribed burns that are planned for SGL 176 over the next few years. To begin the preparation, agency employees will use bulldozers to begin creating fire breaks, which will include existing roads, trails, herbaceous openings and dozed fire lines on March 9.
While I support the use of controlled burns to improve habitat for wildlife, it should also be noted that the reason for this burn is to prevent nature from following it's normal progression to a different type of habitat, just like HR was implemented in an attempt to prevent a change in the composition of our forests.

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Old 03-10-2009, 02:35 PM
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Nontypical Buck
 
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Default RE: Some Good news In PA

Deer like browsing on maples especially the reds.Makes ya wonder what affect it has on the ecosystem with a drastic reduction on the deer numbers?Seems the maples should do better after HR .
But Rendell said he likes the maples for the color in the PA wilds.
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Old 03-11-2009, 11:41 AM
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Nature hasn't been allowed to follow it's natural progression since the first settlers landed here.Ever been to the barrens?I used to hunt it quite a bit when I went to Penn state.

Rich,maples have been increasing all across the east cost as dee numbers were increasing.Reason being?Lack of fire.
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Old 03-11-2009, 11:57 AM
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Default RE: Some Good news In PA

doug is right on on both accounts...

red maples are taking over our forests and theres alot of causes....its really not "natural" though...

many ecosystems need burned to be healthy as wild as that may sound...what they are doing is controlling natural succession, but i dont see it as a bad thing. without it, that ecosystem which is important to the area will be lost without it.

like they are finding out west, natural fires are a good thing. they are learning that they need to let natural fires burn as long as nobody or property is in danger to reduce fuel loads which will prevent HOT major disastrous fires, and to keep the ecosystems healthy...

alot of grass and such need burned to be healthy and stay a grassland...

if its not burned, natural succession takes place and eventually everything is a mature forest until something changes the mature forest...

yes, they are essentially controlling nature...but humans are the reason that nature cant run its course naturally. we log forests, develop land, exploit resources, etc etc all changing the natural ecosystems and disrupting natural succession....controlling certain ecosystems is important to keep the species of the ecosystem healthy...
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Old 03-11-2009, 12:43 PM
  #5  
Nontypical Buck
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ORIGINAL: DougE

Nature hasn't been allowed to follow it's natural progression since the first settlers landed here.Ever been to the barrens?I used to hunt it quite a bit when I went to Penn state.

Rich,maples have been increasing all across the east cost as dee numbers were increasing.Reason being?Lack of fire.
The difference is that when deer contribute to a change in the composition of the forests the DCNR and the PGC claim it is not natural and unacceptable and therefore we have to kill more deer. As a result our herd is being managed for the benefit of DCNR and the timber industry instead of for the benefit of the deer and the hunters.
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Old 03-11-2009, 12:45 PM
  #6  
Nontypical Buck
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red maples are taking over our forests and theres alot of causes....its really not "natural" though...
Why isn't it natural ,if it is occurring without the aide of man?
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Old 03-11-2009, 01:23 PM
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Default RE: Some Good news In PA

DARN, I thought maybe they cancelled deer season this year or put the locense up to 500.00
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Old 03-11-2009, 04:29 PM
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Default RE: Some Good news In PA

i have no problem with controlled burn as i do it on a property i hunt and is has worked well with the deer browse. it does seem tho that pa dcnr and pgc is using hunting as a way to manage things for reasons other then the sport and what was once HERTIAGE in pa.
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Old 03-11-2009, 04:33 PM
  #9  
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Default RE: Some Good news In PA

bluebird, alot of it comes back to what humans have done...wish i had the book with me on ecosystems and natural history i have..it had a chapter on the red maples..or atleast talked about them a bit...i cant remember the exact details off the top of my head...but its occurring at a pretty alarming rate...

i honestly believe alot of the timbering and logging operations are screwed up and thats where alot of problems lie. man has only been here a couple hundred years....we hardly know ANYTHING about the subject even though many will argue that..but i dont think we do because it takes so long for trees to mature and such...

ecology and natural history stuff was probably some of my favorite college courses...tons to learn about the subjects though...
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Old 03-11-2009, 04:56 PM
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Nontypical Buck
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Default RE: Some Good news In PA

i honestly believe alot of the timbering and logging operations are screwed up and thats where alot of problems lie. man has only been here a couple hundred years....we hardly know ANYTHING about the subject even though many will argue that..but i dont think we do because it takes so long for trees to mature and such...
On that we can agree , although i think we know a lot more than some are willing to admit.They refuse to admit forestry practices have as much influence as over browsing by deer, because changing forestry practices is expensive while reducing the herd costs nothing.
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