Harrisburg, PA – The PA Department of Agriculture added Callery pear, or Pyrus calleryana, commonly called Bradford Pear to a list of noxious weeds — plants that cannot be legally sold or cultivated in the state. The popular, non-native, flowering fruit tree naturalizes, spreading from planted landscapes, crowding out other plants and disrupting native ecosystems. The ban on sale and cultivation will take effect February 9, 2022 with enforcement phased in over two years. "Callery pear is another non-native plant that was brought to this country for its beauty and rapid growth, without regard ..read more

 New York State (NYS) Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) brings you, “Uninvited: The Spread of Invasive Species”. It tells the story of invasive species in NYS and how the DEC and their partners are tackling them.  One of the biggest ways you can help stop invasive species is by educating friends, family, and neighbors about the small choices they can make that have a big impact, such as: Using local firewood, cleaning, draining, and drying your watercraft and gear, removing mud and debris off your equipment, boots, gear, and pets.  Uninvited was filmed in 2018. Inva ..read more

Beginning October 6, 2021, Japanese barberry and two other invasive plant species were added to the list of plants that are illegal to propagate or sell in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Controlled Plant and Noxious Weed Committee placed a notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on August 7 officially adding the following species to the Noxious Weed List as Class B noxious weeds: •             Berberis thunbergia, Japanese barberry •             Micros ..read more

Audubon Mid-Atlantic's newest resource for Pennsylvania is here, along with two updated companion publications. Designed for industry professionals, including consulting and public-lands foresters, Healthy Forests: A Bird-based Silvicultural Guide for Forestry Professionals,is chock full of silviculture guidance, management scenarios, and ideas for successful bird-friendly forestry.   The guide weaves together effective, traditional forest management techniques with bird-friendly practices that support multiple objectives, including wildlife habitat enhancement/creation, timber ..read more

The USDA Forest Service and the Pollinator Partnership have teamed up to produce an excellent 40-page full color publication entitled Bee Basics: An Introduction to Our Native Bees. It is authored by Beatriz Moisset, Ph.D. and Stephen Buchmann, Ph.D. with Illustrations by Steve Buchanan. This publication shares a close up look at this treasure of native bees. They provide an invaluable ecosystem service, pollination, to 80 percent of flowering plants. Bees pollinate approximately 75 percent of the fruits, nuts, and vegetables grown in this country. Native bees are a hidden treasure, they can ..read more

Timber harvesting is an important management tool. When conducted with care and planning, it allows owners to manage forests to meet multiple objectives. Landowners choose to conduct timber sales for a variety of reasons. The decision to harvest may be recommended in a management plan or it may be unexpected. Regardless of the reason, a successful timber harvest that meets landowner goals begins with a forest resource professional developing a plan. Timber harvesting is a time when landowners can improve their woods for what they value, such as enhancing wildlife habitat, or cause real damage ..read more

Join us for this interactive webinar, presented in partnership with Penn State Extension, PA DCNR William Penn State Forest District, and the Brandywine Conservancy. It will explore some of the common perceptions (both true and false) held by Pennsylvania's private forest (woodland) landowners. Statements commonly made by landowners about their woods, wildlife, forest pests, timber management, and the intersection between forest management and conservation easement protections will be used to facilitate sharing and learning. Using a collaborative learning approach, the presenters will ask par ..read more

Photo: US National Park Service Almost all North American bats rely on forests for survival. Individual forest landowners can play a large role in supporting these important animals, and a new publication authored by the White-nose Syndrome Response Team offers guidance on how. Forest Management and Batsdescribes how active forest management can improve forest health and productivity while maintaining and enhancing bat habitat.  ..read more

Shrub honeysuckle leafing out early Basal bark herbicide applications are targeted treatments you can make year-round yet are particularly effective and simple to apply in spring. Most common invasive shrub species are easily controlled with these applications. They include Japanese barberry, shrub honeysuckles, autumn olive, multiflora rose, privet, and many others. These species are common invaders of woodlands and natural areas across the mid-Atlantic region. Most invasive shrubs tend to leaf out early in the spring, well before our native tree and shrub species do and before most ..read more

Below you will find links to three videos on the American chestnut. The videos provide valuable updates about the restoration of the species following it's demise from the blight.   These first two videos, from the USDA Forest Service’s Southern Research Station, are on restoration of the American chestnut in the southern Appalachians. The videos feature information on the Southern Research Station’s chestnut research, the National Forest System’s silvicultural program, The University of Tennessee’s Tree Improvement Program, and The American Chestnut Foundation’s backcross breeding ..read more