March 11th Forest Regeneration Meeting

Forest Regeneration

On Thursday, March11th, at the Cumberland Woodland Owners' Association meeting, Dr. James Finley, Penn State Professor of Forest Resources, will give a presentation on forest regeneration and reforestation in Pennsylvania. The meeting will start at 7:00 pm at the Franklin County Extension Office which is located at 181 Franklin Farm Lane, Chambersburg. The event is open to the general public and there is no cost to attend.

In Pennsylvania, forest regeneration, or regrowth, requires sufficient numbers of desirable tree seedlings to be available to replace today's forest following harvest. Under many circumstances, regeneration is not easy. Competing plants, deer, and insufficient light on the forest floor can interfere with regeneration and, in the long run, may threaten forest sustainability. Recent U.S. Forest Service data from Pennsylvania's statewide forest inventory (2004) document regeneration problems.

In forest stands where light conditions are adequate for regeneration development, less than 50 percent have adequate seedlings and saplings to regenerate the forest. This finding includes all tree species capable of growing into the forest canopy. When only commercially desirable species are considered, less than one-third of these forest stands have adequate regeneration to replace the existing forest. Sustainable forestry is defined as managing our forest resources to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

The Cumberland Woodland Owners Association (CWOA) is an organization of forestland owners and others interested in forestry issues in south central Pennsylvania. The mission of the association is to provide information, education and an exchange of ideas to its members and others about the methods and benefits of proper forest management. For more information about the meeting or the Cumberland Woodland Owners Association, contact Fred Peabody at 717/776-3565 (email: fredp5@earthlink.net) or George Hurd at 717/263-9226 (email: grh5@psu.edu). Directions to the Penn State Cooperative Extension Office in Franklin County are available at:  http://franklin.extension.psu.edu/.