DELAWARE STATE FOREST DISTRICT 2018 ACTIVITY PLAN

Transcription

1 DELAWARE STATE FOREST DISTRICT 2018 ACTIVITY PLAN The mission of DCNR Bureau of Forestry is to conserve the long-term health, viability and productivity of the Commonwealth s forest and to conserve native wild plants. One of the ways the bureau carries out this mission is through the State Forest Resource Management Plan (SFRMP), a document that guides the management of the 2.2 million-acre state forest system. The SFRMP is updated approximately every 5 years and includes an extensive public engagement process. One of the policies in the bureau s strategic plan (Penn s Woods: Sustaining Our Forests) includes, Public participation will be an integral part of the management of state forest lands. The purpose of this Activity Plan is to communicate to the public about upcoming management activities, projects, and events that will be conducted to implement the SFRMP on Delaware State Forest. This document will be revised at the start and middle of each calendar year to provide sufficient time for public review, questions, and feedback. The bureau is committed to considering the views and perspectives of the public and stakeholders and strives to accommodate public interests in planning management activities and decision making. We encourage comments or questions regarding planned or proposed activities be directed to the state forest district conducting the activity. For questions, comments, or more information about this plan, please contact: Timothy R. Dugan, District Forester Delaware State Forest 2174A Route 611, Swiftwater, PA FD19@pa.gov Page 1

2 RECREATION Lily Pond Additional hiking trails and trail connections are planned for development and establishment. These trails will increase hiking opportunities north of Milford and establish links between the Lily Pond, Buckhorn, and Milford Experimental Forest areas. This project was started in 2016 but not completed. Plan is to complete in Parking areas and access points Improvements to multiple parking areas will consist of minor grading work, addition of stone over existing base, and placement of rocks to help delineate parking areas. The Burnt Mills Parking area will receive a new kiosk to help inform and direct the visiting public. Small parking areas and pull-offs will receive sign boards to help inform and direct the visiting public. Forest leased campsites (cabins) will receive their standard inspections, or on request, by staff. Motorized trail improvement projects are planned but not funded at this point in time for Whittaker Trail, part of the Edgemere/Pecks Pond Snowmobile trail, and the Burnt Mills ATV trail. Details are provided below in the Road and Bridge Projects section. Pecks Pond is currently drawn down in preparation of the dam rehabilitation project. The contract for the dam rehabilitation will be let in 2018 with construction anticipated in 2018 and Maple Run ATV trail rehabilitation project began in October of 2017 and will be completed in The project includes the addition of more than 33,000 tons of stone. All the stone was delivered and placed in 2017; final shaping and rolling of the stone will occur in Organized Events The District expects to administer three commercial activity agreements for The activities involved include environmental education, guided nature hikes, guided horseback riding, and guided biking trips. TIMBER MANAGEMENT Marked and sold, potentially active Pike County, Greene Township An overstory removal timber sale, totaling sixty acres, located in and around the Millbrook fences will be completed during the winter of This timber sale is the final stage of a shelterwood/overstory removal sequence designed to regenerate these forest stands. The snowmobile trail and drive-in hunter access on Millbrook Page 2

3 Trail and Sawmill Road is closed for the winter season while the timber sale is being harvested. We expect to open the area to public fuelwood cutting by permit during the late summer of We also plan to open the trail to hunter access during the fall of 2018 and snowmobile travel during the snowmobile season. We plan to remove the Millbrook deer fences in Pike County, Palmyra Township The Tanglewood fences and adjacent stands timber sale was completed in This timber sale was 180 acres of overstory removal and shelterwood with multiple goals. The primary goals were to regenerate these stands and pre-salvage harvest the ash prior to it succumbing to the emerald ash borer. Extensive work on the access road was done in 2016 for this sale due to the steepness of the haul road. In 2018, we will expand the two existing fences to encompass the new shelterwood stands. We plan to re-open the public fuelwood area associated with this timber sale in the spring of This fuelwood area will close when the new fence expansions are installed. Firewood Cutting Permits During 2018, the public will be able to buy fuelwood permits to cut wood along Bartleson Road, and along a network of roads located west of State Route 402 centering on Highline Road. During the latter part of 2018, fuelwood permits will be available for the Tanglewood Mountain fuelwood area in Palmyra Township and the Millbrook Trail fuelwood area in Greene Township. Pike County, Porter Township A 96-acre overstory removal timber sale, located between State Route 402 and the Pine Flats Fireline Trail, will be harvested in The purpose of this sale is to regenerate these oak stands and to remove dead standing timber for wildfire fuel reduction purposes. The snowmobile trail through the timber sale may be detoured during the winter season while the timber sale is being harvested. Pike County, Porter Township The Luke Road Salvage will be completed this spring. The sale is located on the west side of the Luke Road, southern Pike County, and is 175 acres in size. The purpose of the sale is to salvage the trees that were killed by the Gypsy Moth. Monroe County, Price Township The Hamlet salvage will be completed this winter. It is 148 acres of Gypsy Moth salvage. It is located along the 16 Mile Run Road. Pike County, Porter Township The Ludleyville salvage will be completed this winter and spring. It is 111 acres of Gypsy Moth salvage. It is located west of Rt. 402 along the Beaver Run Road. Marked but not yet sold Pike County, Porter Township A 107-acre overstory removal timber sale is marked along Highline Spur Road to release the advanced oak regeneration that has developed since the Highline Spur prescribed fire. This sale will be sold in the spring of Page 3

4 Pike County, Blooming Grove Township The 23-acre White Deer Lake deer exclosure fence was marked for an overstory removal to release oak regeneration. An additional 20 acres were marked as a shelterwood just to the south along Route 402. Both blocks are part of the same timber sale and are currently scheduled to be put out for bid in March. Monroe County, Price Township The Anglers salvage sale will be sold this winter. It is 197 acres of Gypsy Moth salvage. Most of the timber sale was burned in the 16 Mile Fire. It is located along the 16 Mile Run rd. Porter Township, Pike County--The Red Rock Salvage will be sold this winter. It is 174 acres of Gypsy Moth Salvage. It is located east of route 402, on the east side of Luke Road. Proposed (not marked yet) Pike County, Greene Township An overstory removal will be marked along Burley Inlet Trail in and around the Burley Inlet East deer exclosure. The timber harvest will encompass between acres. Pike County, Porter Township The shelterwood cut at the north end of Flat Ridge Road and Bald Barren trail totaling 47 acres will be marked for overstory removal. Additional acres will be marked along the northwest side of the trail totaling 20 acres. Pike County, Lehman Township An overstory removal will be marked east of the Bushkill road. The area was originally cut as a shelterwood harvest and fenced. It will be 44 acres at the end of Browns Mill Road. Monroe County, Middle Smithfield Township--- an overstory removal will be marked east of Marshalls Creek Road. The sale will be around 100 acres. It was first cut as a shelterwood and fenced to establish regeneration. Regeneration projects In 2017, Tanglewood West, Royer, Maple Run North, Ivan Swamp Small, County Line East, Sawmill Rehab, and Sawmill 2 East deer exclosure fences were removed. The reason for the removal was that adequate regeneration had developed from a combination of natural regeneration and planting of the sites. The majority of desirable seedlings were above the deer browse height, allowing for the teardowns. In 2018, Rooster, Rest Area, Kleinhans, Old Greentown Road 1, Badger 1, Badger Snowmobile, and Badger Overlook deer exclosure fences are proposed for teardown. The reason for the removal is that adequate regeneration has developed from a combination of natural Page 4

5 regeneration and planting of the sites. The majority of desirable seedlings are above the deer browse height, allowing for the teardowns. In 2018, two fences will be expanded on Tanglewood Mountain in Palmyra Township, Pike County. The expansions of the Tanglewood Powerline and Tanglewood Billard fences will add 62 acres and 57 acres of additional fence, respectively. These woven wire fences will be installed around a shelterwood cut that was harvested in The goal is to protect seed and seedlings from deer herbivory to develop regeneration of a high-quality stand which reflects the current overstory. Deer pressure is high in this area due to its proximity to a large housing development. These fences are located on highly productive growing sites which produce some of the highest quality timber in the Delaware Forest District. Vegetation Impact Protocol Plots (VIP plots) will be completed on State Forest Land to assess deer browsing impact on regeneration and native plants. The District will participate in the Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) to achieve or maintain a deer population that is balanced with its habitat. Tree seedlings will be planted inside the two deer exclosures on Tanglewood Mountain in Greene and Palmyra Townships. A total of 30,000 white pine and red spruce seedlings will be planted on 60 acres at these locations. The two fences were treated with an overstory removal with biodiversity reserves during The conifer tree seedlings will augment the natural regeneration of mainly hardwoods with a conifer component for wildlife habitat and species diversity. The conifers will provide winter thermal cover and escape cover for wildlife. Trees will be planted along the 16 Mile Run Road. There will be 15,000 White Pine planted in areas of Gypsy Moth mortality and the heavily burned area of the 16 Mile Run fire. Trees will also be planted west of Bob s Spring Road. 15 acres will be planted with 15,000 Norway spruce. The area was harvested in 2014 and subsequently burned in the 16-mile fire. RESTORATION AND HABITAT PROJECTS Delaware State Forest will continue to partner with Indiana University of Pennsylvania in an ongoing effort to create Golden Winged Warbler habitat in a 2500-acre Special Management Area. Sites are located along Pine Flats Road and Highline Road. These habitat projects are beneficial to warblers and a host of other game and non-game species. The 2-acre wildlife habitat opening located along Steam Mill Trail was herbicided to kill nonnative grasses and shrubs. A 200 buffer around the opening was burned to stimulate new shrub growth. The buffer had some of the trees cut to open it up. Felling of trees in the buffer will continue this spring. The opening will then be planted in May with a mix of native grasses and wildflowers which will be allowed to grow into a more natural state. Page 5

6 Nesting boxes for various wildlife species will be installed throughout the district to help promote such species as wood ducks, bats, and bluebirds. Numerous wildlife openings in Monroe and Pike county will planted with new seed and maintained. ROAD AND BRIDGE PROJECTS Laurel Run Road will receive almost 6,800 tons of DSA stone improving 3.5 miles of roadway. Buckhorn Fire Tower Road will receive 1,000 tons of AASHTO #1 stone covering 3,000 feet of road. Burnt Mills ATV trail will receive 1,500 tons of 2RC stone to top dress the trail base. This is an ATV trail improvement project. Whittaker Trail, part of the Edgemere/Pecks Pond Snowmobile trail, will receive approximately 1,500 tons of AASHTO #1 stone. This is a snowmobile trail improvement project. Culvert replacements Three metal culvert crossings on the Maple Run ATV trail will be replaced with concrete and metal arch structures in The trail system will be open for use during construction but portions will not be open to thru-traffic. PRESCRIBED FIRE Monroe County, Price Township A prescribed fire will be conducted in the spring along Millertown road. The area was a shelterwood cut and has regenerated in large amounts of birch. The prescribed fire will reduce the large amounts of birch and allow the desirable oak to grow. The prescribed fire is 30 acres and is located west of Schoolhouse road. Pike County, Blooming Grove Township- A prescribed fire will be conducted along the State Forest boundary line with the community of Hemlock Farms in the Maple Run Recreation Area. The fire is a pilot Hazardous Fuels Mitigation Project with the primary objective of reducing fuel loads of 1, 10 hour and shrub fuels. This fire area is approximately 1.5 miles long and averages 200 feet wide. INSECT, DISEASE, AND INVASIVE PLANT TREATMENTS Page 6

7 One hundred ash trees will be chemically re-treated with TREE-AGE a trunk injection chemical. Most of these trees are on Tanglewood Mountain. This treatment is an attempt to save some genetically superior ash trees that would otherwise succumb to the emerald ash borer a nonnative forest pest. Staff will continue to monitor for invasive plants and insects across our state forest land and the invasive species will be treated appropriately. In 2018, areas of specific concern are the recently-altered fourteen miles of PPL Susquehanna-Roseland project powerline, as well as, several other electric and gas line projects. Mile-a-minute, tree-of-heaven, emerald ash borer, and spotted lantern fly are key invasive species for which the staff will be on the lookout. Approximately one acre of wisteria will continue to be chemically treated until it is controlled. Wisteria is an exotic, invasive vine that causes significant damage to the native trees and forest ecology. The wisteria treatment site is located along Old Route 402 near Peck s Pond. Approximately one-quarter acre of Japanese knotweed was chemically treated along the shore of Peck s Pond. Japanese knotweed is an exotic, invasive plant that can detrimentally alter a wetland ecosystem. The presence of emerald ash borer was confirmed in Monroe and Pike County in Ash mortality has begun to develop because of the invasive insect. This mortality will continue to increase over the next few years. Spotted lantern fly has been confirmed in Monroe County. Spotted lantern fly is an invasive insect that was confirmed in the United States in This invasive insect could potentially have an impact on State Forest lands in This pest has the potential to negatively affect many of our native tree species. Hemlock woolly adelgid treatments were conducted in Areas treated were along Bartleson Road and the Tarkill Interpretative Trail. The treated trees should show increased vigor as the rest of hemlock population continues to decline. Hemlock woolly adelgid treatments will continue to occur on the DSF through 2018 if funding is received. The exact number of trees and treatment areas will depend on the amount of funding received for this project. Gypsy moth defoliation levels were low in 2017 on the Delaware State Forest and in Pike and Monroe Counties in general. Therefore, no gypsy moth spraying is proposed by the Delaware State Forest District in NATURAL GAS, OIL, AND OTHER GEOLOGIC RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT Page 7

8 Tennessee Gas Pipeline company will continue to support invasive plant treatments on Delaware State Forest land as part of their wetland mitigation project for temporary wetland impacts on previous projects. TOWER AND RIGHTS-OF-WAY PROJECTS PPL Electric Utilities will be doing work west of Route 402 between Grassy Road and the Blooming Grove parking area. They will be using several gated roads just off the highway. The project proposes to rebuild 16,000 feet of the Blooming Grove Line on State Forest land. The project will remove 47 of the older powerline poles and replace 31. PennDOT will be widening State Route 611 in front of the District Office in Swiftwater. The Big Pocono Fire tower, located within Big Pocono State Park, has been tore down and salvaged as well as replaced with a new era Fire Tower. This is a Department of General Services project being coordinated by our Division of Forest Fire Protection. The new tower has been erected and the project is nearly complete. The old tower has gone to the USFS at Grey Towers, where plans are coming together to re-erect the tower to use for educational and historic purposes. OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT Staff will continue to promote and enhance the image of the forest and district. One particular task is addressing illegal forest dumping. Staff will investigate and prosecute illegal forest dumpers when applicable. We will continue to remove and clear dump sites when found. Staff are partnering with the Pennsylvania Environmental Council on major cleanups in Pike County. Delaware Forest District will host a public meeting in the later part of 2018 to display the draft district resource management plan and receive public comment. Details will be announced and publicized later. Volunteering opportunities for trail maintenance are anticipated in Comments, questions, and concerns pertaining to all district activities may be directed to our District Office at or via at FD19@pa.gov SPECIAL PROJECTS Pecks Pond Dam rehabilitation The last of the required permits were approved and issued in January of The project will go out for construction bid in 2018 as administered by the PA Department of General Services. The pond will be in its current drawn-down state until project Page 8

9 completion. Construction activity could commence near the end of Anticipated project completion is in New Resource Management Center with Storage Building Design continues for the building site near the Thunder Swamp Trailhead parking area. It is anticipated that the design will be completed and the project will be let for construction bid by the end of 2018, with construction activity beginning in Demolish District Office Sewage Treatment Plant and hook up to Pocono Township Sewer Authority. Permits for this project were issued in The project will be bid and construction will commence in Camp Rock Hill Demolition Project Funding has been secured for this project and will be let for bid in This project is aimed at removing hazardous structures and returning the site to a natural state. Lily Pond Demolition Project Plans have been developed to demolish the Solar Science Center and three rustic cabins in Milford Township, Pike County. This project is aimed at removing hazardous structures and returning the site to a natural state. RESEARCH A research project is being conducted in the vicinity of the 16 Mile Run fire to study the impact of the fire on the soil and water. The project will try to determine how the soil and water are impacted and how long it takes for them to return to the pre-fire state. State Forest Research Agreements are in place for a variety of studies including: impacts of hemlock wooly adelgid, golden winged warbler breeding success and related habitat conditions, broad winged hawk nesting habits and related success, and water quality assessments. For additional information on any research projects, please contact the District Office. MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS FROM PREVIOUS YEAR DSF chemically treated one hundred ash trees by trunk injection to kill emerald ash borer. This treatment is an attempt to save some genetically superior Ash trees that would otherwise succumb to the emerald ash borer a non-native forest pest. DSF planted 45,650 trees throughout the district mainly for wildlife habitat improvement, and species diversification. DSF herbicided wisteria near Peck s Pond to control this destructive exotic invasive species. Page 9

10 DSF herbicided Japanese knotweed along Peck s Pond to control this destructive exotic invasive species. DSF certified eleven shipments of ginseng for ginseng dealers for shipping across state lines. DSF applied for and received 409 DMAP permits covering five DMAP areas encompassing 49,943 acres in Pike and Monroe counties. DSF completed nineteen Vegetation Impact Protocol plots (VIP plots) on State Forest Land to assess deer browsing impact on regeneration and native plants. DSF staff with the assistance of the Division of Forest Health sprayed 933 acres of State Gamelands #186 in Monroe County to control gypsy moth. DSF staff assisted other state and federal agencies with large-scale wildland fires in California Idaho, and Montana. DSF staff also assisted with hurricane relief efforts based out of New Jersey. DSF staff delivered over 15,000 tons of AASHTO#1 and 18,000 tons of 2RC stone to the Maple Run ATV trail. Beaver Run Road had 1,127 tons of DSA placed with a paver and rolled into the road. This was a Dirt and Gravel Road funded project. Six permitted culverts in Pike County and three permitted culverts in Monroe County were replaced. These projects improve the State Forest road conditions and further protect water quality. Page 10