Forest Stewardship Tour

Franklin County Cooperative Extension Environmental Educator, George Hurd, announces a Forest Stewardship Tour of fellow Master Gardener Nancy and Larry Miller's property, managed by fellow Master Gardener and retired forester, Lionel Lemery:

Your forest can offer many benefits, including financial, environmental, aesthetic, and recreational resources. If you are a forest landowner, you should have a forest stewardship plan that organizes your personal objectives into a comprehensive strategy for attaining what you want from your woods. A forest stewardship plan is your road map to responsible forestry. It is a guide that tells you what your resources are, what condition they are in, and what can be done to help you achieve your goals. It considers your short and long term objectives; analyzes the capabilities, limitations, and unique features of your land; looks at how your land fits into the surrounding landscape; and evaluates a wide range of the environmental and financial benefits and consequences.

On Saturday, September 11th, the Cumberland Woodland Owners Association is sponsoring a Forest Stewardship Woodlot Tour to educate woodland owners about how a Forest Stewardship Plan is developed and implemented. A consulting forester and PA DCNR Bureau of Forestry staff will lead the tour through a private woodlot near Chambersburg. You do not have to be a member of the association and there is no cost to attend.

The tour will be of a privately owned 34 acre wooded property that includes a 3 acre pond and 2.5 acres of former agricultural fields. Approximately 27 acres are in mixed oak-hickory hardwoods. Timber stand improvement harvest, farm field conversion to woodlot, wildlife habitat management, recreational trail construction, property boundary marking, control of invasive species, removal of manmade structures, road improvement, pond management and cost share programs are some of the conservation practices that you will see on the tour.

The woodlot Tour will start on Saturday, September 11th at 1:00 PM. To get to the woodlot from Chambersburg, take Route 30 west (Lincoln Way West) to PA Rt. 995(Warm Spring Road). Turn left at the red light on to Rt. 995 (Warm Springs Road) and then travel 2.8 miles. After passing mailbox # 1592, the next dirt lane on the left is the access road to woodlot. There is a 6 ft tall blue and white real estate sign opposite access road. Look for signs. Wear appropriate clothing for outdoors including hiking boots. Bring raingear in case weather is marginal. For more information about the tour, contact Penn State Cooperative Extension at 263-9226. If severe weather is threatening on the day of the event, call 717/262-0083 for information.

The Cumberland Woodland Owners Association is an organization of forestland owners and others interested in forestry issues in south central Pennsylvania. For more information about the Cumberland Woodland Owners Association, contact Fred Peabody at 717/776-3565 (email: fredp5@earthlink.net).