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In your woods – February

February 1, 2022 Renee Carey

Are you planning to plant some trees, shrubs, or flowers this year? Contact your County Conservation District office to find out if they’re having a tree sale. A lot of the Conservation Districts collect tree orders in February with the trees arriving in April.

Photos of some of the plants at the Columbia County Conservation District’s 2021 plant and tree sale. It was a rainy day, perfect for the plants. Photo courtesy of Columbia County Conservation District.

Planning now helps ensure you are going to be able to get the species you want. Some of the more popular trees and shrubs can sell out.

Sugaring season begins in late February. Sugaring is a lot of work. It’s also generational work. The sugar maple trees planted today won’t be ready to be tapped for at least 15 to 20 years, maybe more. Are there projects in your woods that you are getting started so the next generation can enjoy the results?

On the left a tap dripping sap into a bucket, and on the right a bucket hanging on a tree with a cover keepting debris out of the sap. Both photos coutesy of Bob Stoudt.

Montour Preserve and several state parks offer sugaring programs. Check out their events page to see if there are any programs near you.

Winter can be a great time to walk in the woods. The snow and ice and cold need to be considered but can be overcome. A traction system for your shoes can be one way to make your wintering outings in the woods safer. There are a variety of brands out there, but most of them pull onto your boots and use chains, springs, and pieces of pointy metal to help you get traction on slippery snow and ice. While it’s almost the end of February, the snow and ice can hang on in shaded areas in the woods.

One type of winter traction system that pulls on over your “regular” boots.

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Underfoot: Northern White Cedar AKA Arborvitae

January 26, 2022 Renee Carey

By Susan Sprout

You have probably seen a lot of evergreen trees called Arborvitae. It is a name used in the horticulture trade for the more than three hundred cultivars of Thuja occidentalis being sold for wind screens, privacy hedges, ornamentals and such. Did you know that the original, non-genetically modified, non-cross-bred Thuja occidentalis is native to North America, growing wild from the Arctic treeline to the southern Appalacian Mountains of Tennessee? Cool! (They DO actually grow better in places with cooler summers.)There are no known original stands of them in Pennsylvania, and are considered extirpated, which occurred, perhaps, during the lumber boom. There are many different re-imaginings of them growing here now, where people have planted all sorts of varieties – by their houses, in cemeteries and parks. Enough that some have become naturalized.

The closed green female cones of a September Arborvitae are beginning to dry and turn brown.

Arborvitae is not a true cedar, but a member of the Cypress Family, CUPRESSACEAE, that contains junipers, bald cypress, northern and Atlantic white cedars. Arborvitae’s scale-like leaves are flat against the fan-like, horizontal branches on which they grow. The tree’s trunk and large branches are light, reddish-brown with easily shredded bark. They are naturally adapted to wet forests, but grow on upland alkaline limestone soils as well. Often stunted in less favorable locations, this tree can slowly grow up to sixty feet tall and live for fifty to one hundred fifty years. One of the oldest trees in Eastern North America is an Arborvitae that is alive and well and living in Southern Ontario at the ripe old age of 1,316! They have the amazing ability to keep growing when parts of them have been killed or damaged. It also helps when they live on cliffs away from deer who strip their green branches for winter browse.

The open and empty, woody female cones of a December Arborvitae. The tiny male cones can be seen on the very tips of branches. Look for a tan coloration.

In 1588, this tree received the common name “arbre de vie” or Arborvitae – “Tree of Life” – because it was so helpful in preventing and treating Scorbut (scurvy), the winter illness from which many French sailors and explorers in the New World died. We know today that the leaf and bark teas made from the green Arborvitae twigs hold healing amounts of vitamin C and several essential amino acids. Externally, the leaf oil distilled from twigs is antibacterial and antiviral. Research and experimentation are on-going. The lightweight wood of Arborvitae splits easily and is used for poles, shingles, cross-ties and posts. It is very rot resistant. This fact maybe another reason for the longer lives of The Trees of Life.

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Underfoot: MOSSES, IN GENERAL

January 19, 2022 Renee Carey

By, Susan Sprout

Have you ever noticed mosses still growing as you take walks during our winter season? They seem to be everywhere – between slabs of the sidewalk, on brick foundations, tree trunks or under them, cliff sides, rocks, on dirt and rooftops. They have always amazed me, so underfoot, and many times, so unappreciated! Having diverged from green algae about 500 million years ago, they evolved to become an extremely important part of all land ecosystems. They promote soil formation with the addition of dead tissues, grow where other plants having roots cannot, hold moisture to use and pass on to other organisms. Mosses are Bryophytes, members of the Phylum Bryophyta, along with the other ancient plants, Liverworts and Hornworts. All are nonflowering (using spores to reproduce), have stem-like rhizoids (rather than true roots), diffuse water and nutrients through cell walls (instead of having a system of veins). Many plant scientists consider them the “coral reefs of the forest” for the benefits they provide, even though small and having leaves only one cell thick. Mosses play important roles storing and filtering nutrients and water that forests need to survive and grow.

Moss is a perfect nursery for Hemlock seedlings that can dry out quickly and die.

Mosses contain chlorophyll to make their own food, using sunlight and the process of photosynthesis, in order to grow and reproduce. They “exhale” oxygen into the atmosphere as a by-product. They provide food, water, shelter and cover for many small invertebrates, like insects. Humans have not been shy about reaping and using mosses for many of their requirements: fuel, insulation for dwellings and clothing, bedding, diapering, bandaging, roofing, gardening. One thing we do not use moss for is food. The complex carbohydrates of most mosses would take more energy to digest than we would gain from eating them! However, research has discovered them to be anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral. Folks living in London, England, are using different kinds of mosses in structures they call artificial trees. Where they are positioned throughout the city, the moss containers absorb particulates, carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides from the atmosphere while producing oxygen and keeping the surrounding air cooler. It is possible that mosses may provide yet to be discovered solutions to problems caused by climate fluctuations. They are much better equipped than other plants due to their worldwide distribution and their ability to soak up and hold moisture.

A downside for the mosses in this arrangement is a slow growth rate, a quarter inch to two inches per year depending on the species. We will need to be judicious in our harvesting of mosses. When all of the moss is stripped from a log or rock, it can take twenty years for it to recover. Leaving one-third to one-half of the moss in patches can shorten the recovery time to ten years. Log moss is one of the ten most sought-after, non-timber products in Pennsylvania. Both the PA Game Commission and DCNR prohibit removal of plants from their lands.

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Winter is for Designing Stream Projects

January 15, 2022 Renee Carey

Winter can be a great time to visit potential stream projects. With no leaves on the trees and other vegetation dead or dormant it’s easier to see the streambanks and what’s going on. Snow on the ground or ice on the stream stop the visits.

So far, the stream team has been able to get out to quite a few sites. At this site in Union County (above), Austen was able to “check out” the substrate on the stream bottom. By walking around he can use his feet to feel what’s underneath the water. Does he kick up a lot of sediment? Is it stone or muck? How big do the stones feel? How much wiggle room do the stones have?

You can see at this Union County site he had a small trail of sediment behind him as he walked up stream.

At the site shown above in Northumberland County, the snow-ice on the ground didn’t hinder design, but the skim of ice at the edges didn’t allow all the final design to happen.

While we crossed the stream in the shallower spots, the water was cold enough and deep enough Austen didn’t check out the subtrate here. The team developed a general concept and will be back in March to do a “final” design for permitting and ordering supplies.

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Underfoot: BARRING THE BERRY – JAPANESE BARBERRY

January 11, 2022 Renee Carey

By Susan Sprout

The PA Dept. of Agriculture has added this particular berry-making plant (Berberis thunbergii) to its noxious weed list as of October 8, 2021, banning its sale or cultivation. Nurseries and landscapers will have a two-year period to phase out its use in this state.

Japanese barberry’s widespread distribution in our forests where it can thrive anywhere from deep shade to sunny edges + the fact that in some places it has become a dominant understory plant since our large deer population appears to eat just about everything else and leaves it alone to reproduce + the research that has shown increased populations of the black-legged or deer ticks, known transmitters of Lyme disease, occur in areas where it abounds = three good reasons why this plant became a good candidate for the noxious weed list!

You can identify Japanese barberry during the winter when its red berries stand out against its brown twigs and sticks and by carefully checking for its armament. It is armed – with single, pointed spines growing near where the leaves used to be, on opposite sides of twigs. This plant differs from another non-native species, European barberry, Berberis vulgaris, also found growing in PA, that has three-pronged spines. Our very own native American Barberry (Berberis canadensis) also has three-pronged spines – or rather – HAD three-pronged spines. It is one of about 104 species of plants that have been judged “extirpated” or no longer existing within PA. American barberry does grow wild in West Virginia southward to Georgia, however.

Just because barberry is considered a noxious weed in some places doesn’t mean it hasn’t had a long and interesting history of usefulness to mankind. The ancient Egyptians used it in a syrup with fennel to prevent the plague. Dried and fresh roots were used to make a colorfast yellow dye for cloth, leather, and wood. Berries were made into jams and jellies or without sweetener, provided an acidic kick to the taste of salads. Berberine, a constituent of these plants, actually fluoresces under ultraviolet light, making cells under a microscope easier to study. It is used in medicines for everything from heart failure to burns and eye infections. Can’t judge a plant wholly by its aggressiveness!

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Land Stewardship Specialist Needed

January 5, 2022 Renee Carey

The Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy (NPC) is a regional land trust working in 12-counties to conserve and enhance the lands and waters of northcentral Pennsylvania. This work supports the environmental well-being and recreational needs of local communities.

The Land Stewardship Specialist (LSS) ensures all of the conservation easements held by the Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy are monitored annually for compliance. The LSS also reviews requests by landowners of eased properties, works with landowners interested in donating a conservation easement, and works with staff on communications.

The position is part-time and expected to be 15 to 20 hours a week. This may require evening and weekend hours. The person will report to the Executive Director and work out of the office (approximately 1/3), presently located in Williamsport, PA, but also travel extensively throughout the region (approximately 2/3) when visiting conservation easements.

Responsibilities Include but are not limited to:

Conservation Easement Monitoring

Develop and implement a plan for the regular monitoring of all conservation easements held by Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy
Contact owner’s of property under easement with the Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy to schedule monitoring visit
Conduct monitoring of conservation easements held by Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy
Prepare reports and correspondence based on monitoring
Maintain conservation easement inspection files.

Review Requests for Approval of Conservation Easement Permitted Activities

Coordinate with Executive Director to ensure all requests are processed in a timely manner
Review the request to determine if it’s allowed by easement
Evaluate the impact on the conservation values
Prepare a recommendation for review and discussion with the Executive Director
Conduct site visits, as needed, to ensure the activity is being implemented as approved, and as appropriate
Prepare reports and notes documenting the process and follow-up

Conservation Easement Drafting

Respond to landowner requests for information about conservation easements
Conduct site visits and undertake basic research on a property’s conservation values
Prepare draft documents – including, but not limited to conservation easements and baseline documentation reports

Budgeting/Planning

Prepare a yearly workplan
Assist in preparing budget figures for easement monitoring, and other projects as directed by Executive Director as requested
Assist Executive Director in grant writing and fundraising as requested

Communications

These tasks would be done in coordination with other staff:

Provide photos from site visits and text to be used on the Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy’s social media accounts
Write at least one article quarterly for the organization’s newsletter.
Maintain a photo file for each project.

Qualifications:

A passion for the conservation of open spaces
Clearly demonstrated experience and skills related to the performance of the above responsibilities, such as past experience with land management including, but not limited to road building, erosion and sedimentation controls, and management plan writing
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Attention to detail. Ability to work accurately, independently, and efficiently.
Ability to interact and communicate with people in one-on-one situations.
Experience in developing work plans, and successfully executing work plans
A valid driver’s license and reliable transportation
Ability to walk a minimum of 4 miles over rough and uneven terrain.
Ability to navigate or way find through unmapped terrain passion for the conservation of open spaces.
Ability to map locations and develop handouts showing the mapped location
Background in forestry, ecological restoration, wildlife management, or similar field.
Clearly demonstrated experience and skills related to the performance of the above responsibilities, such as past experience with land management including, but not limited to road building, erosion and sedimentation controls, and management plan writing

Compensation:

This is a part-time position. The pay range is $15.00 to $20.00 an hour based on experience with both land management and conservation easements.

To Apply:

Please send a cover letter, resume, and three references to Renee’ Carey either by email (rcarey@npcweb.org) or regular mail (Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy, PO Box 2083, Williamsport, PA 17703).

Resumes are due by January 20, 2022.

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Underfoot: Praying Mantis Facts

January 4, 2022 Renee Carey

By, Susan Sprout

Silly me! It isn’t the season for finding a Praying Mantis in the garden, is it? Well, how about the next generation, hmm?

Late fall and winter are most excellent times to find their egg cases attached to small leafless shrubs and trees. We found some on our last hike – enough to make a certain grandpa I know, a star in the eyes of his seven-year-old bug-crazy grandson!

Gently touch to test the toughness of the egg capsule.

Praying Mantis only live for about a year. The larger female will deposit a frothy mass of eggs produced by glands in her abdomen on stems and branches before she dies. The froth hardens, making a tough, protective capsule for her progeny until they all break out at once as wingless nymphs between mid-June and early July. You should be able to recognize the egg capsules, or ootheca, if you have ever used expansion foam to fill cracks around your home. They look just like it, small with a beige color that acts to camouflage them nicely against the bark on which they are attached.

The Praying Mantis got its name from the position of its forelegs, held up and forward, as in an attitude of prayer. Those legs are adaptations that allow them to better capture and hold the insects they eat. Carnivores that only eat live food, they stalk their prey with…slow…stealthy…movements…until… they…POUNCE – with amazing speed and precision. Should we change their name to “preying,” instead? They have a fine reputation as pest-eaters in gardens, but they show no distinction between good bugs and bad bugs and will chow down on pollinators like bees and butterflies as well!

In case you wanted a refresher on what an adult praying mantis looks like.

Thank you Wayne Township Landfill for your support!

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In your woods – January

January 4, 2022 Renee Carey

If you are someone who likes to set goals based on the calendar year, think about what goals you could include for your woods or your yard. What one thing do you want to do in your woods or your yard this year? Are you thinking about ways to increase the habitat? Do you want to diversify the plants (native versus introduced)? Or maybe you could look at how to increase how much water will soak into the ground instead of running off?

January is a great time to start to research ideas and sketch out a calendar of action steps.

Penn State Extension is offering a series of webinars, “Woods in Your Backyard” that will help landowners learn more about woods and trees and the role they play in our lives and world. What better way to spend some cold winter nights than learning about the woods outside your window.

If you’re still implementing a goal from last year (sometimes you need a couple of growing cycles) you could look at funding sources that may be available to assist. Contact the Natural Resource Conservation Service office in the County your property is in about funding that is available. The Service Forester for the County may be able to provide technical assistance and direct you to funding. The Penn State Master Gardeners in your County are probably planning workshops and possibly a native plant sale.

Thank you to the Wayne Township Landfill for supporting the blog!

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A Visit to the Former Town of Liberty

December 21, 2021 Renee Carey

Back in 2018 NPC helped facilitate a 400 acre addition to State Game Lands 115 (SGL). The owners generously donated the acreage and now the SGL has more acres for hunting, bird watching, hiking, and exploring local history.

The group heading up the hill from the parking area.

On Sunday, December 19, 2021 the Montour Area Recreation Commission (MARC) held a hike on the property. Van Wagner, local history buff (and musician) led the way to remnants of colliers’ huts, charcoal flats, and the town of Liberty.

Van explaining what the collier’s job was and how charcoal was made.

In the photo above Van is showing a photo of a collier at a different property next to his hut. The colliers were the woodsmen who cut trees and made the charcoal. They often lived in the woods for weeks at a time to cut wood and tend the charcoal burn.

From there the group visited a charcoal flat, found more remnants of a colliers’ hut, and then headed to where the Liberty furnace and town were. The 7.5-ish mile walk had a couple of climbs but also some great views.

MARC will be holding more historic hikes and possibly a few paddles during 2022.

Thank you Evergreen Wealth Solutions for your support of the blog!

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Underfoot: Ah, Sweet Mystery!

December 20, 2021 Renee Carey

By, Susan Sprout

I love trees, especially this time of year, when leafless. They stand out so stark and sturdy against the sky. Sometimes, as a game, I try to identify trees by their silhouettes as we pass them by in the car. I look for hints of seeds, cones, leftover flower spikes, branch configuration.

There was no drive-by the day my cousin and I found this lovely mystery tree as we hiked Chad’s Trail at Glacial Pools. The sky was just perfect, a blue backdrop interrupted by wisps of cirrus clouds. We had to check the clues.

Clue #1 Little cone-like strobiles that hold samaras or double-winged seeds, oblong, 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches long, brownish, disintegrating.

Strobiles will gradually give way to the wind for dispersal

Clue #2 The bark – shiny, dark and smooth, not papery and peeling. Many horizontal lines crossing the trunk – lenticels – corky pores through the bark that provide direct air exchange with the tree’s internal tissues.

Clue #3 The twigs – dark brown, slender, hairless. Snap a twig and sniff the broken end. Ah, the odor of wintergreen!

Perfect! Sweet Birch, Black Birch, Cherry Birch, Betula lenta.

Sweet Birch, a native to Eastern North America, ranges from Canada to the mountains of Georgia and Alabama. A USDA Forest Survey indicates that it is most abundant in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and Pennsylvania. It is one of the species that has replaced American Chestnut where it used to grow. Considered a pioneer species, it tends to grow quickly when young and can grow from stump sprouts if the main trunk is cut or dies. The shiny, smooth bark will become rough and in vertical flat plates as it ages and will continue a pattern of split, peel, and replace throughout the rest of its life which could be up to two hundred years! You can find them growing in cool, moist uplands with hardwoods and conifers. They like the moist , well-drained soil of stream banks as well as dry, rocky soil of ledges.

It used to take one hundred saplings and trees to manufacture just one quart of Birch oil, also called oil of wintergreen. Now chemically produced methyl salicylate is used to flavor things like medicines, candy and ice cream. Plus, you don’t have to tap the trees anymore to make Birch Beer. I like chewing on a twig as I hike along to allay my thirst. Ha. I just like the flavor!