PA DEP Revises E&S Plans for Timber Harvesting Operations

Timber harvesters and practitioners will see requirements for additional information in timber harvesting Erosion & Sedimentation plans as early as November of this year. The changes are part of a significant revision to Pennsylvania’s Chapter 102 Erosion and Sediment Control and Stormwater Management regulations, which were recently finalized and take effect on November 9, 2010.

Additions to E&S plans includes additional information on the location of surface waters, the location of riparian forest buffers, geologic features and certain thermal information. It is the intent of DEP that this information and the E&S plans for timber harvests can still be completed by trained loggers and practitioners. The PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has invited PA Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and the Pennsylvania Forest Products Association (PFPA) to participate in the necessary revision of the Timber Harvesters Action Packet. This new information and any associated revisions to Best Management Practices (BMPs) will be incorporated into PA SFI training courses.

To read the full story go to the SFI of PA Summer 2010 newsletter.

Click here for the PA DEP booklet entitled Timber Harvest OperationsField Guide for Waterways, Wetlands, and Erosion Control.