Fall Woodlander News Letter Now Available

The fall edition of The Woodlander is now available. This newsletter is put together by a group of Penn State Extension educators from the Northwestern part of the state. In this issue you will find news articles on Natural Gas Exploration in Pennsylvania and The American Chestnut, as well as a calendar of upcoming events. To view the full newsletter simply go to the natural resources section of the Penn State Cooperative Extension-Centre County web site. The link is provided below.
http://centre.extension.psu.edu/resources/newsletters/08Fall_TheWoodlander.pdf

If you would like to be added to The Woodlander e-mail distribution list-serve simply send a blank e-mail to: join-woodlander@lists.cas.psu.edu

Cutting Trees Helps Keep Planet Green

Foresters: Cutting Trees Helps Keep Planet Green

September 2 – The Associated Press recently reported on the efforts of some foresters who contend that cutting trees is a "green" activity. According to one of the foresters quoted in the article, timber harvesting helps regenerate forests by encouraging the growth of young trees on the landscape that keep growing and continue sequestering carbon.

To read the entire article go to: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/09/02/ap5378918.html

Edited from the Society of American Foresters E-Forester, September 8, 2008.

New Guide To Wood Energy

Harnessing the Power of Local Wood Energy

While energy costs continue to rise with no end currently in sight, one Vermont community is developing a community wood energy plan that saves money, reduces its dependence on foreign oil, combats climate change, improves forest health, and supports local industries and workers. Harnessing the Power of Local Wood Energy is a community resource guide that uses the Mt. Abe pilot project in Bristol, Vermont, as a case study to provide a community wood energy framework that other communities can use to develop a standard for assuring that the wood is sourced and utilized in a "Sustainable, Efficient, Local, and Fair (SELF)" manner.

To read the full story go to: http://www.forestguild.org/publications/research/2008/Local_Wood_Energy1.pdf

To download a copy of the full publication entitled "Harnessing the Power of Local Wood Energy" by caitlin Cusack go to:http://www.forestguild.org/publications/research/2008/Local_Wood_Energy.pdf

The Forest Guild, headquartered in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is a national organization of more than 600 foresters, allied professionals, and supporters who manage forestlands in the United States and Canada and advocate for ecologically sound forest practices. The mission of the Forest Guild is to practice and promote ecologically, economically, and socially responsible forestry­"excellent forestry"­ as a means of sustaining the integrity of forest ecosystems and the human communities dependent upon them. The Forest Guild's Northeast Region includes the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New York. http://www.forestguild.org/

NYS DEC Launches New Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling Information Site

Features Details About Drilling, Leasing; Links to Database

As landowners and municipal officials continue to seek information about possible horizontal drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale formation, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has launched a new Web page designed to provide details about drilling processes, leasing, federal and state laws, links to relevant sites, and the upcoming review of potential environmental impacts. The new page can be found at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/46288.html#Information.

“As drilling companies seek to secure leases around the Southern Tier and Catskill Foothills, New Yorkers are raising questions about this potential new activity. And they need accurate information,” said DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis. “This new Web page – which will be regularly updated – will provide a fact-based resource about Marcellus Shale exploration and the environmental review.”

The Web page will include facts about drilling, Marcellus Shale maps and links to other pages, such as the DEC’s searchable database for existing oil and gas wells, the Landowner’s Guide to Oil and Gas Leasing, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission and the Delaware River Basin Commission (the two entities that regulate water withdrawals in the regions likely to be tapped).

“Oil and gas drilling in New York has been around since the 19th century and is an important industry, with hundreds of drilling permits issued every year,” Grannis said. “Given the Department’s experience, and our rigorous regulatory program, we are well-equipped to address the many issues presented by the proposed horizontal drilling in the Marcellus Shale. Conveying complete and accurate information to the public is critical to ensuring that all questions are answered and all issues considered, and this web page will be a centralized source of that information.”