Tutorials Available for Youth Address Water's Role in Shale Gas Drilling

Water's Role in Gas Drilling - On-line Curriculum Resources for Educators, Teens, and Adults

Penn State Extension has just released new curriculum on water's role in gas drilling and is excited to share it those who might find it of interest. Two new, youth-oriented online presentations explore the role of water in shale-gas drilling and production in the mid-Atlantic region. These self-running presentations were designed for use by educators in both formal and informal

educational settings. Although geared towards youths in grades 6 through 10, they also are appropriate for adults who may want to learn more about this topic.

The first presentation, "A Water Drop on a Journey -- Shale Gas Drilling in the Mid-Atlantic," is aimed at the 6th- through 9th-grade levels. It is based on the recent Penn State Extension publication, "Water's Journey through the Shale Gas Drilling and Production Processes in the Mid-Atlantic Region."

The second presentation, "True or False -- Common Concerns About Water and Shale Gas Drilling in the Mid-Atlantic Region," addresses current environmental issues and misconceptions surrounding shale-gas drilling and production and is targeted to 8th- through 10th-grade viewers.

CDs of these presentations are also available by contacting Sanford Smith, sss5@psu.edu, and providing a complete mailing address.

You can access additional Penn State water resources for youth by clicking here.

The Woods in Your Backyard Workshop Opportunity

Penn State Extension-Centre County and its partners are pleased to be offering the Woods in Your Backyard Workshop. This workshop is scheduled for Saturday, June 22, 2013 at the Forest Resources Building, Penn State University Park Campus. The workshop is scheduled from 9:00 AM - 3:15 PM.

Do you have woods in your backyard? Would you like to reduce your lawn, plant trees, and invite wildlife to your suburban lot? Would you like to learn how to be a better steward of your parcel of land? If you answered yes to any of these questions then this workshop is for you.

Penn State Extension, Forestry For the Bay, Clearwater Conservancy, Penn State Master Gardeners, and the Centre County Conservation District have assembled outstanding speakers who will share their knowledge with you about creating or improving wildlife habitat, tree identification and care, tree planting and native landscaping, forest ecology, woodlot management techniques, invasive plant identification, and more.

Enhancing or creating natural areas and woodland on your property reduces mowing, welcomes wildlife, and creates a backyard forest. Owners of even just a few acres can make a positive difference in the environment through planning and implementing simple stewardship practices. If your lot connects to other lots, there’s ample opportunity to make an even bigger impact by getting neighbors involved!

To register go to: http://agsci.psu.edu/backyard-woods/university-park or call Penn State Extension at 814-355-4897. Participants must be pre-registered by Monday June 17, 2013. A $20.00 fee is being charged per person to cover program costs ($35 for multiple registrants from the same household, (Includes lunch and educational materials). For questions please contact the Penn State Extension office in Centre County at 814-355-4897 or e-mail CentreExt@psu.edu.

The workshop uses the manual The Woods in Your Backyard: Learning to Create and Enhance Natural Areas Around Your Home. The full-color, 139-page manual guides land owners to:

•Learn why you should manage your land.
•Map your land, assess why you bought it, and decide what you hope to get out of it.
•Understand how your land relates to the land around you.
•Identify land management units on your property.
•Learn basics of tree identification, forestry, and wildlife habitat management.
•Assess your property’s water resources, recreational possibilities, and aesthetic appeal, and ways to improve each.
•Choose a few land management projects to help meet your goals.
•Set a timetable and mark progress.

The manual is provided at the workshop and is included in the registration fee. Manual also available separately from: www.nraes.org. Publication Number: NRAES-184, cost: $18.00 / Published: 2006.

Update: Farm Bill and Forest Landowners

Last week the House Agriculture Committee passed their Farm Bill, just one day after the Senate Agriculture Committee passed their bill out of committee. Provisions in both bills include huge wins for forest owners.  This is great news!  Farm Bill programs provide valuable funding for private forest owners.  This money is used for beneficial reforestation work, stream buffer plantings, for the control of invasive exotic species, and for the creation of wildlife habitat for endangered species, among other things.  Be sure to urge your congressional representatives to keep forest landowners in the Farm Bill

What's included that's good for forest owners?

• Improved access to conservation tools and resources.

• Improved forest market opportunities with access to the USDA Biobased Markets Program.
• Support for programs that combat forest pests and pathogens.
• Strengthened commitment and direction for forest inventory research.

What's next?
The full Senate will likely begin debating the Farm Bill on this week, while the House is expected to consider this legislation later in June.

Want to know more?
• Check out our American Forest Foundation press release and learn how the House and Senate versions may differ in certain forest provisions.
• To understand how these funds were used in 2012, check out the Forests in the Farm Bill Progress Report on the American Forest Foundations web site.

Much of this information ws compiled by Christine Cadigan, Public Affairs Manager, The American Forest Foundation.

Are Hack-and-Squirt Treatments a Viable Option for the Control of Beech Understories



Dense understories of beech can
inhibit regeneration success.

This is follow-up to a recent post I made concerning control of understory tree species, in particular American beech (Fagus grandifolia).  In a post dated March 11, 2013 I highlighted a new fact sheet I recently published entitled Using Basal Bark Herbicide Applications to Control Understory Tree Species.  In the fact sheet I made note of findings of a basal bark herbicide rate study in which I found nearly 100% control of beech stems using a 5% concentration of triclopyr as Garlon 4.  As I put in this study and through some additional work on my own I began to wonder about the practicality, effectiveness, and cost of basal stem treatments as a means of controlling understory beech sprouts.  I began to wonder if it might not be more effective to utilize a hack and squirt method instead.  I began to look at published studies conducted by the Forest Service and others.  Below are the results of two such studies.  The results are quite telling.  Also see blog post Beech Control: Options for Management dated June 21, 2012.

In a 2004 Kochenderfer et. al. published a study entitled Preharvest Manual Herbicide Treatments for Controlling American Beech in Central West Virginia.  In this study researchers compared two basal area reduction methods; hack-and-squirt using a 50% solution of glyphosate as Accord and basal spraying with a 10% solution of triclopyr as Garlon 4.  All treatments were applied in late August.  One year after treatment almost complete control was achieved with both application methods.  Some of their findings include:
- Hack-and-squirt injection method was the cheapest and most target-specific way to control stems greater than 1 inch dbh.
- Hack-and-squirt of all trees greater than 6 in. dbh had the added advantage of controlling about half of existing beech stems less than 1 inch dbh and 21.6% of those 1-5.9 in. dbh.
- Basal spray applications are more costly but are better adapted for treating small stems, those less than 1 in.dbh.

In a follow-up study published in 2012 entitled, A Comparison of Two Stem Injection Treatments Applied to American Beech in Central West Virginia, Kochenderfer et. al. compared the efficacy of hack-and-squirt treatments using 50% glyphosate as Razor Pro and 6% imazapyr as Arsenal on injected trees and their associated root sprouts.  In this study the two hack-and-squirt treatments were applied to all beech stems 1 in. to 9.9 in. dbh at the rate of 1 incision per inch of dbh.  All treatments were applied in September to maximize translocation to roots.  The results were evaluated 1 year following treatment.  The findings of this study include:
- Both treatments controlled 100% of the treated stems.
- Arsenal (imazapyr) controlled 77% and Razor Pro (glyphosate) 64% of all untreated beech stems 1 ft. tall to .9 in. dbh.
- The average number of untreated beech stems controlled per treated stem was 33% higher for the Arsenal (imazapyr) plots.
- It cost almost twice as much to control each stem on the Razor Pro (glyphosate) plots.
- None of the black cherry or red maple crop trees were damaged by either of the treatments.

To summarize:  
Advantages of Hack-and-Squirt:
1. Considered one of the least expensive manual herbicide application methods.
2. Is a target specific treatment.
3. Can be used on all stems greater than 1 in. dbh.
4. Can be used on steep topography and on small ownerships.
5. Can be used without impacting advanced regeneration.
6. Treatments containing imazapyr or glyphosate will control a large proportion of attached root sprouts on root suckering species like American beech. 

Disadvantage of Hack-and-Squirt:
1. Use is restricted to the growing season, June 1 to Nov 1, as sap flow frequently occurs between Nov 1 and leaf out.