The Allegheny National Forest Bradford Ranger District has released the Bradford Emerald Ash Borer Remediation Project environmental assessment.
Proposed activities within the 102,800-acre project area include tree harvest, reforestation, construction and improvements to roads, and control of noxious weeds.
“This project was developed to maintain or improve ecological conditions to improve resilience and diversity in stands affected by emerald ash borer, beech bark disease and hemlock wooly adelgid,” said District Ranger Rich Hatfield. “It will also increase the amount of early structural habitat on the forest to achieve objectives established by the Forest Plan.”
Emerald ash borer is a non-native beetle causing widespread ash tree mortality. Tens of millions of ash trees in forested rural and urban areas have already been killed or are heavily infested by this pest. Beech bark disease is caused by a scale insect and its fungal associates. Locations where beech trees once existed are now covered with thickets of beech saplings, which will also eventually be infected and die. In its present interfering condition, no other tree species can grow on these beech thicket sites.
The hemlock woolly adelgid is an invasive, nonnative insect that attacks and kills eastern hemlock trees. If no action is taken, forest stocking levels may be reduced, which would potentially convert forest understories to interfering vegetation, including thickets of beech. In some areas, few to no seed trees will remain.
A complete description of the proposed action and maps are available at www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=48178.
The Forest Service is currently accepting comments regarding the environmental assessment for the project. Comments may be submitted by mail to Rich Hatfield, USDA Forest Service, Allegheny National Forest, Bradford Ranger District, 29 Forest Service Drive, Bradford, PA, 16701; by email to comments-eastern-allegheny-bradford@fs.fed.us. Enter the project name (Bradford Emerald Ash Borer Remediation project) on the subject line and include your name and physical mailing address with your comments; by fax at 814-362-2761; or hand-delivered and verbal comments will be accepted between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the Bradford Ranger District.
For more information about the project, contact Josh Hanson, Bradford Ranger District silviculturist, at 814-728-6076 or jwhanson@fs.fed.us.
