KANE — Volunteers from Pennsylvania and southern New York worked together Saturday to transplant small mountain ash trees into cribs on lands near Clermont in McKean County.

Cribs are small fences about 4 feet high, 6 to 8 feet wide, and about 12 feet long. The transplant work was planned by the Ruffed Grouse Society, Allegheny and Upland Bird Hunt chapters, in north central Pennsylvania. The volunteer work site is on lands open to public hunting. The mountain ash were transplanted into the cribs from nearby mountain ash trees grown inside deer exclosure fences.

The volunteers split up into crews of two to four people so all 10 cribs that needed mountain ash would get planted during the morning. John Dzemyan, co-habitat leader, then led the volunteers on a tour of nearby habitat work for wildlife that was already completed.

Mountain “ash” is called an ash because the leaflets look like ash tree leaves. Mountain ash is really in the rose family, has white flowers in the spring, and strikingly orange berries in the fall. The berries are prized by ruffed grouse, all thrushes, waxwings, jays and many small mammals, including marten and fisher. Mountain ash is native to northeastern North America, mostly found in mountainous terrain with rock outcrops. Mountain ash prefer full sunlight, but will grow in partial shade. Mountain ash is highly preferred as deer browse, and 90 years of excessive deer browsing have decimated mountain ash across northern Pennsylvania. A couple of sites in McKean County have mountain ash because they are growing inside deer exclosure fencing.

This project is part of the society’s ongoing efforts to improve habitat for ruffed grouse, woodcock and other wildlife species by transplanting mountain ash already 3 to 5 feet in height into cribs that will protect them from deer browsing. Hopefully, the mountain ash will start producing berries that birds and small mammals will spread across the region’s mountains.

The Ruffed Grouse Society is a national conservation organization dedicated to preserving sporting traditions by creating healthy forests for ruffed grouse, American woodcock and other wildlife. Through habitat projects, advocacy and education, RGS works to ensure the future of upland bird populations and hunting heritage.