The Hellbender Chronicles

Hurricane Isabel was a bitch--blew down a mess of big ol' red oaks, cucumber magnolias, a tulip tree, one or two white ash and the nicest beech tree around, all within a quarter mile stretch along the bottom of the Plummer's Hollow Private Nature Reserve (central PA). About 30 percent canopy loss I'd say. Fortunately, this is also the steepest part, so the deer shouldn't inhibit regeneration that much. I believe we will let it all lie this time, get our firewood elsewhere on the property. The only question is how much of it will grow up to Norway maple and ailanthus.

Interestingly, the blowdown is right across the stream from where a tornado touched down in 1979. This is the first big storm event in the hollow in ten years--the last time was a heavy wet snow that brought down hundreds of trees. The spring after that, winter wrens nested in the hollow for the first time probably in 150 years. You just have to tell yourself that what looks like a disaster from a human perspective may be a boon to certain mature forest-obligate species like Troglodytes troglodytes. The beautiful, liquid songs of these diminutive birds were worth all the devastation. Many of the canopy openings from that event are filling in rapidly with basswood. Although it is true that (as Leopold said) "the penalty of an ecological education is living in a world of wounds," sometimes that education also lets one see the bigger picture, easing the pain that the loss of old friends always occasions. peace out.

You know I've been wondering about the localized nature of wind bursts associated with the hurricane. It wasn't too bad here but I thought that may not be true in other localities. Of course, what I remember from the last hurricane to effect PA was the salvage logging at Ricketts Glenn State Park. And of course all the b.s. that the DCNR defended that logging with.

Open thread? How can I start a new thread?

I am so ticked that I couldn't stop the salvage in the Painter Run Watershed. This project is a travesty and is a snapshot of what is wrong with the USFS. It's like pounding my head against the wall. There is no way that this salvage is justified economically; every logging project by the USFS is said to increase biodiversity. It makes me sick.

I hear you RJ. We appealed the sale. I believe that appeal is still pending at the FS Regional Office. The Painter Run sale is so ridiculous when you consider how little volume they'd be getting out of it. Oh, and some of the logging just HAPPENS to fall in the Clarion River Corridor but that is no big deal, right?
-jim k

Painter Run is still pending upon appeal. We will certainly see more Painter Run-like sales with the storms from July. The flaw is failing to see these disturbances as natural processes that increase forest diversity by creating gaps in the canopy that favor less tolerant species but also keeps the woody debris on the forest floor to provide a steady source of nutrients over the long-term as well as providing habitat.

Salvage sales like Painter Run are not about improving diversity - they're about removing quality habitat for short-term economic gain. In short - bad forestry.
Ryan

On a related note, we got two timber bid notices from Marienville today for sales under the forest wide windthrow salvage. Both were in the area north of Marienville (on near Greely Farm and the other near Beaver Meadows).

-jim k

I read that the Bontasaurus has been "reading up on Marc Abrams, David Orwig, Gordon Whitney and others about the original composition of the Alleghney Plateau"; I wonder if he has anything to share with us. My entire knowledge of the subject is contained on page 13 of the "Allegheny National Forest Hiking Guide Fourth Edition".

RJ.

I checked with bontasaurus and he is too busy right now to put something together. But I think that would make a nice article for this site. I'll either keep on him to do it in the near future or maybe myself or Ryan can do a roundup on it. It would be good discussion material!

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