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Penn State wants to burn Pennsylvania forests to make them better – pennlive.com

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Penn State wants to burn Pennsylvania forests to make them better – pennlive.com

Forest landowners, other than state agencies, in Pennsylvania generally use very little prescribed fire on their lands.

They’re missing out on an effective management tool that could be helping them to promote the growth of desired tree species, spur new growth to provide food and cover for wildlife, control invasive plants, suppress Lyme-carrying ticks and more, according to Jesse Kreye, assistant professor of fire and natural resources management in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.

Prescribed fire is the controlled, low-intensity burn of defined and contained areas of forest with specific management goals in mind.

State agencies, like the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, have been using prescribed fire for at least a decade.

Study Finds Spotted Lanternfly Costing Pennsylvania $50M Annually | 90.5 WESA

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Study Finds Spotted Lanternfly Costing Pennsylvania $50M Annually | 90.5 WESA

The spotted lanternfly, an invasive pest from Asia that is wreaking havoc on valuable trees and vines, is costing the Pennsylvania economy about $50 million and eliminating nearly 500 jobs each year, according to a Penn State study released Thursday.

If the insect were to expand statewide, it could cause $325 million in damage and wipe out 2,800 jobs, the researchers estimate. The state’s $19 billion forest products industry would be especially vulnerable. Pennsylvania, with its vast unbroken stretches of forest, is the nation’s No. 1 producer of hardwoods.

Invaders at our southern border are not only taking our jobs, but our money too.