BCRR:
Please find very important information from Tyler State Park below.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 30, 2016
Salvage Harvest of Hazardous Trees to Begin at Tyler State Park
Harrisburg, PA – Department of Conservation and Natural Resources officials today announced work is scheduled to being on or about Wednesday January 4, 2017 at Tyler State Park to remove dying ash trees affected by the emerald ash borer and other trees that may become a hazard.
The park apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause, but during the tree removal project, some sections of the park will be closed for the safety of park visitors. During the active cutting phase of this project, there will be heavy equipment and logging operations taking place, we ask that the public refrain from entering these areas and respect all ‘Do Not Enter’ signs for your safety. Park maps indicating logging areas can be obtained at the park office.
The areas that will be closed include the Boathouse Picnic Area and parking lot, majority of the picnic areas and parking lots east of the Neshaminy Creek, portions of the Disc Golf Course and the playground.
The visiting public can still enjoy the western side of the park and the Mill Dam Picnic Area, the southern portions of the Disc Golf Course and the Boathouse Comfort Station can be accessed from the western side of the park and will remain open during this operation. Timber operations will take place Monday through Friday starting at 8AM weather permitting. All parts of the park will be re-opened, based on site and safety conditions, for the weekends.
A timber salvage sale is being used to remove ash and hazardous trees within high use areas, including picnic areas, as well as from an area on the south side of the park near Fisherman’s Lot.
“White ash is a significant component of the forested stands within and surrounding the Tyler State Park. Unfortunately, they will be dramatically impacted by the emerald ash borer, an invasive wood-boring insect,” said Tyler State Park Manager Brian Flores. “This non-native invasive insect kills nearly every ash tree in a forest stand once it becomes infected, leaving dead and dying trees in its wake. Decline of ash trees after infestation is quite dramatic and cannot be reversed; the only option is to remove the trees that are safety hazards for park visitors.”
The emerald ash borer is an exotic invasive forest pest that infests all ash species. The larva live and feed just under the tree bark. This damage disrupts the transport of water and nutrients between the roots, leaves, and growing tissues causing a rapid decline and death of the tree.
Overseen by DCNR’s Bureau of Forestry, the salvage harvest effort will entail retention of all healthy, hardwood tree species in the area. Once removal is complete, re-planting plans will be implemented. Park staff have also been working with DCNR Resource Management Specialist’s to treat a few select ash trees with important landscape value, as part of the overall ash tree management plan for Tyler State Park.
Pennsylvania’s 17 million acres of forestland provide critical values to society, including clean water, recreation opportunities, plant and animal habitat, and raw materials for a long-established forest products industry, said DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn.
For more information on Pennsylvania’s 121 state parks, call 1-888-PA-PARKS between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday: or visit www.dcnr.pa.gov and click on “Find a Park.”
MEDIA CONTACT: Tyler State Park Manager Brian Flores, 215-968-2021
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