According to the Game Commission, the prescribed burn will take place on March 19, 2018 in Swatara Township, Lebaonon County, near the Schuylkill County line near Pine Grove. Smoke from the burn should be visible from the Pine Grove/Southwstern area of Schuylkill County.
State Game Lands 80, totaling 10,688 acres, is located in northern Lebanon County. It contains a wide variety of habitat types within its borders and is home to a multitude of different wildlife species. Since over 98% of this State Game Lands is forested and 72% of that area consists of mixed oak forests, the use of a controlled burn is very appropriate.
The area to be treated with a controlled burn is 103 acres in size and is located in Swatara Township, Lebanon County. This burn consists of two separate burn units. Part of burn unit 1 consists of a recent regeneration cut while the remainder of the units is a mature oak stand that is dominated by chestnut oak, red oak and black oak.
Forest fires were a common occurrence on this ridge in the early 1900’s, which led to the establishment of this oak stand. The combination of a lack of fire over the past 70 years and increased sunlight reaching the forest floor due to openings in the forest canopy, has led to a dense non-oak understory.
The goal of this controlled burn is to recreate the conditions that led to the establishment of this aging oak forest and to release oak seedlings in the recent regeneration cut. Currently there is a large amount of birch, yellow poplar, sassafras, black gum and red maple seedlings that are overtopping and shading existing oak seedlings. If this condition continues, these oak seedlings will eventually be crowded out and die. A controlled burn will remove a large number of these competing seedlings and allow the oak seedlings to grow and thrive.
The area to be treated with a controlled burn is 103 acres in size and is located in Swatara Township, Lebanon County. This burn consists of two separate burn units. Part of burn unit 1 consists of a recent regeneration cut while the remainder of the units is a mature oak stand that is dominated by chestnut oak, red oak and black oak.
Forest fires were a common occurrence on this ridge in the early 1900’s, which led to the establishment of this oak stand. The combination of a lack of fire over the past 70 years and increased sunlight reaching the forest floor due to openings in the forest canopy, has led to a dense non-oak understory.
The goal of this controlled burn is to recreate the conditions that led to the establishment of this aging oak forest and to release oak seedlings in the recent regeneration cut. Currently there is a large amount of birch, yellow poplar, sassafras, black gum and red maple seedlings that are overtopping and shading existing oak seedlings. If this condition continues, these oak seedlings will eventually be crowded out and die. A controlled burn will remove a large number of these competing seedlings and allow the oak seedlings to grow and thrive.