NATALIE - Officials from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) held a state forest management tour Thursday in the Roaring Creek Tract of the Weiser State Forest.
Visitors were transported four miles by bus from the Route 54 parking lot to the Roaring Creek Field Station at McWilliams Reservoir. There, Robert "Marty" Martynowych, service forester; Nick Zulli, management forester, and Mark Deibler, district forester, led a PowerPoint presentation on the importance of timber sales, which included how they are planned and conducted. Officials also illustrated through a series of photos how areas that were clear cut can regenerate over time.
Visitors were then transported to a stand of trees that will be timbered in conjunction with a project by Aqua PA, which holds the water rights in the tract. Aqua will replace four miles of a century-old waterline from McWilliams Reservoir to Aqua's pump station near Route 54. Hundreds of trees that are in the path of the new waterline are expected to be timbered. Once the work is completed, the area will be converted to a walking and snowmobiling trail, DCNR officials said.
The tract extends 10 miles from Route 54 in Coal Township to east of Route 42 in Columbia County. The property was acquired by and designated as state forest by DCNR in October 2003.
Half-marathon planned
The next event is the Hellbender 5K and half-marathon on Sunday, Aug. 18. Roaring Creek Valley Conservation Association and the Susquehanna Ridge Runners Club sponsor the annual race that begins and ends at the Route 54 parking area.
For more information on the race, go to www.rcvca.org or call Daniel Brassington, race director, at 799-0167.