PENN COLLEGE EARTH

SCIENCE CENTER OUTDOOR NATURAL LABORATORY

TRAIL SYSTEM GUIDE

Welcome to Penn College’s Earth Science Center Outdoor Natu-ral Laboratory Trail System!

The Herman T. Schneebeli Earth Science Center of the Pennsyl-vania College of Technology lies on one hundred and sixty five acres in southern Lycoming County. Between the years of 1850 and 1920, this property underwent a series of two logging operation cuts. These two cuts occurred in Pennsylvania’s main logging era. Evidence of these two cuts can still be seen in some parts of the trail system, as the trails follow the old skid trails for a distance.

Around 1910, areas of the property began to be farmed for pota-toes. Evidence of the potato farming can be seen, particularly on the white trail, where the farmers would hand pick rocks and stones from their fields, piling them into the stone walls and piles that can be seen in certain areas, around the sawmill.

This era of potato farming on Penn College’s property ended in 1940, when the United States Government took over the whole val-ley, using it for the war effort due to World War II. This area was originally to be used for a bomb ordinance, although not a single bomb was produced on the property, as WWII ended before one could be made.

After the war ended, the U.S. Government split up the area that they had in the valley, giving a portion to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, which is now Game Lands 252, with another portion going to the Federal Prison System. Penn College received this property in 1965, when the college was named the Williamsport Area Community College. The current building was constructed on the site, with the first classes being taught in 1972. The building, property, and trail system was transferred to the Pennsylvania Col-lege of Technology in 1989, after the affiliation with the Pennsyl-vania State University.

WELCOME!!

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PENNSYLVANIA COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY EARTH SCIENCE CENTER

TRAIL SYSTEM

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WHITE TRAIL 1. Located at the trailhead is a small picnic and rest area.

2. This area was a prescribed shelter wood cut promoting oak regeneration. In a shelter wood cut, a few mature trees are left.

3. In this area, there is little to no regeneration, and the already established regeneration looks unhealthy. This could be caused by the AmeriGas plant directly behind the sign. Poor site quality may also be a reason for the poor plant health.

4. At this point on the trail, there is a stone fence. This is evidence that this area was once used for agricultural purposes, when farmers picked the stones from their fields and piled them up in this area.

5. Inside this fence is an example of a seed tree cut, promoting tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), also known as yellow poplar. As you will take notice, there is better regeneration in this area than the shelter wood cut previously looked at.

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6. When you look here, you will see evidence of an old logging opera-tion skid trail. This property was last logged around 1920.

7. At this point, you will see the sawmill and the log yard, used by forest technology students in the Forest Products class to produce hardwood lumber using a circular saw.

8. At this location, you will see a fence. This fence is used to keep the deer out of the shelter wood regeneration area.

9. This location is the beginning of Penn College’s Arboretum. Many non-native species of plants and trees are found here. The Arbore-tum is maintained by Penn College’s Horticulture classes.

10. From this point, you can take a rest at the bench, or split off onto one of the other trails on Penn College's trail system. Also notice the rhododendron plants around this location.

WHITE TRAIL

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RED TRAIL 1. This location is an example of on going regeneration, which has been go-ing here since 1974 - 1975. Only the best large trees were left here when it was harvested, using them as a seed source for the smaller trees seen grow-ing here now.

2. There are three different types of pine at this location, Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), red pine (Pinus resinosa), and eastern white pine (Pinus strobus). Scots pine has groups of two twisted needles, red pine has two long dark needles, and the white pine has groups of five straight needles. The bark is also noticeably different between the three. Scots pine’s bark is orange, red pine is red and flaky and white pine’s bark is a gray color.

3. There is a change in slope at this location. You will notice that the flat, bottomland changes to a very steep hill. You will also notice that as soon as the hill starts, the number and quality of the trees decline rapidly.

4. At this location, you can look at the differences between northern red oak (Quercus rubra) and black oak (Quercus velutina). The tree on the left is the red oak, while the tree on the right is the black oak. If you notice there is a squirrel box located on one of the trees in front of you at this location. These boxes were added by the Wildlife class for a breeding and living location for the squirrels.

5. Around this location is where a glacier left some deposits on the val-ley floor, which was sandstone. If you look behind the post, you will notice a large tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera). Tulip poplar, also known as yellow poplar, is known for growing straight and tall. This example is one of the tallest trees on the property. 7

6. This location along the trail is a good wildlife area, as you notice all the regeneration in this area. Some of the species represented in this area in-clude black birch (Betula lenta) and sugar maple (Acer saccharum). You can also notice the difference between dominate and codominate trees, where the crown of dominate trees are located completely in the canopy, and the crowns of codominate trees are not completely in the canopy and are lo-cated lower than dominate trees.

7. Around this location are two natural springs that feed into the streams running through the property. These springs help bring moisture to the plant species and also provide a water source for the wildlife living on the property.

8. There is a hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) near this post. The eastern hem-lock is the state tree of Pennsylvania. An easy way to identify the hem-lock is by the two white lines that run the length of the underside of the needles. There are two problems that are currently attacking the hemlock trees in the United States. One of the problems is a disease called scale, which look like small brown spots on the underside of the needles. The other problem that affects hemlock trees is the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid (Adelges tsugae) which is an introduced beetle. An adelgid attack looks like white bubbles along the stem. Although this particular tree is affected by scale only, there are examples of both of these problems on some of the hemlock trees on Penn College’s property.

RED TRAIL

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RED TRAIL

9. Hard maple, also known as sugar maple, (Acer saccharum) can be seen at this location on the trail system.

10. There is a good variety of species at this location of the trail. Some species here include black cherry (Prunus serotina), wild grape vine (Vitis riparia), and red oak (Quercus rubra). The black cherry at the post is one of the best cherry trees on the property, as cherry trees in this area do not grow very well. Some of the best cherry in the world grows in northern Pennsylvania, on the Allegheny Plateau.

11. In front of you is Penn College’s most recent Christmas tree planta-tion, planted in Spring 2006 by the Forest Mensuration class. There are two types of trees planted in this plantation. The trees closest to the for-est edge are Douglas firs (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and the trees at the other end are Fraser firs (Abies fraseri). These trees will take about 12 to 15 years until they mature and are the size of Christmas trees. Pruning of the branches on these trees will take place yearly when they get about a foot or so tall, to form them into the conical shape recognized as Christmas trees. As you look at the plantation, look off to the right and notice the area of thick vegetation. This area is purposely left thick as a wildlife area for small game animals. Rabbits, pheasants, quails, and foxes, among other species can be found in this area.

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BLUE TRAIL

1. At this location is an example of timber stand improvement, or TSI. TSI is used on a woodlot by removing the lower quality or lower health trees, leaving the healthiest and most desirable ones. In the act of TSI, herbicide application, controlled burning, tree girdling, or harvesting may be necessary to achieve the desired stocking or composition in that stand.

2. As you stand and look out at this point, notice the grape vine (Vitis riparia) in distance off to the left. Grapevine is good for wildlife in the woodlot, yet grapevine can also harm trees by deforming them while they live on the branches and trunk, and also by taking away much needed nutrients from the trees.

3. Located at this marker is a hemlock (Tsuga canadensis). The hem-lock tree is the state tree of Pennsylvania. Because of two diseases at-tacking the hemlock, the hemlock wooly adelgid and the hemlock scale, not many examples left in today’s forest are completely healthy.

4. At this location is a stand of striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum). Striped maple is considered an invasive species in Pennsylvania. The species is named striped maple is because of the stripes running down the bark. The trees at this location have been treated with pesticide, trying to kill the trees. The pesticide was applied by Penn College’s Forest Protection class, along with help from the Pennsylvania DCNR.

5. At this location, notice the difference in slope. The land at the top of the hill is flat, while the hillside is very steep. The slope is the reason why there are not too many trees located on the hillside. The lack of trees here on the hilltop is due to the poor soil and lack of abundant moisture.

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6. This location has Penn College’s lookout, which overlooks the valley, the Montgomery Pike, and U.S. Route 15. As you look forward, you are facing to the north, and you are at an elevation of about 1100 feet above sea level.

BLUE TRAIL

7. At this post is a large example of a hemlock (Tsuga canadensis). This particu-lar tree is the largest example of a hemlock on Penn College’s property.

8. As you look out at this location, notice the slope. Also of notice is the spe-cies composition. Mainly located at this location is a mix of northern red oak (Quercus rubra), white oak (Quercus alba), black oak (Quercus velutina), chestnut oak (Quercus prinus), and eastern white pine (Pinus strobus). Good species com-position is very important in a woodlot. Having a woodlot with more than one species is important because if a disease or insect attacks a particular spe-cies of tree, one whole woodlot could be destroyed.

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9. This stand is full of black cherry regeneration. Penn College’s Silviculture class has thinned out the trees in this stand, cleaning out about half of the trees seen currently. This operation was done to allow the remaining, higher quality trees to have more room to grow. This stand was originally thinned in 1992 and 1993, and again in 2006. Black cherry (Prunus serotina) is one of the more valuable species in the eastern United States.

BLUE TRAIL

10. Here at the end of the trail is Penn College’s pine plantation. Located in this plantation is a stand of red pine (Pinus resinosa). Also located near this area is a wildlife food plot, located between the pine stand and the road. This food plot was first planted in 2003, in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

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YELLOW TRAIL 1. In front of the trail marker is Penn College’s outdoor classroom. This outdoor classroom can be utilized by any class at the Earth Sci-ence Center when the weather cooperates.

2. As you look around at the trees at this location, notice the varied spe-cies around you. A few of the species located here are northern red oak (Quercus rubra), white ash (Fraxinus americana), shagbark hickory (Carya ovata), and eastern white pine (Pinus strobus).

3. As you look out into the forest at this location, you will notice that there is little to no regeneration around, making a park-like appearance. All the trees here are mature, dominate trees. Dominate trees are where all the tree tops cover the canopy of the forest. A few trees in this loca-tion are suppressed, whereas the crown of the tree does not grow into the canopy, but does get close, being directly below the dominate canopy.

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4. At this location is Penn College’s soil profile pit. The profile pit’s sign describes the different layers of the soil in a deciduous forest. Behind the sign is the pit, which has a piece of glass that allows you to look at the layers of soil. Also at this location is a bench, where you can take a break from walking or just sit and enjoy the natural beauty and sereneness of the forest.

YELLOW TRAIL

5. This part of the nature trail has standing water in it during part of the year. As you look at the large northern red oak (Quercus rubra) to the left of the marker, you will notice that this tree’s trunk shows butt swell, which is caused by too much moisture around the tree. There is nothing wrong with this tree, and the lumber that the tree will produce is fine also, it is just larger at the bottom compared with normal taper of trees of the same species and size. Also in front of you at this location is the begin-ning of the part of the Earth Science Center property known as “hickory loop,” named because of the abundance of shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) trees in this area.

6. Seen at this area is the low ropes course. Any Penn College student is able to use this area to either work on their agility and balance, or just to have fun. There are many different setups in the course, each one a little different.

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7. Throughout this area is a stand of white ash (Fraxinus americana) trees. This area stays wet most of the time, so therefore the raised walkway is needed to stay out of the mud and water.

8. This section of the trail system shows natural forest succession. This area was logged in the past and was left to show how the forest naturally fulfills itself again, without human intervention. As you leave this woodlot ahead, the trail goes off to the left along the banks of the pond and across the bridge, where the blaze marks continue.

YELLOW TRAIL

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Along the banks of the pond you will notice tubes that are cover-ing small saplings. The species of trees that are in these tubes are 15/16th American chestnut (Castanea dentata) 1/16th Chinese chest-nut (Castanea mollissima) hybrids. These are planted here to try to get the chestnut reestablished in the North America’s forests. The American chestnut tree was attacked in the early 1900’s by the chestnut blight, which killed all the American chestnut trees. Small chestnut trees can still be seen today, but as they start to mature, the blight attacks the tree and kills it, never allowing the tree to reach the massive sizes that may never be seen again. These hybrids have the look of an American chestnut, but the

9. This is the location of Penn College’s pavilion, fire pit, and outdoor grill. This area is available for any Penn College student to use.

10. This is Penn College’s pond. On this pond, you will notice duck nesting boxes, as well as goose nesting platforms. Also at the pond is the picnic pavilion, a bridge, and a grove of hybrid chestnut trees. Students utilize this pond during all seasons of the year, skating and playing hockey during the winter, and fishing during the rest of the year. Some of the fish species in the pond are bass, trout, and sunfish.

YELLOW TRAIL 11. At this location is another stand of white ash (Fraxinus americana) trees. These trees are smaller than they should be because they are spaced too close together. The soil at this location is not ideal for white ash growth. This stand also has a problem because it is a single species stand. If a dis-ease, such as emerald ash borer, were to attack this stand, all the trees would die, since there is no other species in the stand.

12. There is a diversion ditch and crossing bridge at this location. The rea-son for the diversion ditch here is to take away the extra water from the area, so that there will not be standing water. This ditch takes the water and deposits it directly into the stream.

13. This area is utilized by Penn College’s woodsman team as their practice field. The woodsman team travels to other forestry colleges along the East-ern seaboard, competing in events such as crosscut buck, chainsaw buck, axe felling, poll toss, axe throw, among others.

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Produced by Greg Wiltsie Spring 2007

Forest Recreation FOR237 Dr. Ringling

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Pennsylvania College of Technology

One College Avenue

Williamsport, PA 17701-5799

(570) 326-3761

(570) 320-2400

http://www.pct.edu/

Pennsylvania College of Technology

Herbert T. Schneebeli Earth Science Center

203 Allenwood Camp Lane

Montgomery, PA 17752

(570) 320-8038

naturalresources@pct.edu