Forest Snapshot July 2026

Breaking News

The Pennsylvania Game Commission has announced changes to its Hunter Access Program effective for the 2026/27 hunting season. The Hunter Access Program is a partnership between the PGC and landowner whereby they work together to improve public hunting opportunities and wildlife habitat on enrolled properties. Starting this season, the Hunter Access Program will now have properties categorized in 3 different access levels: open access, reservation access, and permission access. They have also created a landowner portal for cooperators and an updated mapping system that shows cooperating properties and specific rules or notes for hunters utilizing the property. For more information, visit the PGC Hunter Access Program site.

The Game Commission has also announced the creation of a Certified Hunter Program. This program is designed to connect landowners, primarily farmers, with certified hunters trained to manage deer populations. Landowners experiencing significant damage from deer and other wildlife may receive an increased antlerless deer harvest allocation and be connected with certified hunters to fill those tags. All participating hunters will be trained in ethics, safety, responsibility, and hunting effectiveness. Hunters must submit an application, pass an online exam, and take a shooting qualification to be enrolled. For more information, visit the PGC Certified Hunter Program site.

Important Dates

Come see the Extension Forestry and Wildlife Team and other exhibits at the 2026 Ag Progress Days, Pennsylvania's largest outdoor agricultural exposition, to be held August 11-13. Throughout Ag Progress Days, experts conduct tours highlighting research on various aspects of agriculture, including a Demonstration Woodlot Tour hosted by forestry and wildlife experts. For more information, visit the Ag Progress Days website. 

Forest Health  

The forest tent caterpillar moth is a Lepidopteran species native to Pennsylvania that can occasionally cause local to regional outbreaks. The last outbreak of this species in PA occurred from 2008 to 2010 across northern PA, beginning in Wayne County in NE PA and moving west. Severe defoliation occurred in Northern hardwood forests across this region. Another outbreak period may be building, again beginning in Wayne County.

Forest tent caterpillars do not build tents as their name suggests; instead, the earlier instar caterpillars congregate together on silken mats spun on tree trunks. They feed in masses during the earlier stages of caterpillar development, but once they are fully grown, they'll often be found singly.  The caterpillars pupate in about mid-June, and adult moths emerge about 2 weeks later and look for a mate.  Female moths lay dark grayish-brown egg masses containing about 150 to 250 eggs, in foam-like bands encircling individual small twigs. The egg masses overwinter and will hatch in early spring, and the tiny larvae will feed on the leaves of host trees through spring. Preferred hosts are on sugar maple, oaks, and aspen, and they’ll feed on many more deciduous hardwoods. Red maple is usually not targeted. At high population levels, full defoliation across entire stands of preferred hardwoods is possible.

Invasive Species

Forest Vegetation Management Online Courses Available!

Landowners, natural resource professionals, or anyone else looking for in-depth knowledge on effectively managing unwanted vegetation in forests and other natural areas – the Penn State Extension Forestry & Wildlife team has resources for you. The Managing Invasive and Competing Plants in Forests self-paced online course provides a comprehensive guide to identifying and managing common problematic plants in Pennsylvania and surrounding states. The course consists of 9 sections, including Integrated Vegetation Management (using a combination of various techniques to increase effectiveness), Herbicide Basics (the ins-and-outs of understanding product labels and how to effectively use common products), Application Methods and Equipment, and detailed identification and control information for common species of different plant types (invasive herbaceous plants, trees, shrubs, and woody vines, as well as some native species that can become problematic).

This course is intended for those at a more beginner/intermediate level of knowledge and skill, such as private landowners who want to start implementing management on their own, or those who are looking to improve their techniques. However, professional land managers and applicators will also gain helpful information, such as species-specific management recommendations.

For those who are Pennsylvania-licensed applicators, this course offers 10 recertification credits in Categories 05, 10, 18, and 23.

Each section of the comprehensive course is also offered as a shorter stand-alone course for those who want to dive into a specific topic. Each of these also offers some recertification credits for PA applicators. (Each course only counts for credits once in the lifetime of the applicator).

All of the courses can be found on the Forestry & Wildlife – Forest Management webpage under the ‘online courses’ tab: Online Courses.

Native Species

Members of the Daisy Family (Asteraceae) in the genera Symphyotrichum and Eurybia are commonly known as asters in North America. In late summer to fall, daisy-like flowers will bloom across the state, offering important food sources for pollinators. Among them are the purple flowers of New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), dotting roadsides, meadows, and fields. New England Aster is an herbaceous perennial, growing between 3 and 7 feet tall. The showy flowers are used as cut flowers and make an excellent addition to rain gardens, and in sites with clay soil with part to full sun.

Wildlife and Insects

Hummingbirds are finding new sources of nectar as early and mid-summer blooms fade. The flowers of jewelweed (spotted touch-me-not) are shaped well for hummingbirds to access their nectar. In doing so, hummingbirds also serve as one of the main pollinators of jewelweed. Other summer visitors are beginning to head south in earnest, now, especially shorebirds.

Some adult Monarch butterflies are taking wing, while their caterpillars are still feeding on the leaves of milkweed plants. The caterpillars feed exclusively on native milkweed species. Other butterflies, such as the Tiger Swallowtail, use the milkweed flower for nectar.