Latham’s Acre: Native Species Thrive Inside Deer Exclosure
Вставка
- Опубліковано 3 лип 2024
- When the Pennsylvania Game Commission purchased State Game Lands 30 nearly a century ago, those 11,000 acres in McKean County held healthy populations of white-tailed deer, ruffed grouse, and snowshoe hare, thanks to thriving habitat with a wide variety of native plant species.
But just a couple decades later, the forest had drastically changed, and wildlife was suffering. Biologists Roger Latham and Stan Forbes enclosed a one-acre area with fencing to keep deer out and determine how much over-browsing impacts land and the wildlife that inhabits it.
Latham’s Acre is still intact more than 70 years later, and the ground inside boasts diverse vegetation including wildflowers, shrubs, and saplings - all important to wildlife habitat.
This historic exclosure illustrates how properly managed forests can provide abundant food and cover for wildlife, while unchecked deer populations can wreak havoc on an entire ecosystem.
Learn more about advanced regeneration as a result of deer deterrent fencing at pgc.pa.gov.
#wildlife #conservation #nature #PennsylvaniaGameCommission #PAgameCommission #GameCommission #PGC #habitat #deer #whitetaildeer
I liked your presentation of the Rodger Latham fence. You see at the age of 16 my sportsman's club sent me to the two week conservation camp near the Penn State campus in 1969. Rodger was one of the key speakers. He was a fantastic speaker and he made it so easy to talk to him and fully take in what he taught. After those two weeks, I was chosen to be one of the first councilors chosen for the 1st Westmoreland County conservation camp. Again, I met Mr. Latham. It was an honor that he remembered me. A close friend and his family mentored me at there cabin in Northern Jefferson County near the very 1st sight of the 1st original pa game School. Game lands 54. They have all passed now, and I owed them so much . I always stayed in that same area only about 300 yds away from that cabin that there grandson and son is still using. I'll be 71 soon and with the help of an E-bike a long with the special permiI can reach some of the areas that I hunted as a youngster. The problem is that I can't venture far from the bike. And yes, we have several areas that are fenced and cuts unfenced. But in some areas the deer population is down and its hard to tell the difference between the two. Well, I'm sorry that I wrote a book instead of a reply, but this man's story brought back old memories. Thank you
An excellent presentation. Kudos to Game Commission staff for putting this show together. Roger Latham was one of the founders of the modern Game Commission and it's wonderful to see his legacy preserved. John has a screen presence and authenticity, rare qualities these days. Use him again!
Very well done - we need to get this message out to more hunters and PA residents - so many have never seen an exclosure to realize what browsing can do to an area. Thanks for your volunteer time and sharing the knowledge!
Regardless of what the naysayers regurgitate, the PA Game Commission does an outstanding job
of protecting our valuable natural resources in the commonwealth.
Unfortunately, you have a bunch a whiny people complain about the PGC because they can't have their way.
I'm proud to be a PA hunter and I support the Pennsylvania Game Commission100 percent!
Use to hunt state game land 66! My God, what beauty! I'd go up to a friend's cabin! Deer, Black bear, coyotes, squirrels! I'd backpack in and a peace would come over like never before!
We put up a deer exclosure in Pine Creek two years ago. Within one year we had wood lily and native tree species with no clear path how they got there. Very good thing
Proud Pa. Game lands hunter !
You should have good hunting. I see nice bucks and a pile of very nice turkeys when working. I saw at least 10 deer today working.😊
As a kid knocking on a door gained you a lot of access. These days that is less and less and I’ve hunted a lot of gamelands. The Game commission does a wonderful job managing these public lands. It may not always be lights out hunting but the Game commission is doing their darndest to make it good for people. Can’t say enough good things.
I'm north of this area in NYS. Recently I visited Hanging Bog state land and I viewed the management techniques in the forest. They clear cut large blocks of land. There's also regular forest surrounding these areas. White and red oak are abundant. I was lucky enough to find a chestnut tree on the edge of a clear-cut.
Good video. Unfortunately down here in Virginia, they don't seem to reach out to their residence much... with videos like this.
Originally being from Pennsylvania, I miss these beautiful Keystone woods!
Well done. The high cost of inflated deer numbers seems to miss most people.
I work for the Pennsylvania game commission. And i love my job. And they do very good and important work. And i love the Game lands. I live right beside sgl 073. God bless.
Great video. Thank you for sharing the knowledge!
🎉🎉🎉Wow, i learned so much!!!!! Thank you for sharing history and wisdom ❤❤❤ keep em coming please!!!! The deer of northern PA are way different then lower in the state. I just saw a video on how ants love the trillium. I just learned at 46 that bees hibernate in the roots of weeds..... We need to protect more biodiversity of PA land from greedy 'developers' backed by money from NY thats actually backed by a group made up of England, Germany, Africa and more. Seems against our interest.
Great job John!
I’ve lost all respect of PGC since they went against us on changing opening day of deer season to the SATURDAY after Thanksgiving!
Really enjoy the Videos
Well done presentation. Thank you
Love the PA wild! The PGC needs to timber more of the game lands. That's why there were so many deer in the 60s and 70s, it was new growth. Now the overwhelming majority is standing big timber, no browse no deer, or other wildlife.
I enjoyed this presentation and learned a lot. There's a Latham fence as you guys call them in our local state forest (Tuscarora) and my wife and I were just up there talking about it, wondering what it was all about. We knew it was to keep deer out but didn't understand why. I'm puzzled though by this presentation explaining the benefits of creating these small and easy to access trees and shrubs and stuff that the deer can eat and benefit from but we keep them out of there so they are just going to get tall and not accessible to the deer? I don't quite understand the importance of doing this if we keep them out of it. Can someone please explain this?
VERY interesting. Thanks!
I walk those woods I hunt those mountains in mckean county. The game commission hunt the campers up there, that's it! They let the locals ride their quads, bait deer, and have camp fires. It's a joke. I've seen this first hand. They only fine who they want. I have absolutely no faith in the game commission. Those fences are a waste of money. Trees fall on them and the deer get in anyway. I've seen it. I'd fire them all and disband them.
Lots of Trilliums on SGL 296
Are there opportunities for retired individuals to work for or volunteer for the PGC?
They've done this all over the state years ago. They already know the results. Fenced areas are t Game Lands. In some areas there are huge expanses of OUR game lands that our great Game Commission have presently strip minied and ruined for their profit. Explain that! You don't even see this on most of their profit loss statements. As a whole, I have no trust or respect for them at all
You can't trust or respect these people. They work for the government and are in a union and always vote democrat. They're a ssholes.
but when you fence off an entire timber cut the wildlife gets little benefit from all of these nutrients...
Great job John!