National Fire Plan Success Story

Wildland Urban Interface Project Removes Trees and Weeds
Erie National Wildlife Refuge, Pennsylvania
National Fire Plan - Fuels Reduction

A Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) project to remove 35-acres of fire-prone exotic pine and a sprawling thicket of invasive noxious weeds in the Erie National Wildlife Refuge was completed in September 2007. The project was part of a multi-year invasive plant control effort aimed at reducing hazardous fuels and restoring the habitat on more than 55 acres of refuge land on the Pennsylvania refuge. Contractors with local companies performed much of the work.

Located adjacent to state highway 27, local roads and residences the pine plantations were non-native remnants from an old Christmas tree farm planted many years ago. The pines had significantly edged out the native hardwood in the area, and were regarded as a fire threat to the local community. The trees were cut down, their limbs and tops mulched, and the biomass was left on site.

In addition, a dense growth of invasive multiflora rose that had spread over a 20-acre area in the sensitive and globally rare fen community on the refuge's Seneca unit was cut out.

In a separate project on the refuge, other small hazardous fuel sites were treated in the area. Fire program sawyers removed isolated small stands of exotic pines near refuge parking lots and girdle several non-native pines in the vicinity of the highway that bisects the Sugar Lake unit. Then, in early summer 2007, herbicide was applied to sprouting multiflora rose scattered in and around shrub fen. A second application will be made in 2008.