The Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Northeast Region is in the process of restoring critical and unique habitat to State Game Lands 141, located in Carbon County.

State Game Lands 141 is comprised of over 17,000 acres of mountaintop forestland and shrubland habitat, with over 750 acres to be treated through multiple habitat management methods. State Game Lands 141 is located in Packer Township, Lehigh Township, and Nesquehoning Borough.

Known as Broad Mountain, the habitat historically was a vast acidic barrens complex comprised of forestland, woodland, shrubland, and savanna. The barren complexes are considered rare on a global scale. This barren habitat type can be everything from bare rock habitat, to grassland, shrubland, to pine and oak woodlands. Th diversity provides critical and unique habitat for a variety of wildlife.

The Broad Mountain Barrens provides specialized habitat for several threatened and endangered species as well as several Species of Greatest Conservation Need as identified in the Pennsylvania Wildlife Action Plan.

This unique landscape structure and composition was created and maintained by a frequent wildfire regime. The lack of fire over the past century has significantly altered the natural fire return interval.

The exclusion of this regular disturbance kick started succession - converting much of the expansive Broad Mountain Barrens into closed-canopy forest cover. This has altered species composition and forest structure to one that favors fire intolerant species, amplifying and further threatening this remnant habitat.

“Since the era of fire suppression began in the 1950s most of this unique habitat has aged into closed canopy forest that cannot support the suite of flora and fauna that require barrens habitat,” said Pennsylvania Game Commission Forester Zachary Wismer. “Habitat improvements like this have immediate and long-term benefits for all wildlife species.”

The project will facilitate the restoration and maintenance of the ridgetop acidic barrens communities using prescribed fire. To aid in this endeavor, the Game Commissioner conducted commercial tree cutting operations. This method is preferred because harvested trees are removed from the site, aiding in fuel reduction, which is critical for a future successful prescribed fire operation.

“The Broad Mountain Barrens is a conservation reliant habitat type,” Wismer said. “It requires proactive and intentional management to maintain the remnants that still exist and restore adjacent areas that have converted to closed canopy forest. Barrens habitat restoration is often likened to peeling an onion. The core of the onion represents the healthy, stable, structurally diverse system, capable of providing all the habitat benefits to barrens adapted and reliant flora and fauna. Each onion layer represents a layer of habitat degradation. Decades of fire suppression has created layer upon layer - from the closing canopy to a species shift from fire tolerant species to fire intolerant species, to cool and damp conditions of the forest floor, to changes in soil chemistry and nutrient cycling. To restore barrens, these layers must be removed incrementally. Implementation of prescribed fire is the primary tool. However, tree cutting, mowing, or other mechanical treatments are often necessary where barrens have progressed to forest.” said Wismer.

For more information on the Pennsylvania Wildlife Action Plan visit Wildlife Action Plan (pa.gov).