PGC Re-Thinks Bat Plan

HARRISBURG – Rep. Martin Causer (R-Turtlepoint), co-chairman of the Legislative Timber Caucus, issued the following statement in response to an announcement made today by the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) that it will not pursue regulatory changes related to the state’s bat population at this time.

“I am pleased that the Pennsylvania Game Commission is backing away from its consideration of regulations that would have had dire consequences for our regional and statewide economy.

“To propose something like banning the harvest of timber for seven months out of the year – without any scientific evidence it would help the bat population – was misguided. I am encouraged by the agency’s acknowledgement that interested parties must work together to find a solution that will ‘protect bats without threatening the industries that employ thousands of Pennsylvanians.’”

In early August, the PGC published a notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin regarding its consideration of a number of actions to address the declining population of three species of bats due to the spread of white nose syndrome. The actions under consideration included a seasonal ban on timber harvesting from April until mid-November, as well as mandatory canopy retention requirements, mandatory retention of certain tree species and prohibition of all timber harvesting in riparian buffers.

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