Casey to Forest Service: Fight Invasice Species
Threatening Allegheny National Forest
Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) announced that he has sent a letter to the Chief of U.S. Forest Service, Tom Tidwell, urging the agency to develop a plan to combat a new threat of invasive species in the Allegheny National Forest (ANF). Right now the ANF is beset by Hemlock Woolly Adelgid and the Emerald Ash Borer, threatening Pennsylvania’s timber industry in Northwestern Pennsylvania, which last year alone saw $7 million in timber sales. In his letter, Casey asked the U.S. Forest Service to model any efforts to combat the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid and the Emerald Ash Borer after other efforts to confront the growth of the Gypsy Moth. “The Allegheny National Forest is one our state’s treasures and a key part of the economy in Northwestern Pennsylvania,” Senator Casey said. “The health of the Allegheny National Forest is directly related to the health of Northwestern Pennsylvania’s timber industry and the jobs it supports. I’m urging the Forest Service to tak...