Nearly 4 million acres of state-managed forest across Pennsylvania would be managed to help bats recover from white-nose syndrome, a disease that has devastated bat populations in 34 states and 7 Canadian provinces, under a proposed conservation plan.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pennsylvania Game Commission and Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will target the federally protected Indiana and northern long-eared bats through habitat management.
Forests managed by the Game Commission and DCNR provide important habitat for bats to forage, roost, raise young, mate and prepare for hibernation.
The agencies have prepared a habitat conservation plan outlining how they will continue to maintain at least 3.5 million acres of various aged forest while managing a portion of the remaining acres through timber harvest and prescribed fire.
According to the plan, basic forest management practices that improve forest health and productivity can also maintain and enhance habitats for bats, as well as other wildlife.
Forest management can ensure that bats have access to dead and dying trees for roosting.
Prescribed fire and thinning of trees can open flight space and increase plant growth that boosts insect numbers for their diets.
Maintaining healthy forests and vegetation along waterways helps keep water clean for drinking and boosts insect populations.
In the plan, the two state agencies estimate that forest management will annually improve habitat for Indiana bats on more than 35,000 acres and for northern long-eared bats on more than 151,000 acres.
Some habitats are used by both species and some do not overlap.
While the conservation plan is expected to provide long-term benefits for bats, the forest management operations have the potential to incidentally kill or injure individual bats, which is prohibited by the Endangered Species Act. The agencies have requested an incidental take permit from the service to cover effects to endangered Indiana bats and threatened northern long-eared bats.
The plan and the service’s environmental assessment are available for public comment through August 21.
Following the public comment period, the agencies will determine if changes need to be made to the documents, and if a permit can be issued.
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Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com.