Vol. 34 , No. 2, Fall/Winter 1996 - "Pennsylvania's Natural Resources"



ECOREGIONS OF PENNSYLVANIA

(pp. 3 - 37)


Alan J. Woods

James M. Omernik


Abstract


Ecoregion frameworks are tools for inventorying and assessing environmental resources, for setting resource management goals, and for developing both biological criteria and water quality standards. In this paper, we have refined Pennsylvania's ten level III ecological regions (Omernik, 1987) and divided them into 28 level IV ecoregions. These ecoregions are mapped in Figure 1 and are described and differentiated in the text. The resulting ecoregion framework is methodologically consistent with those developed elsewhere by the U.S. EPA and allows biologists and resource managers to share and compare environmental data across political boundaries.




COAL AS A NATURAL RESOURCE - THE LONG-TERM ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS: A CASE STUDY OF CARBONDALE, PENNSYLVANIA

(pp. 38 -63)


John Uram and John E. Benhart

Department of Geography and Earth Science

Shippensburg University

Shippensburg, Pennsylvania


Abstract


With the increase of industrialization in today's world, coal remains a beneficial and long-term natural resource. Past coal mining activities have proven to be devastating to local environments by polluting and contaminating surface and groundwater resources, degrading air quality, and destroying the natural aesthetic environment. Providing solutions to past and present environmental problems will be essential to ensure future populations a sustainable environment. The purpose of the article is to present a review of the processes involved in the long-term environmental effects of the mining of coal as a natural resource. The study area is centered in the region adjacent to the City of Carbondale, Pennsylvania. Carbondale is situated in the northern fields of the anthracite coal region of northeastern Pennsylvania (Figure 1). 




THE EXPORT-ORIENTATION OF PENNSYLVANIA'S HARDWOOD MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

(pp. 64 - 86)


John E. Bodenman

Department of Geography and Earth Science

Bloomsburg University

Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania


Stephen M. Smith

Department of Agricultural Economics

The Pennsylvania State University

University Park, Pennsylvania


Stephen B. Jones

School of Forest Resources

The Pennsylvania State University

University Park, Pennsylvania


Abstract


There is growing state and local interest in forest-based economic development in Pennsylvania. Given the combination of a favorable growth-todrain ratio and expanding national and international markets for temperate hardwood products, the state of Pennsylvania is hoping to benefit from the location and expansion of hardwood manufacturing establishments. However, little information on the industry's market orientation exists, particularly for individual industry sectors. This paper uses survey data from 248 hardwood manufacturing establishments to examine the export orientation of selected hardwood industry sectors. County and firm characteristics are examined by tobit analysis to determine factors associated with export levels. Over 53 percent of the establishments were primarily out-of-state exporters. Larger size and nonlocal ownership were associated with higher export levels. However, the significance of other factors varied by industry sector. 




UTILIZATION OF WOODY BROWSE BY WHITE-TAILED DEER (Odocoileus virginianus) IN VALLEY FORGE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK

(pp. 87 - 97)


Joanne T. Pomerantz

Green Valleys Association


Joan M. Welch

Department of Geography & Planning

West Chester University

West Chester, Pennsylvania


Abstract


There is recent evidence that white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) alter forest species composition due to excessive browse of woody species in the understory. The research presented here focuses on deer browse of woody species in the forest understory of Valley Forge National Historical Park (VFNHP) to investigate deer preference for species to consume. The results show that deer exhibit a preference for certain species, and they do not browse woody plants indiscriminately.




THE CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM AND RECENT EFFORTS TO CONSERVE SOIL AND WATER RESOURCES IN PENNSYLVANIA

(pp. 98 - 112)


Robert R. McKay

Department of Anthropology, Geography, and Earth Science

Clarion University

Clarion, Pennsylvania


Abstract


This study examines the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in Pennsylvania since its inception in 1985. The major types of conservation practices used in Pennsylvania to meet program guidelines are identified and examined. The study reveals that the program has contributed significantly to the conservation of soil and water resources within the Commonwealth. Program benefits to farmers, businesses and communities are identified and briefly examined. The study focuses on the reasons for significant spatial variation in the program at the county level. On the one hand, the program was found to be of minor importance in many counties. On the other hand, a small number of contiguous counties accounted for a large percentage of land and contracts enrolled in the program. 




GEOMORPHIC FACTORS INFLUENCING VEGETATION PATTERNS ON SOUTH MOUNTAIN, PENNSYLVANIA

(pp. 113 - 134)


Michael E. Bialousz and William Blewett

Department of Geography and Earth Science

Shippensburg University

Shippensburg, Pennsylvania


Abstract


Geomorphic factors influencing vegetation patterns were studied on South Mountain, Pennsylvania using field mapping, cover type and geologic maps, and county soil surveys. The geomorphic factors addressed included soil type, lithology, topographic position, slope aspect and bedrock water-yielding capacity. Data indicate that geomorphology influences vegetation patterns principally by controlling the amount of available substrate moisture present. The general pattern found on South Mountain is a forest of Pinus rigida - Quercus prinus on ridge top areas, a mixed oak forest on side slopes, and a Tsuga canadensis - P. strobus forest in ravines and streamside locations in areas underlain by quartzite. Soils derived from quartzite parent material tend to be coarse textured, dry, and acidic. The aridity stems in part from the low water-yielding capacity of quartzite bedrock. These factors all combine to produce an overall xeric forest cover type. Difference in topographic position among ridge tops, side slopes, and ravines produce drainage differences resulting in the unique forest types found in these locations. Areas underlain by metavolcanics of the Catoctin Formation exhibit a mixed oak forest on ridges and side slopes due largely to finer soil textures and higher available substrate moisture. Locally rare communities, such as northern hardwood forests and P. rigida - Q. ilicifolia barrens, also correlate with the geomorphic factors examined. 




THE ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE ITALIAN COMMUNITY IN PATTON, PENNSYLVANIA

(pp. 134 - 149)


Stefano Luconi

Department of History

University of Florence

Florence, Italy


Abstract


This paper examines the Italian community of Patton, Pennsylvania between 1900 and 1920, the peak years of the Italian immigration to the United States. In that period, working-class immigrants made up the bulk of Patton's Italian colony. Despite the departure of the earliest settlers who had been employed in railroad construction, the community grew progressively following the influx of coal miners and clay workers and consolidated by 1920, when most Italians regarded their immigration as being permanent.



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