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Forest Botany Walk at Canoe Creek State Park

When

Wed May 25, 2016    
5:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Where

Canoe Creek State Park Education Center
205 Canoe Creek Rd, Hollidaysburg, PA, 16648

Event Type

For this evening walk, we will go for a non-strenuous hike at Canoe Creek State Park (along the Limestone Trail and spurs) in search of late spring forest plants. Botanist Eric Burkhart (of Penn State University) will discuss such topics as field identification, biology and ecology, and ethnobotany of plants we encounter on the walk. Botanical highlights at this time of year should include abundant flowering yellow lady-slipper orchids and Seneca snakeroot plants. Dr. Eric Burkhart is an ethnobotanist who works with the herbal industry on topics pertaining to husbandry, conservation and supply chain advances surrounding native medicinal forest plants originating from the eastern United States. He holds degrees in Economic Botany (B.A, Idaho State University), Horticulture (M.S., Penn State University), and Forest Resources (Ph.D., Penn State University) and is currently plant science program director for Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center and faculty instructor for the Penn State Ecosystem Science and Management Department. Working with partners such as the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), Eric conducts research on important non-timber forest products (NTFPs) including American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis), and ramps (Allium tricoccum) and offers practical guidance in forest farming of NTFPs through related workshops and publications. His research program in Pennsylvania is focused on developing sustainable wild crop management and production systems through the use of agroforestry and plant husbandry. Meet at Pavilion #2 at 5:30pm to start your botanical experience with Eric Burkhart. Contact Kristin Joivell, field trip coordinator, with any questions at [email protected] or at (814) 386-6267.