The state Bureau of Forestry office which has been in North Manheim Township, near Cressona, for more than 40 years will soon be moving to a new facility in Aristes, Columbia County.
But one of its service foresters will be staying in Schuylkill County, Frank P. Snyder, Orwigsburg.
"I cover Schuylkill and Carbon counties. And it wouldn't make sense to have a service forester working in those counties with an office in another county," Snyder, 62, said Thursday.
Snyder recently moved to his new office at the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Locust Valley Fire Control Station at 465 Tuscarora Park Road, which is state Route 1015, in Barnesville.
Meanwhile, the employees at the Bureau of Forestry District 18 office at 141 Gordon Nagle Trail will be moving to their new headquarters in August. It's a mile north of the Schuylkill County border on the north end of Aristes in Columbia County just off Route 42.
"I think if they get the furniture up there by the end of July, they can move in August," Snyder said.
According to Snyder, employees from the Cressona office who move to the office in Aristes include: Mike Mazur, assistant district forester; Robert Kurilla, assistant district forester; Lisa LaSalle, administrative assistant; Hope Morgan, secretary; Nick Zulli, a management forester; Dave Warfel, equipment operator; Frank Mertz, maintenance supervisor; John Kutz, equipment operator; Carey McCauley, a maintenance repairman; and Brian Price, forest ranger.
Snyder has been working at the Bureau of Forestry District 18 office at 141 Gordon Nagle Trail since 1974. When the new office in Aristes was under construction last year, Snyder thought his office would be moving to there too.
But Mark W. Deibler, the district forester at the Weiser Forest District, decided Snyder should stay in Schuylkill County.
Snyder said his office in Barnesville and the new office in Aristes will offer different services.
"People should contact the District 18 office in Aristes if they have questions about camping on state forest land, if they want to request permits for camping, firewood, canoes or kayak, or if they have an issue that pertains to state forest land, land that's owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania," Snyder said.
"They can contact me if they would like help with caring for their forest or their trees, if they have concerns that pertain to the forest on private lands or if they have questions on timber harvesting or they're looking for a timber harvester," Snyder said.
In a related matter, Deibler will retire July 12, Snyder said. Snyder wasn't sure when the position would be filled.
"The Harrisburg office will be filling that position. A position has to be vacant before they would consider doing interviews," Snyder said.
"It will be a big loss for the bureau. Mark ranks right up there with experience and years of service. It's a civil service position. The position will be posted. With the new facility ready to go, I don't think they're going to wait too long," Terry Brady, the deputy press secretary with DCNR's Bureau of Forestry, Harrisburg, said Friday.
DCNR's Bureau of Forestry has 20 district offices across the state, according to its website at dcnr.state.pa.us.
The Weiser State Forest District, which is District 18, encompasses Dauphin, Carbon, Columbia, Lebanon, Montour, Northumberland and Schuylkill counties. It has more than 28,000 acres of state forest land on 14 tracts in Dauphin, Berks, Carbon, Columbia, Northumberland and Schuylkill counties, according to the website.