ARM’s Scientist Attends 2015 Rare Plant Forum

Scott Martin, ARM Group Inc.’s Scientist, attended the Rare Plant Forum held at Penn State University. The Rare Plant Forum is a function of the Vascular Plant Technical Committee (VPTC) of the Pennsylvania Biological Survey. The VPTC serves in an advisory role to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for issues related to the conservation of the native flora of Pennsylvania, and determines the status of State plant species. At the Forum, Scott presented 11 recent population observations for Tipularia discolor (Cranefly orchid) in Greene County. The VPTC had requested additional data for this species for western Pennsylvania following his 2014 presentation urging the delisting this species base upon several years of field work in southcentral Pennsylvania. Additionally, Scott provided concurring information for the delisting of Oxidendron arboreum (sourwood tree) as a Pennsylvania Species of Special Concern (SOSC). His documented observations in Fayette and Greene Counties from 2014 through 2015 supported the VPTC-approved delisting of the sourwood tree. A previous presentation in 2014 on Stenanthium gramineum (eastern featherbells), Juncus torreyi (Torrey’s rush), and Aplectrum hymale (puttyroot orchid) resulted in delisting these three species based upon their newfound documented abundance.

Eastern featherbells (Stenanthium gramineum),
State Game Lands 203 Allegheny County, Pennsylvania