Pinchot State Forest

Pinchot State Forest
Pennsylvania State Forest
Managed Resource Protected Area (IUCN VI)
Looking southwest from Pine Hill, Pinchot State Forest, Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties
Named for: Gifford Pinchot
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
Counties	Luzerne, Lackawanna
Location
- coordinates	41°34′10″N 75°42′30″W / 41.56944°N 75.70833°W / 41.56944; -75.70833Coordinates: 41°34′10″N 75°42′30″W / 41.56944°N 75.70833°W / 41.56944; -75.70833
- elevation	2,265 ft (690.4 m)
Area	44,743 acres (18,107 ha)
Founded	1902
Managed by	Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Location of Pinchot State Forest in Pennsylvania
Website : Pinchot State Forest

Pinchot State Forest is a Pennsylvania State Forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #11. The main offices are located in Lackawanna State Park in North Abington Township in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania in the United States.

The forest is located on several tracts in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wyoming, Susquehanna, and Wayne counties. The total area is 44,743 acres (18,107 ha).^[1] District #11 also includes Susquehanna, Wayne, and Wyoming counties.

The reorganization of Pennsylvania State Forests that took effect July 1, 2005 added the southern part of Luzerne County to District #11 (it was previously in the defunct Wyoming State Forest). Other aspects of the realignment include moving the District #11 office from Scranton 10 miles (16 km) north to Lackawanna State Park, and the acquisition of a new tract, "Theta Forest" (not included in the description above).

History

Entering the Lackawanna State Forest

Depletion of Natural Resources

Pinchot State Forest was formed in response to the depletion of the forests of Pennsylvania during the mid-to-late 19th century. Conservationists like Dr. Joseph Rothrock feared that the forests would not regrow if they were not managed properly. Lumber and Iron companies had harvested the old-growth forests on a massive scale. They clear cut the forests and left behind nothing but dried tree tops and rotting stumps. The sparks of passing steam locomotives ignited wildfires that prevented the formation of second growth forests. Conservationists feared that the forest would never regrow if there was not a change in the philosophy of forest management. They called for the state to purchase land from the lumber and iron companies and the lumber and iron companies were more than willing to sell their land since that had depleted the natural resources of the forests.^[2]

Legislative Response

A change began in 1895 when Dr. Rothrock was appointed the first commissioner of the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters, the forerunner of today's Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The Pennsylvania General Assembly passed legislation in 1897 that authorized the purchase of "unseated lands for forest reservations." This was the beginning of the State Forest system.^[2] Pinchot State Forest began a few years later, in 1902, with the purchase of 2,854 acres (1,155 ha) of land in Thornhurst Township, Lackawanna County, from William and Catherine McMurtry for $3,567.40. It was originally known as Lackawanna State Forest.

Expansion and Renaming

From 2005 to 2015, the state forest expanded from 7,735 acres (3,130 ha) to the present day acreage of 44,743 acres (18,107 ha). New holdings included 3,183 acres (1,288 ha) in Mocanaqua, the 540-acre (220 ha) Seven Tubs Recreation Area, 862 acres (349 ha) at Deep Hollow, the 1,210-acre (490 ha) Moon Lake State Forest Recreation Area, and 7,683 acres (3,109 ha) on Montage Mountain.^[3] In 2015, Lackawanna State Forest was renamed Pinchot State Forest in honor of Gifford Pinchot.^[4]

Neighboring state forest districts

The U.S. states of New York and New Jersey are to the north and east, respectively

Nearby state parks

Archbald Pothole State Park in Lackawanna County
Lackawanna State Park in Lackawanna County
Prompton State Park in Wayne County
Salt Springs State Park in Susquehanna County
Varden Conservation Area in Wayne County

References

↑ Singleton, David (11 December 2014). "Lackawanna State Forest adds 500 acres". The Times Tribune. Times Shamrock NEPA. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
1 2 "History of the William Penn State Forest". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on 2007-08-23. Retrieved 2007-08-29.
↑ "2016 Management Activity Plan" (PDF). Pinchot State Forest. Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
↑ "Pennsylvania DCNR Renames Lackawanna State Forest District In Honor of Gifford Pinchot". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2016-05-15. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)

"Lackawanna State Forest". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved 2011-03-15.
"DCNR REALIGNING FOREST DISTRICTS". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. June 2005. Archived from the original on March 4, 2014. Retrieved 2006-07-12.
"State Forest Districts". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on 2006-05-15. Retrieved 2006-07-12. Note: Map showing districts after the July 1, 2005 realignment

Protected areas of Pennsylvania

Federal

NPS National Historical Parks & National Historic Sites	Allegheny Portage Railroad NHS Edgar Allan Poe NHS Eisenhower NHS Friendship Hill NHS Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church NHS Hopewell Furnace NHS Independence NHP Steamtown NHS Valley Forge NHP

National Memorials	Benjamin Franklin Flight 93 Johnstown Flood Thaddeus Kosciuszko

National Battlefields and National Military Parks	Fort Necessity NB Gettysburg NMP

National Trails	Appalachian Trail

Other protected areas	Allegheny National Recreation Area Blue Marsh National Recreation Area Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Lackawanna Heritage Valley National and State Heritage Area Middle Delaware National Scenic River Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River

National Forests	Allegheny

USFS National Historic Sites	Grey Towers

National Wildlife Refuges	Cherry Valley Erie John Heinz Ohio River Islands

State

State Parks	Allegheny Islands Archbald Pothole Bald Eagle Beltzville Bendigo Benjamin Rush Big Pocono Big Spring Black Moshannon Blue Knob Boyd Big Tree Buchanan's Birthplace Bucktail Caledonia Canoe Creek Chapman Cherry Springs Clear Creek Codorus Colonel Denning Colton Point Cook Forest Cowans Gap Delaware Canal Denton Hill Elk Erie Bluffs Evansburg Fort Washington Fowlers Hollow Frances Slocum French Creek Gifford Pinchot Gouldsboro Greenwood Furnace Hickory Run Hillman Hills Creek Hyner Run Hyner View Jacobsburg Jennings Joseph E. Ibberson Kettle Creek Keystone Kings Gap Kinzua Bridge Kooser Lackawanna Laurel Hill Laurel Mountain Laurel Ridge Laurel Summit Lehigh Gorge Leonard Harrison Linn Run Little Buffalo Little Pine Locust Lake Lyman Run Marsh Creek Maurice K. Goddard McCalls Dam McConnells Mill Memorial Lake Milton Mont Alto Moraine Mt. Pisgah Nescopeck Neshaminy Nockamixon Nolde Forest Norristown Farm Ohiopyle Oil Creek Ole Bull Parker Dam Patterson Penn-Roosevelt Pine Grove Furnace Poe Paddy Poe Valley Point Presque Isle Prince Gallitzin Promised Land Prompton Prouty Place Pymatuning R. B. Winter Raccoon Creek Ralph Stover Ravensburg Reeds Gap Ricketts Glen Ridley Creek Ryerson Station S. B. Elliott Salt Springs Samuel S. Lewis Sand Bridge Shawnee Shikellamy Sinnemahoning Sizerville Susquehanna Susquehannock Swatara Tobyhanna Trough Creek Tuscarora Tyler Upper Pine Bottom Varden Warriors Path Washington Crossing Whipple Dam White Clay Creek Worlds End Yellow Creek

State Forests	Bald Eagle Buchanan Clear Creek Cornplanter Delaware Elk Forbes Gallitzin Loyalsock Michaux Moshannon Pinchot Rothrock Sproul Susquehannock Tiadaghton Tioga Tuscarora Weiser William Penn (Wild areas)

Scenic Rivers	Bear Run French Creek Lehigh River LeTort Spring Run Lick Run Lower Brandywine Octoraro Creek Pine Creek Schuylkill River Stony Creek Tucquan Creek Tulpehocken Creek Yellow Breeches Creek

Other

Other	Anders Run Natural Area Forrest H. Duttlinger Natural Area Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Hoverter and Sholl Box Huckleberry Natural Area Johnson Run Natural Area Stone Valley Recreation Area Trexler Nature Preserve Wykoff Run Natural Area

Hiking trails	Appalachian Baker Black Forest Central Mountains Shared Use Darlington Eastern Continental Five Star Glacier Ridge Great Eastern Greene River Horse-Shoe Indian Creek Valley Loyalsock Mid State Standing Stone Mason-Dixon North Country Ohio River Old Loggers Path Pinchot Potomac Heritage Quehanna Rachel Carson Sheepskin Susquehannock Thunder Swamp Tuscarora Valley Forge Historical West Rim Wissahickon Youghiogheny River

Rail trails	Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike Beaver River East Coast Greenway Five Star Ghost Town Great Allegheny Passage Great Shamokin Path Greene River Indian Creek Valley Lebanon Valley Lehigh Gorge Liberty Bell Lower Montour Ohio River Palmer Bikeway Panhandle Perkiomen Pine Creek Plainfield Township Schuylkill River Sheepskin Struble Susquehanna Warrior Switchback Three Rivers Heritage York Country Heritage Youghiogheny River

Nature centers	List of nature centers in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

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