Susquehannock State Forest

For the Pennsylvania state park, see Susquehannock State Park.

Susquehannock State Forest
Pennsylvania State Forest
Managed Resource Protected Area (IUCN VI)
Susquehannock State Forest, Potter County, as seen from Little Lyman Vista
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
Counties	Clinton, McKean, Potter
Location
- coordinates
Managed by	Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Location Map of Susquehannock State Forest Holdings
Location of Susquehannock State Forest's headquarters in Pennsylvania
Website : Susquehannock State Forest

Susquehannock State Forest is a Pennsylvania state forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #15. The main office is located in Coudersport in Potter County, Pennsylvania in the United States.

Susquehannock State Forest is located chiefly in Potter County, with small tracts in McKean and Clinton Counties. The forest is named for the Susquehannocks, a Native American tribe who once lived in the Susquehanna River basin.

History

Susquehannock State Forest was formed as a direct result of the depletion of the forests of Pennsylvania that took place during the mid-to-late 19th century. Conservationists like Dr. Joseph Rothrock became concerned that the forests would not regrow if they were not managed properly. Lumber and Iron companies had harvested the old-growth forests for various reasons. 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. The 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. The changes began to take place 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 a piece of legislation in 1897 that authorized the purchase of "unseated lands for forest reservations." This was the beginning of the State Forest system.

Hammersley Wild Area

Main article: Hammersley Wild Area

Hammersley Wild Area is a 30,253-acre (12,243 ha) wild area in the Susquehannock State Forest in Potter and Clinton counties in north-central Pennsylvania in the United States. It is the largest area without a road in Pennsylvania and the state's second largest wild area (the first being Quehanna Wild Area). The wild area is named for Hammersley Fork, a tributary of Kettle Creek, which flows through the area. The wild area includes 10.78 miles (17.35 km) of the Susquehannock Trail System, a 85-mile (137 km) loop hiking trail almost entirely on state forest land.

Nearby state parks

Seven Pennsylvania State Parks are in or near Susquehannock State Forest:

• Cherry Springs State Park
• Denton Hill State Park
• Lyman Run State Park
• Ole Bull State Park
• Patterson State Park
• Prouty Place State Park
• Sizerville State Park

Neighboring state forest districts

The U.S. state of New York is to the north

• Tioga State Forest (east)
• Tiadaghton State Forest (southeast)
• Sproul State Forest (south)
• Elk State Forest (south)
• Cornplanter State Forest (west)

Panoramic view of the forest from Cherry Springs Vista. The level horizon is typical of a dissected plateau, here the Allegheny Plateau

References

• Note: As of July 2006, this web page has not been updated to reflect the Pennsylvania State Forest Districts realignment.
• Note: Map showing districts after the July 1, 2005 realignment