Tiadaghton State Forest

Tiadaghton State Forest
Pennsylvania State Forest
Managed Resource Protected Area (IUCN VI)
Tiadaghton State Forest: White Deer Hole Creek near the Fourth Gap of South White Deer Ridge, Washington Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania
Named for: Tiadaghton, an Iroquois name for Pine Creek
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
Counties Clinton, Lycoming, Potter, Tioga, Union
Location
 - coordinates 41°09′40″N 77°02′21″W / 41.16111°N 77.03917°W / 41.16111; -77.03917Coordinates: 41°09′40″N 77°02′21″W / 41.16111°N 77.03917°W / 41.16111; -77.03917
 - elevation 1,493 ft (455.1 m)
Area 215,500 acres (87,210 ha)
Managed by Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Tiadaghton State Forest
Location of Tiadaghton State Forest's headquarters in Pennsylvania
Website : Tiadaghton State Forest

Tiadaghton State Forest is a Pennsylvania State Forest in the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #12. The forest is chiefly in western and southern Lycoming County, with small portions in Clinton, Potter, Tioga, and Union Counties.

As of July 1, 2005 the state forest lands in eastern Lycoming County, which had been part of Tiadaghton State Forest, became part of the new Loyalsock State Forest. The main office for district #12 is in South Williamsport, in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in the United States. There are plans to move it to the Pine Creek valley, perhaps to the village of Waterville. Tiadaghton is the Iroquois name for Pine Creek, but its meaning is unknown.

History

As the timber was exhausted and the land burned, many companies simply abandoned their holdings.[1] Conservationists like Dr. Joseph Rothrock became concerned that the forests would not regrow if they were not managed properly. They called for the state to purchase land from the lumber companies and for a change in the philosophy of forest management. In 1895 Rothrock was appointed the first commissioner of the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters, the forerunner of today's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. In 1897 the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed legislation which authorized the purchase of "unseated lands for forest reservations" and the first Pennsylvania state forest lands were acquired the following year.[2]

On July 13, 1898, the state bought a 409-acre (166 ha) tract of land in Cummings Township for $72.99 ($2080 in 2016 terms).[3] This was the first purchase for what became Tiadaghton State Forest, which surrounds the park. The state forest grew to 66,000 acres (27,000 ha) by 1908, and over 160,000 acres (65,000 ha) in 1933.[4] Most of the major purchases for it were made between 1900 and 1935.[5]

2005 Realignment

Prior to the July 1, 2005 realignment of Pennsylvania State Forest Districts, Tiadaghton State Forest included all state forest lands in Lycoming County and encompassed 215,500 acres (87,210 ha). After realignment, the state forest tracts in eastern Lycoming County became part of the new Loyalsock State Forest. The District #12 office will also move from South Williamsport to Waterville, at the confluence of Little Pine Creek and Pine Creek, where the largest part of the forest is now located. The southern tracts are along Bald Eagle Mountain, North White Deer Ridge, South White Deer Ridge, and the White Deer Hole Creek watershed.

As of 2009, the Tiadaghton State Forest covered 146,500 acres (59,300 ha), chiefly in Lycoming County with small tracts in Clinton, Potter, Tioga, and Union Counties. The largest section of the state forest consists of 105,000 acres (42,000 ha) in the Pine Creek valley.[5]

Other attractions

Hiking

Natural areas

The southern tract of Tiadaghton State Forest runs along White South Deer Ridge

Wild Areas

Nearby state parks

Neighboring state forest districts

References

  1. ↑ Owlett, Steven E. (1993). "The Death of a Forest". Seasons Along The Tiadaghton: An Environmental History of the Pine Creek Gorge (1st ed.). Petaluma, California: Interprint. pp. 53–62. ISBN 0-9635905-0-2.
  2. ↑ "History of the William Penn State Forest". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on 2007-08-23. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Consumer Price Index (Estimate) 1800-2008". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. 2009. Retrieved February 25, 2009.
  4. ↑ Thorpe, R.R. (1997). The Crown Jewel of Pennsylvania: The State Forest System. Pennsylvania Forestry Association, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the U.S. Forest Service. pp. 68–70. OCLC 37033507.
  5. 1 2 A Public Use Map for Tiadaghton State Forest (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry. June 2009. Note: This is a map on one side, with a guide to the state forest and its resources on the other side
  6. ↑ Mary Byrd Davis (23 January 2008). "Old Growth in the East: A Survey. Pennsylvania" (PDF).
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