On July 25, representatives of the U.S. Forest Service and the Allegheny National Forest celebrated the addition of the Tionesta Scenic and Research Natural Area in McKean County to the Old-Growth Forest Network.

This is a true old-growth forest with many ancient and impressively large hemlock trees. At four thousand acres, Tionesta contains the largest tract of old-growth forest in Pennsylvania, and the largest between the Adirondacks and Great Smoky Mountains.

Dominant tree species in the areas are eastern hemlock, some more than 400 years old, as well as beech, birch, oak, maple, ash, and black cherry. The large beech trees have mostly succumbed to beech bark disease.

This area is the traditional homelands of numerous indigenous peoples and Nations. These people include the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), and the historic Erie and Susquehannock peoples, many who were incorporated into the great Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

Click Here for more information from the Old-Growth Forest Network.  Click Here to see all the Old-Growth Forest Network sites in Pennsylvania

NewsClips:

-- Warren Times: Allegheny National Forest Addition To Old-Growth Forest Network Announced

-- Manada Conservancy: Kohler Family Farm - A Farm Preserving A Legacy In Dauphin County

-- PASA Sustainable Agriculture: Farmer Climate Story: Thistle Creek Farms, Huntingdon County

-- Williamsport Sun: DCNR Celebrates Induction Of Beartown Woods Natural Area

-- Natural Lands: Regina A. Hairston Joins Natural Lands Board

Related Articles:

-- Open Space Institute Expands Appalachian Landscapes Protection Fund To Support Conservation Of Climate Critical Pennsylvania Forests  [PaEN]

-- Giangiulio Family Partners With Natural Lands To Preserve 113 Acre Farm In Chester County  [PaEN]

-- Western PA Conservancy Protects 110 Acres Of Forestland, Wetlands In French Creek Watershed, Erie County  [PaEN]

-- Help Wanted: Audubon Society Of Western PA Buffalo Creek Watershed Coordinator  [PaEN]

[Posted: July 30, 2022]

8/1/2022