Forbes State Forest
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| Forbes State Forest, Pennsylvania | |
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| IUCN Category VI (Managed Resource Protected Area) | |
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| Location: | Fayette, Somerset, and Westmoreland Counties, PA, USA |
| Nearest city: | Latrobe, Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates: | |
| Area: | over 50,000 acres (over 202 km²) |
| Governing body: | Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |
Forbes State Forest is a Pennsylvania State Forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #4. The main offices are located in Laughlintown in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Mount Davis, the highest peak in Pennsylvania, is located in the forest.
The forest was named in honor of General John Forbes. It includes 20 separate tracts of land and covers over 50,000 acres (over 202 km²) that stretch across Fayette, Somerset, and Westmoreland Counties. The designated forest tracts generally follow one of the area's dominant terrain features, Laurel Ridge, part of the Laurel Highlands. In addition to the state forest lands, District #4 includes Allegheny, Greene, and Washington Counties.
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[edit] Facilities
In order to accommodate visitors, the state has allowed the development of 9 areas within Forbes. This includes 6 State Parks and 3 State Forest Picnic Areas. The remainder of the area is undeveloped except for hiking trails maintained by the state. These are generally closed to vehicles but open to hiking, cross-country skiing, hunting, and fishing. Several portions of what is now designated as part of the Forbes State Forest had previously been either developed or commercially exploited through logging through the early to mid 20th century. These areas have been allowed, and sometimes "encouraged", to return to their natural state.
[edit] Neighboring State Forest Districts
The U.S. states of Maryland and West Virginia are to the south and west, respectively
- Kittanning State Forest (north)
- Gallitzin State Forest (northeast)
- Buchanan State Forest (east)
[edit] Nearby State Parks
- Kooser State Park
- Laurel Hill State Park
- Laurel Mountain State Park
- Laurel Ridge State Park
- Linn Run State Park
- Ohiopyle State Park
[edit] Natural Features
Forbes State Forest includes a number of important natural features and points of interest:
[edit] Roaring Run Natural Area
This 3,070 acre (12.42 km²) tract was acquired by the State of Pennsylvania in 1975. After previous development and logging, this portion of the west slope of Laurel Ridge is currently undergoing reforestation. It is compromised largely of second and third growth mixed mesophytic forest. Roaring Run feeds into Indian Creek, which is a tributary of the Youghiogheny River.
[edit] Mt. Davis Natural Area
Mt. Davis is the highest point in Pennsylvania. The area eventually drains into the Casselman River, a part of the Mississippi River watershed (via the Youghiogheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers). One of the natural attractions of the area is the presence of small concentric stone rings which result from frost heaving in small patches of earth which are softer than the ground surrounding them. Frost causing the patches to be pushed up higher than their surroundings is followed by the effects of natural erosion which results in stones sliding to the bottom of the protrusion and forming ring-like patterns at the base.
[edit] Spruce Flats Wildlife Management Area
The main feature of this 305 acre (1.23 km²) tract is the 28 acre (0.11 km²) Spruce Flats Bog which formed in a natural depression atop Laurel Ridge. The area had previously passed through the successional sequence from open water to (eventually) forest. This process was actually reversed in the early part of the 20th century by a combination of clear-cutting the forest, and fires which burned away much of the forest floor. This resulted in a return to the swamp or bog stage of development, and the area is now slowly proceeding back into the forest stage. The bog currently hosts a large community of cranberry, pitcher plant, sundew, and cotton grass.
[edit] References
- Forbes State Forest. Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved on 2006-07-12. Note: As of July 2006, this web page has not been updated to reflect the Pennsylvania State Forest Districts realignment.
- State Forest Districts. Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved on 2006-07-12. Note: Map showing districts after the July 1, 2005 realignment
