National and State Parks - Recreational Areas
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Michaux State Forest
State Park Information
State Park Overview
Trails
The Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail is a continuous, marked footpath extending along the crest of the Appalachian Mountain range for more than 2,100 miles from Mt. Katahdin in central Maine, south to Springer Mountain in Georgia, traversing 14 states along the way.
The Trail stretches diagonally across eastern Pennsylvania covering a distance of 228.8 miles. Forty-five of these miles are located on state forest lands. About 39 miles are on the Michaux State Forest located just north of the Maryland state line. The remaining six miles are divided between the Weiser and Delaware State Forests. The Trail is marked by either two different signs. One is a white rectangular paint blazes two inches wide by six inches high, usually on trees. The second is a diamond-shaped metal marker with the Trail Monogram on it.
On state forest lands the Appalachian Trail is contained within a buffer zone where timber harvesting is restricted to the removal of hazardous trees that pose as a risk to public safety. Outside the buffer zone, various types of cutting practices are used to provide a continuous supply of wood products and to enhance the quality of various wildlife habitats. The hiker who ventures off the main trail may have the opportunity to see various states of forest progression and encounter a wider diversity of both plants and animals.
History of the Area
The Michaux State Forest is located in Adams, Cumberland and Franklin counties. It is named in honor of Andre Michaux - French botanist, dispatched by the King and Queen of France in 1785 to gather plants for the Royal Gardens. He and his son Francois Andre Michaux are noted for discovering and identifying a host of flowers, shrubs and trees.
From the mid-eighteenth century to the early twentieth century, the lands that are now the Michaux State Forest were owned by large iron companies. Iron furnaces processed iron ore, dug from open pits, into "pig iron", which was forged into iron tools, stoves, kettles and
a variety of other implements. The largest iron furnaces were located at Caledonia, Mont Alto and Pine Grove Furnace. Cannon balls made from these furnaces were used during the Revolutionary War. The iron companies needed large land holdings from which to cut wood that was converted to charcoal and used to fuel the iron furnaces. The iron industry disappeared in this area when it could no longer compete with new technology and richer ore deposits found to the west.
The Michaux State Forest can boast many firsts in forestry in Pennsylvania. The first forest tree nursery was established in Mont Alto in 1902, the first wooden fire tower in established in 1905 and the first steel fire tower in 1914. In 1903, the Pennsylvania State Forest Academy was established at Mont Alto. It was the first of its kind in the state and only the second in the nation to train professional foresters. Prior to this, foresters went to Europe for training.
Today, the Michaux State Forest, comprising more than 85,000 acres, is managed for a variety of uses that benefit not only the citizens of Pennsylvania, but also the nation and the world. A variety of wood products are produced from the timber resources providing for the needs of millions of people as well as aiding the local economy.
Potable water may be the Michauxs most valuable resource. Numerous local communities depend on its pure water for their municipal water supplies.