Allegheny National Forest
| Allegheny National Forest | |
|---|---|
|
IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources)
|
|
Mead Run in the Allegheny National Forest
|
|
 |
|
| Location | Warren, McKean, Forest, and Elk counties, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Nearest city | Warren, PA |
| Coordinates | 41°39′11″N 79°2′5″W / 41.65306°N 79.03472°WCoordinates: 41°39′11″N 79°2′5″W / 41.65306°N 79.03472°W |
| Area | 513,175 acres (2,076.75 km2) |
| Established | September 24, 1923 |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
| Website | Allegheny National Forest |
The Allegheny National Forest is a National Forest located in northwestern Pennsylvania. The forest covers 513,175 acres (801.8 sq mi; 2,076.7 km2) of land. Within the forest is Kinzua Dam, which impounds the Allegheny River to form Allegheny Reservoir. The administrative headquarters for the Allegheny National Forest is located in Warren. The Allegheny National Forest has two ranger stations, one in Marienville, Forest County, and the other in Bradford, McKean County.
The Allegheny National Forest lies in the heart of Pennsylvania's oil and gas region. It is only 40 miles (64 km) from the site of the first commercial oil well in the United States at Titusville, Pennsylvania. In 1981, about 17 percent of the state's total crude oil production came from mineral rights owned by private individuals within the Forest boundary.
Oil and natural gas are being extracted from some parts of the forest.
Today the Allegheny Plateau is known for black cherry, maple and other hardwoods, but two hundred years ago these species were less numerous. Today's forest is largely the result of two things: the exploitation of timber at the turn of the 20th century and being managed by the Forest Service since 1923.
In the 18th century, the forest in northwest Pennsylvania was mostly Eastern Hemlock and American beech. Sugar maple, birch, chestnut, white pine, white oak and red maple were also common. White pine occurred in the original forest in relatively small, well-defined areas where it was typically accompanied by chestnut and to a lesser degree oak.Black cherry accounted for less than one percent of all trees on the Plateau. This old-growth forest contained rich, vibrant biodiversity, and was characterized by large trees, fallen logs, and a multi-layered forest canopy. Predation by the native wolf (Canis lupus) and cougar (Puma concolor) kept deer populations at naturally regulated low levels, estimated at ten deer per square mile. The understory vegetation was dense and richly diverse.
...
Wikipedia