Forbes State Forest
| Forbes State Forest | |
| Pennsylvania state forest | |
 View of the surrounding forest from the Beam Rocks overlook.
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| Country | United States |
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| State | Pennsylvania |
| Counties | Fayette, Somerset, Westmoreland |
| Elevation | 2,717 ft (828.1 m) |
| Coordinates | 40°12′43″N 79°11′52″W / 40.21194°N 79.19778°WCoordinates: 40°12′43″N 79°11′52″W / 40.21194°N 79.19778°W |
| Area | 50,000 acres (20,230 ha) |
| IUCN category | Managed Resource Protected Area (IUCN VI) |
 Location of Forbes State Forest in Pennsylvania
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| Website: Forbes State Forest | |
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 (20,230 ha) 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.
Forbes State Forest was formed as a direct result of the depletion of the forests of Pennsylvania that took place during the mid-to-late 19th century. Conservationists like Dr. Joseph Rothrock became concerned that the forests would not regrow if they were not managed properly. Lumber and iron companies had harvested the old-growth forests for various reasons. They clear cut the forests and left behind nothing but dried tree tops and rotting stumps. The sparks of passing steam locomotives of the Pittsburgh, Westmoreland and Somerset Railroad ignited wildfires that prevented the formation of second growth forests. The conservationists feared that the forest would never regrow if there was not a change in the philosophy of forest management. They called for the state to purchase land from the lumber and iron companies and the lumber and iron companies were more than willing to sell their land since that had depleted the natural resources of the forests. The changes began to take place in 1895 when Dr. Rothrock was appointed the first commissioner of the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters, the forerunner of today's Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The Pennsylvania General Assembly passed a piece of legislation in 1897 that authorized the purchase of "unseated lands for forest reservations." This was the beginning of the State Forest system.
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