Michaux State Forest
| Michaux State Forest | |
| Pennsylvania State Forest | |
 A lake in Michaux State Forest
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| Named for: André Michaux | |
| Country | United States |
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| State | Pennsylvania |
| Counties | Adams, Cumberland, Franklin, York |
| Coordinates | 39°54′43″N 77°33′49″W / 39.91194°N 77.56361°WCoordinates: 39°54′43″N 77°33′49″W / 39.91194°N 77.56361°W |
| Area | 85,000 acres (34,400 ha) |
| IUCN category | Managed Resource Protected Area (IUCN VI) |
 Location of Michaux State Forest in Pennsylvania
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| Website: Michaux State Forest | |
Michaux State Forest is a Pennsylvania State Forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #1. The main offices are located in Fayetteville in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, USA.
The Michaux State Forest is in several tracts covering more than 85,000 acres (34,400 ha) located in Adams County, southern Cumberland County, eastern Franklin County, and northwestern York County.
Michaux State Forest is named for André Michaux, a French botanist. He was dispatched in 1785 by King Louis XVI of France and his Queen Marie Antoinette to gather plants for the Royal Gardens.
Michaux 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 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 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 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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