Moshannon State Forest
| Moshannon State Forest | |
| Pennsylvania State Forest | |
 Sign for the Moshannon State Forest on Pennsylvania Route 504 in Centre County
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| Country | United States |
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| State | Pennsylvania |
| Counties | Centre, Clearfield, Elk |
| Coordinates | 41°12′30″N 78°34′32″W / 41.20833°N 78.57556°WCoordinates: 41°12′30″N 78°34′32″W / 41.20833°N 78.57556°W |
| IUCN category | Managed Resource Protected Area (IUCN VI) |
 Location Map of Moshannon State Forest Holdings
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 Location of Moshannon State Forest's headquarters in Pennsylvania
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| Website: Moshannon State Forest | |
Moshannon State Forest is a Pennsylvania State Forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #9. The main offices are located in the unincorporated village of Penfield in Huston Township, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania in the United States.
The forest is located chiefly in Centre, Clearfield, and Elk Counties, with small parts of the forest also in Cameron and Clinton Counties.
Moshannon 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. The 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 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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