Sproul State Forest
| Sproul State Forest | |
| Pennsylvania State Forest | |
 View of the West Branch Susquehanna River valley and Sproul State Forest, looking east from Hyner View State Park.
|
|
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Pennsylvania |
| Counties | Centre, Clinton |
| Coordinates | 41°19′40″N 77°44′58″W / 41.32778°N 77.74944°WCoordinates: 41°19′40″N 77°44′58″W / 41.32778°N 77.74944°W |
| Area | 280,000 acres (113,310 ha) |
| Founded | 1898 |
| Management | Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |
| IUCN category | Managed Resource Protected Area (IUCN VI) |
 Location Map of Sproul State Forest Holdings
|
|
 Location of Sproul State Forest's headquarters in Pennsylvania
|
|
| Website: Sproul State Forest | |
Sproul State Forest is a Pennsylvania state forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #10. The main offices are located in Renovo, Pennsylvania in Clinton County in the United States.
The forest is located in western Clinton County and northern Centre County and contains 280,000 acres (113,310 ha) of land. Its forests are part of the Allegheny Highlands forests ecoregion. It was named for former Pennsylvania governor William C. Sproul (in office from 1919 to 1923).
The first land for what became Sproul State Forest was purchased in 1898. This was also the first land purchased by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for what are now the twenty Pennsylvania State Forests, with over two million acres (810,000 ha) of forest.
The Sproul State Forest was named in memory of William C. Sproul, Governor of Pennsylvania from 1919 to 1923. Sproul 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 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.
...
Wikipedia