Cathedral State Park
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Cathedral State Park is the largest
virgin timber An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...
tract remaining in
West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
. The park features trees of up to 90 feet in height and 16 feet in circumference. Located on about one mile (1.6 km) east of the town of
Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...
and five miles west of Redhouse, Maryland, Cathedral is a mixed forest of predominantly
eastern hemlock ''Tsuga canadensis'', also known as eastern hemlock, eastern hemlock-spruce, or Canadian hemlock, and in the French-speaking regions of Canada as ''pruche du Canada'', is a coniferous tree native to eastern North America. It is the state tree of ...
. Rhine Creek runs through the park. The
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...
has designated the park as a
National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best ...
in 1965.Cathedral State Park web site, access July 22, 2006
/ref> The park is under significant threat from the
hemlock woolly adelgid The hemlock woolly adelgid (; ''Adelges tsugae''), or HWA, is an insect of the order Hemiptera (true bugs) native to East Asia. It feeds by sucking sap from hemlock and spruce trees (''Tsuga'' spp.; ''Picea'' spp.). In its native range, HWA ...
, which has been detected within of the park."Trees last stand: Park may be last place to see uncut hemlock forest in state", ''Charleston Gazette'', December 19, 2004, accessed July 22, 2006.


History

Mr Branson Haas, a workman for the Brookside hotel, purchased the land in 1922 and sold it to the state of West Virginia in 1942. It was included in the
Brookside Historic District The Brookside Historic District of Westford, Massachusetts encompasses surviving elements of the 19th century Brookside mill village, the smallest of the town's three 19th-century industrial villages. Developed between about 1860 and 1904, it ...
. The park was entered in the National Registry for Natural History Landmarks on October 6, 1966. The
Society of American Foresters The Society of American Foresters (SAF) is a professional organization representing the forestry industry in the United States. Its mission statement declares that it seeks to "advance the science, education, and practice of forestry; to enhance t ...
recognized the park in 1983 in its National Natural Areas program. In 2004, the state's largest hemlock tree was felled by lightning. In October 2012, the park suffered extensive damage resulting from snowfall produced by
Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as ''Superstorm Sandy'') was an extremely destructive and strong Atlantic hurricane, as well as the largest Atlantic hurricane on record as measured by diameter, with tropical-storm-force winds spann ...
. Image:Cathedral State Park West Virginia Eastern Hemlock.jpg, An Eastern Hemlock in Cathedral State Park File:Hemlock tree in Cathedral State Park.jpg, Hemlock in Cathedral State Park


Trails


See also

*
List of West Virginia state parks There are 37 state parks in the U.S. state of West Virginia . The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) Parks and Recreation Section is the governing body for all 37 state parks and directly operates all but one of them. In addi ...
*
State park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...
*
List of old growth forests This is a list of existing old-growth (including "virgin") forests, or remnants of forest, of at least . ecoregion information from "Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World". (NB: The terms "old growth" and "virgin" may have various definitions and ...
*
List of National Natural Landmarks The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best ...
* List of National Natural Landmarks in West Virginia


References


External links

* {{authority control State parks of West Virginia Protected areas of Preston County, West Virginia National Natural Landmarks in West Virginia Northwestern Turnpike Protected areas established in 1942 National Register of Historic Places in Preston County, West Virginia Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia IUCN Category III Historic district contributing properties in West Virginia