Pinchot State Forest is a Pennsylvania State Forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #11. The main offices are located in

Lackawanna State Park Lackawanna State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Benton and North Abington Townships, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Lake Lackawanna, a man-made lake, is the central focus of recreation at the park. Lackawanna Sta ...

in North Abington Township in

Lackawanna County Lackawanna County (; unm, Lèkaohane) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania and had a population of 215,896 as of the 2020 census. Its county seat and largest city is Scranton. The county ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The forest is located on several tracts in Lackawanna, Luzerne,

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

, Susquehanna, and Wayne counties. , the total area is . The reorganization of Pennsylvania State Forests that took effect , added the southern part of Luzerne County to District #11 (it was previously in the defunct

Wyoming State Forest Wyoming State Forest was the name of the Pennsylvania State Forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #20. As of July 1, 2005, a reorganization of Pennsylvania State Forests in eastern Pennsylvania resulted in the elimination of the na ...

). Other aspects of the realignment include moving the District #11 office from

Scranton Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 U.S. census, Scranton is the largest city in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Wyoming V ...

north to Lackawanna State Park, and the acquisition of a new tract, "Theta Forest" (not included in the description above).

History

Depletion of Natural Resources

Pinchot State Forest was formed in response to the depletion of the forests of Pennsylvania during the mid-to-late 19th century. Conservationists like Dr.

Joseph Rothrock Joseph Trimble Rothrock (April 9, 1839 – June 2, 1922) was an American environmentalist, recognized as the "Father of Forestry" in Pennsylvania. In 1895, Rothrock was appointed the first forestry commissioner to lead the newly formed Division o ...

feared that the forests would not regrow if they were not managed properly. Lumber and Iron companies had harvested the old-growth forests on a massive scale. They clear cut the forests and left behind nothing but dried tree tops and rotting stumps. The sparks of passing

steam locomotives A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

ignited

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identi ...

s that prevented the formation of

second growth forest A secondary forest (or second-growth forest) is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a timber harvest or clearing for agriculture, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident. I ...

s. 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.

Legislative Response

A change began 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 Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), established on July 1, 1995, is the agency in the U.S. State of Pennsylvania responsible for maintaining and preserving the state's 124 state parks and 20 state forests; ...

. The Pennsylvania General Assembly passed legislation in 1897 that authorized the purchase of "unseated lands for forest reservations." This was the beginning of the State Forest system. Pinchot State Forest began a few years later, in 1902, with the purchase of of land in Thornhurst Township, Lackawanna County, from William and Catherine McMurtry for $3,567.40. It was originally known as Lackawanna State Forest.

Expansion and Renaming

Since 2005, the state forest has expanded from to . Added tracts include in Mocanaqua, the

Seven Tubs Recreation Area Seven Tubs Recreation Area is a publicly accessible recreation area located in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, and owned by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Continuously flowing glacial meltwater gouged a line of sm ...

, at Deep Hollow, the

Moon Lake State Forest Recreation Area Moon Lake State Forest Recreation Area is a , recreation area within Pinchot State Forest in Plymouth Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. It is open for mountain biking, hiking, fishing, bird watching, and nature study. The recreation area co ...

, on Montage Mountain, and in the Thornhurst section in Lackawanna County. In 2015, Lackawanna State Forest was renamed Pinchot State Forest in honor of

Gifford Pinchot Gifford Pinchot (August 11, 1865October 4, 1946) was an American forester and politician. He served as the fourth chief of the U.S. Division of Forestry, as the first head of the United States Forest Service, and as the 28th governor of Pennsy ...

Gallery

A view of Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties from Pine Hill (in Pinchot State Forest): File:Pine Hill (Revisited) (2) (9449538588).jpg File:Pine Hill (Revisited) (1) (9446749969).jpg File:Pine Hill (Revisited) (3) (9449525666).jpg File:Flickr - Nicholas T - Pine Hill Vista (Revisited) (4).jpg File:Flickr - Nicholas T - Pine Hill Vista (Revisited) (3).jpg File:Flickr - Nicholas T - Pine Hill Vista (Revisited) (5).jpg

Neighboring state forest districts

The

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

s of New York and

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

are to the north and east, respectively *

Delaware State Forest Delaware State Forest is a Pennsylvania state forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #19. The main offices are located in Swiftwater in Monroe County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The forest is in several tracts in Monroe a ...

(southeast) *

Weiser State Forest Weiser State Forest is a Pennsylvania State Forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #18. The main offices are located in Cressona in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The forest is located on several small tra ...

(south) *

Loyalsock State Forest Loyalsock State Forest is a Pennsylvania state forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #20. The forest spans across the northern tier's "Endless Mountains" and is a total of . The Loyalsock is a “working forest” and is managed for ...

(west)

Nearby state parks

Archbald Pothole State Park Archbald Pothole State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Archbald, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. The focal point of the park is Archbald Pothole. The pothole is a remnant of the Wisconsin Glacial Period, deep with a largest diameter o ...

in Lackawanna County *

Prompton State Park Prompton State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Clinton and Dyberry Townships, Wayne County, Pennsylvania in the United States. This park, which was established in 1962, is officially listed by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservati ...

in Wayne County *

Salt Springs State Park Salt Springs State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Franklin Township, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The park is home to massive hemlock trees that are over 500 years old and are among the largest trees in all of P ...

in Susquehanna County *

Varden Conservation Area Varden Conservation Area is a Pennsylvania state park on in Lake and South Canaan Townships, Wayne County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The conservation area is currently under development. The land was donated to the Commonwealth of Pen ...

in Wayne County

References

* * * ''Note: Map showing districts after the July 1, 2005 realignment'' {{Authority control Pennsylvania state forests Protected areas of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania Protected areas of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Protected areas of Wayne County, Pennsylvania Protected areas of Wyoming County, Pennsylvania Protected areas of Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania Protected areas established in 1902 1902 establishments in Pennsylvania