Savoy, Mountain State Forest is a

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

state forest A state forest or national forest is a forest that is administered or protected by some agency of a sovereign or federated state, or territory. Background The precise application of the terms vary by jurisdiction. For example: * In Australia, a ...

located primarily in the

towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

of Savoy and

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, with portions extending into neighboring Adams and North Adams. Situated along the Hoosac Mountain Range, it features four ponds (North, South, Bog, and Burnett), and seven hill and

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...

summits, including Lewis Hill (2177 ft), Flat Rock Hill (2195 ft), Spruce Hill (2566 ft), and

Borden Mountain Borden Mountain is located in the Savoy Mountain State Forest in Savoy, Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writ ...

(2505 ft). Also within the forest are at least two notable

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in severa ...

s, Parker Brook Falls and Tannery Falls, the latter of which is a drop. The forest is managed by the

Department of Conservation and Recreation The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, situated in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. It is best known for its parks and parkways. The DCR's mission is ...

History

Savoy, Mountain State Forest was created when the state purchased of abandoned farmland in 1918. Much of the land was reforested with

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

and

blue spruce The blue spruce (''Picea pungens''), also commonly known as green spruce, Colorado spruce, or Colorado blue spruce, is a species of spruce tree. It is native to North America, and is found in USDA growing zones 1 through 7. It is found naturall ...

by the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

in the 1930s. The CCC also built concrete

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

s at Bog, Burnett and Tannery ponds, replacing older dams. A total of of

old growth forest 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 feature ...

have been identified in the state forest near the Cold River and Tannery Falls. Trees in the old growth include

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 ...

red spruce ''Picea rubens'', commonly known as red spruce, is a species of spruce native to eastern North America, ranging from eastern Quebec and Nova Scotia, west to the Adirondack Mountains and south through New England along the Appalachians to western ...

yellow birch ''Betula alleghaniensis'', the yellow birch, golden birch, or swamp birch, is a large tree and an important lumber species of birch native to northeastern North America. Its vernacular names refer to the golden color of the tree's bark. In the pa ...

, and

sugar maple ''Acer saccharum'', the sugar maple, is a species of flowering plant in the soapberry and lychee family Sapindaceae. It is native to the hardwood forests of eastern Canada and eastern United States. Sugar maple is best known for being the prim ...

. They range from 150 to 400 years in age.

Activities and amenities

*Ponds: North Pond and South Pond offer swimming, showers, restrooms, picnicking, and a boat ramp for non-motorized boating. Bog Pond also has a canoe launch. *Camping: The forest has 45 campsites and four log cabins available for rental. *Trails: Trails are available for hiking, mountain biking, birding, and cross-country skiing. *The forest also has interpretive programs, fishing, and restricted hunting.

References

External links

Savoy Mountain State Forest
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Savoy Mountain State Forest Map
Department of Conservation and Recreation {{Authority control Massachusetts state forests Civilian Conservation Corps in Massachusetts Parks in Berkshire County, Massachusetts Campgrounds in Massachusetts Florida, Massachusetts Savoy, Massachusetts Old-growth forests Protected areas established in 1918 1918 establishments in Massachusetts