List of Pennsylvania state forests facts for kids
In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, there are 20 special areas called state forests. These forests are like big natural parks managed by the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry. This group is part of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and their job is to protect these forests and make sure people can enjoy them.
In 2005, some changes were made to the state forests in eastern Pennsylvania. One forest, Wyoming State Forest, was replaced by a new one called Loyalsock State Forest. This helped to better organize and manage these important natural spaces.
Pennsylvania's State Forests: A List
Here's a list of the state forests in Pennsylvania. Each one is a unique place for nature and outdoor fun!
| State Forest Name | County | Area acres (ha) |
Founded | Cool Facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bald Eagle | Centre, Clinton, Mifflin, Union, & Snyder |
194,602 acres (78,750 ha) |
Has 1,781 acres of very old forests! | |
| Buchanan | Bedford, Franklin, & Fulton | 71,683 acres (29,010 ha) | ||
| Clear Creek | Clarion, Forest, Jefferson, Mercer & Venango | 16,716 acres (6,765 ha) | 1919 | Was first called Kittanning State Forest until 2007. |
| Cornplanter | Crawford, Forest, & Warren | 1,585 acres (641 ha) | Named after Seneca Chief Cornplanter. | |
| Delaware | Pike & Monroe |
85,114 acres (34,444 ha) |
||
| Elk | Cameron, Clinton, Elk, McKean, & Potter | 200,000 acres (80,940 ha) | 1900 | |
| Forbes | Fayette, Somerset, & Westmoreland | over 50,000 acres (20,230 ha) | ||
| Gallitzin | Bedford, Cambria, Indiana, & Somerset | 24,370 acres (9,862 ha) | 1916 | |
| Loyalsock | Bradford, Lycoming, & Sullivan | 114,552 acres (46,360 ha) | July 1, 2005 | This forest replaced Wyoming State Forest. |
| Michaux | Adams, Cumberland, & Franklin | over 85,000 acres (34,400 ha) | ||
| Moshannon | Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, & Elk |
190,031 acres (76,903 ha) |
1898 | |
| Pinchot | Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, & Wyoming | 44,743 acres (18,107 ha) | Was called Lackawanna State Forest until 2015. | |
| Rothrock | Centre, Huntingdon, & Mifflin | 215,500 acres (87,210 ha) | ||
| Sproul | Cameron, Centre, Clinton, Lycoming, & Potter | 280,000 acres (113,310 ha) | 1898 | |
| Susquehannock | Clinton, McKean, & Potter |
265,000 acres (107,242 ha) |
||
| Tiadaghton | Clinton, Lycoming, Potter, Tioga, & Union | 215,500 acres (87,210 ha) | ||
| Tioga | Bradford, Lycoming, & Tioga | 160,000 acres (64,750 ha) | 1900 | |
| Tuscarora | Cumberland, Franklin, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin, & Perry | 91,165 acres (36,893 ha) | ||
| Weiser | Carbon, Columbia, Dauphin, Northumberland, & Schuylkill | 17,961 acres (7,269 ha) | ||
| William Penn | Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, & Lancaster | 812 acres (329 ha) | January 1935 | Was called Valley Forge State Forest until August 2007. |
See also
- List of U.S. National Forests
- List of Pennsylvania state agencies
- List of Pennsylvania state forest wild areas
