History of Parks and Forests
Pennsylvania's Natural Legacy When looking ahead, it is helpful to know from where you came, so let's take a look back at the complex history of our state park and forest system.
William Penn recognized the value of the Pennsylvania forests and in 1681 issued his Charter of Rights, ordering colonists to leave one acre of trees for every five acres of land cleared. Although this was disregarded, the woods remained relatively intact until about 1850.
Much of the American economy in the nineteenth century was based on forest products - demands for lumber were staggering. Early rail needed 80 million crossties a year. Every iron furnace (there were 145 in 1850) needed between 20,000 and 35,000 acres of forest to sustain it. Hemlock bark was the primary source of tannin for the leather industry. Pennsylvania, abundant with hemlock forests, attracted tanneries, which in turn brought sawmills and pulp mills for lumber and paper.
Behind the loggers came uncontrolled wild fires, soil erosion, and flooding, leaving in its wake unbelievable devastation. Pennsylvania's north central region became known as "The Pennsylvania Desert".
Let Protection Begin Spurred by the 1889 flood in Johnstown that took the lives of 2200 people, Governor James Beaver recognized the need for restoring our lands. As timber companies abandoned land, they often failed to pay taxes. As these lands came up for tax sale, the state purchased them for watershed protection.
Joseph Rothrock was appointed the first Commissioner of Forestry in 1895. Rothrock promoted the ideas of conservation, recreation and health. As commissioner, he began purchasing lands for a forest reserve, some of which later became state parks. The lands were used to preserve, protect and propagate forests as well as to protect watersheds. By 1900, 110,000 acres were acquired for the forest system. It was also at this time that the status of the Division of Forestry was raised to the State Department of Forestry.
To reduce the impact of devastating wildfires, Rothrock, and his successor Conklin, worked to establish a forest academy, which later became part of the Pennsylvania State University. Campfire laws were enacted and the first designated camping areas appeared. By managing and containing campfires, forest fires were greatly reduced.
Click HERE to watch a video about the History of PA State Parks.
A New Department
Gifford Pinchot became the governor of Pennsylvania in 1922. Pinchot was well known as the "Father of Conservation" for his work while in the US Forest Service. He worked tirelessly to increase the forest holdings of the state.
The 1930's saw a growing demand for recreation. The PA Parks Association formed to promote land acquisition and outdoor recreation.
Era of the Civilian Conservation Corps
During the time of the Great Depression, Pennsylvania was fortunate to receive assistance in park and forest restoration and development from the Civilian Conservation Corps. CCC workers, or "Roosevelt's Tree Army" as they were called, accomplished much in the Commonwealth. Within one year, PA had 104 CCC camps, 92 of them in state forests and parks, many involved in recreation and infrastructure projects, as well as reforestation, water quality, and flood control. By 1935 Pennsylvania had 113 active CCC camps, second only to California. The CCC era lasted for nine years, ending with the onset of WWII.
Click HERE to watch a video about the CCC era.
Goddard Era
The tenure of Forests and Waters Secretary Maurice K. Goddard, also known as the "Goddard Era (1955 -1970) of State Parks" brought huge changes to the park system. Post WWII saw land being removed for housing, malls, industrial parks, schools, and roads. At the same time, decision makers saw an increased demand for parks and forests due to shorter work weeks, an economic boom, more families with cars, improved roads, paid vacations and increasing populations. It was thought that an open space program could help with the economic and social woes of the Commonwealth. Industry was declining, and the state saw a potential new source of revenue - tourism. Goddard enacted Pennsylvania's open space program and set the goal of one park within 25 miles of every Pennsylvanian. With the determination of a man on a mission, Goddard established 42 parks and 130,000 acres of land during this 15-year period!
Click HERE to watch a video about the Goddard Era of State Parks.
Today
Over a century after the first lands were purchased for the parks and forest reserve system, Pennsylvania has one of largest park systems in the nation, with 117 parks, encompassing 283,000 acres of land. We have one of the most recognized forest systems in the US, consisting of quality hardwood forests. These parks and forests are home to numerous rare plants and endangered species, while also protecting 25,000 miles of streams and rivers.
The next time you stroll along your favorite trail, or paddle a stretch of river, or simply, remember that we all have a role in continuing the legacy of our conservation minded forbearers, so that Pennsylvania can continue to be a great place to live, work and play.
Parks:
1955 - 8 mil visitors...today 35 million visitors
Forest Reserve
1895 - 0 acres...today 2.2 million acres
Sources: History of State Parks by William Forrey, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 1984.
Outdoor Recreation Horizons. PA Department of Forests and Waters, 1970.
Our Priceless Heritage: Pennsylvania State Parks by Dan Cupper, Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission, 1993.
Powerpoint presentation prepared by Joe Frasetta
DCNR Website
State Forest Resource Management Plan
History of the Bureau of Forestry
Outdoor Recreation:
The concept of outdoor recreation as a legitimate use of time is fairly recent. During most of the nation's history, moralists tended to frown on those who employed their leisure time for outdoor play, often viewing it somewhere on the continuum from sinful to frivolous. The notion of leisure time for outdoor recreation was alien - early pioneers were kept alive by an exhausting routine of physical labor from dawn to dusk. Not that recreation as such was a priority - the early settlers had few of the stressors common to modern life. But early settlers spent the entire day raising their own food, doing chores, "maintaining" there lives which really precluded any idle time...unless you were a person of means...This all changed with the Industrial Revolution, which brought an urbanization of citizenry and a population explosion. By 1950, more than half of the American people lived in urban areas. Today, most people work indoors, in jobs that require little to no physical labor. Studies have linked this sedentary lifestyle to a decline in health and a variety of maladies - including the current nationwide obesity epidemic!
In response to the Earth Day Movement, the PA Constitution was amended in 1970 to include and environmental Article - The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic, and aesthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania's public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustees of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the people.
Civilian Conservation Corps
In 2007, the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation honored those members of the Civilian Conservation Corps who served in or called Pennsylvania home. We owe a debt of gratitude to these then-young men who not only reforested our state, they built much of the infrastructure of our state parks - from trails to dams to cabins.
In Pennsylvania, the members of the Civilian Conservation Corps: Planted 50 million trees and built 86 forest fire towers
Built 6,300 miles of roads and trails
Constructed 98 small dams
Controlled disease on over 450,000 acres of trees
Spent 65,000 man-days fighting fires
In addition to the cabins, pavilions and other pieces of infrastructure in our state parks.
PPFF continues to recognize the men of the Civilian Conservation Corps as a regular feature in our newsletter. Follow these links to read more about the CCC.
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/ccc/index.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_Conservation_Corps
http://www.ccclegacy.org/
If you have a CCC story or image you would like to share, send it to Marci Mowery.
"The CCC accomplished a lot of good. It made men out of boys. I never thought our work would last this long. Our daughter's families now rent the cabins at Kooser State Park and enjoy the park the CCC boys built over 60 years ago." - Adolph Semich, CCC member and volunteer
CCC Dam at Greenwood Furnace State Park CCC planting trees in Pennsylvania Former CCC member assisting with Bluebird box construction at Laurel Hill State Park.
