Rooted in Stewardship: The William Penn Forest District with Rick Hartlieb

“We’re building a quilt. I call it a quilt of state forest land.”

Our host, Marci Mowery, chats with Rick Hartlieb, who is the district forester for the William Penn Forest District, covering nine counties across southeastern Pennsylvania. When he arrived in 2008, the district managed 902 acres. Today, that figure stands near 3,000, the result of patient land acquisition that Rick describes as building a “quilt” of public forest in one of the Commonwealth’s most urbanized regions.

The district’s existing holdings are ecologically distinct and historically layered.

Goat Hill Wild Plant Sanctuary, on the Mason-Dixon line in Chester County, protects a serpentine barren ecosystem with globally rare plants and lepidopterous insects found nowhere else.

Little Tinicum Island, Pennsylvania’s only tidal state forest land, shifts between 80 and 200 acres with the tide, carrying history from its role as one of the Delaware River’s earliest colonial ports, where ships staged offshore before passengers were permitted ashore, through a World War II dredging operation that reshaped its shoreline.

Newer acquisitions, such as the Wertz Tract, Gibraltar Hill, Buck Hollow, and Mullan Hollow along the Horseshoe Trail, continue expanding what the district can offer.

Sustaining these places requires year-round vigilance. Rick’s team treats 220 ash trees across five sites on a three-year rotation, the only living ash remaining in the surrounding counties. Hemlock woolly adelgid, beech leaf disease, stiltgrass, and development pressure fill the rest of the calendar.

The Highlands Conservation Act has funded roughly half of the district’s acquisitions. Volunteer groups, cycling clubs, and a friends organization at Goat Hill take care of much of the rest.

What animates Rick most is a legacy question. That is, how to set up forest land close enough for a King of Prussia resident to reach in thirty minutes, built to outlast any single manager who comes after.

Key Topics:

Goat Hill Wild Plant Sanctuary and the Serpentine Barren (3:28)
Little Tinicum Island: Tides, History, and Big Ships (6:21)
The Wertz and Gibraltar Hill Tracts (10:12)
History in the Landscape: James Wilson and the Lenape (16:16)
Managing Invasive Species and Tree Disease (18:31)
Accessible Trails and the Upcoming Delmont Tract (23:49)
Community Partners, Volunteers, and the Green Gym (26:20)
The Future of the District (27:59)
What Rick Hopes Visitors Know About This Work (31:36)
Best Places to Visit in the William Penn Forest District (37:14)

Resources:

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The Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation inspires stewardship of YOUR state parks and forests through volunteerism, education, recreation, and philanthropy.

Rooted in Stewardship: The William Penn Forest District with Rick Hartlieb

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Rooted in Stewardship: The William Penn Forest District with Rick Hartlieb