Forrest H. Duttlinger Natural Area
The Forrest H. Dutlinger Natural Area is a protected area in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, United States that includes a 158-acre (64 ha) old-growth forest of eastern hemlock, American beech, black cherry, sugar maple, and northern red oak. There are also eastern white pines, but a few were selectively logged around 1900. The largest tree is an eastern hemlock, 43 inches (110 cm) diameter at breast height and 112 feet (34 m) tall.
The old-growth forest once lay on the boundary of two lumber companies, the Goodyear and Lackawanna, but was apparently spared because of a dispute over a surveying error.
Forrest Dutlinger was a forester for the state of Pennsylvania from 1909 to 1959, beginning his career at a time of massive clear cutting of forests without any reforestation by the timber companies. Major fires were widespread and common due to most machinery being steam driven; the fires used to boil the water would ignite the surrounding area. Dutlinger also watched helplessly as the Asian chestnut blight killed all the American Chestnut trees in a matter of years. The chestnut was the most common hardwood tree in the forest at the time, and its magnificent lumber and nuts as a food source for wildlife have never been replaced.
See also
References
- Mary Byrd Davis (23 January 2008). "Old Growth in the East: A Survey. Pennsylvania" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-12-29.
- Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. "Forrest H. Duttlinger Natural Area".
Coordinates: 41°28′16″N 77°52′41″W / 41.471°N 77.878°W