Pennsylvania’s Michaux State Forest covers more than 85,000 acres and is referred to as the state’s ”cradle of forestry.” We helped expand Michaux State Forest by 3,600 acres with the purchase and transfer of two important properties in August 2015.

The first property, Tree Farm #1, abuts Strawberry Hill Nature Preserve, serves as a buffer to the popular Appalachian Trail corridor and lies within the viewshed of Gettysburg National Military Park. This 2,500-acre parcel of land is also situated near headwaters that provide much of western Adams County’s water supply and its protection will help provide clean air and water to area residents. Increased opportunities for hunting, fishing, biking, hiking, wildlife viewing and other forms of recreation, combined with on-site sustainable forest management by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (PA DCNR), will provide a long-term boost to the regional economy.

The Tree Farm #1 property was likely to have been developed if it weren’t for the support of the local community and a group of conservation partners that included TCF.

The Threat of Development

Located less than 90 miles from Washington, D.C., Tree Farm #1 provides Adams County residents with clean water and access to a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities. But when the property was put on the market in late 2007, strong interest from potential buyers led to concern that it would sell quickly and be developed. Zoning requirements would have allowed for the construction of approximately 500 homes on the land.

The potential loss of forestland for source-water protection, and the likely high cost of having to provide services for development on site, alarmed officials from Hamiltonban Township and neighboring municipalities. Many also felt that the property’s watershed, plant and animal habitat, and recreational value made it unsuitable for development.

Our Efforts

When this land was listed for sale, concerned residents and local organizations needed to act quickly in order to protect it. That’s when TCF stepped in, providing critical bridge financing to purchase the land and holding it until financing became available.

Our efforts began in March 2008, when we bought Tree Farm #1 from Glatfelter Pulp Wood Company. For years, the parcel had been Glatfelter’s flagship property among its thousands of acres of land holdings in the Mid-Atlantic region. We transferred the property to the PA DCNR for incorporation into Michaux State Forest in 2010.

2015 Addition of Eagle Rock

In the summer of 2015, TCF and the PA DCNR worked together to acquire and add the 1,100-acre property previously known as Eagle Rock to Michaux State Forest. It will be managed long-term for timber as part of the agency’s State Forest Resource Management Plan. The PA DCNR plans to seek certification for the property by the Forest Stewardship Council and, by maintaining the working-forest quality of the land, will support Franklin County’s timber industry and more than 1,000 timber jobs. The property, which contains existing trails that link directly to the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, will be open for public recreational access. It also protects tributaries of the Conococheague Creek and serves as an important natural forest buffer to the Guilford Water Authority, which supplies drinking water to southern Franklin County.

The Partners

Tree Farm #1

Conservation of this land was made possible because of a two-year partnership involving federal, state and local governments as well as private organizations and Adams County residents. The PA DCNR’s Bureau of Forestry managed and patrolled the site throughout TCF’s interim ownership. Former Senator Arlen Specter, Senator Bob Casey and former Representative Todd Platts supported this project in Congress and secured $3.5 million through the federal Forest Legacy program. The commonwealth contributed $4 million through its Growing Greener program and the Pittsburgh-based Richard King Mellon Foundation provided an additional $2 million. Adams County provided $3.7 million from a bond initiative passed with overwhelming local support to fund land and water conservation projects. Finally, contributions from local municipalities and private donations secured by the Land Conservancy of Adams County and The Nature Conservancy totaled more than $130,000.

Eagle Rock

The Eagle Rock addition was made possible by $1.5 million in federal funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund through the Forest Legacy program, a $1.5 million grant from PA DCNR’s Community Conservation Partnerships program, $679,000 from a PA DCNR fund intended for the acquisition of new state forest lands and local funding from Greene Township and Franklin County.