Press Releases

Pennsylvania Students Improve Wildlife Habitat on Allegheny National Forest

Tucked into a narrow valley in the heart of the Allegheny National Forest, Sheffield’s history is steeped in forest use; timber mills and lumber yards long reigned supreme, leaving behind a degraded forest in their wake.  Now local students are putting their heads together and their hands to work, envisioning a different future for their backyard forest.

In the early 1900s, deforestation driven by the growth of eastern cities and intense demand for the Allegheny Plateau’s timber largely eliminated Pennsylvania’s old-growth forest of hemlock and beech.  Sheffield, said to have been home to the largest lumber yard east of the Mississippi, played no small part in the state’s deforestation.  While lumber was shipped by train to meet demands of a growing country, bark from the then-abundant hemlocks provided ideal tannins for turning hides into valuable leather.  The cost was a denuded forest and degraded wildlife habitat on the Plateau.

Now, 75 years since the Allegheny National Forest was established, a new forest of black cherry and other hardwoods has emerged.  Despite the new tree growth, native plants and animals still struggle to flourish. 

Working with the National Wild Turkey Federation and Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, the National Forest Foundation is improving some 5,000 acres of habitat for diverse birds and mammals. Restoration efforts include tree thinning and planting, eradication of invasive species, vernal pond construction and installation of nesting and roosting structures. Additionally, ten stream crossings will be improved with new culverts and bridges, reducing sediment in nearby streams and improving fisheries.

As part of a high-school forestry course, Sheffield students partnered with the National Forest Foundation and the Allegheny National Forest to help with hands-on restoration and learn about the ecology of the forest.  An elective at Sheffield High School, the forestry course combines classroom studies with field exercises, and even challenges students to write a management plan for a five-acre forest. 

During the day in the field with the National Forest Foundation, students helped monitor area streams for sediments and erosion debris, and installed bird and bat boxes to help maintain wildlife diversity.  As teams of students lifted the ten-foot tall, top-heavy bat boxes into place, they joked that they looked like the soldiers at Iwo Jima.  In fact, they too are holding up an American treasure, restoring the Allegheny National Forest to its earlier splendor one bat box at a time.