Special places in state forests

(Tom Power is conservation committee chairman for the Pa. Chapter of the Sierra Club).

Our state forest "wild areas" are special places. Three of them are located in the northcentral part of the state: Quehanna (48,000 acres), Hammersley (30,000) and the 17,000-acre "old growth area" proposed for District Forest.

However, don't let the designation fool you. These areas are still subject to commercial timber harvesting and other extractive uses, such as oil and gas drilling.

The Pa. Forestry Bureau should eliminate such activities in wild areas. It should instead preserve these relatively large tracts for the creation of oldgrowth forests, which will benefit wildlife, water quality, camping, hiking, hunting, and fishing.

In fact, if Pennsylvania is to experience old forests for scientific, educational, recreational and environmental purposes, action is required to create even more of them.

Research has proven that in order to preserve habitat for the majority of current communities of forest species, protected areas need to be in the order of thousands of acres.

Silviculture practices have to be modified, inventories conducted, forest fragmentation minimized with land purchases, and motorized recreation curtailed.

Forest preserves should be established immediately, before second and third cuttings forfeit more biodiversity potential.

We simply cannot "manage" lands for complete natural conditions and processes; only nature, and time, will allow both plant and animal communities to thrive and adapt to an everchanging environment of a naturally dynamic forest.

Water flowing out of these areas will be of high quality, providing a reserve for future downstream users. Currently, there are 35 municipal water systems in Pennsylvania that have watersheds in state forest lands.

Recreational potential of these wild areas is vast. Pennsylvania could become a leader in providing lowimpact recreational opportunities. We welcome your support for sensible longterm management of state forest lands.