New generations, however, would soon leave their mark. The emergence of the conservation movement and forestry programs in the early 20th century brought a shift in how people perceived and treated the forest.
State and federal agencies worked to regenerate the forest by creating reserves, fire lookout towers, tree nurseries, and forestry academies. State foresters and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees spent thousands of hours clearing brush and planting trees to restore Pennsylvania’s forests.
Today, these public lands are used for many purposes, from logging and oil and gas production to recreation.
Our challenge is to balance the many uses of Pennsylvania’s forests and keep them healthy for generations to come. How will the forest look in 50 or 100 years as a result of our choices today? What challenges will future Pennsylvanians face?
