Forest Connection
Among questions raised by conservationists is what forests looked like throughout their lifetimes and before human intervention.
McConnells Mill State Park formed thousands of years ago when glacial lakes drained, allowing trees and plants to grow.
While natural and man-made disturbances have changed the woods over the years, some of the trees within are more than 250 years old, remaining well-cared-for and healthy, due to preservation efforts over the years.
“It wasn't something that just happened overnight,” said Dustin Drew, park manager of McConnells Mill. “It was the work of many, and it really turned out to be this spectacular park.”
On Monday, McConnells Mill in Lawrence County joined 119 other forests in 24 states by being inducted into the Old-Growth Forest Network, a nonprofit conservation agency based in Easton, Md.
Twelve other forests in Pennsylvania are also part of the network.
Joan Maloof, executive director of the Old-Growth Forest Network, presented Drew with a plaque commemorating the induction at a dedication ceremony.
Maloof said it is the nonprofit's mission to identify at least one forest in “each county of the U.S. where forests can grow that is open to the public, accessible and firmly protected from logging.”McConnells Mill fits that description perfectly, she said, and it should continue to be protected.“That became the Old-Growth Forest Network, that idea,” Maloof said. “By this recognition today, we're creating a new generation that will make sure this forest stays intact.”Maloof said the forests chosen to join the network are nominated by volunteers, who can submit forests to the nonprofit for review. These old forests that need preserved for their ecological impact, Maloof said, can also often be admired for their beauty.Others speaking at the induction ceremony agreed.“It's really an excellent place to come and relax,” said Charles Bier, director of conservation science for the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. “(They) also can find something special in terms of this forest: the old-growth characteristics.”
John Hallas, director of the Bureau of State Parks, said the more parks that can be joined together through conservation initiatives, the better.“Designations matter; partnerships matter,” Hallas said. “This additional designation within the network added to all the other designations to me is really a recommitment to an affirmation of the importance of these resources.”Following the ceremony, guests embarked on a tour of a park trail that led to its historic gristmill.Drew said that aside from the man-made elements, it is the forest of the park itself that continues to draw visitors. “It's really the natural resources that I think people are drawn to here, and that's really what they love about it,” he said.
