Old-Growth Tract in Arboretum to Receive Special Attention

Most of the trees growing on land that is now The Arboretum at Penn State were cut and turned into charcoal to feed the Centre Furnace iron-making operation between 1792 and 1858. But one tract of about 42 acres, adjacent to what is now State College’s Sunset Park, escaped the loggers’ blades and now is receiving special attention.

Forestry experts in the College of Agricultural Sciences are developing a plan to conserve the parcel and its old-growth trees, remove invasive plants and dirt-bike trails and ramps, and use the project as an educational model for students, the local community, and arboretum visitors.

After iron production ceased, the cutover lands around State College were cleared for agriculture, resulting in vast farm fields surrounding the borough. But the woodlot remained, now presenting what arboretum director Kim Steiner calls an educational and conservation opportunity.

“A graduate student working for the arboretum searched historic records and learned that the woodlot was not cut because the Centre Furnace operator was not able to convince the original owner, James Hartley, or subsequent owners, to sell it,” says Steiner. “Now known as the Hartley Wood, the tract is unique in this region, and another graduate student is developing a management plan tailor-made to preserve it.”