Working in a 7,000-Acre Laboratory

Ask nature-loving Centre County residents if they know where Stone Valley Experimental Forest is and they invariably reply, "Sure, I know where the lake is." For Joe Harding, who supervises the huge tract of Penn State-owned land in northern Huntingdon County, such an answer literally misses the forest for the lake.

"The lake is a great place and a perfect recreation area but it's just 500 acres of land out of more than 7,000 acres," Harding says. "The entire forest is one of Penn State's hidden jewels."

Contained within a rough triangle about 15 miles south of the University Park campus, the Stone Valley Experimental Forest has many facets, not the least of which are such natural ecosystems as wetlands, riparian streams, large expanses of hardwood forest stands, and more than 800 acres of conifer plantations. The Stone Valley Recreation Area and the Shaver's Creek Environmental Center are located within the forest. Harding also supervises an active timber management program, which includes regular timber harvests, seedling plantings, undesirable plant control, and fencing to reduce deer browsing.

"We have a very in-depth inventory of everything in the forest, from the weeds up to the overstory trees," Harding says. "Aside from elk, otters, and fishers, we've got many of the types of wildlife that occur in Pennsylvania because we have so many types of habitat." Harding adds that the forest and wildlife inventory are contained on detailed maps within a GIS database that helps him manage the forest on a 50-year plan.

Fifty years is a blip in time for a tract of land that was included in the original grant of land from Charles II of England to William Penn in 1681. The area gets its name from Standing Stone Creek, which flows into the Juniata River at Alexandria. Shaver's Creek is named for a fur trapper who was murdered near his cabin in 1765. Later, settlers came into the area, clearing the forest for crops and using trees for houses and tools. In 1845, the discovery of iron ore deposits brought a smelting operation to the foot of Tussey Mountain. Laborers cleared more trees to make charcoal for the smelters. Small charcoal hearths still can be found in the forest today.

After 1850, the soils of the area began to erode and fail, and over the next half-century many farmers met with failure and financial hardship. By 1934, the U.S. Resettlement Administration offered farmers a chance to sell submarginal land or exchange acreage for better land elsewhere. Many farmers took the opportunity to leave, abandoning their fields and homes. Barren fields were planted with trees and a U.S. Forest Service Experiment Station was established. In the early 1950s, the land was deeded to Penn State for use as an outdoor laboratory.

"Because of its history, the experimental forest is a great research area for biodiversity," Harding says. "It contains mature forest, seedlings and saplings, wetlands, and areas set up as controls for various research projects."

The aquatic habitats available for study include Shaver's Creek, which has native brook trout and stocked trout; Mothersbaugh Swamp, a six-acre wetland formed on an abandoned farmstead that was subsequently flooded by beaver dams; and the Stone Valley Recreation Area.

Harding points out that the forest also has a diverse array of plant life. So far, researchers have identified 69 hardwood tree species, 14 softwood species, and 75 different shrubs, small trees, or vines. The forest has been used for research projects on forest management, silviculture, gypsy moth control, wildlife management, and forest pathogens. It has even been used by Penn State's ROTC unit for military exercises.

Harding and his staff work for the School of Forest Resources and the majority of their operating budget for the forest comes from timber sales. The staff spend about 40 percent of their time maintaining boundaries, electric deer fencing, and the 25 miles of road under Penn State's ownership. The recreation area has a separate staff funded by Penn State Auxiliary Services, as does the environmental center, which is funded by Continuing and Distance Education.

The School of Forest Resources has built and maintained several educational exhibits in the forest. The Forest Stewardship Trail gives visitors a chance to see what various forestry timber-cutting practices look like. The Woodcock Habitat Management Trail demonstrates how to create and maintain habitat for this game bird. The forest also has several areas that demonstrate different methods of bridging or crossing streams.

There are plenty of opportunities for informal education and recreation as well, according to Harding. The forest is open for hunting, fishing, and trapping in season. Many formal and informal trails run through the forest, including the Mid-State Trail. Many old homestead foundations can be found in the woods, including the home of Dr. Mordecai Massey, a 19th-century landowner. Interested explorers can easily hike to the foundation of Massey's house and then inspect his family's cemetery, ringed in wrought-iron fencing, atop a nearby rise.

"I still come across people using the forest for activities I never thought of," Harding says. "We see this land used for everything from catching butterflies to riding horses."

–John Wall