Ancient Forests: Silent Sentinels of the Past
You are standing in one of Pennsylvania's few remaining old growth forests. For over 200 years, these giant trees have quietly witnessed Pennsylvania's history, surviving storms, disease, fires and the logger's ax.
Signs of Age
Like humans, forests look different as they age. As you explore this old growth forest, look for:
Very large trees
Large standing dead trees (snags)
Trees that have very few branches on the lower portion of their trunks
Trees that have deeply furrowed bark
Healthy, undisturbed soil
Alien Insects: Big Trouble for Old Growth Forests
These ancient trees are under attack from hemlock wooly adelgid. These small, exotic pests, accidentally introduced from other parts of the world, weaken or kill trees and destroy forests.
Although you may not see the insect, the adelgid has a unique egg sac which looks like small tufts of cotton on the underside of hemlock branches.
Throughout the park, you may see stands of hemlock trees showing the devastating effects of the hemlock wooly adelgid.
An old growth forest is a "wildlife hotel." It provides much needed food and shelter for many migratory bird species and dynamic mammals like the fisher (shown here), bobcat and black bear.
Erected by PA Dept of
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Natural Features.
Location. 41° 17.964′ N, 76° 16.471′ W. Marker is near Red Rock, Pennsylvania, in Luzerne County. It is on Pennsylvania Route 118 half a mile east of Hynick Road, on the right when traveling east. Marker is at the Evergreen Trailhead Parking Area of Ricketts Glen State Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Benton PA 17814, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Pennsylvania’s Anthracite Coal Region, in the Wyoming Valley, and in Greater Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Mid-Atlantic, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 12 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Town of Ricketts 1890-1913 (approx. 6.3 miles away); War Memorial (approx. 7.9 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 9.2 miles away); Fishing Creek Confederacy (approx. 9.4 miles away); Benton (approx. 9.6 miles away); Warriors Path (approx. 10.6 miles away); a different marker also named Veterans Memorial (approx. 11.3 miles away); Lopez Centennial Park (approx. 11.4 miles away).
Regarding Ancient Forests: Silent Sentinels of the Past. Marker has limited historical information but highlights this as one of the few remaining "old growth" forests found in the commonwealth.
Also see . . .
1. Ricketts Glen State Park. (Submitted on December 7, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
2. Old Growth Forests in the Pennsylvania Wilds (2008). (Submitted on December 7, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
3. Why Old-Growth Forests?. (Submitted on December 7, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
4. Penns Woods: Old Growth Tour Points. (Submitted on December 7, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Credits. This page was last revised on December 7, 2020. It was originally submitted on December 7, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 354 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 7, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
