Public Lands Policy

What Wilderness Means to Me

I am often very critical of efforts to deem public lands as wilderness, as a form of statutory or constitutional protection of the lands, forever condemning motorized uses, and severely limiting other uses of the land, especially if the land has previously been farmed, logged, or otherwise changed by man. Certainly there are some unique parcels that should be preserved in such a pristine state, but many others are just wild lands to be used by man and nature alike.

 Across Alder Pond

I really do not like the legal definition of wilderness. I don’t think it captures my view of the forest lands I belove, the real wilderness in my imagination. Wilderness is the state of being wild and natural, largely uncontrolled by society’s social structures. It’s a land where man is free to use, largely without the control of government dictating how it is to be used except for minimal standards to protect its quality for future generations. Wilderness is a place where you go to get away from it.

Route 312

Wilderness is any wild location in a rural area. It could be a hobby or even a professional farm, run by it’s operator. Or it could be any forest privately or publicly owned. It could be a hunting camp. It could be a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, or a state forest. It could be a wild forest in Adirondacks, a National Forest, or some other wild land. It could be a state truck trail or a back-country location. It does not have to be road-less or totally untrammeled by man, just wild and free without excessive government control and oppressive populations.

… wilderness is a place to escape, a place to get away from it all.

There are 2.1 Million Acres of State Forest in Pennsylvania.

There are 2.1 million acres of state forest in Pennsylvania, not including the Allegheny National Forest and various state parks. The largest state forest is Sproul State Forest, followed by Susquehannock State Forest and Elk State Forest.

State ForestAcres
Sproul305,442
Susquehannock260,110
Elk199,966
Bald Eagle193,393
Moshannon190,031
Tioga161,890
Tiadaghton146,538
Loyalsock114,550
Tuscarora96,025
Rothrock95,975
Michaux85,502
Delaware83,020
Buchanan69,672
Forbes58,519
Lackawanna29,603
Weiser28,058
Gallitzin24,370
Clear Creek16,126
Cornplanter1,491
William Penn807

East

Reber

Back in college I used to like to explore the back roads of the Adirondacks. My explorations once took me to Reber on the Bouquet River which is one of the rare agricultural valleys of the Adirondacks - and iysnot right on Lake Champlain.

Northville Placid Trail To Canary Pond

 Northville Placid Trail To Canary Pond

This map shows the Northville - Placid Trail from where it leaves the road in Benson up to the remote Canary Pond in the Shaker Mountain Wild Forest.