Natural Heritage

The Allegheny National Forest has a rich natural and cultural heritage. The Allegheny National Forest was designated

by President Calvin Coolidge in 1923 for the express purpose of protecting the headwaters of the Allegheny River watershed. Unfortunately, decades of clearcutting and oil and gas drilling have left a large human footprint on the forests and rivers in the Allegheny National Forest.

The landscape of the Allegheny has been drastically altered over the last 120 years by continuous commercial logging and oil and gas development. Few remnants of our original Allegheny hemlock-beech forests remain. These remnants are a repository of biological information that gives the forest its ability to weather ecological crises. Strong protections are vital to this forest's ability to respond to continuing threats imposed by air pollution, invasive species, and climate change. By protecting and expanding our elder forest remnants as biological databases we are providing a tool for restoration of our native Allegheny forests.

Allegheny Wild! A Citizen Vision For the Allegheny National Forest, defines a balance of priorities, values, and uses. This publically supported vision phases out industrial practices such as clearcutting and oil & gas drilling.