Inside Forbes State Forest: Trails, History, and Hidden Wonders with Ed Callahan, District Forester

“We just help tie in all those ownerships. I think we're the largest landowner in the Laurel Highlands.”

Our host, Marci Mowery, sits down with Ed Callahan, who is district forester for the Forbes State Forest, spanning Westmoreland, Fayette, and Somerset counties in southwestern Pennsylvania's Laurel Highlands. He arrived in 1999 as assistant district forester and took over the district in 2002; since then, holdings have grown from roughly 58,000 to 64,000 acres.

The forest sits in three separated blocks (Laurel Mountain, Mount Davis, and the ridge near Quebec Run), each an hour to ninety minutes apart and ecologically distinct, tied together by neighboring state parks, game lands, and private landowners like Seven Springs and Nemacolin Woodlands.

The district's name honors General John Forbes's French and Indian War road, and sites like the 1770s-era Carroll Cabin and the Wharton Iron Furnace have been restored with grant support from the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation.

Recreation runs year-round. There’s hiking, mountain biking, hunting, native brook trout fishing, and winter sports including 120 miles of groomed snowmobile trail and dog sledding. At Mount Davis, the state's high point, a 1930s-era observation tower is being fitted with new interpretive signage so visitors who can't climb it still get the view.

Volunteers are the backbone of the operation: the 22-year-old Laurel Mountain Volunteer Group and a newer Trail Steward Program keep trails assessed and maintained.

Key Topics:

Mount Davis: The High Point and Its Observation Tower (2:37)Wild Areas and the Shape of the District's Land (6:20)Naming History (9:26)Four-Season Recreation (13:44)Storm Damage and Stream Remediation Partnerships (16:19)Building the Volunteer and Trail Steward Programs (18:42)Wolf Rocks and Spruce Flats Bog (24:19)Accessibility Improvements and the Pollinator Loop (26:36)Roadside Camping Opportunities (32:34)

Resources:

Forbes State Forest: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dcnr/recreation/where-to-go/state-forests/find-a-forest/forbesForbes State Forest Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ForbesStateForestLaurel Highlands Trout Trail: https://www.laurelhighlandstrouttrail.org/Go Laurel Highlands: https://www.golaurelhighlands.com/DCNR Interactive Map: https://maps.dcnr.pa.gov/dcnrinteractivemap/Reserve America--PA Park and Forest Reservations: https://pennsylvaniastateparks.reserveamerica.com/

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