History

The purpose of the original acquisition of state forest land was to protect the headwaters of Pine Creek. The first purchase was in June 1900 when 900 acres along Cedar Run were acquired from F.E. Watrous.

Acquisition was continued through the years. The last large tract of 13,828 acres was transferred from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1955 and is knows as Resettlement Lands. It is located on Armenia Mountain in the headwaters of the Tioga River.

A major development on the forest came in 1933 with the establishment of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps at:

• Darling Run
• Elk Run
• Leetonia Run
• Dixie Run

Work activities included construction and maintenance of roads, trails and bridges. The original mapping and timber typing began during this period. Timber stand improvement practices also began at this time. For more information on the CCC in the Tioga State Forest download this brochure.

An interesting activity that took place on the Tioga State Forest was the operation of birch stills. These Stills which operated during the 1940's, processed bark from birch trees to produce birch oil. The only remnant of this industry is a still located at Morris. It has not been operated since 1972.

The area encompassing the Tioga State Forest has always been basically a timber producing area. In the early days, large sawmills located at Ansonia, Leetonia and several other locations were principal employers in a timber industry that flourished for nearly 50 years. The composition of today's forest is a result of timber cutting and fire during that period.