| Pine
Creek Gorge Natural Area, Tioga County, PA |
Ernie
Ostuno |
| Jul
26, 2004 02:08 PDT |
Pine Creek Gorge, better known as "Pennsylvania's Grand
Canyon" is
located in Tioga County and consists of a spectacular valley
along Pine
Creek, with scattered small areas of old growth along some of
the
steeper parts of the valley wall. A trail guide that has been
working in
the area for several years pointed me towards one section of old
growth
hemlocks there. I visited this area on 10/17/99. There are many
scattered big hemlock and beech occurring along the dirt road
that
parallels the West Rim trail, at the top of the western ridge of
the
river valley. About 2 acres of old growth hemlock can be found
in a
ravine of one of the small tributaries of Pine Creek called
Horse Run,
where the West Rim trail crosses the stream. There are large,
old stumps
surrounding this area, a reminder that cutting took place even
in some
of the most inaccessable areas here. The biggest hemlocks were
not very
large as old growth hemlocks go, with dbhs of around 40 inches
and
heights around 90 feet. There were plenty of smaller hemlock
surrounding
the big trees, but not many saplings noted. Horse Run is not
labeled on
the Tioga Forest map, but it is on the USGS topographical map of
the
area. |
|