Michaux State Forest

Irishtown Gap/Buck Ridge Trail Prescribed Burn Activity

Thursday, March 27, 2025: We will be applying prescribed fire in the area of Irishtown Gap and Buck Ridge Trail, southeast of the Kings Gap Environmental Education Center.

Forest visitors are expected to obey all signage in the area regarding temporary closures.

Prescribed fires are used to promote regeneration of specific forest communities that in turn encourage other species like ruffed grouse. 

Prescribed fire is carried out by professional fire foresters who are trained to control and contain the fire. 

Area landowners are reminded to be careful with outdoor fire by practicing safety measures that keep the fire contained and small, while ensuring the fire is out completely when done.

Chronic Wasting Disease

Chronic Wasting Disease, which is an always fatal disease to deer and elk, has been detected in all or portions of Michaux State Forest.

Hunters should be aware of special rules and regulations that apply to deer harvested within the Disease Management Area. It is recommended that those deer be tested for the disease.

More information about chronic wasting disease can be found on the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture websites.

In addition, the Pennsylvania Game Commission provides information about deer processors in the Disease Management Area.

Don’t Move Firewood

To help protect the forest from invasive insects that can kill trees and devastate the ecosystem, please do not transport firewood over long distances.

Firewood can harbor insects such as emerald ash borer and spotted lanternfly. Cut or purchase your firewood where you intend to burn it.

Cumberland County, which comprises part of the Michaux State Forest District, is under the spotted lanternfly quarantine order. The order restricts movement of certain items -- like firewood -- into and out of the county. For more information, please see the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture website​.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry manages our state forests for their long-term health and productivity while conserving native wild plants.

These forests are managed as “working forests” and provide a suite of uses and values to Pennsylvania citizens, while maintaining the forest’s wild character.

Our state forests are managed for:

• Pure water
• Recreation
• Scenic beauty
• Plant and animal habitat
• Sustainable timber and natural gas
• Many other uses and values

The management of our state forests is guided by the State Forest Resource Management Plan.

The Bureau of Forestry is in the process of revising the Michaux State Forest Resource Management Plan.

A district-level state forest management plan is written for each of the bureau’s 20 forest districts across the state.

Michaux State Forest staff hosted a public meeting and online survey about its draft management plan in 2018.

The 2020 Michaux State Forest Resource Management Plan Public Survey Data and Response to Public Comments (PDF)​ is available to review.

Using public input and building on the statewide 2016 management plan, the Bureau of Forestry revised and completed a new Michaux State Forest Resource Management Plan (PDF) setting district-level management priorities.

The ​​Michaux State Forest’s 2024 Managem​ent Activities (PDF) provides information about upcoming projects and events to implement the State Forest Resource Management Plan.

The Michaux Trail Assessment (PDF) is a feasibility and market study that identifies priority trails that the district is hoping to construct.

The study was undertaken to support the goals of t​he Bureau of Forestry in managing current and future trail use.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will be replacing the current Michaux Forest District Office with a new Resource Management Center to better serve visitors, residents, and district forest needs.

The selected 70-acre site is state forest land that a portion of is leased to a third party to operate the South Mountain Golf Course, with the lease expiring at the end of 2025.

The project will increase public acres conserved as habitat and restore it as a free public resource for visitors and all outdoor recreation users.

Several sites were thoroughly evaluated, with the selected site chosen based on:

• Public accessibility
• Trail connectivity and nearness to visitors
• Low environmental impact and opportunity to protect critical wildlife
• Enhanced forest operations
• Site connection to conservation history
  

The availability of a number of other golf opportunities in the region also was considered.

As a gateway to the southern end and up into Michaux State Forest, the new visitor center will increase engagement with forest users and serve as a teaching and demonstration center for conservation history and natural resource stewardship.

More information on the project is available in these documents:

• Michaux Resource Management Center Sit​​e Evaluation and Selection Report (PDF)
• Response to Public Comments from October 2023 Public Meeting (PDF)​
• Fact Sheet on Public Use of the Michaux State Forest (PDF)
• Map Series Related to Site Selection of Michaux Resource Management Center (PDF)​

The visitor center is in the design and planning stage.

Local state forest harvest schedules promote and maintain desired forest landscape conditions while providing a sustainable flow of forest products.

The Bureau of Forestry has adopted “ecosystem management” as its principal strategy for managing state forests.

This approach seeks to conserve the natural patterns and processes of the forest while advancing long-term sustainability.

Ecosystem management promotes the conservation of plant and animal communities and the landscapes and habitats that support them.

It also accounts for needs and values of people and communities.

This results in a holistic, integrated approach to managing forest resources.

As you travel throughout the state forest, you’ll see examples of our forests “at work.” Some of these management practices are more noticeable than others, such as:

• Active timber harvests
• Deer exclosure fences
• Natural gas drilling sites
• Prescribed fires
• Spongy moth (formerly known as gypsy moth) spraying

Others are more subtle, such as the:

• Protection of a vernal pool
• Buffering of a stream from timber harvesting
• Setting aside of a special area to conserve its wild character or protect a rare plant community

Each of these management practices and activities play a vital role in the management and conservation of our state forest system.

Pennsylvania’s 2.2-million-acre state forest system is one of the largest dual certified forests in North America.

The forest is certified under Forest Stewardship Council™ and Sustainable Forestry Initiative© standards.

The Forest Stewardship Council™ is an independent organization supporting environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world’s forests.

Sustainable Forestry Initiative©​ certification focuses on protection of water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species at risk, and forests with exceptional conservation value.

Dual certification ensures that Pennsylvania’s state forests are managed to the highest third-party standards.​