A Walk in Penn’s Woods AND a walk back in time at Sparta Sportsmen’s Community Forest

Sunday, October 5th was the statewide “Walk in Penn’s Woods” event, held at the 262-acre Sparta Sportsmen’s Community Forest a few miles east of Spartansburg, PA in Crawford County.

Walk in Penn’s Woods, as described by the Pennsylvania Forestry Association, is a statewide coordinated event on the first Sunday in October that encourages people across Pennsylvania to learn how their local woods work, see forests in new ways, and appreciate and love the forests so that we can all care well for them.

Led by FSF’s Troy Firth, Sunday’s walk was a gorgeous exploration of the forest itself, accompanied by a rich historical account of the area. From the old horse-drawn tramway to haul oil barrels and the Climax locomotive track that ran through the property, to the first murder recorded in Crawford County nearby, Troy’s love for history certainly shone through!

As we hiked, we also discussed the site as a former sugarbush, and visited a small grove of healthy white ash trees, considered “lingering trees” in the wake of the emerald ash-boring beetle outbreak that killed the rest of the ash trees at the site.

Acquired at the end of 2024, the Foundation for Sustainable Forests is just embarking upon its stewardship journey on the property, led by Troy Firth who had helped to manage the site in the past, when it was under the ownership of the Sparta Sportsmen’s Club.