left barren. Land was purchased from the lumber companies at minimal cost to the state, just a few dollars per acre. The newly purchased land was largely barren. This was due to the widespread wildfires that swept over the hills and through the valleys when the sparks cast off by passing steam trains would ignite fires in the dried tree tops that were left behind by the lumbermen. The founding of the Civilian Conservation Corps by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression was vital in creating the thriving second growth forests that make up Tuscarora State Forest today. The young men of the CCC cleared the forests and streams of dried brush. They lived in one of six camps spread throughout Tuscarora State Forest. In addition to clearing brush they also built roads, bridges and trails in the forests and constructed many of the recreational facilities still in use today at several state parks in the Tuscarora State Forest area. Natural areas Hemlocks Natural Area: of old-growth Eastern Hemlock forest in a narrow ravine. Hoverter and Sholl Box Huckleberry Natural Area: ; contains a Box Huckleberry over 1,300 years old. Frank E. Masland Jr. Natural Area: of old secondary forest. Tuscarora Wild Area: of old secondary forest. Nearby state parks Four Pennsylvania State Parks are contained within Tuscarora State Forest: Big Spring State Forest Picnic Area Colonel Denning State Park Fowlers Hollow State Park Little Buffalo State Park Neighboring state forest districts Bald Eagle State Forest (north) Weiser State Forest (east) Michaux State Forest (southeast) Buchanan State Forest (southwest) Rothrock State Forest (west) References Note: As of July 2006, this web page has not been updated to reflect the Pennsylvania State Forest Districts realignment. Note: Map showing districts after the July 1, 2005 realignment Pennsylvania state forests Old-growth forests Protected areas established in 1902 Protected areas of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Protected areas of Franklin County, Pennsylvania Protected areas of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania Protected areas of Juniata County, Pennsylvania Protected areas of Mifflin County, Pennsylvania Protected areas of Perry County, Pennsylvania 1902 establishments in Pennsylvania