 Panther's forests are for the most part typical of the Catskills, with beech-birch-maple northern hardwood forests on its lower slopes giving way to boreal forests of balsam fir and red spruce above on the mountain.While the lower slopes were logged in the 19th century, particularly for Eastern hemlock bark and its tannin, the upper mountain remains in first growth.According to Catskill forest historian Michael Kudish, there is a rare virgin spruce grove near the summit.