Baker Island is a

alluvial Alluvium (, ) is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...

island in the upper

Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ; ; ) is a tributary of the Ohio River that is located in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York in the United States. It runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border, nor ...

. It is located in Tionesta Township and Harmony Township in

Forest County, Pennsylvania Forest County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,973, making it the third-least populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Tionesta. The county was created in 1848 and later o ...

, and is part of the

Allegheny Islands Wilderness The Allegheny Islands Wilderness is located in the Allegheny National Forest. It comprises seven islands in the Allegheny River, totaling . All are alluvial origin. The islands are located between Buckaloons Recreation Area and Tionesta, Penns ...

Allegheny National Forest The Allegheny National Forest is a National Forest in Northwestern Pennsylvania, about 100 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. The forest covers of land. Within the forest is Kinzua Dam, which impounds the Allegheny River to form Allegheny Reserv ...

. Most of the trees on Baker Island were destroyed by a 1985

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

. Though the island does host many large

American Sycamore ''Platanus occidentalis'', also known as American sycamore, American planetree, western plane, occidental plane, buttonwood, and water beech, is a species of ''Platanus'' native to the eastern and central United States, the mountains of northeast ...

, including the tallest American Sycamore in Pennsylvania. The tree measured 148 ft in June 2009.

References

Nature Tourism
Allegheny Islands Wilderness Protected areas of Forest County, Pennsylvania Landforms of Forest County, Pennsylvania River islands of Pennsylvania Islands of the Allegheny River in Pennsylvania {{ForestCountyPA-geo-stub