Cathedral State Park is the largest virgin timber tract remaining in

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

. The park features trees of up to 90 feet in height and 16 feet in circumference. Located on about one mile (1.6 km) east of the town of

Aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...

and five miles west of Redhouse, Maryland, Cathedral is a mixed forest of predominantly

eastern hemlock ''Tsuga canadensis'', also known as eastern hemlock, eastern hemlock-spruce, or Canadian hemlock, and in the French-speaking regions of Canada as ''pruche du Canada'', is a coniferous tree native to eastern North America. It is the state tree of ...

. Rhine Creek runs through the park. The

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

has designated the park as a

National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best e ...

in 1965.Cathedral State Park web site, access July 22, 2006
/ref> The park is under significant threat from the

hemlock woolly adelgid ''Adelges tsugae'', the hemlock woolly adelgid () or HWA, is an insect of the order Hemiptera (true bugs) native to East Asia. It feeds by sucking sap from hemlock and spruce trees ('' Tsuga'' spp.; '' Picea'' spp.). In its native range, HWA ...

, which has been detected within of the park."Trees last stand: Park may be last place to see uncut hemlock forest in state", ''Charleston Gazette'', December 19, 2004, accessed July 22, 2006.

History

Mr Branson Haas, a workman for the Brookside hotel, purchased the land in 1922 and sold it to the state of West Virginia in 1942. It was included in the Brookside Historic District. The park was entered in the National Registry for Natural History Landmarks on October 6, 1966. The

Society of American Foresters The Society of American Foresters (SAF) is a professional organization representing the forestry industry in the United States. Its mission statement declares that it seeks to "advance the science, education, and practice of forestry; to enhance t ...

recognized the park in 1983 in its National Natural Areas program. In 2004, the state's largest hemlock tree was felled by lightning. In October 2012, the park suffered extensive damage resulting from snowfall produced by

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy) was an extremely large and devastating tropical cyclone which ravaged the Caribbean and the coastal Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States in late ...

. Image:Cathedral State Park West Virginia Eastern Hemlock.jpg, An Eastern Hemlock in Cathedral State Park File:Hemlock tree in Cathedral State Park.jpg, Hemlock in Cathedral State Park

Trails

References

External links

* {{authority control State parks of West Virginia Protected areas of Preston County, West Virginia National Natural Landmarks in West Virginia Northwestern Turnpike Protected areas established in 1942 National Register of Historic Places in Preston County, West Virginia Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia IUCN Category III Historic district contributing properties in West Virginia

History

Trails

See also

References

External links