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
See also
*
List of West Virginia state parks
There are 37 state parks in the U.S. state of West Virginia . The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) West Virginia Division of Natural Resources#Parks and Recreation Section, Parks and Recreation Section is the governing body ...
*
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...
*
List of old growth forests
*
List of National Natural Landmarks
*
List of National Natural Landmarks in West Virginia
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