Chilton Woods State Forest is a
state forest
A state forest or national forest is a forest that is administered or protected by a sovereign state, sovereign or federated state, or territory (country subdivision), territory.
Background
State forests are forests that are Administration (gov ...
located on the
Northern Neck
The Northern Neck is the northernmost of three peninsulas (traditionally called "necks" in Virginia) on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in the Commonwealth of Virginia (along with the Middle Peninsula and the Virginia Peninsula). The P ...
in
Lancaster County,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
, near the town of
Warsaw
Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
.
History
Chilton Woods State Forest was formed in July 2000 after Catherine B. Chilton turned the land over to state control; the
Virginia Department of Forestry
The Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) was established in 1914 to prevent and suppress forest fires and reforest bare lands. Since its inception, the agency has grown and evolved to encompass other protection and management duties:
*Protecti ...
had aided her and her husband when they took control of the property in 1954. Upon his death in 1973, Mr. Chilton's will left the land to his wife, with the stipulation that she turn it over to the Commonwealth upon her death.
[
]
Description
The forest includes Lancaster Creek
Lancaster may refer to:
Lands and titles
*The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire
*Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies
*Duke of Lancaster
*Earl of Lancaster
*House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty
...
and the Corrotoman River
The Corrotoman River, located in Lancaster County, Virginia, is a tributary of the Rappahannock River. Along with its sister waterways, the Corrotoman River has important cultural and historical significance in the region due to the pre-coloniza ...
, both of which are tributaries of the Rappahannock River
The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 It traverses the enti ...
. Most of the forest's trees are loblolly pine
''Pinus taeda'', commonly known as loblolly pine, is one of several pines native to the Southeastern United States, from East Texas to Florida, and north to southern New Jersey. The wood industry classifies the species as a southern yellow pi ...
, with areas of mixed pine and hardwood
Hardwood is wood from Flowering plant, angiosperm trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostl ...
s. Herbaceous plants within the forest include the showy orchis and pink lady's slipper. Management of the forest focuses on timber production and enhancement of wildlife habitat, in addition to providing space for public recreation such as hiking and birdwatching.[
]
Public use and access
The forest is open to the public for horseback riding and hiking; hunting is limited to archery and black powder rifle use only. Camping and motorized vehicles are prohibited.[ Some uses may require visitors to possess a valid State Forest Use Permit.]
See also
* List of Virginia state forests
The Virginia state forest system includes 26 state-managed forests covering a total of . They are managed by the Virginia Department of Forestry.
The system was created to manage and maintain forests for wildlife, timber production, recreatio ...
References
External links
Virginia Department of Forestry: Chilton Woods State Forest
Virginia state forests
Protected areas of Lancaster County, Virginia
Protected areas established in 2000
2000 establishments in Virginia
{{LancasterCountyVA-geo-stub