The Laurel Highlands is a special place in Pennsylvania. Stretching from the Conemaugh River to the Maryland border, the Laurel Highlands are known for their diversity of plant and animal life, extensive forestlands, wild rivers, recreational opportunities and scenic beauty. For more than 50 years, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) has protected and conserved more than 57,000 acres of ridges and valleys in the region, in partnership with the Pa. Game Commission, the Pa. Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and private land owners.

While much has been accomplished in the Laurel Highlands, more remains to be done. Although the region harbors the largest tracts of contiguous forestland in southwestern Pennsylvania, a significant amount of this land is not protected by any conservation measures. The same is true for the region’s exceptional streams, many miles of which have not yet benefited from conservation practices or restoration initiatives.

By accelerating our work in the Laurel Highlands, we can protect and restore these special places, building upon the successes of the past.
 
Forests: The Region’s Defining Feature

The forests of the Laurel Highlands have been a cherished resource in southwest
Pennsylvania for generations. Yet our forests are threatened by fragmentation from roads, utility lines and residential development. Forest fragmentation diminishes habitat for species like fisher, bobcat, scarlet tanager and northern goshawk, all of which thrive only in deep forest. WPC forest conservation efforts in the region are focusing on “core forest blocks” of at least 10,000 acres of relatively unfragmented forestland. WPC has identified areas where key forest blocks can be reconnected, creating forest corridors to facilitate wildlife movement. These priority forest blocks are:

Chestnut Ridge: Encompassing more than 32,000 acres in Fairfield, Ligonier and
Derry Townships in Westmoreland County, the Chestnut Ridge forest block is an area rich in wildlife. Within this core forest are several rare plant and animal species, like the green salamander, as well as significant hibernacula for overwintering bat colonies.

The caves of this forest block harbor unique natural communities and have been targeted for protection through WPC’s land conservation efforts.

Laurel Hill South: This 36,000-acre forest block in Fayette and Somerset
counties contains a unique habitat of rocky, flood-scoured flats along the Youghiogheny River and steep forested slopes, providing habitat for several globally-rare species, like the sandgrape. WPC’s conservation efforts in this block will not only protect habitat for forest-dwelling plants and animals, but will augment recreational opportunities in the Youghiogheny River corridor.

Mount Davis: At 3,213 feet in elevation, Mount Davis in Somerset County is Pennsylvania’s highest point. The 37,500-acre forest block that encompasses Mount Davis contains plant and animal species of state and global concern, like the Allegheny woodrat and Tennessee goldenrod. Designated as an Important Mammal Area by the Pa. Biological Survey, the area provides habitat for the Pennsylvania-endangered fisher, as well as bobcat, black bear and rare and endangered bat species.
 
Conservation in Action

WPC has developed a ten-year Conservation Action Plan that identifies threats to the Laurel Highlands, and includes strategies to eliminate the sources of those threats so the full array of native plants and animals can thrive. With this solid, science-driven plan as a foundation, this important work is now underway. Using the Conservation Action Plan as a guide, WPC is protecting and restoring land and water for the diversity of the region’s plants, animals and their ecosystems.

We have set three ambitious, science-driven objectives that, when reached, will
result in tangible and lasting conservation outcomes for generations to come.

They are:

• Protect 105,000 core forestland acres.
• Establish WPC as a leader in ecological timber management.
• Protect and restore 150 miles of streams, rivers and floodplains.

To meet these ambitious objectives, WPC is:

• Protecting key parcels of land through conservation easements and acquisition.
• Developing and implementing innovative forest management programs for private landowners, promoting timber management that is ecologically and financially sustainable.
• Protecting exceptional waterways while restoring impaired water resources through collaboration with private landowners.
• Leveraging the unprecedented amount of public funding available for conservation, particularly through Pennsylvania’s Growing Greener program, with private funding on a dollar-for-dollar basis.
• Maintaining a community-based project office supported by science-based expertise.

Mike Kuzemchak serves as WPC’s Laurel Highlands Project Director. He works with landowners who wish to protect their land through conservation easements,
and he works closely with WPC staff on freshwater conservation initiatives and forest stewardship activities. A native of Indiana, Pa., Mike lives in Ligonier Township, Westmoreland County Mike can be reached at 724-238-2492 or by e-mail at mkuzemchak@paconserve.org.

All above photos by Paul g. Wiegman.