It’s time to embrace conservation heritage

Pennsylvania may be best known for its mining of coal, production of steel, and drilling of natural gas, but our state also has a rich history of being a leader in conservation. I was reminded of that important heritage when I visited Grey Towers National Historic Site in Milford, Pa., in October.
The building itself with its striking stone towers, arched doorways, and carved wooden doors is picturesque. The view is expansive and reaches across the Delaware into New Jersey, but it is the magnificent old trees planted by Gifford Pinchot and the history they represent that impressed me the most.
Gifford loved nature as a child. He attended Yale University in 1885, and then studied at the Ecole Nationale Forestiere in France because there were no forestry schools in the United States. Gifford went on to create his own forestry school in Milford where our first foresters, including the author and naturalist, Aldo Leopold were trained.
Pinchot’s goal was to make scientific forestry and natural resource management a nationwide movement. His hard work and persistence paid off. In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed him chief forester of the newly created United States Forest Service. Gifford Pinchot was a leader who believed in “the greatest good for the greatest number in the long run.” During his tenure, national forests more than tripled in size to more than 170 million acres.
Like John Muir who was instrumental in advocating for our National Parks, Pinchot loved trees. He was also a realist who knew we couldn’t preserve everything in its pristine state but we could and should protect and carefully manage our natural resources. Today we benefit from our national and state forests, the fresh air and water they preserve, and the wildlife they support.
As Pennsylvanians we can be proud of our conservation heritage. Without the passion and vision of men like Gifford Pinchot and my Uncle Arthur, who had a lifetime career with the U.S. Forest Service, we would not be gifted with a legacy of old trees and sustainable forests. I am grateful and want to celebrate the accomplishments of our foresters, but today’s foresters need our help.

Our forests are being threatened by drought and wildfires, insects, disease, and climate change. To protect our valuable forests, we all have a part to play. You might like to take a course like Tree Tenders or The Woods in Our Backyard from Penn State Extension to learn more about trees and how they enhance our environment. You might want to plant more trees in your backyard or volunteer with a local park or watershed organization.
Even if you are too busy for courses or unable to do physical labor, you can contribute by asking our state officials to join New Jersey and other surrounding states to support The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative which will help mitigate the effects of climate change. Trees cannot move to protect themselves and climate change is one of their greatest threats.
Pennsylvania was an early leader in the Conservation Movement. We can continue to lead by electing leaders with both imagination and integrity who will protect our state and planet. It is time for us to transition to cleaner energy, embrace our heritage of conservation, and work to preserve our valuable forests for wildlife today and generations to come.
Next time you take a walk in the woods, breathe the fresh air, savor the fragrance of fall, or marvel at the myriad colors of the changing leaves, give thanks for both the trees and Gifford Pinchot who worked to save them. Consider what you can do now.
Debra Orben lives in Springtown.

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