Harrisburg, Pennsylvania -- Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
State Forester Seth Cassell today announced the department is resuming a partnership with Penn State University to survey visitors about their experiences in two state forests.
Visitors to Pinchot State Forest in Luzerne, Lackawanna, and Wyoming counties, and Weiser State Forest in Dauphin, Carbon, Columbia, and Schuylkill counties, may encounter pairs of Penn State students doing on-site surveys and are encouraged to participate if passing a survey point.
“Forest recreation continues to be an important way to connect our forest resources with people, and we want to learn more about these forest users and their recreational experiences,"
Cassell said. “These surveys are key in helping Bureau of Forestry staff and department partners in understanding users wants and needs to improve experiences on public lands. We look forward to input from visitors in Pinchot and Weiser state forests."
Survey questions will include where the visitors are from, activities pursued, length of stay in the area and spending patterns, and satisfaction with the experience.
Counting the number of vehicles at certain locations also will be included.
Results will be particularly helpful in more recent state forest acquisitions such as the Miller Mountain Tract in Pinchot State Forest.
Forest managers will be better able to understand visitation levels and visitor expectations in these new areas of state forest land.
The Visitor Use Monitoring Project began July 1 and will last through June 2025, with a final report to be prepared in the fall of 2025.
The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Penn State University's Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management have partnered on monitoring projects since 2000.
The most recent
Visitor Use Monitoring Report Summary for Rothrock and Gallitzin State Forests (PDF) was released in 2023, assessing user needs at
Rothrock State Forest in Centre, Huntingdon, and Mifflin counties, and
Gallitzin State Forest in Somerset, Bedford, Cambria, and Indiana counties.
Find more information about
Pinchot and
Weiser state forests on the
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources website and check out the
Calendar of Events for events on public lands.
MEDIA CONTACT: Wesley Robinson, 717-877-6315