Manuel F. Correllus State Forest
Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Manuel F. Correllus State Forest is a Massachusetts state forest located on Martha's Vineyard. The forest borders Martha's Vineyard Airport on three sides and is chiefly in the towns of West Tisbury and Edgartown. The forest is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation.[1]
Description
Correllus State Forest is a Script error: No such module "convert". forest principally used for biking and hiking.
Situated in the center of Martha's Vineyard, the park is the focus of one of the largest environmental restoration projects in the country as the DCR is working to bring back the park's native ecosystem.[2]
The park lies within the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecoregion. Landscapes within the park include grasslands, heathlands, pine barrens, and woodlands. Oak and pine are the dominant trees within the park. Many rare species may also be located here.
History
Created in 1908 as the Heath Hen Reserve, the original purpose of the reservation was to prevent the extinction of the heath hen, a type of grouse that lived in the pine barrens of New England. Unfortunately, by late 1938 the last heath hen had disappeared from the forest and the species was officially classified as extinct. The forest later took the name of the superintendent who ran it from 1948 to 1987.[2]
Despite widespread land clearing for farming and other purposes across Martha's Vineyard throughout its history, much of the area within Correllus State Forest did not suffer this fate. However, due to forest fires and other natural processes, the forest is not considered old-growth.
During World War II, Naval Auxiliary Air Facility Martha's Vineyard (operational today as Martha's Vineyard Airport) was established within the confines of the forest as part of a donation from the state to the United States Navy.[3]
Frequent fires have been a problem in the Correllus State Forest. Between 1867 and 1929 there were sixteen fires of more than Script error: No such module "convert". each on Martha's Vineyard. In 2003, the DCR, in conjunction with the University of Massachusetts began evaluating methods for controlling fuel sources in the Pitch Pine and Scrub Oak areas. Methods included thinning of pitch pine stands, mowing of shrub understories, and grazing of regrowth by sheep.[4] In 2008, about Script error: No such module "convert". of dead red pine were removed to reduce fuel loading and to restore pitch pine–scrub oak sand plain through USDA Forest Service funding.[5]
Activities and amenities
The forest offers Script error: No such module "convert". of trails for hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, and cross-country-skiing. Restricted hunting is also available.[1]
References
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External links
- Manuel F. Correllus State Forest Department of Conservation and Recreation
- Manuel F. Correllus State Forest Trail Map Department of Conservation and Recreation
Template:Protected Areas of Massachusetts Template:Authority control
- Pages with script errors
- Pages with reference errors
- 1908 establishments in Massachusetts
- Geography of Martha's Vineyard
- Massachusetts natural resources
- Massachusetts state forests
- Protected areas established in 1908
- Tourist attractions in Edgartown, Massachusetts
- Tourist attractions in West Tisbury, Massachusetts