Laurel Summit State Park

Geobox Protected Area
name = Laurel Summit State Park
native_name =
other_name =
other_name1 =
category_local = Pennsylvania State Park
category_iucn =


image_caption =
etymology_type =
etymology =
country = United States
state = Pennsylvania
region_type = County
region = Westmoreland
district_type = Township
district = Cook
city =
location =
lat_d = 40
lat_m = 06
lat_s = 06
lat_NS = N
long_d = 79
long_m = 10
long_s = 41
long_EW = W
location_note =cite web
url=Gnis3|1198257
title=Laurel Summit State Park
date = August 30 1990
work=Geographic Names Information System
publisher=United States Geological Survey
accessdate=2008-05-06]
elevation_imperial = 2674
elevation_round = 1
elevation_note =
area_unit = acre
area_imperial = 6
area_round = 1
area1_imperial =
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lowest =
lowest_location =
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biome =
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geology =
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plant =
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animal =
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established_type =
established = 1964
management_body = Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
management_location =
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visitation =
visitation_year =
free_type = Nearest city
free = Latrobe, Pennsylvania
free1_type =
free1 =


map_caption = Location of Laurel Summit State Park in Pennsylvania
map_locator = Pennsylvania
map_first = yes
website = [http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/laurelsummit.aspx Laurel Summit State Park]

Laurel Summit State Park is a convert|6|acre|km2|2|adj=on Pennsylvania State Park in Cook Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is also a picnic area with a scenic view of Linn Run on the summit of Laurel Mountain. The temperatures at Laurel Summit State Park are generally several degrees cooler than the surrounding towns in the valleys.cite web
url = http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/laurelsummit.aspx
title = Laurel Summit State Park
accessdate = 2006-11-29
publisher = Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources] The elevation of the park is convert|2739|ft|0 above sea level.

The area in and surrounding Laurel Summit State Park is now a thriving second growth forest. One hundred years ago it was generally described as a "waste land". The ridges of the Laurel Mountains had once been covered with virgin forest. These forests were clear cut during the lumber era that swept over most of the mountains and forests of Pennsylvania during the mid to late 1800s and very early 1900s. The lumberman stripped the mountains. They took the logs to the sawmill where they were cut into lumber. Smaller logs were used to reinforce the mine shafts of the many coal mines throughout southwestern Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The bark of the hemlock tree was used as a source of tannin at the tanneries of the area. The only thing the lumbermen left behind was the treetops. These tree tops were left to dry. The passing steam locomotives of the Pittsburgh, Westmoreland, and Somerset Railroad would ignite this dry brush causing massive wildfires that swept through the mountains and valleys. In 1909, after the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania had purchased the land from the lumberman, Forester John R. Williams reported , "I should say that fully three-fifths (60%) of the reserve had been burned since the lumbering was done. The fires did great damage to the young growth. Some places were covered with nothing but ferns and blackberry bushes." Scars from these fires can still be seen today in the Laurel Summit vicinity.

Most of the wildlife in the area was devastated due to the destruction of their habitat or over hunting. White-tailed deer were imported from Michigan and New York to reestablish what had once been a thriving population of deer. These deer were released throughout Pennsylvania. The current population of deer in Pennsylvania are descended from the original stock that was introduced in 1910 after the lumberman had moved out of the area.

Nearby state parks

The following state parks are within convert|30|mi|0 of Laurel Summit State Park:cite web
last = Michels
first = Chris
year = 1997
url = http://www2.nau.edu/~cvm/latlongdist.html
title = Latitude/Longitude Distance Calculation
publisher = Northern Arizona University
accessdate = 2008-04-23] [ cite web
url = http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/region_pittsburgh.aspx
title = Map Reference for Laurel Summit State Park
accessdate = 2006-11-29
publisher = Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources] [cite map |scale = 1:65,000| publisher= Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Planning and Research, Geographic Information Division
url= ftp://ftp.dot.state.pa.us/public/pdf/BPR_pdf_files/Maps/GHS/Roadnames/westmoreland_GHSN.PDF
title= 2007 General Highway Map Westmoreland County Pennsylvania
accessdate= 2007-07-27 "Note: shows Laurel Summit State Park"]
*Keystone State Park (Westmoreland County)
*Kooser State Park (Somerset County)
*Laurel Mountain State Park (Westmoreland County)
*Laurel Hill State Park (Somerset County)
*Laurel Ridge State Park (Cambria, Fayette, Somerset, and Westmoreland counties)
*Linn Run State Park (Westmoreland County)
*Ohiopyle State Park (Fayette County)
*Shawnee State Park (Bedford County)
*Yellow Creek State Park (Indiana County)

References

External links

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