SCRANTON, Pa. — An area of forest between the east mountain section and Montage Mountain in Scranton is now part of the Pinchot State Forest.
Pennsylvania's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) will manage more than 400 acres of trees, wetlands, streams, and railbeds.
Nicholas Lylo is the district forester and says it was a team effort that will allow people in Scranton to have easy access to nature.
"The big thing is it's within Scranton city limits, connecting the state forest to the city itself," Lylo said. "It includes the Laurel Line to Scranton electric trolley line that comes out of the trolley museum to the ballparks there at Montage."
The property originally belonged to businessman Anthony J. Rinaldi, who was highly involved in revitalization and conservation in the city.
A nonprofit called the Conservation Fund used donations and grant money to help Rinaldi sell the land to the state.
"50 percent came from DCNR. The other 50 percent came from the Williams Companies through a voluntary stewardship fund that they created to help protect and conserve natural areas in the northeast region," said Kyle Shenk, northeast regional director for the Conservation Fund.
This property connects more than 10,000 acres of the Pinchot State Forest directly to Scranton city limits.
"Intact forests are great for managing stormwater runoff, for mitigating heat, urban heat island effects, and there's just not that many large intact forests left near urban areas," Shenk explained.
"People can access the property, although they might have to do some walking to actually get to the new property, the Rinaldi property, as we call it, or the Laurel Line property," Lylo said.
Lylo says there is still work to make this new section of state forest user-friendly with parking lots, benches, and proper signage, but it's officially open to the public.