George Wirt and Pennsylvania's First Forestry School

In nineteen oh three, the Pennsylvania State Forest Academy opened here, and at its helm stood George H. Wirt, one of the commonwealth's first professionally trained foresters. Wirt was a protege of Dr.

Joseph T. Rothrock, the father of Pennsylvania forestry, and he believed the discipline had to be learned through both theory and hands-on practice in the woods. He set that standard from the start.

Beyond the classroom, Wirt shaped the legal framework protecting Pennsylvania's forests, helping craft fire-protection legislation. He then served as Chief Forest Fire Warden for decades guiding the protection of millions of acres of state woodland. The forests you see across central Pennsylvania today owe much to the work that started right here.