Department Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) State Forester Seth Cassell 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 DCNR 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 (VUM) Project began July 1 and will last through June 2025, with a final report to be prepared in the fall of 2025.
DCNR and Penn State University’s Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management have partnered on monitoring projects since 2000. The most recent VUM project report 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.
