Big Woods Area at Padanaram Forest – Pymatuning State Park

Located on the western shore of Pymatuning Reservoir, Pymatuning State Park features two areas that are considered as old-growth forest. The first is the Big-Woods Area, which holds an interior 30-acre section of forest that features multiple towering Tulip trees that have grown upwards of 130 feet and an impressive diversity of northern hardwoods, with many reaching 110 feet or higher. Species of note here include American Beech, Sugar Maple, Yellow Birch, Red Oak, Shagbark Hickory, and American Basswood.

The other section of old-growth exists in the Padanaram area, located at the northern most end of the park. This section of old-growth is located in the interior of a large secondary forest community and is roughly 15-acres in size. The section of old-growth is primarily a Eastern Hemlock/Northern Hardwood forest, with many exceptional examples of Red Maple that are 4-5 feet in diameter, and upwards of 110 feet tall. Species of note here are Eastern Hemlock, Black Cherry, American Beech, Yellow Birch, Swamp White Oak, and Cucumber Magnolia.