Allegany Unit State Forests

State Forests in the Unit

The Allegany Unit is a group of 23 state forests and a 9-mile multipurpose rail trail. The Allegany Unit Management Plan (UMP) covers 46,382 acres of forest lands in the towns of Alfred, Allen, Almond, Amity, Angelica, Belfast, Birdsall, Burns, Caneadea, Centerville, Friendship, Granger, Grove, New Hudson, Rushford, Ward, Wellsville, West Almond, and Willing.

23 state forest properties and a converted rail trail are included in the Unit: Allen Lake, Bald Mountain, Bully Hill, Cold Creek, Coyle Hill, Crab Hollow, English Hill, Gas Springs, Gillies Hill, Hiltonville, Jersey Hill, Karr Valley Creek, Keeney Swamp, Klipnocky, Lost Nation, Palmer's Pond, Phillips Creek, Plumbottom, Rush Creek, Slader Creek, Swift Hill, Turnpike, Vandermark, and the WAG Trail.

Facilities Not Included in this UMP

Allegany County Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) including Genesee Valley WMA, Hanging Bog WMA, Keeney Swamp WMA, Rattlesnake Hill WMA, and Alma Pond are not included in this plan.

Digital Files

A Draft UMP is available for public review. The public is invited to submit input on the draft plan that will guide future management of these unique state forest lands in Allegany County and provide for healthy, sustainable and biologically diverse forest ecosystems. All comments must be received by May 4, 2017. Public input received will be used as DEC works to finalize a UMP for the Allegany Unit State Forests.

The Allegany Unit State Forests UMP and accompanying maps can be viewed and downloaded as PDFs.

Please note: Some of these are very large documents. Only print them if you really need to, and only those sections that you need. Double side all printing and copying jobs. For every ton of office paper use avoided, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by more than 8 metric tons.

Getting There

The Allegany Unit is easily accessible via Interstate 86, State Route 19, State Route 244, and numerous county and town roads to access each property. The Unit has 50.7 miles of seasonal public forest access roads and 55 parking areas.

Remarkable Recreation Opportunities

With over 128 miles of trails open to hiking, 68 miles of cross country skiing trails, 87 miles for horseback riding, 96 miles open to mountain biking, and 103 miles of snowmobile trails, the Allegany Unit truly has something for everyone. Plentiful hunting opportunities abound, and several properties provide great fishing access.

The 9-mile WAG Trail which runs north from the Pennsylvania state line to the hamlet of Stannards is a fantastic multipurpose trail which follows the scenic Genesee River, beloved by locals and visitors alike.

The natural scenery in the Allegany Unit is awe-inspiring. With over 46, 305 acres of state forest, a diverse array of woodlands, fields, wetlands, streams, rolling hills, and plunging ravines, the Allegany Unit is one of the largest contiguous tracts of forest in western New York. From the outstanding birding opportunities at Keeney Swamp, to the "Hidden Falls" of Allen Lake State Forest, to the primitive camping on Palmer's Pond State Forest, the Allegany Unit is easy to fall in love with, and hard to leave behind.

Objectives

The management objectives for the Unit were determined based on an intensive inventory of resources and balanced with conditions found on the landscape level. Our highest goal is to improve and protect our natural resources, and sustainably manage the land by promoting ecosystem health, enhancing landscape biodiversity, and protecting soil productivity and water quality. In addition, the State Forests in this Unit will continue to provide the many recreational, social, and economic benefits valued so highly by the people of New York State.

In this plan, areas of concern were identified, such as the low percentage of young forests not only on the Unit, but in the surrounding area. A sustainable timber harvest schedule was developed to be implemented over the next 10 years, not only to create the desired forest habitats identified in the plan, but to provide economic stimulus to an area dependent on our renewable forest resources.

New Recreation opportunities proposed in the plan include: constructing a horse trail network on Lost Nation State Forest, rehabilitating abandoned roads to improve public access, creating universally accessible access to one of our most popular fishing sites, and working with volunteer groups to adopt some of our trail systems through Volunteer Stewardship Agreements.

What Do You Think?

One of the most important elements of the UMP planning process is public input. We welcome your comments and we are committed to considering each one.

The Allegany UMP is available for download as PDFs on this page. Copies of the UMP are also available in electronic format on compact disc and may be requested by calling (585) 466-3241.

DEC will also accept public input on the draft UMP at an open house on April 20 from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at the following location:

Short Tract Fire Hall
10355 County Road 15
Fillmore NY 14735

DEC staff will be available at this session to provide information about the Allegany State Forests Unit and its history, ecology and current uses, which include forest product sales and recreational use, and discuss ideas about long-term forest management.

In addition to the open house, public comments on the Allegany Unit Draft UMP can be submitted by mail or email to:

Nathaniel Tucker
2524 County Route 2A
Almond, NY 14804
(585) 466-3241
Email: [email protected]

All comments must be received by May 4, 2017. DEC will review these comments as it finalizes a UMP for the Allegany State Forests Unit.