There are 23 campgrounds, 17 picnic areas,
and 500 plus miles of hiking trails. The extensive backwoods
road and trail system is used for hiking, mountain biking
and horse riding. There are many miles of railroad grades
that are a link in the recreation use of the Forest. The
longest is the Glady to Durbin West Fork Railroad Trail
which is 23 miles long.
Recreation ranges from self reliant treks
in the wildernesses and backcountry areas to the challenges
of mountain climbing to traditional developed site camping.
Five federally designated Wildernesses:
Otter Creek, Dolly Sods, Laurel Fork North, Laurel Fork
South, and Cranberry; and one National Recreation Area,
Spruce Knob - Seneca Rocks.
There are 230 species of birds known to
use the Monongahela NF; 159 species are known to breed in
the NF; 89 species are Neotropical migrants; 71 species
use the forest during migration, but do not breed here,
17 non-breeding species are Neotropical.
Brooks Bird Club (BBC) conducts an annual
bird banding and survey project in the vicinity of Dolly
Sods Scenic Area (August-September) during the fall migration.
The forest provides habitat for 9 federally
listed endangered or threatened species: 2 bird species,
2 bat species, 1 subspecies of flying squirrel, 1 salamander
species, and 3 plant species. Fifty other species of rare/sensitive
plants and animals occur in the forest.
Ten wildlife management units are cooperatively
managed with the WV DNR.
Hunting, trapping, fishing, and wildlife
viewing are popular uses. Game species include black bear,
wild turkey, white-tailed deer, gray and fox squirrels,
rabbits, snowshoe hare, woodcock, and grouse. Limited waterfowl
habitat exists in places. Furbearers include beaver, red
and gray fox, bobcat, fisher, otter, raccoon and mink. Other
hunted species include coyotes, skunks, opossums, woodchucks,
crows, and weasels.
The Monongahela has 129 miles of warm water
fishing and 576 miles of trout streams; 90% of the trout
waters of West Virginia are within the forest.
There are 12 species of game/pan fish and
60 species of nongame/forage fish.
Headwaters of six major river systems are
located on the forest: Monongahela, Potomac, Greenbrier,
Elk, Tygart, and Gauley.
Twelve rivers are being studied for potential
classification in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
The forest is noted for its rugged landscape
with spectacular views, blueberry thickets, highland bogs,
and open areas with exposed rocks.
Wide range of botanical species found includes
rhododendron, laurel on the moist west side of the Allegheny
Front, and cactus and endemic shale barren species on the
drier eastern slopes.
Ranges in elevation from 900 feet at Petersburg
to 4,861 feet at Spruce Knob, the highest point in West
Virginia.
Rain shadow effect caused by slopes of the
Allegheny Front results in 60" of annual precipitation
on the west side and about half that on the east side.
Mineral resources include coal, gas, limestone,
and gravel; but no oil.
Sheep and cattle grazing occurs on about
7,000 acres.
Approximately 75 tree species are found
on the forest.
Almost all of the trees are a second-growth
forest grown up after the land was heavily cutover around
the turn of the century.
The tree species most valuable for timber
and for wildlife food are black cherry and the oaks.
Managing a diverse mix of species and ages
of trees is a common goal of both the wildlife and timber
programs of the Forest.
The forest's commercial timber sale program
averages 30 'mmbf' (million board feet) of timber sold per
year with a yearly average value of $7.5 million.
A variety of cutting techniques are used,
from cutting of single trees to clearcutting blocks up to
25 acres in size. Regeneration cuts (clearcuts or other
treatments designed to start a new timber stand) occur on
approximately 1,300 acres yearly out of the more than 909,000
acres forest total.
The forest has approximately 105 permanent
employees, augmented by Senior Citizens, temporary employees,
and volunteers.
