Municipalities across McKean County will receive a total of
$16,012.21 in additional revenue from 2005 Allegheny National
Forest timber receipts, according to figures released by the county
treasurer’s office.

Overall, the county will garner an additional $38,148.70 in
Title III payments, with area school districts gaining a total of
$16,414.22 in revenue.

Total forest receipts for the 2005 fiscal year were
$25,844,778.06, according to McKean County Treasurer Nancy
Evans.

All told, the county will receive $1.69 million, which will be
filtered down through the county to its municipalities and school
districts for use on such projects as search, rescue and emergency
services, community service work camps, easement purchases,
forest-related after school programs and fire prevention and county
planning, among others.

According to the figures, the school districts will garner a
total of $730,075.95, while the eight townships which are located
within the forest’s boundaries will receive a total of $712,194.61.
A breakdown of the payments to individual school districts was not
immediately available.

In 2004, the county received $1.65 million in revenue; in 2003
that figure stood at $1.63 million – the highest amount in seven
years. Meanwhile, in 2002, the county obtained $770,500.33 in
funding.

Elsewhere, according to national forest figures, Elk County
received $1,401,550.84; Forest County, $1,490,432.80; and Warren
County, $1,838,571.69.

The figures are under the auspices of the federal Secure Rural
Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000, a program
which could come under scrutiny by Congress when it comes up for
reauthorization.

Officials credit the increase in funding the past few years to
the way the money is disbursed to the local taxing bodies. The
parties involved now receive “guaranteed payments” from the federal
government instead of sharing a pot with other counties located
within the forest’s boundaries.

Under the previously used 25 percent fund method, the four
counties within the forest – McKean, Elk, Warren and Forest – split
a prorated share of 25 percent of the total timber harvest
receipts. Meanwhile, in the guaranteed plan, 85 percent of the
payment goes to the school districts and municipalities, while 15
percent goes directly to the county for the various projects.

Each county decided to go with the guaranteed payment method, in
part, because of the dwindling timber sales in the past due to
lawsuits brought on by environmentalists.

McKean County has about 135,346 acres of forest land.

Broken down further, the report indicates Bradford Township will
receive an increase of $143.60 in funding, from $6,243.42 to
$6,387.02; Corydon Township, $5,117.40 more from $222,510.58 to
$227,628.32; Foster Township, $43.70 more from $1,899.88 to
$1,943.58; Hamilton Township, $3,687.79 more from $160,338.89 to
$164,026.68; Hamlin Township, $1,534.29 more from $66,707.91 to
$68242.20; Lafayette Township, $2,305.87 more from $100,255.15 to
$102,561.02; Wetmore Township, $3,165.49 more from $137,630.23 to
$140,795.72; and Lewis Run Borough, $13.72 more from $596.35 from
$610.07.

All told, Bradford Township contains 2,397.49 acres of forest
land; Corydon Township, 42,722.30 acres; Foster Township, 729.58
acres; Hamilton Township, 30,785.26 acres; Hamlin Township, 12,608
acres; Lafayette Township, 19,249.11 acres; Wetmore Township,
28,425.17 acres; and Lewis Run Borough, 229 acres.

The commissioners allotted 2005 forest funding last year to such
organizations as the Penn State Cooperative Extension Office for
its Forest Resources Education Program, the Scuba Search and Rescue
Team, the Allegheny National Forest Vacation Bureau and the
multi-county Regional Forestry Education School Center.