MEMORIES: Joanne Hetrick of Greenville, N.C., writes, “My family
moved to Ormsby when I was 8 years old. As a young child and for
many years after, we visited the Kinzua Bridge in the summer and
especially in the fall when the leaves were many colored in all the
beauty that is McKean County in the fall.”
“After I grew up and moved away we still went to ‘The Bridge’
often when I came home to visit my family. I took my sons there
when they were children and crossed the bridge and hiked back under
the bridge with a longtime friend of many years Dave Bloss.
“Even after the bridge was mostly destroyed I have gone there
often and have shared my stories with visitors who never saw the
bridge as it was before its destruction.
“I am truly sorry to hear that the park is to be closed. I will
always remember my trips there and cherish those memories.”
In case you haven’t heard, Kinzua Bridge State Park, and others
in this region, are on the chopping block as the state budget is
debated in Harrisburg. Let’s hope a solution is found that will
keep our facilities open.
BLACK BIRCH: Speaking of state forests, officials at Elk State
Forest have designated the black birch as the “tree of the
month.”
“The black birch or commonly know as the sweet birch is medium
to large tree in the Commonwealth’s forests found on a variety of
sites from cool moist sites to dry rocky sites. The leaves
alternate, simple, and about three 1⁄2 inches long with a
saw-toothed edge and a heart-shaped base. The bark ranges from dark
reddish brown on young trees to black with plates that lift. Young
stems smell like wintergreen when broken.
“The fruit is a small winged nut found in a cone-like structure
about 11⁄2 long. These seeds are eaten by wildlife such as grouse,
turkey and songbirds.
“This wood of the black birch is hard and heavy and used for
furniture, boxes and fuelwood. Curly and wavy grained wood from
this tree is rare and valuable. Distillation of the bark and twigs
yields wintergreen oil. Fermented sap can be used to make birch
beer.”
