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Wildlife

Wildlife species around Hearts Content are typical of what is found throughout the rest of the forest. There are a variety of birds including birds of prey, songbirds, and some shore birds. Mammals range from tiny voles and chipmunks to white-tailed deer and black bear.

Vegetation

Most of the area outside the Scenic Area and campground is heavily forested with second and third growth Allegheny hardwood timber type. This is a mix of black cherry, maples, birch, beech, red oak, and many other species. Hemlock and white pine are frequent members of a stand, either in small clumps or as individuals. Understory vegetation is usually fern in varying degrees of density, with a mixture of grasses, sedges, and wildflowers. Mosses and lichens grow in damp, shady areas on downed trees and rocks. Rock ledges and boulders can be found on steeper hillsides, adding variety to the scene.

History

In the mid 1800’s, a 20 acre parcel was protected from logging by the Wheeler and Dusenbury Lumber Company. This parcel of original forest, often called "old growth" or "virgin" timber was donated to the Forest Service in 1922. In the following decades, more land was purchased to make up the Allegheny National Forest as we know it today. In 1934, the virgin timber area and 102 acres of the land surrounding it was designated a “Scenic Area” by the Chief of the Forest Service. The Civilian Conservation Corps built the pavilions and the campground south of the road in 1936. The Scenic Area was dedicated as a National Natural Landmark in 1977.
The original forest was a mixture of white pine, Eastern hemlock, and American beech, with a multi-layered understory of hobble bush, witch hazel, and many other species. Time, weather, insects, and disease have all affected the forest in different ways, along with a high population of deer. These have changed, and will continue to change, the species composition – the look and feel – of this forest with implications far into the future. The oldest of the existing trees, mostly white pine and Eastern hemlock, are estimated at 300-400 years old. Many of the other trees in the stand are younger and have come in through natural succession, displaying multiple vertical layers of vegetation typical of a natural – not human-influenced – forest and occasional open gaps where large old trees have fallen and young seedlings and saplings are filling in to renew the forest.