Devil's Backbone State Forest
Encyclopedia
Devil's Backbone State Forest is a state forest located in Shenandoah County, Virginia
. It lies on the slope of North Mountain in the drainage area of Cedar Creek near the town of Star Tannery
west of Strasburg
. The forest was established by a grant by John and Bernice Hoffman, who owned the land since 1950.
Although much of future state forest was too steep and the soil too thin for agriculture, it nonetheless was part of a growing Virginia economy. The first industry to use the forest was iron furnaces established in the mid 18th Century and existing until after the Civil War. Isaac Zane, a Quaker from Pennsylvania built the first two of these furnaces (Zane's Old Furnace 1768-74 and The Marlboro Works 1772-95) and got grants of forest land which included the future state forest to be used to make charcoal as fuel.
In 1868 a tannery came along and consumed the forest for the tannin-rich bark on the trees. The cost of moving raw materials is high, so tanneries move to where the trees are. This one too moved on, leaving only its name attached to the nearby town of Star Tannery. After that inhabitants cut firewood and timber, and local wood and charcoal fueled kilns that produced quicklime from limestone in the Shenandoah Valley. It takes a lot of wood to heat limestone
to the high temperatures needed to produce lime, and this came from the first forest. By the middle of the 20th Century very little forest remained on the slopes of North Mountain.
John and Bernice Hoffman established the current forest on the land by planting timber stands of loblolly pine, encouraging natural regeneration of native hardwoods, and working to re-establish the once and future king of the Appalachian forest
, American chestnuts. The chestnuts that once made up a quarter of the forest in the Appalachians have been absent for nearly a century after a fungus introduced from Asia destroyed an estimated 3.5 billion trees in the early 20th century. John hopes his trees will in their small way help restore the chestnuts to their former glory and that some of them will resist the blight.
The fact that Devil’s Background State Forest looks to the casual observer as a forest primeval is a tribute to both the work of man in reestablishing trees and the resilience of nature.
Shenandoah County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 35,075 people, 14,296 households, and 10,064 families residing in the county. The population density was 68 people per square mile . There were 16,709 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...
. It lies on the slope of North Mountain in the drainage area of Cedar Creek near the town of Star Tannery
Star Tannery, Virginia
Star Tannery is an unincorporated community in southwestern Frederick County, Virginia on the Shenandoah County line. Star Tannery is located on Star Tannery Road off of Wardensville Pike along Cedar Creek.-History:...
west of Strasburg
Strasburg, Virginia
Strasburg is a town in Shenandoah County, Virginia, United States, which was founded in 1761 by Peter Stover. It is the largest town, population-wise, in the county and is known for its pottery, antiques, and Civil War history...
. The forest was established by a grant by John and Bernice Hoffman, who owned the land since 1950.
Although much of future state forest was too steep and the soil too thin for agriculture, it nonetheless was part of a growing Virginia economy. The first industry to use the forest was iron furnaces established in the mid 18th Century and existing until after the Civil War. Isaac Zane, a Quaker from Pennsylvania built the first two of these furnaces (Zane's Old Furnace 1768-74 and The Marlboro Works 1772-95) and got grants of forest land which included the future state forest to be used to make charcoal as fuel.
In 1868 a tannery came along and consumed the forest for the tannin-rich bark on the trees. The cost of moving raw materials is high, so tanneries move to where the trees are. This one too moved on, leaving only its name attached to the nearby town of Star Tannery. After that inhabitants cut firewood and timber, and local wood and charcoal fueled kilns that produced quicklime from limestone in the Shenandoah Valley. It takes a lot of wood to heat limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
to the high temperatures needed to produce lime, and this came from the first forest. By the middle of the 20th Century very little forest remained on the slopes of North Mountain.
John and Bernice Hoffman established the current forest on the land by planting timber stands of loblolly pine, encouraging natural regeneration of native hardwoods, and working to re-establish the once and future king of the Appalachian forest
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
, American chestnuts. The chestnuts that once made up a quarter of the forest in the Appalachians have been absent for nearly a century after a fungus introduced from Asia destroyed an estimated 3.5 billion trees in the early 20th century. John hopes his trees will in their small way help restore the chestnuts to their former glory and that some of them will resist the blight.
The fact that Devil’s Background State Forest looks to the casual observer as a forest primeval is a tribute to both the work of man in reestablishing trees and the resilience of nature.