PAOLI – The US Forest Service announced Pioneer Mothers Memorial Forest Trail is ready to re-open for public use.
The area was hit by a tornado on August 7th and required quite a bit of debris clearing. The National Weather Service reported an EF1 tornado with 100 mph winds and 1 mile long and 110 yards wide occurred on the north side of Paoli.
The utility company has now cleared the lines of hanging trees so all safety issues have been addressed.
Officials say the area certainly looks different and it will be interesting to see how it changes over time with new growth.
This 88-acre tract south of Paoli is the last old-growth forest of its size in Indiana.
The site has been left virtually undisturbed since before it was purchased by Joseph Cox in 1816. After being protected by the Cox family for 124 years, when a descendent died in 1940, the land was put up for sale. It was saved from being cut by a timber company due to a community effort and the US Forest Service purchasing the land back from the company. Later in 1944, the tract was designated a Research Natural Area by the Forest Service. Along with a 165-acre buffer, the area is managed to protect its unique qualities.
