Media Information 

For Immediate Release 

Grey Towers National Historic Landmark 

Information Contact: Lori McKean 
Telephone: (570) 296-9630 
Release #: 2-11 
February 16, 2011 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Historic Black Locust Trees from Grey Towers to be Auctioned for Re-Use 

Black Locust trees recently removed from the estate of conservationist and former Pennsylvania 
Gov. Gifford Pinchot will be bid for sale by the US Forest Service to encourage their recycling 
and re-use. 

The trees, which lined the front drive of Grey Towers National Historic Site, were planted by 
Cornelia Pinchot in the 1920s. Nearing the end of their natural life cycle and suffering from root 
compaction and other ailments, the trees were becoming a safety hazard. The tree removal is 
part of an historic restoration of the landscape that includes bringing the main drive of the estate 
back to how it looked when the Pinchots lived at Grey Towers. 

Black Locust is a very durable hardwood that is resistant to rot and has traditionally been used 
for fence posts and small watercrafts. The logs from the historic trees that will be sold range 
from 4-8 feet in length and most have insect damage, heart rot or some other damage. The logs 
are valuable to those interested in such uses as historic significance and wood crafts, including 
turned bowls, furniture, walking sticks, signage, picture frames, and historic restoration material, 
etc. Successful bidders will be required to remove the product from the site. 

The sale is being held in response to requests for pieces of the trees to be re-used and recycled in 
a number of different ways. Proceeds from the auction will be used to help defer the cost of 
future site maintenance and public programs 

A due date for the submission of sealed bids and a determination of individual lot sizes will be 
set based on response to the pre-bidding response. Bid packages and the sample timber sale 
contract can be viewed and downloaded from the Allegheny National Forest website at: 
www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/allegheny; click on the hyperlink entitled “Contracting & Timber Sale 
Contracting information” on the main page, then look for the sale listing. Or a bid package can 
be mailed to interested parties who call the Forest Timber Sale Contracting Officer, Randall 
Durner, at the Allegheny National Forest Supervisor’s Office in Warren, Pennsylvania at 814728-
6189 or by email at rdurner@fs.fed.us. The bid package will include instructions for 
bidding procedures and a description of quantity and condition of each lot offered for sale. 
Questions regarding the sale should be addressed to the Contracting Officer. 

To make arrangements for a pre-bid inspection of the logs, contact Grey Towers at 570-2969630 
or send an email to greytowers@fs.fed.us by March 15, 2011. 

USDA Forest Service, PO Box 188, Milford, PA 18337