French Creek State Forest
The forest is bigger than you know stranger. Its got all manner of mysteries and secrets its just waiting to let lose on anyone unsuspecting of them. -old prospector
Geography
On the west side of the 422 is the French Creek State Forest. A massive forest that covers all the land south of Reading, following the I-176 and I-76 down until they converge on King of Prussia. The State Forest is primarily dense woodlands, with spots of irradiated wastes and clear cuts from post-war lumber extraction. A number of quarries and mines dot the hilly landscape of the forest and often act as the operating bases for many different raider groups or armed caravans. The forest lies within the KOP valley, a dipping, wide plain of nearly flat land that has only gentle inclines within its bounds. Pre-war, these conditions made the forest a prime spot for settlement and crop development. But following the war the plain has been covered in a tick woodland that while still holding some levels of farmsteads and grasslands, is largely untamed and difficult to traverse.
The forest houses a smaller stretch of woodlands that encompasses the lands past the Valley Forge National Park. These woodlands are called The Forge and stretch as far south as the city of King of Prussia, and as far north as Mont Clare.
Ecosystem
The state forest is a temperate forest and plain that is largely green with the exception of the small pockets of irradiated wastes that dot its lower valleys. The bulk of the forest is dominated by thick and tall trees that house all manner of wildlife and act as a sponge to most of the radiation within the region. Within the lower valleys of the forest are large pockets of flat plains that once held pre-war farms for both livestock and crops, some super crops farms have turned into settlements following the Great War, while many ranchers have taken up residency to feed the hungry mouths of Iron City and the King of Prussia area. The wildlife of this region follow very similar patterns to what they followed in their pre-war evolutions, however several new species have returned to the region including the once extinct timber wolf, which has since mutated into a radwolf, an almost apex predator within the state forest and a constant danger to those who wish to travel through those woods. Other mammals such as brahmin, radstag and even radgazzelle are commonplace within the forest and are hunted by all manner of creature.
Ecosystem Cycles
Due to the close proximity to the Nova Wasteland, the state forest tends to have colder than normal winters, that start earlier and last longer. This is due in part to the ash cloud above the Nova breaking off pieces of itself which spread out across the state forest and KOP southern tier, blanketing the region in shadow which drops the regional temperatures and can sometimes lead to early and bitter winters.
The upper reaches of the state forest have their ecological cycles largely dictated by the winds that come down through the Appalachian Mountains and into the foothills of the upper forest. It is common for the temperatures of the upper and lower regions of the state forest to vary in temperature to a certain extent, with the northern reaches of the forest being colder than the lower portions. The only time where this is not the case is when the ash winds from the Nova Wasteland to the south blow across the lower plains of the forest and drop its temperature unnaturally.
Localized Phenomena
The Forge within the state forest is said to be haunted by those who were stationed there, and those who died at the Battle of The Valley in 2065. Some caravanners say that they can see strange lights from deep within the state forest at night, but only when the moon is full, and the stars are extra visible.
Other strange phenomenon continues within the upper hills of the forest, with many settlers claiming to see strange ghostly apparitions and other visual phenomena during the early hours of the morning just before dawn.
Fauna & Flora
Much of the pre-war flora remains within the state forest, though some of them have become mutated from their pre-war evolutions, the most prominent of these is the thorn thicket. A bundle of vines and stems that are covered in thick, razor sharp poisonous thorns, these thickets will move and shift slowly around unsuspecting animals or settlers who stray too close to them, at the top of these plants grows a rare flower that is highly sought after for the creation of high end chems and anesthetic drugs.
The fauna of the forest is much the same as the rest of the KOP area, with populations of both herbivorous and carnivorous animals. In the lower valleys and around the handful of lakes within the forest is also a host of aquatic and semi-aquatic life of both the hostile and non-hostile variety.
Type
Forest, Temperate (Seasonal)
Location under
Included Locations
Owning Organization
Contested By
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