Pa. man on quest to climb tallest tree on state’s tallest peaks

BEDFORD COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — A man has set out to climb the tallest tree on the highest mountain in every county, and he’s more than halfway there.

Van Wagner is an agriculture teacher and forester and has been on a climbing quest since January 2023.

He checked Bedford County off his list Tuesday, marking the 46th county on his list.

Wagner says he wants to raise awareness of the state’s hardwood forests and hopes to bring attention to investments in agriculture.

“We need to be aware that our forest is fragile and I want all Pennsylvanians to be part of that conversation. How do we go forward with managing our forests,” Wagner said. “That’s kind of my message. These forests are all of ours and we can’t just sit back and let the experts steer us in the direction we need to go. As property land owners, we all need to be part of this conversation.”

Wagner said he only climbed the tallest native tree at Blue Knob State Park. He said there was a slightly taller tree in the park, but it was not native to the state.

He completed his first climb on Jan. 28 in Montour County.

In the Midstate, he’s covered Juniata, Mifflin, York, Adams, Perry, Cumberland, Lancaster, Dauphin, and Lebanon counties so far.

Fulton County and much of the southwestern portion of the state remain.

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