Consisting of 1,148 acres of wooded land, Beaver Dam State Forest is a state forest located near Richford. Once clear cut for farming and pastureland, the poor soil and poor growing season of the area resulted in a gradual abandonment of the land in the early 20th century. The land was then purchased by New York State between 1939 and 1942, where hundreds of thousands of trees were planted to rewild the area.