In the early 1900s, The Bethany Park and Forest was mostly open fields, with a native northern hardwood forest along Black Creek. By 1938, many fields on the east side had been planted with pine and spruce seedlings, with more plantings on the west side in the 1960s and 1970s, and by 2005 the park had become mostly forest as those seedlings matured into tall trees. This part of the park is a naturally occurring northern hardwood forest like the one along Black Creek, with native sugar maple, red maple, American beech, cherry, and white ash. After this area was abandoned from agricultural use in the late 1800s to early 1900s, it changed from a young forest into a mature one. A 2003 evaluation found the trees crowded, slowing in growth, mostly the same age, and nearing maturity, with too few younger trees to replace older ones as they died or were harvested. That year, a carefully planned harvest thinned poorer trees, reduced crowding among better ones, and cleared small patches so sunlight could reach the ground and regenerate a new age class of trees. By the summer of 2004, new seedlings were growing in the patches from seeds deposited by nearby trees. Trees harvested from the site were sold to a local wood products company to make lumber for home construction, flooring, furniture, and cabinetry, with the aim of keeping large tall trees present and making the forest healthier, more vigorous, and more productive for future generations.