About the Center

Updated 08/25/2008

Big Flats Plant Materials Center

Description of the Big Flats PMC Service Area

The area served by the Big Flats Plant Materials Center (PMC) contains both glaciated and non-glaciated soils. The Center provides service to Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania. This cool, humid region consists of plateaus, plains and mountains. The elevations range from sea level to 6,300 feet above sea level. Minimum temperatures range from 0 to -40 degrees Fahrenheit. The frost free season is 120 days to 160 days, but is less than 100 days in the higher mountains.

Dairies, fruit, and truck crops dominate the area's agriculture. Potatoes are a major crop in various parts of the region. Large areas are forested, which produce significant amounts of timber. Products include lumber, pulpwood, Christmas trees, firewood, and maple syrup.

Non-agricultural activities which play a dramatic role in the use of conservation plants include surface mining, expanded land transportation systems, heavy urban development, and increasing recreational facilities. Some large forest holdings are used for watershed protection, such as the New York Water Authority.

Getting to the Big Flats Plant Materials Center

The Big Flats PMC is located in the Southern Tier of central New York about 4 miles east of Corning and about 1 hour south of Ithaca, NY (Cornell).

* Take Rte. 17 east from Corning about 4 miles
* Exit at Rte. 352 (Exit 48, East Corning)
* Follow Rte. 352 east about 1.5 miles
* The PMC is on the left side of the road (see map provided below)

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