Administrative Offices 945 ODNR Mohican Road 60 Perrysville, OH  44864 419/938-6222 Directions to forest Total acres: 4,525 County: Ashland County Brochure with map (pdf)

Columbia Gas Well Clearing Update - Week of August 25, 2009

The last 3 of the 12 well sites have been cleared. Columbia Gas will be working on chipping branches, seeding and mulching the remaining sites. The actual work planned for each well is scheduled to start the week of 8/31/09.

Notice to Horse Riders

A section of the blue trail may be closed due to the Columbia Gas well clearing operation. Riders will be directed to use the Blue Trail Connector during this closure. The trail closure will take place sometime during the week (Monday – Friday) and should only last one day. All trails are anticipated to be open on Saturday and Sunday.

  

Public Recreational Areas near Mohican-Memorial State Forest
Use ODNR's Recreational Areas by County Map to locate State Parks, Nature Preserves, Boating Areas, and public hunting and fishing areas near Mohican-Memorial State Forest.

The Discovery Forest at Mohican Additional Information Mohican-Memorial Five-Year Plan: This plan is largely an outgrowth of the efforts and work of the Mohican-Memorial State Forest Ad Hoc Advisory Council. The Council was formed by the Chief of the Division of Forestry to make recommendations on the current and future management of the forest. READ MORE>(pdf download) The Memorial Forest Shrine is dedicated to the memory of 20,000 Ohioans killed in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf War. AUDIO SEGMENTS AUDIO: Firewood Alert AUDIO: Service Foresters VIDEO and MORE AUDIO>

Mohican-Memorial State Forest Notes
Mohican-Memorial State Forest is located in southern Ashland County, midway between Columbus and Cleveland. It is easily reached from I-71 and State Routes 97 and 3. The natural attributes of the area combined with state and nearby commercial facilities have made this region one of the more popular year-round attractions of the state.

Mohican-Memorial State Forest is managed under the multiple-use concept for timber and wildlife habitat, forestry research and demonstrations of good forest land management, primitive recreation and natural beauty, tree seed for forest nurseries and protection of soils and watershed.

Timber products obtained from harvest, stand improvement and thinning operations include saw logs, veneer logs with some pulpwood and firewood. Pine plantation thinnings yield fence and guard posts and poles.

During the spring and fall fire seasons, a major objective of the forest organization is to prevent, detect and suppress wildfires that occur on state and private land within the protection district.

The many gas wells and transmission lines that you see are a result of the development of a natural gas storage field underlying the forest.

Land acquisition for the forest began in 1928 and has continued with the accumulation of over 4,500 acres (exclusive of state park land). The land use history of the forest is typical of eastern Ohio. Original forests were cleared for agriculture, but eventually erosion ensued and fertility decreased. Farms were abandoned and subsequently reverted to brush and woodland.

At the time of acquisition, planting of trees on abandoned land was a high priority activity. This resulted in the many plantations of white and red pine and mixtures of these and other pine species that you see today. Much of the tree planting was done by personnel of the Civilian Conservation Corps whose camp was located on the forest during the 1930s. Native hardwood of the oak-hickory and beech-maple types and associated species of gum, aspen, ash, cherry and walnut occur on unplanted areas. Native white pine and hemlock are also found.

General Forest Rules

• The Mohican-Memorial State Forest area receives hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Please respect the forest community that you find. Your consideration of other visitors using the forest will help provide an enjoyable experience for all.

• Visitors are welcome at Mohican-Memorial State Forest between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m.

• Motor vehicles are restricted to roads open for public travel. Forest roads have a speed limit of 20 mph, and vehicles may not be parked where traffic or access to service roads is obstructed. Parking areas are provided.

• Use of horses is permitted on designated bridle trails only. Camping and building fires are prohibited except in areas provided.

• Disturbance, defacement or destruction of any property, material, natural feature or vegetation is prohibited. Berries, nuts and mushrooms may be gathered and removed except from tree seed orchards or posted areas.

• General visitation guidelines