"TREES TO TEXTBOOKS" PROGRAM GENERATES MORE THAN $1,000,000 FOR LOCAL SCHOOLS AND GOVERNMENTS

COLUMBUS, OH -- Seventeen Ohio school districts and 40 local and county governments will receive more than $1,000,000 this year from the sale of timber and other products on state forests, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).

"The school districts and local governments benefiting from these management projects are often some of the most fiscally challenged in the state," said John Dorka, chief of the ODNR Division of Forestry. "As state foresters, we are pleased that our management efforts not only provide good stewardship and recreational opportunities for Ohioans, but also create much-needed funds for local school districts and local governments."

Under state law, a portion of revenues generated from any timber management project on state forest land is distributed to local school districts in the county where the project took place. An additional portion of revenues is allocated to the local county and township governments.

In all, more than $520,000 will be distributed this year to schools as a result of forest management activities on Ohio's 20 state forests. Revenues generated from state forests also include royalties from the production of minerals, such as oil and gas.

Counties receiving the largest allocation of funding include Ross, Scioto and Vinton in southern Ohio.

The ODNR Division of Forestry is responsible for managing more than 185,000 acres on 20 state forests across Ohio. Last year, selective timber harvesting projects were conducted on approximately 1,857 acres of state forest land.

Ohio is now more than 30 percent forested, compared to just 12 percent in the early 1900s. In the past 80 years, the ODNR Division of Forestry has planted more than a half billion trees in Ohio, and continues to produce more than 5,000,000 seedlings a year for planting.

State forestry experts use these projects to improve the forest's overall health and diversity, with an eye to its value for recreational opportunities, soil and water conservation and wildlife habitat. When it is determined that selected trees or limited areas of woodland should be harvested, projects are competitively bid with requirements for sound management practices. All work is conducted by certified companies under strict contract requirements and monitoring.

Virtually all properties acquired by the ODNR Division of Forestry over the years were either abused farmlands with no forest cover, abandoned strip mine lands or severely cutover and neglected woodlands. Now restored by state foresters as productive forests, these lands are managed for a multitude of benefits, including watershed protection, backcountry recreation, wildlife habitat and timber production.