COLUMBUS, OH - Work is set to begin on creating a forest management demonstration area at Mohican-Memorial State Forest in Ashland County, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). The demonstration area stems from recommendations of a local advisory group, the Mohican Ad Hoc Council, which met from 1996-1999 to discuss management of the state forest.
The 167-acre demonstration area, located at the northern entrance of the forest, adheres to the ad hoc council's recommendation to "provide education about forest ecosystems and their management" by allowing landowners, students, and the general public to walk along a trail that showcases different forest management practices.
"This demonstration area will provide a springboard from which good forest management will be practiced on tens of thousands of acres throughout the state," said Frank Corona, project coordinator for the ODNR Division of Forestry. "It will also create a much-needed learning tool for students throughout the region."
The project focuses on woodland stewardship that can be adopted by the average Ohio landowner. More than 90 percent of Ohio's woodlands are privately owned. In addition, the area will serve as an outdoor learning laboratory for elementary school students, as well as students from the College of Wooster, Mount Vernon Nazarene University and The Ohio State University.
Another unique aspect of the project is the in-depth biological monitoring that will allow researchers to evaluate changes within the forest. Photographs of the forest and efforts by the OSU Borror Laboratory of Bioacoustics will document progress of the project. Local and statewide leaders in natural resources management helped create the actual demonstration area. Additional participation came from the Ohio Woodlands Stewards Program, the OSU Extension Service, Gorman Nature Center, Soil & Water Conservation Districts in Richland, Ashland and Holmes counties, the Ohio Woodland Owners Association, Hocking College, The Ohio Tree Farm System, Mount Vernon Nazarene University, the College of Wooster, the Audubon Society, Ashland University, Ashland Career Center, local elementary teachers and ODNR's divisions of Forestry, Natural Areas & Preserves, Soil & Water Conservation and Wildlife.
A special committee of local educators, soil & water conservation district staff and an OSU School of Natural Resources education coordinator are developing educational displays and materials for the demonstration area.
Mohican-Memorial State Forest was created in 1928 and includes more than 4,500 acres of land. At the time of the original purchase, the acreage was mostly gullied and eroded farmland.
The ODNR Division of Forestry manages 20 state forests with more than 185,000 acres, spanning parts of 21 Ohio counties. The benefits of these properly managed forests include increased biodiversity, improved wildlife habitat and greater recreational opportunities.