COLUMBUS, OH-- The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry has concluded its investigation into an unauthorized clearing along a Columbia Gas Transmission pipeline within Mohican State Forest during the week of March 19.
A maintenance crew under contract to Columbia Gas cleared a 282-foot section of forest to a 50-foot width.
ODNR’s subsequent investigation into the clearing determined the following points:
- The contract crew was directed by Columbia Gas employees to clear the marked area that included state forest property.
- Based on an outdated map, Columbia Gas employees worked from an assumption that gas storage well # 10633 was located on private property. The Columbia employees began flagging an area to be cleared from well #10633 to nearby private property.
- Despite the presence of a state boundary clearly marked in yellow blazes and the presence of private property signs, Columbia Gas employees state they did not notice the boundary markings.
- Columbia Gas employees were not present at the time that the contractor cleared the marked forest boundary area.
- There is no evidence that the Columbia employees were directed by any manager to mark state forest property for clearing. Columbia Gas employees state they were directed by Columbia Gas to not mark state forest boundaries for clearing.
- The market value of the trees cut on state forest property was approximately $600.