COLUMBUS, OH State foresters at Shawnee State Forest in southern Ohio will use a helicopter to remove thousands of trees killed or severely damaged by February ice storms, the first time that a chopper has been used in this way at a state forest in Ohio. A heavy-lifting Sikorsky helicopter is being brought in as part of the massive salvage operation, which emphasizes low-impact techniques to protect soil and the forest floor as damaged trees are lifted from the forest.
According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), the ice storms had a devastating impact on the 63,000-acre forest, toppling tens of thousands of trees and closing local roads and major trail systems for weeks. This has also set the stage for possible insect infestations and forest fires as the downed or damaged trees decay.
Removing these damaged trees will prevent waste of a usable resource and will reduce the risk of future wildfires and insect infestations. It also will create the ideal habitat for natural regeneration of the areas original oak forest, said John Dorka, chief of the ODNR Division of Forestry. Since February, state foresters and local crews have made a tremendous effort to open roads, clear trails and responsibly salvage damaged trees at Shawnee State Forest. Helicopters will allow us to complete that task in the most difficult locations by removing trees with minimal impact.
According to Dorka, these salvage sales will take place in areas where the heaviest concentrations of trees were brought down by the February storms.
These forest management projects make the best of an unfortunate situation, said Dorka. And we will do this while protecting the resources that remain, and providing an economic benefit to the local community.
Superior Hardwoods of Ohio, Inc., submitted the winning bid to harvest the fallen and damaged timber. Superior is a southeastern Ohio-based company, with sawmill operations in Wellston, McArthur and Cambridge. They have contracted with Carson Helicopters, a Pennsylvania firm, to provide a Sikorsky S-61 chopper capable of lifting up to 10,000 pounds.
The use of helicopters and other low-impact logging techniques also highlights a major component of the Ohio Forest Initiative, a statewide forest management philosophy developed at the request of Governor Bob Taft in 2000.
The Ohio Forest Initiative promotes environmentally responsible forest management on public and privately owned woodlands in Ohio, said Dorka.
Shawnee State Forest is the largest of 20 state forests in Ohio, totaling 63,294 acres in Scioto and Adams counties. The property was acquired by the state in 1922 as neglected farmland with few trees. Thanks to wise forest management, the forest is thriving today. The forest has 132 miles of trails and supports a wide range of recreational opportunities.