Effort To Protect Old Growth Forests Includes A Local Forest

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(Columbus) — There are few places in the Buckeye State more awe-inspiring than an old-growth forest. Among them is Lake Katharine State Nature Preserve in Jackson County. With the help of generous donations to Ohio’s income tax checkoff program, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Natural Areas and Preserves is protecting what remains of those ancient forests in a variety of ways, including habitat preservation and restoration.

“Ohio’s state nature preserves protect an amazing variety of incredible ecosystems, but experiencing the immense trees found in our old-growth forest remnants can be quite humbling,” ODNR Director Mary Mertz said. “When Ohioans donate a portion of their tax refund, they become our partners in protecting the very best natural features, like old growth forests, prairie, wetlands, across our landscape.”
 

Goll Woods State Nature Preserve is the least disturbed woodland to remain in northwest Ohio; it harbors some of the state’s largest bur, white, and chinquapin oaks
 

From microorganisms in the soil to songbirds perched high above the forest floor, old-growth forests are complex ecosystems where the sum of its parts is integral to its health. Forests are ever-changing; as the oldest trees succumb to age, younger trees gradually mix in. Even dead trees have their place—standing timber offers food and shelter for a wealth of wildlife species.
 
Join ODNR in protecting the very best of Ohio’s natural resources by becoming a partner in preservation! One of the easiest ways to donate is to earmark a portion of this year’s income tax refund on the Ohio 1040 form—just choose “nature preserves and scenic rivers” and the amount to be donated for natural resource preservation. Learn more by visiting the ODNR Division of Natural Areas and Preserves donations webpage.
 
                
Visitors to Johnson Woods State Nature Preserve (left) in Wayne County will marvel at some of the old-growth trees towering over the trail and hikers enjoy discovering the trails and mature trees, such as the state champion pitch pine, found at Lake Katharine State Nature Preserve (right) in southeast Ohio’s Jackson County.

State nature preserves provide permanent protection for old-growth trees. Want to discover Ohio’s living history? Take a tour of Ohio’s deeply wooded state nature preserves such as Solon Woods and Johnson Woods in the northeast; Goll Woods and Lawrence Woods in the northwest; Lake Katharine and Riddle in the southeast; and Culberson and Hueston Woods in the southwest.
 

Culberson Woods State Nature Preserve protects 280 acres of “wet beech forest” which once covered the flatlands of southwest Ohio.
 

Ohio’s woodlands are especially beautiful to visit in spring when dozens of native wildflowers grace the forest floor. Some of the prettiest include spring beauty, trillium, bluebells, various orchids, hepatica, and mayapple.