COLUMBUS, OH -Woodland owners across Ohio, as well as anyone interested in protecting working forests, are encouraged to voice their opinions of a plan to preserve those forests at a series of public meetings scheduled between March 22 and 29, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).
The ODNR Division of Forestry is sponsoring the meetings in order to assess Ohio's need for enrollment in the federal Forest Legacy Program. The program assists states in acquiring permanent conservation easements from willing sellers for woods that meet Forest Legacy purposes and criteria.
"The Forest Legacy Program is designed to protect woodlands that are at risk for conversion to non-forest uses," said John Dorka, chief of the ODNR Division of Forestry, which will administer the Forest Legacy Program in Ohio.
The program will focus on woodlands where timber production is one of the primary land-management objectives. In addition to gauging statewide need for the program, the upcoming meetings will define program goals, assess potential Forest Legacy areas and formulate processes that will be used to evaluate and prioritize properties for inclusion.
| City |
Location |
Time & Date |
| Findlay |
952-B Lima Road |
7-9 p.m. on March 22 |
| Burton |
OSU Extension Office |
7-9 p.m. on March 23 |
| Barnesville |
1119 E. Main St. Suite 2 |
7-9 p.m. on March 24 |
| Lebanon |
Warren County Administration Building, 406 Justice Drive |
7-9 p.m. on March 25 |
| New Philadelphia |
2205 Reiser Ave. SE |
7-9 p.m. on March 26 |
| Columbus |
ODNR Assembly Center, 1855 Fountain Square, Bldg. E |
7-9 p.m. on March 27 |
| Chillicothe |
475 Western Ave., Room A |
7- 9 p.m. on March 29 |