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| Left to right: Ronald G. Abraham, Sam Speck-ODNR Director, Dan Steen-FirstEnergy Corp., Rebecca Spach-FirstEnergy Corp. |
COLUMBUS, OH - A 69-acre site in Sandusky County, located 10 miles south of Fremont on County Road 113, was dedicated today as the Ronald G. Abraham Forest by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).
The newly planted forest was named by ODNR Director Sam Speck in honor of Ron Abraham, who served as Ohios state forester from 1988 to 2001. Abraham, a native of Edon, retired as chief of ODNRs Division of Forestry in December 2001.
The 29,000 hardwood trees planted in 2001 on the site are a mix of walnuts, oaks, ashes, poplars and cherries. The planting was funded by FirstEnergy Corporation as part of a project designed to help remove carbon from the atmosphere. Trees absorb carbon dioxide through their leaves and store it in their woody tissue as carbon.
After 70 years, ODNR estimates that this forest will have removed and stored an estimated 7,800 tons of carbon from the atmosphere.
From 1947 to 1984 the site was operated as a state tree nursery. Today, ODNRs Civilian Conservation Corps operates a residential camp at the site.
The ODNR Division of Forestry manages nearly 200,000 acres of state forest land, annually produce 5 million seedlings for reforestation efforts and manages Ohios service and urban forestry programs.
For Further Information Contact:
Greg Maxfield, ODNR Division of Forestry
(419) 424-5004
-or-
Andy Ware, ODNR Media Relations
(614) 265-6882