COLUMBUS, OH -Rock Hill School District will receive more than $208,000 from the sale of timber at Dean State Forest, the ODNR Division of Forestry announced today. In addition, Decatur Township and Lawrence County each received $104,000 for a total to the county of more than $400,000 through the ODNR Division of Forestry’s Trees to Textbooks program.
“While providing increased forest health benefits, this program provides funding to local schools and governments to conduct programs they otherwise might not afford,” said State Forester John Dorka. “Local school superintendents have been highly supportive of this program.”
In all, nearly $2,000,000 will be distributed this year to 17 school districts and 42 local governments as a result of forest management activities on Ohio’s state forests. Revenues generated from state forests also include royalties from the production of minerals, such as oil and gas, on state land.
The ODNR Division of Forestry, originally formed in 1885, is responsible for managing more than 185,000 acres of state forests across Ohio. Through carefully selected timber management projects, foresters have been able to improve the health, vigor and productivity of state forest lands.
Today, Ohio is more than 30 percent forested, compared to just 12 percent in the early 1900s. In the past 80 years, the ODNR Division of Forestry has planted more than a half billion trees in Ohio, and continues to produce for planting more than 3,000,000 seedlings a year.
All timber management projects on state lands are carefully selected. State forestry experts use these projects to improve the forest’s overall health and diversity, with an eye to its value for recreational opportunities, soil and water conservation and wildlife habitat. When it is determined that selected trees or limited areas of woodland should be harvested, projects are competitively bid with requirements for sound management practices. All work is conducted by certified companies under strict contract requirements and monitoring.