Questions & Answers
What Others Are Saying
News Release

Vinton Furnace Experimental Forest
Opportunity for Permanent Protection

Question and Answers

Why is this acquisition worth the investment of public funds?

• As urban sprawl continues to diminish our remaining woodlands, the Vinton Furnace Experimental Forest/Raccoon Ecological Management Area (REMA) is, at 15,849 acres, the largest remaining intact block of forestland still available for permanent protection in Ohio.

• The Vinton Furnace Experimental Forest is one of the most important research forests in the eastern United States. Since 2000 alone, data collected at the forest has been cited in nearly 200 scholarly papers on forest ecology, forest management, and wildlife.

• The site is home to research dedicated to restoring oak trees to Ohio’s forests. Oaks are some of Ohio’s most important wildlife species and a valuable part of the state’s $15 billion wood industry.

• The Vinton Furnace Experimental Forest is home to three state threatened plant species (Bartley’s bent reed grass, wild kidney bean and butterfly-pea), and two state endangered plant species (the flame azalea and big leaf magnolia). The Vinton Furnace also supports Ohio’s most critical populations of timber rattlesnake and bobcat, and provides important habitat for the cerulean warbler, a species of special concern to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The Division of Wildlife’s strategic plan for forest habitat identifies 57 animal species in and around the Vinton Furnace that face habitat shortages and low or declining populations.

• Under state ownership, the Vinton Furnace Experimental Forest will be managed to protect ongoing and new research efforts, provide public access, promote native wildlife, and provide sustained timber production essential for the economy of southeastern Ohio. State ownership will assure that this forest will provide all of these benefits to Vinton County and all Ohio’s citizens in perpetuity.

How much will the forest cost and what funds will be used to purchase the property?

The total purchase price and costs for the Vinton Furnace Experimental Forest is $15,100,000. Of that amount, only $3,884,000 will come from state Capital funds.

Over the past three years the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has obtained environmental mitigation funds from private companies and dedicated land conservation funds from the federal government. Together, non-state sources comprise 70% of the funding needed to purchase the Vinton Furnace Experimental Forest. For every $1 of state funds more than $2.5 will come from private and federal sources. In addition, a unique partnership with the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station will provide continued, non-state funded staffing and maintenance for the property.

Why is now the right time for this purchase?

The use of available private and federal funds is contingent on the State closing on the Vinton Furnace Experimental Forest by the end of 2010. The majority of these funds will not be available at a later time. It is unlikely that the state will ever again be able to assemble a funding package in which non-state funds make up more than 70% of the total.

How will this purchase benefit the local community?

• Tax revenue provided to the local school and governments are expected to more than double over that paid by the current owners. Last year, the entire property generated approximately $16,000 in tax revenue for the local school district, township and county governments. As a State Forest, at least twice that amount will be returned to Vinton County annually through the Trees to Textbooks program. In addition, because a portion of the funding for this project is provided by the Division of Wildlife, approximately $19,000 every year will be shared with Vinton County through the Division of Wildlife payment in lieu of taxes program.

• The Vinton Furnace Experimental Forest lies near McArthur, the heart of Ohio’s sawmill industry. The property also provides, through a previous sales agreement, an ongoing source of fiber for the Glatfelter Paper Mill in Chillicothe, one of southern Ohio’s most important employers. State ownership guarantees that the forest will be sustainably managed for a range of benefits, including timber production.

Who supports this purchase?

In addition to local officials, a wide array of university and federal forest researchers, woodland owners, educators, recreational groups, environmental organizations, forest industry leaders and sportsmen’s clubs support the purchase of the Vinton Furnace Experimental Forest. All together, ODNR has received more than 200 letters of support for permanently protecting the Vinton Furnace Experimental Forest.

Support For Permanently Protecting
The Vinton Furnace Experimental Forest
As a New State Forest

“The 1,400 employees of Glatfelter in Chillicothe face a more secure future with the State of Ohio purchasing this valuable working forest that will be managed in a sustainable manner,” said Stephen Brown, Woodlands Manager for Glatfelter. “It’s of great value to Ohio’s $7.5 billion paper industry to protect this forested land and perpetuate over 57 years of forestry research in Southern Ohio.”	"This acquisition saves one of the last great remnants of Appalachian forests left in Ohio," said Josh Knights, Executive Director of The Nature Conservancy in Ohio. “The conservation community in Ohio is proud to have contributed to the effort by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to protect this outstanding place for the benefit of all."
“For years the Vinton Furnace has been one of the most popular hunting areas in Ohio,” Dave Graham, Chief of the Ohio Division of Wildlife. “We’re proud to be part of the effort to make this great wildlife habitat a permanent part of Ohio’s conservation heritage.”
“This forest is an ecological cornucopia of rare plant and animal species,” said Jack Shaner, Deputy Director for the Ohio Environmental Council. “This is a bargain investment that will pay dividends many times over to the people of Ohio in clean air, protected soil and water resources, and conserved wildlife habitat. The Ohio Division of Forestry is doing right by the people of Ohio with this landmark acquisition.”	“For many years Project Learning Tree has utilized the Vinton Furnace site for professional development, educational training sessions, and tours for teachers, youth leaders, and natural resource professionals, that compare to no other because Vinton Furnace is an actual living experimental forest that cannot be duplicated elsewhere,” said Ralph Martin, Professor of Science Education at Ohio University and past Chair of the Board of Directors for PLT-Ohio.
“The forest landowner demonstration area allows visitors to actually experience a wide spectrum of forest management activities,” said Dr. Roger Williams, Associate Professor of Forestry at The Ohio State University and Policy Chair for the Ohio Chapter of the Society of American Foresters. “This demonstration area, as well as the numerous research sites and excellent facilities make the Vinton Furnace Experimental Forest the premier location in Ohio and surrounding states for forestry-related educational programs.”
"In addition to its natural heritage value, the REMA/VFEF property has cultural heritage value,” said Glenn Matlack, Assistant Professor of forest ecology at Ohio University and instructor of the popular course, Americans and Their Forests. “ It protects a historical landscape of Indian mounds, abandoned farms, and iron furnaces, all waiting to be appreciated. REMA/VFEF is the real Ohio. This is as close as we can come to the original landscape that confronted the settlers as they first floated west down the Ohio River."	“At the heart of Ohio’s $15 billion wood industry lies a commitment by our Master Loggers, sawmill operators, Tree Farm members and foresters to promote the wise use of woodland resources,” said John Dorka, Executive Director of the Ohio Forestry Association. “The research conducted at the Vinton Furnace benefits every aspect of the wood industry, and indeed, every person in Ohio who values clean air and water, abundant wildlife, as well as good jobs based on the sustainable harvest of a renewable resource.”
“Some of the most important research in the country on the use and impact of prescribed burns as a management tool in hardwood forests is now underway in the REMA/VFEF,” said Dr. Jerry Bigham, Professor and Director of the OSU School of Natural Resources. “Additional work is being done on the impact of harvesting on botanicals, under-story species, wildlife, and forest soil ecology. Our faculty considers the REMA/VFEF to be an invaluable teaching tool because it provides students an opportunity to see the impacts of harvesting and other management decisions at a single location over a time frame ranging to 50+ years.”
"Access to hunting lands continues to get tougher for sportsmen in Ohio every year, " said Doug Duhl, President of the Jackson County Federation of Conservation Clubs. "This acquisition forever assures that these quality hunting lands will be available to hunters."	“Both I and my graduate students have conducted research on forest ecology and management in these woodlands for almost ten years, which has resulted in over a dozen peer-reviewed publications in the forestry literature, forty papers presented at scientific meetings, and nearly a half million dollars in federal research funding,” said Dr. Brian McCarthy, Professor of Forest Ecology at Ohio University. “Failure to conserve these woodlands, and protect it from development, would result in a major loss of information on the ecology and management of regional hardwood forests, not to mention the loss of a critical center of biological diversity, and key facility for university natural science training.”
“One of the most important responsibilities assigned to Ohio’s 88 soil and water conservation districts is enforcement of the Ag Pollution Abatement Law,” said Lawrence Burdell, President of the Ohio Federation of Soil & Water Conservation Districts. “We find that working proactively in providing educational training for the wood industry is the best way to assure environmentally responsible logging practices. We’ve found there is no better place in Ohio to provide this training than at the Vinton Furnace Experimental Forest.”
“The Vinton Furnace Experimental Forest is a premier forest in the central hardwood region,” said Jim Downs, Forestry Instructor at Hocking College. “This purchase insures that the forest will be continually managed for multiple uses, including the cutting edge research and the educational woodland management demonstration areas, which are invaluable to the Hocking College forestry program.”	"In my opinion, VFEF/REMA is the most important demonstration and research forest in Ohio,” said David M. Hix, Associate Professor of Silviculture and Forest Ecology, School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University. “I have been conducting field trips for Ohio State University student there since 1993. It is the best location to both observe a wide variety of silvicultural treatments and long-term forest change, but also has some of the oldest research plots documenting successional trends following regeneration practices. The area is indispensable for instruction and research in many aspects of central hardwood forest ecology and silviculture."
“Vinton Furnace represents one of the most important forest research and demonstration sites east of the Mississippi River. It is used for sustainable forest management research, for practical training by Ohio’s $15 billion wood industry, and as a popular hunting destination for sportsmen and women from across the state,” said ODNR Director Sean Logan. “This agreement will forever protect this forest, assure that its use serves the public, and that it will remain available as an ecological, recreational and economic resource for all the people of Ohio.”
“The Vinton Furnace Experimental State Forest is an invaluable asset for Ohio,” said Senator George V. Voinovich. “I am pleased that the private, state, and federal effort to protect the forest will be a success. It goes to show that when we harmonize our environment, energy and economy, everyone benefits.”	"Today's announcement marks a terrific accomplishment for forestry, wildlife, outdoor recreation and rural communities in Ohio and across the Midwest," said Larry Selzer, president and CEO of The Conservation Fund, a national nonprofit organization based in Arlington, Virginia. "We commend the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, American Electric Power, Ohio's congressional delegation, USDA Forest Service, Rockies Express East, the Forestland Group and other partners for their terrific leadership to leave a lasting conservation legacy for future generations."
“This purchase is only possible with the investment of funds provided through American Electric Power, Rockies Express Pipeline, The Nature Conservancy, The Conservation Fund, the US Fish & Wildlife Service, as well as with federal Forest Legacy program funds administered by the USDA Forest Service Northeastern Area State & Private Forestry,” said David Lytle, state forester and chief of the ODNR Division of Forestry. “The broad-based support of so many different public agencies, private companies and non-profit organizations demonstrates the significance of permanently protecting this great forest.”
“Not only does this project bring important funding home to Vinton County, it also preserves one of Ohio’s great treasures while protecting more than 50 years of important research,” said US Congressman Zack Space, 18th Ohio District. “This is truly a win-win for the economy of Southeastern Ohio.”	“Research conducted at the Vinton Furnace Experimental Forest deepens our knowledge of the growth and ecological function of the central hardwood forests,” said Michael Rains, Director of the USDA Forest Service’s Northern Research Station. “A great deal remains to be learned as our forests continue to be threatened by an ever growing list of new pests and diseases. We applaud the State’s effort to permanently protect this priceless resource, and we offer our ongoing commitment to maintain this research facility.”
“I am very excited about bringing resources to Vinton County that contribute to our region’s quality of life and economic development,” said State Representative Clyde Evans. “This acquisition will provide recreation opportunities for persons in our area and from around the state while preserving the beauty that characterizes southern Ohio.”
“With their long history of environmental stewardship, AEP and AEP Ohio are pleased to partner in this effort to protect such a significant Ohio resource,” said Joseph Hamrock, president and chief operating officer of AEP operating subsidiary AEP Ohio.	"The Ohio Forestry Advisory Council is established in State Law to advise the State Forester on issues and policies that will promote and advance the overall health and sustainability of Ohio's nearly 8 million acres of woodlands. It is the unanimous agreement of all eight members -- representing forest researchers, small and large private landowners, the public, the wood and paper industries, soil protection, and recreational interests - that the purchase of the Vinton Furnace Experimental Forest will be of historic significance leading to healthier and more diverse forests across our State, and by allowing for the continuation of forestry research started more than 50 years ago, as well as new studies needed to address our changing forests. All Ohioans will benefit by permanently protecting this unique research, cultural, educational and recreational asset."

Vinton Furnace Experimental Forest Opportunity for Permanent Protection