PERRYSVILLE — After months of public comments and several changes to what began as a controversial plan, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Forest Advisory Council and the chief of the state’s Division of Forestry have officially approved an addendum to the management plan for Mohican-Memorial State Forest.
The “Restoring Native Hardwoods Initiative,” ODNR officials say, is designed to reduce the number of non-native pines and allow for more native hardwoods to grow in the forest, resulting in greater biodiversity.
“Those hardwoods, that’s what’s supposed to be in Ohio. That’s what the wildlife in Ohio needs,” said Chad Sanders, Mohican Forest manager.
The initiative is an addendum to the 2015-2020 forest management plan that rezones the forest and allows pine thinning in some areas at a rate of 20 to 40 acres a year. The forest includes 1,800 acres of pine.
The original opponents of the initiative, including many members of Mohican Advocates and North Central Ohio Land Conservancy, argued the plan did not do enough to protect the forest from adverse effects of logging and invasive species, and that it was developed by foresters who see commercial logging as a financial opportunity.
In response to the numerous concerns from the public, the council extended the public comment period on the plan and then, at a December 7 meeting, agreed to several commitments that were added to the final plan before it was approved January 31.
Speaking on behalf of Mohican Advocates and North Central Ohio Land Conservancy, Eric Miller said the groups were satisfied with the outcome of the December meeting.
“The decisions they made brought the five-year plan into conformity with the spirit of the Ad Hoc plan,” Miller said, referring to a 1994 effort to protect the forest from logging that resulted in the formation of an Ad Hoc committee and the zoning of the forest that was in place prior to the new plan.
“I don’t claim to know what prompted the changes, but I will say that had they come out back in August with what they said at that meeting in December, we would not have opposed it,” Miller said. “We would not have sponsored forums and written letters about it.”
Sanders said he, too, thought the process was effective.
“I think it was a good process. I hope people know we listened to everything they had to say and to all their concerns and that we do have the best interest of the forest at heart,” Sanders said.
The Division of Forestry made 10 major changes in the final version of the plan, Sanders said. They include, but are not limited to:
· Proactive invasive species management prior to any silvicultural activity
· Adjusting the boundary around Pine Run to protect the side drainages of that stream
· Setting aside several hundred acres of pine plantations to be left as a legacy
· Limiting activity to the recreation “off-season”
· Designing a research proposal for university students to research and evaluate these practices and the response of the natural hardwood forest
A copy of the final plan is below.
Mohican Restoring Native Hardwoods Initiative final plan
