While a debate about hydraulic fracturing in Ohio state forests recently has been in the news, attendees at an Ohio Department of Natural Resources regional open house in Chillicothe on Wednesday wanted to talk primarily about logging activity in the forests.
The open house was one of three across the state designed to present plans for forestry and wildlife management projects to residents and gather input. A Scioto County-based organization opposed to logging efforts took advantage of the opportunity to present its viewpoint at the Chillicothe meeting.
The Friendship-based group known as Save Our Shawnee Forest was created in the mid-1980s to oppose timber operations taking place in state forests, particularly the Shawnee State Forest.
“Our mission is to save and protect Shawnee State Forest — that’s the forest we’re interested in because that’s our home — for this generation and future generations,” group member William Tipton said. “We feel that the amount of logging going on in Shawnee State Forest is not sustainable. We feel it’s doing a lot more damage than it is good.”
Tipton said the 65 members of Save Our Shawnee Forest also have other concerns, including anything to do with preserving wildlife in forests such as protecting the bird population and stemming the “invasion of non-native plants and animals.” He also said he believed rattlesnakes that are endangered should be protected.
From The Chillicothe Gazette: https://www.chillicothegazette.com/article/20130731/NEWS01/307310038/State-forest-activities-scrutinized?nclick_check=1