The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Forestry (DOF) has scheduled three Open Houses in early September. The public is invited to attend to learn about the agency’s Annual Work Plan for State Forests. The Open Houses will be held at Division of Forestry District Offices in Athens on September 2, Chillicothe on September 3, and Findlay on September 4.

According to DOF’s announcement:

The Division of Forestry’s managers and foresters develop an annual work plan to guide specific management activities for 24 state forests in Ohio. This work plan encompasses more than 200,000 acres combined. The open house events provide opportunities for the public to ask questions and comment on Ohio’s plans for sustainable forestry, which include recreation, aesthetic value, treating invasive species, prescribed burning, and timber cruising and harvesting.

As extreme weather events become more frequent and boreal forests are ravaged by fire, protecting our native Eastern hardwood forests is more important than ever, so it is critical that Ohioans who care about having healthy forests for future generations and want management decisions to be rooted in science, not profit, make their voices heard. 

1) Review the 2025-2026 Draft Annual Work Plan Here   2) Attend an Open HouseIf you are able to attend one of the Open Houses, please let us know by signing up at one of the links below:  Sept 2 4:30pm-6:30pm Athens Open House Signup   Sept 3 4:30pm-6:30pm Chillicothe Open House Signup  Sept 4 4:30pm-6:30pm Findlay Open House Signup   3) Submit a written comment here  by the October 5 deadline and copy info@benohio.org so that we can see your comments and keep track of how many have been submitted! Please email us if you have questions or would like to assist in the development of talking points.  We will share more information later this month.