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Professional
Foresters Make A Difference In
The Management Of Ohio’s Forests |
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rofessional
Foresters are uniquely qualified by education and experience to manage the
forest resources of Ohio. The Ohio
Society of American Foresters publication, Selling Timber? Want More Money? Contact a Forester First. outlines the benefits of using
a forester. The following are additional
resources you may find useful and are abstracted from other publications.
Evaluation of logging best management practices on private forest
lands in Ohio. To control and
mitigate non-point sources of pollution to the nations waterways, states have
developed non-point source pollution plans.
For silvicultural pollution (sediment arising from forest management
activities) Ohio’s plan relies heavily on voluntary mechanisms to promote best
management practices by logging operators and landowners. The ODNR, Division of Forestry commissioned
a study to evaluate logging best management use and effectiveness on private
forestlands in Ohio. The study found
that the compliance rate for Ohio was high, with 80% of logging sites receiving
a passing score of fair or better, and 62% rated good to excellent. The survey also found a direct correlation
between the use and effectiveness of best management practices and forester
assistance on harvests. Additionally,
when loggers trained in best management practices were used on harvest
activities, there were significantly higher compliance ratings than on those
where non-trained loggers were used. To
view the executive summary visit http://www.hcs.ohio-state.edu/ODNR/Education/info.htm.
Survey of public attitudes toward forest management. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources,
Division of Forestry conducted a public attitude survey in 1999 with
interesting results. Over half of the
respondents considered themselves somewhat of an environmentalist to an
environmental activist. Ohioans favor
the use of tax funding for the purpose of providing forestry assistance to
private landowners. As to who should
have responsibility for protection of the environment, there was an even split
between government, citizens and citizens groups and business. There was an overwhelming majority that
believed in the environmental benefits of forests (erosion control, water
quality, wildlife habitat, and air quality).
Urban forestry was deemed extremely important and respondents felt that
the role of professionals in management is important (97% and 89%
respectively). There was widespread
support (95%+) for management of state-owned forestland for habitat, water
quality, sustainability, and large trees.
There was also strong support (83%) for management as an example to
private forest landowners.). When asked
the general question about whether harvests can take place and protect soil,
water and wildlife habitat regardless of ownership, 90% of respondents
agreed. To view the highlights of this
report visit http://www.hcs.ohio-state.edu/ODNR/Education/info.htm. The role of the professional forester is
critical to ensure the fulfillment of these public attitudes and expectations.
Results From A Nationwide Survey On Forest Management, American
Forests, October 1994. Most Americans –
58% -- rate the overall condition of the nation’s forests as healthy, with 72%
believing this to be the case in their own area of the country; A strong
majority of Midwesterners (80%) rate their local forests as healthy. A solid majority (52% to 40%) favor human
management of forest areas rather than allowing nature to take its course.
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