Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Director Mary Mertz and members of the Ohio Division of Forestry recently visited Vinton County South Elementary School to present a Trees to Textbooks program check. Vinton County governments received $654,066.16 in timber-cutting revenue with the Vinton County Local School District receiving $327,033.18 of that amount. (Photo Courtesy of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources)
Twelve rural Ohio school districts and their home counties and townships will receive a total of $1,621,268 from the harvest of timber from Ohio’s state forests through the Trees to Textbooks program.
Through the program, a percentage of the revenue generated from state forest management activity goes to the county, township and school district in which the activity took place. Both Vinton and Jackson counties’ governmental units were among the recipients, thanks to timber cutting in the Zaleski State Forest in Vinton County and the Richland State Forest in both Jackson and Vinton counties.
“This program is all about giving back to local communities while spreading the message of conservation,” said ODNR Director Mary Mertz. “By visiting schools and presenting the Trees to Textbooks checks, we have the opportunity to talk to young conservationists and inspire them to learn about our natural resources and what they can do to protect Ohio in the future.”
Director Mertz and ODNR Division of Forestry Chief Dan Balser visited Vinton County South Elementary School and Northwest Elementary School in Scioto County to present checks and talk about the importance of trees and wildfire prevention.
“Trees to Textbooks is one of the most rewarding ways our work in state forests comes full circle,” said Dan Balser, chief of the ODNR Division of Forestry. “By reinvesting timber revenue into local schools and communities, we’re helping ensure these forests continue to provide benefits that reach far beyond their boundaries.”
The ODNR Division of Forestry began distributing timber revenues to counties and townships in the early 1980s. Since the Trees to Textbooks program started in 1999, more than $42 million has been shared with Ohio school districts and local governments.
Of the 12 counties receiving timber revenues, Vinton County ranked second with $654,066.16 in total revenue, behind only Scioto County’s $673,337.62 in total revenue.
The breakdown of revenue in Vinton County revealed that the Vinton County Local School District received nearly half of the county’s timber revenue with $327,033.18. Other Vinton County governments receiving revenue were: County government $163,516.54, Swan Township $38,081.44, Brown Township $31,209.53, Vinton Township $30,143.07, Eagle Township $28,706.73, Madison Township $24,802.41, and Elk Township $10,573.36.
Three Jackson County governmental entities received a total of $36.576.76. The Wellston City School District received $18,288.38 with Jackson County government and Washington Township each receiving $9,144.19.
The ODNR Division of Forestry is responsible for the care of more than 200,000 acres of state forests. State forestry experts manage these woodlands for overall health and diversity, soil and water conservation, improved wildlife habitat and a variety of recreational opportunities. Selected trees or areas of woodland are harvested through a competitive bid process, which includes requirements for sound management practices. All work is conducted by certified master loggers under strict monitoring.
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