Wayne Allen

PDT Staff Writer

Representatives with the Save Our Shawnee (SOS) Forest traveled to Columbus recently to meet with representatives of Governor John Kasich’s office and present them with more than 3,300 petitions that call for the end of clear-cut logging in Shawnee State Forest.

Over the summer of 2012, members of Save Our Shawnee Forest Organization collected over 3,300 surveys asking Governor Kasich to stop the destructive clear-cut logging activities in Shawnee State Forest.

Surveys were collected at the Scioto County Fair, Conservation Fair, John Simon’s Sorghum Festival and the Adams County Fair.

“It’s (Shawnee State Forest) being seriously fragmented and degraded with logging activities. The state will never have another contiguous, native forest property this large. Save it now while we still can,” said Barbara Lund, a member of the Save Our Shawnee Forest Organization in a released statement.

The Shawnee State Forest is Ohio’s largest state forest at approximately 63,747 acres located in both Scioto and Adams Counties.

“Clear-cut logging removes all trees, leaves nothing standing and can take more than a century to re-grow. Ohio citizens want their forests preserved for themselves, their children and their grandchildren to enjoy both now and in the future. They cant’s wait a hundred years for a clear-cut to renew,” said William Tipton, a member of the Save Our Shawnee Forest Organization in a released statement. “Destructive logging activities were greatly increased in nearly all of our 21 state forests in 2012. Here in Shawnee Forest the percentage about tripled. In some state forests the percentage of increase was even greater.”

He said the hoped result of presenting the Governor’s office with the surveys is to have the Governor stop clear-cutting activities in all of the state forests, namely Shawnee State Forest.

“We appreciate their feedback. This (clear-cutting) has been a longstanding policy of the state. It’s beneficial to local schools and promotes habitat development,” said Rob Nichols, Press Secretary for Gov. John Kasich.

For more information about the Save Our Shawnee Forest Organization, visit their website at www.saveourshawennforest.org.

Wayne Allen may be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 228, or tallen@civitasmedia.com.