ODNR forester urges landowners to ‘call before you cut,’ outlines tax, grant and pest challenges

John Keane, Northern Service Forestry coordinator for the Ohio Division of Natural Resources, told a Lorain County audience on Oct. 12 that the state’s private woodlands require more professional management and that landowners should use state and federal resources before selling timber.

Keane said Ohio has about 6,800,000 acres of privately owned forest land and that the Division of Forestry directly manages roughly 220,000 acres. He emphasized the economic scale: "The forest products industry in Ohio is a $30,000,000,000-a-year economic impact," and said "85% of the timber sales done in the state are done without the advice of the forest." He said that mismatch of scale and staffing — 25 division foresters statewide and seven on his team — limits the agency’s ability to advise landowners across the state.

The Division of Forestry’s service-forestry program provides free site visits and advice under its "call before you cut" outreach, Keane said. He recommended that landowners and municipal officials consult foresters before agreeing to timber sales or signing contracts: "Never sign a…