COLUMBUS – The Rock Hill School District, Lawrence County and Decatur Township will share in the $743,420 garnered from the sale of timber and other products on State Forests, The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry announced Saturday.

Monday, October 01, 2001

COLUMBUS – The Rock Hill School District, Lawrence County and Decatur Township will share in the $743,420 garnered from the sale of timber and other products on State Forests, The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry announced Saturday.

Under state law, 40 percent of revenues generated from any timber management project on state forest land are distributed to local school districts in the county where the project took place. An additional 40 percent of revenues is allocated to the county and township governments while the state keeps the remaining 20 percent.

Of the 20 percent assigned to the state’s general fund, $100,000 is automatically allocated for grants to local fire departments for forest fire prevention and equipment.

Rock Hill School District will receive $400 and the county and Decatur Township will get $200 each. The money comes from timber sold from Dean State Forest.

In all, nearly $1.5 million will be distributed this year as a result of forest management activities on Ohio’s 20 state forests. Revenues generated from state forests also include royalties from the production of minerals – such as oil and gas – on state land.

Counties receiving the largest allocation of funding include Scioto ($181,000), Vinton ($178,000) and Ross ($169,000).

The ODNR Division of Forestry, originally formed in 1885, is responsible for managing more than 184,000 acres of state forests throughout Ohio. Selective timber harvesting projects were conducted on approximately 1,500 acres of that 184,000.

All timber management projects on state lands are carefully selected. State forestry experts use these projects to improve the forest’s overall health and diversity with an eye to its value for recreational opportunities, soil and water conservation and wildlife habitat. When it is determined that selected trees or limited areas of woodland should be harvested, projects are competitively bid with requirements for sound management practices.