COLUMBUS, Ohio – Sixteen rural Ohio school districts, their corresponding counties, and townships will share $1,579,111 from the harvest of timber from Ohio’s state forests through the Trees to Textbooks program, which operates as part of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Forestry.
“Thanks to ODNR’s good stewardship of natural resources, the state can give back to our schools and local communities through this important program,” said Governor Mike DeWine. “The money from this program is particularly useful in helping school districts keep up with changing technology.”
Through the ODNR Division of Forestry’s Trees to Textbooks 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.
“Our Trees to Textbooks program is just one of the economic benefits our state forests bring to rural communities,” Chief of the ODNR Division of Forestry, Dan Balser, said. “Sharing these funds locally helps communities provide necessary services and can go a long way in making good schools better.”
The Ohio 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 $34 million has been shared with Ohio school districts and local governments.
The Ohio 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.
