The day was calling for rain and the heavy gray clouds in the distance were reassuring my thoughts that we should trade fishing for a walk in the woods.
I was not interested in any woods, mind you, for I had been perusing my map of sights in Ohio and discovered that our state had 20 “old growth” or ancient woods and we were only 30 minutes from one of them.
It is in these woods that one experiences a unique kind of time travel. Once inside an old-growth forest you will see mature native woods — meaning there will not be as many new saplings and youthful trees.
Instead, this is where the last remaining ancient trees can be found. Ancient trees were among the very first growths to have existed in a particular area. There will be trees upwards of 100-plus feet and some with age rings showing their origin to be 400 years or more.
That means many of these ancient giants began growing before the Pilgrims came to America on the Mayflower. When the first European settlers came to Ohio, around 90% of the land was forested. Although the original (ancient) trees continued to flourish for centuries, there are few remnants of these primeval forests left in our state.
This year on Earth Day, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) added four new forests to the Old-Growth Network, bringing the state’s total to 20.
Forests that are recognized as part of the Old-Growth Forest Network are chosen because they are among the oldest known forests in their county. They have formal protection in place that ensures that their trees and ecosystems are protected from commercial logging.
The ancient woods we explored were at Dysart Woods, located on the eastern side of Ohio in Belmont County. It became the 11th forest in Ohio to be added to the old-growth forest network. It’s the only known remaining woods of the Mixed Mesophytic Forest type located in Ohio. And it is one of only several that exists in the entire central Appalachians.
A Mixed Mesophytic Forest is one that is lush and composed of broad, flat and green leaves. The growths have extensive fibrous root systems since they generally require a more or less continuous water supply. The stems are generally aerial, branched, straight, thick and hard. Through the centuries the trees and other vegetation, the soil, and associated generations of animals have lived and died with very little disturbance.
Dysart Woods is also located in an unglaciated area, meaning it is characteristically hilly with local relief exceeding 200 feet. The sedimentary bedrock throughout the region is composed mostly of sandstone and shale with coal seams occurring variably from near the surface to hundreds of feet underground.
The rainfall and temperature conditions generally are well-suited for the development of lush dark forests. The cool, moist ravines and the upland slopes form habitats that support great diversity in the species composing the forests.
The oldest trees exceed four feet in diameter and have been dated to well over 400 years old. White Oak, Red Oak and Tulip Poplar trees are a few of the 17 species recorded in the woods there.
The tract currently known as Dysart Woods was once owned by Orin B. Dysart. Upon his death, the property passed to his nieces, Gladys Dysart McGaughy and Margaret Dysart. The nieces held the land for years, rejecting attractive offers from lumber companies and coal companies.
OSU eventually acquired the land and the property was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1967.
Since Dysart Woods has been owned and managed by the university, it is principally used for long-term forest research. A land laboratory, Dysart is 455 acres in total and includes a central tract of 50 acres of old-growth surrounded by a mixture of second-growth forest, old-fields and pastures. Several of the trees are 300- to 400-years-old and range over 4 feet around.
Closer to home is Hammon Woods; 172 acres of contiguous forest — 90 acres of which is considered old growth. The majority of the old growth is native Ohio hardwoods such as White Oak, Sugar Maple, Red Oak, Tulip and Beech.
There is very little infringement from invasive species and the age of the oldest trees is roughly 200 years.
Owned by North Central Ohio Land Conservancy, Inc, this special forest lies in the heart of the Clear Fork Valley Scenic Trail and is thereby connected to 600 acres of nature preserves. Exposure to old-growth trees begins less than half a mile from the public parking area of the Clear Fork Adventure Resort.
There is also a brand new parking and trail access point on Tugend Road 1/4 mile west of its intersection with Bunkerhill North Road.
Hammon Woods has rolling hills and healthy spring-fed streams that are noted to support at least three species of salamanders. One of the streams empties into a Skunk Cabbage marsh with Marsh Marigold, Swamp Saxifrage and Pennsylvania Bitter-cress. In these woods you can also find a variety of orchids.
If you travel eastward from Richland County, roughly an hour, you will arrive at Johnson Woods State Nature Preserve in Marshallville. This 206-acre area happens to be the largest, least disturbed, old-growth forest currently known to remain in Ohio. Many of the ancient giants here are more than 400-years-old.
The largest trees in this forest are White Oak, Red Oak and Hickory. Some of them have grown to 120 feet tall with a diameter of 4 to 5 feet. Interestingly, the limbs of these giants don’t begin to extend outward until they are 40-50 feet tall.
Johnson Woods covers enough land to act as a self-supporting ecosystem. Its large size makes it less vulnerable to storm damage and threats from disease. Birds such as the pileated woodpecker, scarlet tanager, Acadian flycatcher, wood thrush, ovenbird, and hooded warbler are found nesting at Johnson Woods along with many other species that are dependent upon larger tracts of forests.
Often referred to as Graber Woods and “Big Woods,” Johnson Woods was a gift from Mrs. Clela Johnson in memory of her late husband, Andrew C. Johnson, to the Ohio Division of Natural Areas and Preserves.
History tells us that after Andrew’s great grandfather (Jacob Conrad) left France in 1823. He bought land in section 7 of Baughman Township and settled in Ohio. This property included what is now known as Johnson Woods. At that time, many of the trees were already 200 years old and had been home to the Kaskaskias natives who fought against the Iroquois natives during the Beaver Wars (1640–1700).
Today, Johnson Woods forest is proceeding through a natural succession from an Oak-Hickory community to a Beech-Maple community, so the Maples and Beeches are becoming more prominent members of the forest community. Swamp forest communities, dominated by Red Maples and Pin Oaks, are found in the more poorly drained sections of the preserve.
With the days of summer coming closer to an end, the world in the woods will begin undergoing its own changes. But until then there is still time to take a walk among the old growth forests in our state.
It is truly an experience to see what the landscape was like when Ohio used to be the unsettled Northwest Territory.
Source: richlandsource.com
