COLUMBUS — The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry recognized Holden Forests and Gardens and Jarel Bartig on Oct. 3 for outstanding contributions to forestry at the Forest of Honor ceremony in Zaleski State Forest.
Holden Forests and Gardens Conservation and Community Forestry department in Kirtland, Ohio, has been managing more than 3,000 acres of forest in northeast Ohio for decades by using science-based, adaptive management. The non-profit organization created a nationally recognized program that performs forest management demonstrations and private landowner outreach at the Working Woods Learning Forest. The program has partnered with numerous natural resource professional groups, agencies, land managers and private landowners to demonstrate the benefits of active forest management.
Jarel Bartig, from Nelsonville, Ohio, works with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service at Wayne National Forest. She serves as the Ohio Interagency Liaison with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service and manages the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service’s Ohio Interagency Forestry Team. The team is made up of various government agencies in Ohio that focus on forestry, including the USDA Forest Service, the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, ODNR, Ohio State University Extension and Central State University Extension. The team collaborates to restore oak ecosystems in the 17-county oak management priority area in unglaciated southeast Ohio.
About. The Forest of Honor inductions recognize individuals, groups and organizations that have made significant contributions to the Division of Forestry’s mission, and have advanced Ohio forestry through: developing and implementing successful improvements to forestry practices for use in all levels of forest management; raising public awareness on the benefits of well-managed forests; advocating for forestry legislation that results in successful policy changes and educating students on trees and forest management.
For more information, visit ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/safety-conservation/about-ODNR/forestry.
