PERRYSVILLE — Tours of Mohican Forest sites that were previously cut, or managed, by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry (DOF) will be held Saturday, Oct. 21 and Sunday, Oct. 22 starting at 1 p.m., according to a group of Mohican Forest advocates.

Mohican ad-hoc Council member Annette McCormick, Mohican Forest advocate Theresa Clark, and Dr. Randi Pokladnik will lead the tours. The tours are being organized in response to the DOF’s plan to open more of the Mohican-Memorial State Forest to logging and other timber management practices.

Participants will be able to view and assess what has become of two sites that were previously cut by the DOF in 2004 and prior, the group stated.

“This is a chance to see what we actually got vs. what the DOF claimed we were going to get,” McCormick said. “We can see what has been lost. This is OUR forest, not theirs.”

A third tour stop will examine the White Pine grove that is next on the DOF’s management list.

“White pines are native to this area, and they can live hundreds of years.” McCormick said.

The ODNR Division of Forestry says it is proposing to amend its current management plan that will help return this land to the mature hardwood forest it once was.

“The 1,100-acre Mohican State Park is not affected by this management plan,” Chad Sanders, Manager Mohican-Memorial State Forest, said in a letter to the Richland Source. “The sea of pines that were planted so many years ago have served their purpose and now pose a threat to the continued long-term health of the state forest.

“We understand that people are concerned about removing pine trees. But is it healthy to have 40 percent of an Ohio state forest be composed of planted rows of pine trees when some of it could be growing diverse hardwood forests? If a catastrophic threat to pine emerges in Ohio, do we want 40 percent of this forest to be at risk?”

Tours begin at the Mohican Memorial Shrine (1000 OH-97, Perrysville, Ohio 44864), and participants will carpool to the sites. Tours on both days will visit the same locations and are expected to last about 2 hours.

This event is hosted by dedicated volunteers and Mohican Advocates Inc. For more information, contact: ncolandconservancy@gmail.com.