GSNEO implements Forest Management Plan for camp properties.

The Board of Directors of GSNEO is committed to the preservation and health of our camp properties as well as the safety of the girls. As part of that commitment, the Board of Directors is instituting a Forest Management Plan for all camp properties.

What Is Forest Management?

"Forest management is the application of appropriate technical forestry principles, practices, and business techniques to achieve the owner's objectives." Stated more simply, forest management is the development and execution of a plan integrating all of the principles, practices, and techniques necessary to care properly for the forest." Forest management is not so much a subject or a science as it is a process.

Source: Ohio State University Fact Sheet #F-34-02 "Developing a Plan to Care for Your Forest" by Randall B. Heiligmann, Extension Specialist, Forestry
http://ohioline.osu.edu/for-fact/0034.html

What are the Benefits of a Forest Management Plan?

1. A managed forest ecosystem will improve wildlife, soil and water conservation, forest habitat diversity, recreation, and provide timber and wood products.
2. It conserves soil and water by installing and maintaining best management practices, which will reduce erosion and improve water quality.
3. Develops and maintains favorable food and cover conditions for wildlife species.
4. Maintains and improves the productivity of existing forestland.
5. Employs the use of silvicultural practices to produce high quality sawlogs or veneer products while sustaining the forest resources and aesthetics.
6. Improves recreational value and aesthetics.
7. Leaves the forestland in better condition for future generations whose need will be greater than ours!

Why Forest Management now?

1. Girl Scouts of North East Ohio have a responsibility to be good stewards of the properties.
2. The council wants to be proactive in maximizing the recreational, environmental, and economic resource that the properties provide for the mission of Girl Scouting
3. Proper management of the forest resources enables greater safety and protection for the girls and facilities.
4. Whatever we do- or don’t do- will impact the future health and sustainability of your forest.

A forest management plan has been developed, beginning with Camp Pleasant Valley and includes a selective timber harvest strategy. GSNEO has consulted with a professional forester who has prepared a forest management plan for each property; with consideration for:

1. Recreation
2. Management practices
3. Planting
4. Improvement
5. Harvesting
6. Fencing
7. Habitat restoration
8. Erosion control
9. Trail development
10. Fire breaks
11. Pests management
12. Aesthetics
13. Facility protection
    
    

The plan will identify damaged and disease threatened trees to be removed as soon as possible.  Ecologically sensitive areas will not to be timbered and Best Management Practices (BMP) as recommended by Ohio Department of Natural Resources will be followed.

As part of the Forest Management Plan and in conjunction with the 100^th Anniversary of Girl Scouting in 2012, a tree replanting program will be initiated for Girl Scout troops throughout the 18 counties.

References
"The Role of Timber Harvesting in Forest Management"
By David M. Hix, Associate Professor The Ohio State University and Greg B. Smith, Forest Manager, Mohican-Memorial State Forest, Ohio Department of Natural Resources
http://www.ohiosaf.org/role.htm

"A Guide to the Management of Ohio's State Forests"  ODNR, Division of Forestry