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An effort in southeast Ohio could turn roughly 850 acres of former coal-company land into a publicly accessible community forest, creating a major connection between existing protected and recreational lands. The project could ultimately link the Bailey’s portion of Wayne National Forest with Strouds Run State Park, connecting about 74,000 acres in Athens County. The proposed acquisition involves approximately 850 acres in Dover Township that are currently owned by the Sugar Creek Coal and Mining Company.
Local stakeholders are negotiating with the Sugar Creek Coal and Mining Company to acquire the property in Dover Township and establish the Sugar Creek Community Forest. The details come from the announcement for the upcoming Sugar Creek Community Forest town hall, alongside information published by the Ohio Environmental Council and project partners. Local stakeholders are working to purchase the land and establish it as the Sugar Creek Community Forest, with the intention that it remains available for community benefit in perpetuity. The proposal is part of a broader effort involving Rising Appalachia and other community, environmental and regional partners. The Ohio Environmental Council describes the project as an attempt to develop a regenerative conservation and economic model in Appalachian Ohio, bringing together nonprofits, foundations, educational institutions, businesses, government officials and local residents. The land has significance beyond its size. It sits in a location where conservation of the property could create a continuous corridor between several existing public and conservation landscapes.
The resulting connected landscape could encompass about 74,000 acres in Athens County. Earlier, the Ohio Environmental Council described a roughly 900-acre vision that would connect about 75,000 acres of state, federal and private conservation lands. The Trust for Public Land, which is now involved in the project, describes the current effort as protecting more than 845 acres and connecting the community forest to a broader network of trails and public land.
The property is positioned to create a publicly accessible biodiversity, recreation and wildlife corridor linking the Bailey’s portion of the Wayne National Forest with Strouds Run State Park, according to the community announcement. One of the most important aspects of the proposal is its potential role as a connector. The connection could have implications for both people and wildlife. Rather than leaving forests and recreation areas separated by privately held parcels, a community forest could provide a link through which people can move between existing trail and conservation networks while helping maintain habitat connectivity.