The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, or ODNR, may not be a governmental department you think about very often. Any tree service in Cincinnati has a professional interest in the ODNR, of course, but as a homeowner, this department may not be on your radar.
The department issues hunting licenses and administers shooting ranges. It is also home to the Division of Wildlife – protecting habitats for our animal friends that we do not hunt – and the Division of State Parks and Watercraft. The Division of Forestry is in the ODNR, along with the Division of Water Resources. Crucial Ohio resources fall into the purview of this department.
The ODNR also publishes, for free online, an 80-age PDF booklet called the Trees of Ohio Field Guide. Here is that free booklet. This field guide is a lovely piece of work, with gorgeous photography and helpful information if you are a tree fan.
The Helping, Friendly Book
In case you are interested, here are a few highlights from the Trees of Ohio Field Guide:
The History of Ohio’s Forests
By the 1940s, only 12 percent of Ohio’s land was forested. Settlers had cleared forests left and right. Eighty years later, we Ohioans have re-forested big swaths of the state. Now, 31 percent of Ohio’s terrain consists of forests. Way to go, Buckeyes.
Glossary
Learning about our local forests includes learning a bunch of rad new vocabulary. What’s a “rachis” or a “petiole”? What does it mean to describe a branch as “pinnate”? (Answer on that last one: a pinnate branch has multiple leaflets arranged in a feather-like pattern.) Dig in!
An Explanation of Broadleaf Types
What are alternate, opposite, or whorled, and why are they centrally important to the leaf and branch arrangements that help us identify trees? Find out here.
