MOUNT VERNON — Some of the trees in The Woodlands have been growing for more than 200 years. Now, the forest is earning recognition for standing the test of time.
On Saturday, a 50-acre section of the 165-acre park in Mount Vernon was officially inducted into the Old-Growth Forest Network.
The national network recognizes and protects forests with significant ecological and historical value.
The designation bolsters preservation efforts to the property and recognizes the quality and age of its woodland, according to David Heithouse, director of the Knox County Park District.
“It acknowledges that this forest is here, that it’s of very high quality and also is relatively old as forests in Ohio go,” he said.
The designation applies to a 50-acre portion of the preserve near Vernonview Drive, where visitors can most easily access the older-growth section. The park was purchased from the state of Ohio in August 2025 and officially opened to the public in May 2026.
A glimpse into Ohio’s past
The Old-Growth Forest Network evaluates several characteristics when considering a forest for inclusion. Those include the presence of large, older trees, the forest’s topography and diversity among understory plants and tree age classes.
In older forests, fallen trees and their uprooted systems can leave subtle changes in the ground. Those formations gradually smooth over time but can remain visible decades later.
The Woodlands features a vast mix of tree species native to Ohio.
The forest includes species such as black oak, white oak, black cherry, shagbark hickory, sugar maple, red maple, beech and white pine. As well as a rich understory of ferns, native phlox, white violet, golden ragwort, Dame’s rocket and mayapple.
“There are probably a handful of trees in there that I would put at over 200 years old,” Heithouse said.
Ohio once had extensive forests, but widespread tree cutting dramatically changed the state’s landscape. The Woodlands preserves a portion of that history.
“This forest is clearly not anywhere near as old as a forest would have been when Europeans first arrived, but its about as close as you’re going to get anywhere else in the state,” Heithouse said.
A natural resource
The new designation prohibits timber harvesting within the protected area. This adds a formal safeguard to the park district’s already existing management practices.
Heithouse said although the district would generally not harvest timber within its parks anyway, the designation formally recognizes the district’s responsibility to protect an important part of Ohio’s natural heritage.
The network also offers a way to draw attention to forests that visitors might otherwise overlook.
David said people who recognize the designation may take a closer look at the trees, plant diversity and other features that make the park distinctive.
The designation also places The Woodlands among a growing collection of recognized forests across Ohio. The Woodlands is the second such property in Knox County.
The first was the Knox Woods State Nature Preserve, a 30-acre area within Wolf Run Park.
David credited Lisa Bowers, a retired central district urban forester, for doing much of the work to get The Woodlands inducted.
“She really did most of the footwork to collect the information that we needed,” Heithouse said.
The Woodlands is located at 1740 Vernonview Drive and is open to the public.
“I hope that if people see (the sign), they explore the forest, notice the species assemblage and the size of these trees, and they feel like they’re getting a bit of a lens into the past,” Heithouse said.
