Reforestation

Starting Over

There is a major local program underway to repair the tremendous amount of damage done by the Emerald Ash Borer, an invasive species of beetle that has decimated the forests in this area.  Ohio was reported to contain over three billion ash trees of various subspecies before the pest arrived. More than two thirds of those trees are now gone.

The picture above makes one think of a newly planted vineyard or an abandoned cemetery.  Instead it is a photo of a hillside above the Great Miami River where the dog and I walk frequently.  This was once a totally forested hillside full of mature ash trees.   The trees were removed and a program is underway to replant with other species of trees native to the forests in this area - maple, walnut, oaks, etc.  The white, plastic tubes are to protect the young trees from being eaten by the deer and other wildlife so they can take root and grow.  So in another sense this is a cemetery, but one that forty years down the road should look considerably different.