The public is invited to attend Family Day in the Woods, a free and family friendly event at Vinton Furnace State Forest on Saturday, September 14th, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be activities tailored for kids (grades K-12) as well as adults to foster good environmental stewardship in the future. We will also specifically have some programming targeting high school youth (including FFA and 4-H) that focuses on career exploration in natural resources.
Fun, hands-on activities will include wagon rides through the woods, nature hikes, forest wildlife, pollinators and insects, forestry tools and science, tree identification, woodland soils, wildfire prevention with Smokey Bear, and a portable sawmill. All activities will be on a morning and afternoon rotation, so feel free come either half of the day, or stay for it all.
The Vinton Furnace State Forest is located in one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the United States and home to more than 50 years of ongoing research by scientists from the USDA Forest Service’s lab in Delaware, Ohio.
Please RSVP by September 10th to help us prepare, though day of drop-ins are also welcome. RSVP to Ohio State University Extension Vinton County by calling (740) 596-5212, or to Dave Apsley via email at apsley.1@osu.edu.
For a map with directions to help you find the forest, click here: Directions – Experimental Forest
For a brochure with registration information, click here: A DAY in THE WOODS 2019 Brochure Final Low Res-20zbq6d
“A Day in the Woods” and the “2nd Friday Series” programs run from May through November and are sponsored by the Education and Demonstration Subcommittee of the Vinton Furnace State Forest with support from Ohio State University Extension, Ohio Department of Natural Resources Divisions of Forestry and Wildlife, Central State University Extension, USDA Forest Service, Vinton County Soil and Water Conservation District, National Wild Turkey Federation, Pixelle Specialty Solutions, Ohio Tree Farm Committee, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hocking College, and Ohio’s SFI Implementation Committee.
