Ohio’s state forests are sustainable and environmentally important. The white oak used in the renovation of the Thompson Library was sourced from Ohio’s state forest system. This system was created while under direction of the Department of Forestry at the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station and was managed for use and education. Administration of the state forests was eventually made part of Ohio’s newly formed Department of Natural Resources in 1949. Today, these forests are certified as “sustainable” according to the Forest Stewardship Council and Sustainable Forestry Initiative. These international organizations develop certification standards for forest management, and both have certified Ohio’s state forests as meeting their respective standards. Ohio’s state forests provide wood, water, wildlife habitats, and recreation. The work begun by The Ohio State University in the management of the state forest system has come full circle with the wood from those very forests being used in the renovation of Thompson Library.
