Photograph by P. Charles Goebel, The Ohio State University, School of Environment and Natural Resources

Few forests in Ohio remain as old-growth forests– forest ecosystems with the majority of canopy trees exceeding 150 years in age. At 206 acres, Johnson Woods State Nature Preserve in Wayne County is one of Ohio’s largest and most significant remaining old-growth forests today. With trees 120 feet tall and rising 40-50 feet before the first limbs occur, this forest is reminiscent of much of the state’s forests at the end of the 18th century.