The Wayne National Forest is Ohio’s only national forest and the largest public land in the state, spanning 244,000 acres across three units and 12 Southeastern Ohio counties. When it comes to national forests, industrial-scale extraction is often in competition with values like ecological health and quality outdoor recreation opportunities for the public. Ohio’s only national forest is no exception. Over the years the Wayne has been targeted for private sell-offs, large clearcuts, and, since 2015, fracking. The Ohio Environmental Council has been there over the years, working to protect the Forest for current and future generations.
Why protecting this place matters
The Wayne National Forest is vital for:
- Public Access: Ohio ranks 44th in the nation in the number of acres of public land available per person. The Wayne is by far the largest public land by total acreage in Ohio. It offers visitors the opportunity to access natural spaces for education, recreation, sustenance, and connection. Hundreds of thousands of people visit the Wayne annually Public lands are an important asset worthy of our protection. That rings all the more true in a state like Ohio.
- Wildlife Habitat: The Wayne is home to hundreds of wildlife and plant species. That includes state and federally-listed Threatened and Endangered species such like the Indiana and Northern long-eared bats, several freshwater mussel species, and the Eastern hellbender salamander. The Wayne is also an important spring and summer home for neotropical migrant songbirds facing serious declines. Large blocks of interior forest – which the Wayne often provides – are important for many of these species.
- Economic Benefits: Ohio’s outdoor recreation sector is one of the nation’s Top 10 by size; at 2.6% of Ohio GDP, outdoor recreation already exceeds mining (0.5%), farming (0.6%), utilities (1.7%), and several manufacturing sectors. (Source, ORCA). The beauty of Southeast Ohio’s forests is a crucial component, and worth protecting and investing in.
- Public Health: Immersion in the outdoors is one of the best prescriptions for stress, anxiety, and overall health and wellbeing. We need places like the Wayne to get away from it all, have fun, and relax. Hyper-scale fracking is incompatible with high-quality outdoor experiences. The air pollution that accompanies oil and gas development is linked to numerous adverse health effects, including increased risk of infant mortality, endocrine disruption, asthma, lung disease, high blood pressure, heart attacks, cancer, and strokes . No one wants to hear the hum of compressor stations or smell the heavy stench of hydrocarbons when out on the trail, let alone worry about their or their children’s health.
Support our work
Stay Connected: We work to keep people connected to big happenings with the Wayne National Forest, so you can know when to share your voice to help defend this important place. Stay up to date on action alerts by subscribing to our email list.
Donate: Advocating for the protection of Ohio’s only national forest takes time and attention – to help build community, stay on top of changes to federal law and policy, investigate and respond to project proposals, and when needed, to fight battles in federal court. Your support is what makes our public lands work possible.
OEC’s Timeline of Impact
1983: Stopped privatization of Wayne National Forest lands.
1984: Advocated for stronger oil and gas regulations.
2013: Fought coal mining proposals.
2017: Filed lawsuit challenging proposal to lease 40,000 acres of the Wayne’s Marietta Unit for fracking.
2020: Secured court order declaring 40,000-acre fracking proposal unlawful.
2021: Filed lawsuit challenging “Sunny Oaks” logging project.
2021: Secured court order enjoining 40,000-acre fracking proposal and requiring NEPA review.
2022: Helped secure 65 local government, business, and organizational endorsements for the establishment of a protected “Backcountry Area.”
2023: Advocated for recognition of the Forest’s indigenous history.
2023: Secured court order enjoining majority of Sunny Oaks logging project.
2026: Closed a loophole on forest-wide herbicide applications; future chemical approval decisions will now be subject to public review and comment.
2026: Filed formal protest of federal oil and gas lease sale.
