Most of the downed old-growth trees are gone from the Wilderness Center in southwest Stark County. A total of 142 truckloads of logs were hauled away last fall from the center near Wilmot that was devastated July 10, when a major thunderstorm flattened more than 1,000 tree giants.
The subsequent salvage operation produced about $200,000 for the nonprofit center, and that was more than expected, Executive Director Gordon Maupin said. After expenses, the center was in the black by about $65,000, he said. That money allowed the center to spend about $20,000 to replace destroyed bridges and repair damaged trails from the storm.
“Yes, we made some money, but we lost our old-growth trees,” Maupin said.
Salvaged logs produced about a half-million board feet of lumber, enough to build about 20 typical U.S. houses. The risky salvage work was done by Millwood Lumber Inc. of Gnadenhutten under the supervision of center forester Adam Beichler.
Maupin said about 80 percent of the trees could not be harvested for lumber because they were damaged by what’s called tree shake.
From the Akron Beacon Journal Online: https://www.ohio.com/news/timber-salvage-produces-65-000-profit-for-wilderness-center-1.461160