Healthy Forest, Healthy Wildlife: The Wilds, Cumberland, Ohio

The Healthy Forest, Health Wildlife project aimed to restore the understories of reclaimed forests. Between 2017 and early 2019, restoration efforts included invasive species removal, native plantings, and constructing animal shelters. In total, 288 shrubs, 564 herbaceous plants, and 348 trees were planted, in addition to herbaceous plant seedling at 46 seeds per square foot and 360 canopy tree seedlings. All steps to restore this ecosystem involved local school groups as volunteers, offering education opportunities through hands-on experience. It also served as an experiment set up to determine best approach to restoring forest on reclaimed mine land.