With funding help from a number of private organizations and public agencies, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources will purchase the state’s largest remaining privately-owned block of consolidated forest available for permanent protection. Located 75 miles southeast of Columbus, the forest is one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the country and is home to more than 50 years of ongoing forest research. The State expects to complete purchase of the property by July 2010 and will manage it as the Vinton Furnace Experimental State Forest.