Contact Us

The Wayne has three offices to serve visitors. 

Office hours are 8 - 4:30 Monday through 

Friday. 

Athens Ranger District

13700 U.S. Hwy 33

Nelsonville, OH 45764

Phone: 740-753-0101

Marietta Unit Office

27515 State Route 7

Marietta, OH 45750

Phone: 740-373-9055

Ironton Ranger District

6518 State Route 93

Pedro, OH 45659

Phone: 740-534-6500

Federal relay system for the deaf and hearing 

impaired: 1-800-877-8339

website: www.usda.gov/wayne

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Location of 

Ironton Ranger 

District Office

This office is located

just north of Ironton 

near the town of Pedro.

Wayne National Forest 

Headquarter’s Building

The unusual architecture of the building that 

houses the Supervisor’s Office and Athens District

Ranger was a design that mirrors themes and 

elements of southeastern Ohio’s industrial and 

agricultural heritage. The 14,900 square foot three 

story office building was dedicated in 2001. 

Brick pavers were manufactured in surrounding 

communities and have been reclaimed. Even the 

office site itself is a reclaimed mine site.

Native materials were used in the building from 

hickory wood ceilings and flooring harvested on 

Wayne National Forest

Information

Organization, History 

and Character

Forest

Service

FS-R9-023

05/2015
Athens District which also includes the Marietta 

Unit. More information on the inside of this brochure tells about this unique office building. 

National Forest: There are 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands. In area, national 

forests cover land equivalent in size to the state of 

Texas. The person in charge is the Forest Supervisor and their headquarters office is the Forest Supervisor’s Office. This office coordinates activities 

between districts, allocates budgets, and provides 

technical support to the districts.

Regions: There are 9 Regions representing broad 

geographic areas, usually several states. The person in charge is the Regional Forester. This office 

coordinates between national forests, monitors 

activities to ensure quality operations, provides 

guidance for forest plans and allocates budgets to 

the forests. The Wayne is in Region 9 whose office 

is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

National: This is commonly called the Washington Office. The person who oversees the entire 

Forest Service is called the Chief. The Chief reports to the Under Secretary for Natural Resources 

and Environment in the US Department of Agriculture. The Chief’s staff provides broad policy 

and direction for the agency and works with the 

President’s administration to develop a budget and 

provide information to Congress on accomplishments. 

For more information visit the Forest Service 

website at: www.fs.usda.gov

Locations of Wayne 

National Forest Offices

The Wayne National Forest Supervisor’s Office 

and Athens Ranger District Office is located on 

U.S. Highway 33 between Athens and Nelsonville. 

A map on the back panel of this brochure shows 

the location of the office. This office houses the 

headquarters office for the Wayne National Forest 

as well as the District Ranger and staff for the 

Location of Marietta Unit Office

The office for the Marietta Unit is located just off 

US Highway 7 north of Reno, Ohio. The Marietta 

Unit reports to the District Ranger’s office in 

Athens. A vicinity map to that office is shown 

below:

USDA is an equal

opportunity provider 

and employer.

Meet the 

Forest Service

The U.S. Forest Service is a federal 

agency that manages public lands. It 

is the largest forestry research organization in the 

world, and provides technical and financial assistance to State and private forestry agencies. The 

agency was established in 1905 to provide quality 

water and timber for the nation. Over the years, 

the public has expanded the list of what they want 

from national forests and grasslands including 

sustained yield of renewable resources such as 

water, forage, wildlife, wood, and recreation. 

What does the Forest Service do?

Forest Service managers help people share and 

enjoy the Forest while conserving the environment for generation yet to come. Some activities 

are compatible, some are not. The Forest Service 

carries out its mission “Caring for the Land and 

Serving People” through five main activities:

• Protection and management of natural resources

 on national forest lands including the Wayne NF

• Research 

• Community assistance and cooperation to help 

 protect and manage non-Federal forest and 

 watershed lands

• Achieving and supporting an effective workforce

 that reflects the diversity of Americans

• International assistance for the protection and 

 management of the world’s forest resources.

How is the Forest Service organized?

There are four levels of national forest offices:

Ranger District: This is where the on-the-ground 

activities occur. Each district has a staff of 10-100 

people. Nationally there are more than 600 Ranger 

Districts. The person in charge of a Ranger District is the District Ranger. The Wayne has two 

Ranger Districts.
History of the Land that is 

the Wayne National Forest

 The area which is now the Wayne NF is believed

to have been inhabited continuously from as early 

as 12,000 years ago. American Indians traveled 

through the area as bands of hunters. They established trails, temporary camps, and quarries to 

extract stone for their tools. 

 They also set wildfires to drive the game from 

the forest and to create openings where they could 

forage for berries and seeds. Later, these people 

settled the area with seasonal camps or villages and 

cultivated native seed plants such as corn, beans, 

and squash along river bottoms.

 

Mid 1700s - Traders and adventurers drifted into 

the area. In the late 1700s, colonists began to settle 

the area, 95 percent of Ohio was forested. Early settlements were concentrated along the Ohio River.

1800s - As European Americans acquired land, they

cleared the land of trees. The settlers harvested timber

to use as building material (photo below left) and 

fuel, or simply cleared fields for crops and pasture. 

Southeastern Ohio’s rocky slopes and narrow ridgetop’s soil was poor for farming and were some of 

the last lands to be settled.

 Though these were some of the finest hardwoods 

in the world there was little commercial lumbering

until 1800. At it’s peak in 1849, Ohio ranked 4th 

among the states in lumber production. But the 

marketable trees were soon gone and by 1920 there 

were virtually no areas left uncut in Ohio. The cutover lands sold for less than $1/acre.

Many of the early settlers were of ScotchIrish descent who had routinely burned the heath 

in their homeland. Burning the land was a way of 

life. It kept the sprouts and brush killed back, killed 

snakes, ticks, and other varmints and encouraged 

grass for their cattle to graze. By the 1900s, only 

Cont. from 

front -

the Wayne 

National 

Forest and 

milled locally to native birch on 

the reception counter. 

Rare stamped Star Bricks were salvaged from a 

local demolition project and used as well. Concrete

masonry replicates the stone blocks of the Ohio 

and Hocking Valley Canal and Locks. The gable 

roofs were inspire by dairy barns in the area, the 

tower by coal tipples. Visitors may glimpse train 

depots in the style of the canopy out front, or other 

industrial buildings.

Solar panels on the roof provide about 30% of the 

power needed by the office and returns power to 

the grid when excess is generated. Solar power 

reduces carbon emissions. High efficiency heating 

and cooling and recyclable or sustainably harvested materials were used where possible. Native 

plants and a pollinator garden provide landscaping.

The Snake Ridge Lookout Tower was moved to 

the site and opened to visitors in 2008 (see the 

Points of Interest brochure for more information 

on this subject).

Facts about the Wayne NF

Location: Southeastern Ohio - Within a day’s 

driving distance of: Columbus, Cleveland, and 

Cincinnati, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky; and Charleston 

and Huntington, West Virginia.

Terrain: Rolling Appalachian foothills.

Unique Features:

Vesuvius Furnace - One of several iron furnace 

stacks remaining on the Forest.

Irish Run Natural Bridge - One of 7 natural rock

bridges in Ohio, 51’ long, 16’ thick and 39’ high.

Covered Bridges - Several century-old covered

bridges are found on the Marietta Unit.

Shawnee and Snake Ridge Lookout Towers 

Recreation:

Hiking, horseback, mountain bike, and OHV 

trails; hunting; camping and picnicking; and 

scenic drives are all available on the Wayne N.F. 

Several short ADA-compliant trails available. 

Separate brochures cover each of these activities.

For those who prefer the water, we have several 

lakes and rivers available. Pan fish, catfish, and 

bass fishing opportunities are available throughout the Forest. Please refer to brochures on these 

subjects.

Heritage Resources:

See adjacent History section

Scenic Views:

The Covered Bridge Scenic Byway on State 

Route 26 showcases one of Ohio’s most beautiful stretches of highway. Historic barns, covered 

bridges, and century old buildings dot the landscape along the route following the Little Muskingum River. 

Natural Resources:

Central Hardwoods, primarily oak and hickory. 

Most pine and hemlock are native but some have 

been planted. 

Several Special Areas have been identified to 

manage and protect unique ecosystems. Rock 

shelters, bluffs, and coves provide interesting 

places on the Wayne and are home to many rare 

plants. 
Oil derricks on 

Marietta Unit -1910

the most resilient species of trees such as oak and 

hickory had withstood the 

repeated fires and are still 

the predominate overstory 

species today. 

1814 - Oil was discovered 

while digging a water well 

in Noble County, Ohio. Within a few years oil wells 

were being sunk throughout southeastern Ohio. The 

oil was used in lighting lamps and for medicinal 

purposes. A product called “Seneca Oil” was believed to be a remedy for rheumatism and healed 

sores.

 Further discoveries in the 1860s of a heavy 

paraffin-based oil which could be used for lubricants

focused more interest in Ohio’s oil potential. There 

are close to 5,500 wells within the national forest 

boundary.

 Coal mining and iron smelting 

was introduced in the mid 1800s. 

The seams of coal and iron ore 

were of more interest in the steep 

hills and narrow valleys of much 

of this area than was farming. By 

1875, the Hanging Rock Iron 

district had 69 charcoal furnaces. 

Each furnace was dependent upon 

the forest for charcoal which was used to smelt the 

iron ore. At that time, southeastern Ohio led the nation in iron production. What timber had been left 

was repeatedly cut to feed the iron furnaces which 

completely destroyed the forest cover. (See the Iron 

Furnaces brochure).

1911 - The Weeks Act passed; allowing for the 

purchase of degraded lands in the East for national 

forests. 

1919 - A letter from the Chief of the Forest Service to the State Forester of Ohio asked if the State 

would support the purchase of a “considerable area 

of very rough land” in southeastern Ohio for a 

national forest.

1930s - The Depression sealed the fate of the 

small farms in southern Ohio. Times were hard,

and many settlers gave up and moved on. Hillsides were eroding and the soil was depleted of 

nutrients.

 Between 1900 and 1930, as a result of both 

the farmers and iron workers departure, census 

records show a 40 percent drop in the area’s 

population. In 1932, approximately 36 percent 

of the area which is now the Wayne, was tax 

delinquent.

1934 - The Forest Service conducts field examination of five proposed purchase units in 

southern Ohio totalling 1,464,000 acres. The 

State Consent Act becomes law on November 

22; and a national forest is established in Ohio. 

1935 - Forest Headquarters are located in the 

Post Office building in Columbus and Byron 

Grosbeck is named the first Forest Supervisor. 

The first land purchased was a 42.8 acre tract 

in Lawrence County. 

 Five purchase unit offices operated out of 

Marietta, Athens, Jackson, Portsmouth, and 

Ironton with as many as 120 total land examiners appraising land. Approximately 77,000 

acres were acquired between 1935 and 1942. 

The price ranged from $4 to $5.50 an acre. 

 Acquisition was suspended during WW II, 

but since the war the Forest has steadily grown. 

The first priorities of the Forest Service were to 

stabilize erosion, rehabilitate the damaged land, 

and control wildfires.

 A Forest Service nursery was established 

near Chillicothe (now run by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources) to produce trees for 

reforestation. The Civilian Conservation Corps 

(CCC) Program of the 1930s provided jobs for 

the unemployed and man-power to begin reforesting the hillsides (photo at right) and controlling the 

massive erosion problems. They also 

constructed fire towers and strung 

telephone lines to relay messages to 

control wildfires. A large CCC camp 

at Vesuvius provided the labor to 

construct the Vesuvius Lake dam and 

recreation area at the site of the old 

Vesuvius iron furnace. 

1949 - Ohio purchase units combined 

with the Indiana purchase units for administration.

1951 - The Wayne Purchase Units had acquired 

97,000 acres and officially became a National Forest.

1970 - Purchase units were reduced from 5 to 3 to 

consolidate acquisition efforts. The Wayne grew 

until the 1980s when acquisition dollars dried up. 

1983 - The Wayne was targeted to improve management of Federal assets by disposing of those 

which were difficult or uneconomic to manage. Approximately 63,800 acres of the then 169,000-acre 

Forest were identified for disposal. A strong public 

reaction not only saved those acres, but resulted in 

an increased land acquisition program which continues today.

1993 - The Wayne established its own Forest Supervisor’s Office in Ohio. A new organization was 

developed and a new office completed in 2001. 

 What is now forest was once farms. As the scars 

left on the land are healed, the gravestones of the 

pioneers may be some of the last evidence of their 

lives here. It’s a stark reminder of how tenuous our 

place on the land can be, and the value of places 

like the Wayne to each of us, whether or not we 

ever visit them. Conservation of our nation’s Forests and other natural resources, are a legacy we, as 

a people, leave our children.