Forests of Ohio

ODNR-Division of Forestry
Ohio State University Extension

Forests and Geologic Regions

Ohio has two distinct geologic regions: the Glaciated Region and the Hill Country. The line of separation generally runs diagonally across Ohio from the northeast to the southwest portions of the state. The Glaciated Region is predominantly farmland and urban areas and covers two thirds of the state, while the unglaciated Hill Country covers the remaining third.

Geologic regions of Ohio

Sixty-three percent of the forest land is found in the Hill Country on one third of the land base. Conversely, the remaining 37 percent are found in the Glaciated Region. Within the Hill Country most counties are at least 50 percent forested, with two counties (Lawrence and Vinton) more than 75 percent forested. The most forested part of the Glaciated Region is in the extreme northeast corner of the state. Otherwise most of the counties are less than 25 percent forested with many less than 10 percent.