Portion of AEP ReCreation Land recertified by American Tree Farm System
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AEP foresters Brian Cox (left) and Jeff Wilson stand near the Tree Farm sign installed on AEP ReCreation Land at the Miner’s Memorial Park near McConnelsville, Ohio. Both are involved in facilitating the forest management practices that led to the Tree Farm recertification.
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(Story by Jeff Rennie)
McCONNELSVILLE, Ohio – The American Tree Farm System (ATFS) recently recertified a portion of AEP’s ReCreation Land, 60,000 acres of company-owned reclaimed surface mine land in southeastern Ohio, as a “Tree Farm.”
The recertification took place after a management-practices audit conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in April. The auditor concluded that AEP managed more than 49,000 acres of ReCreation Land and the former Muskingum Mine, previously operated by AEP subsidiary Central Ohio Coal Company, in a sustainable manner under the American Tree Farm System standards for certification. The ATFS initially certified the site in 1983.
“We are extremely pleased that the ATFS continues to recognize our sustainable forest management practices,” said Mike Williams, AEP supervisor – Forestry and Recreation.
The ATFS recognized AEP as “Tree Farmer of the Year” in Ohio in 2000, and the company has conducted forest management activities since 1944. AEP maintains Tree Farms in Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Texas, covering more than 100,000 acres.
The ATFS works to sustain forests, watersheds and healthy wildlife habitats through the power of private stewardship by offering affordable forest certification for forest landowners in the United States. ATFS has undergone many changes since its beginnings in 1941 and is now internationally recognized as a credible forest certification system. For 70 years, ATFS has enhanced the quality of America’s woodlands by giving forest owners the tools they need to keep forests healthy and productive. Third party certification through ATFS is one of these important tools.
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