Article first published in the Arc’s 2023-2024 Newsletter

Tobacco Barn Hollow - preserving a wilderness of wildlife

Tobacco Barn Hollow Preserve has been part of the Arc of Appalachia since 2007, but because it is not yet open to the public and not easy to see from the road, most of our readers are not yet familiar with it. With this article, we hope to bring this beautiful wilderness preserve to your attention.

Tobacco Barn Hollow Preserve is located deep in the heart of the Appalachian hill country that spans the shared border between Ross and Pike Counties. The larger rectangular region in which the preserve is embedded can be described as US-50 on the north (between Bainbridge and Chillicothe); OH-124 on the south (between Latham and Idaho); Chaparral Road on the west; and OH-772 on the east. The land inside these boundaries is entirely dominated by steep hills and heavily canopied forests. Here one can find Pike Lake State Park, Pike State Forest and places with such colorful names as Copperas Mountain, Storms Station, Nipgen, and Knockemstiff.

If you’ve never heard any of these names - other than maybe Chillicothe and Bainbridge - then that only affirms that this “X” on the map must be an ideal setting for a wilderness preserve! And it truly is.

Fragmentation of forests and habitat destruction drives biodiversity decline in this region, just as it does all over the globe. Although Pike State Forest is 12,531 acres in size, it is made up of 13 irregular and non-contiguous blocks of land with numerous privately-held inholdings. It is well documented by field research that the larger the size of a contiguous block of forest, the better a forest community can hold onto its complex of plants and animals. The Arc’s Tobacco Barn Hollow Preserve was founded with the purpose of acquiring State Forest inholdings and lands adjacent to the State Forest to better protect the flora and fauna of its forest communities.

Like all of Ohio, the larger Tobacco Barn Hollow region has been timbered in the past, probably multiple times; and farmed wherever the terrain was flat enough to permit. And yet, the sensation of wilderness that emanates out of the larger Tobacco Barn Hollow region is both palpable and legendary. It is no accident that Tobacco Barn Hollow’s wild reputation is associated with its long-rumored presence of timber rattlesnakes, a snake so rare that it has been extirpated across most of its original range in the Eastern United States. In this case, however, the rumor that this rare reptile subsists in Tobacco Barn Hollow is true.

Less than a handful of places remain in Ohio that support timber rattlesnake populations and one of them is Tobacco Barn Hollow. Timber Rattlesnakes are designated as an endangered species in Ohio and their populations are extremely vulnerable. Their greatest threats include intentional persecution by humans, deadly encounters with farming equipment, and vehicles when attempting to cross roads. Recent field research has documented multiple occurrences of timber rattlesnakes crossing the boundary – in both directions – that lies between the Arc’s Tobacco Barn Hollow Preserve and Pike State Forest. The preserve in part exists to help expand and protect the habitat of these vanishing denizens of the Eastern Forest, as well as many other at-risk species.

The Arc’s first two preserve acquisitions, known as Morgan Fork I & II, took place in 2007 and 2010 respectively. After those purchases, Tobacco Barn Hollow Preserve lay quietly for nearly a decade, surrounded on three sides by State Forest lands. Contributing to its public invisibility was the fact it was landlocked. The only way for our staff to enter the preserve was on foot, following lengthy easements across private property and state forest lands to reach our holdings. Entry was a full-day commitment, and it didn’t happen very often.

In 2020, new opportunities began to stir for the preserve. Privately we received word that 161 acres of forested land to our north was for sale, as well as an adjacent 7 acres with a house. The forest was in good health, and some of the trees were immense. The sheer size and quality of the tract was enough to attract our attention.

The sellers were planning to move to Ireland that fall to help their daughter and son-in-law run an ambitious organic farm. The deadline to sell their property was fast approaching. We raced to turn in a Clean Ohio application to help fund its purchase and succeeded in closing on the 161 acres just before their big move. Astonishingly, the sellers then decided to donate their 7-acre homestead to the Arc of Appalachia! We honored the donated tract with its own name, Canebrake Ridge, and even today, we still have to pinch ourselves to believe we were the recipient of such trust and generosity.

Today, as we write, Tobacco Barn Hollow Preserve is stirring once again. Presented are two opportunities to expand the preserve. Thankfully, this time both tracts have road frontage. The expansion properties include the 39-acre Sugarbush Hill and the 16-acre Racer’s Edge.

Racer’s Edge lies at the entrance to Canebrake Ridge. The property is completely forested except for a clearing along the road that was occupied by an old mobile home that is now abandoned and in deep disrepair. Because this old residence is in the viewscape of the parking lot that will soon serve as the trailhead for the preserve’s trail system, we are eager to undertake a thorough cleanup of the property and prevent the possibility of a new house going up in its place.

The Sugarbush Hill property lies on Morgan Fork Road, east of our main preserve holdings and just a short distance from the Buckeye Trail. The property’s sellers, Gale and Sharon Rickey, began tapping trees in 1986 on their farm as a hobby. The enterprise grew organically and quickly turned into a family business. The Rickey’s purchased Sugarbush Hill in the early 1990’s to expand their operations. The new acquisition site was not only rich in big maples, but it also boasted immense specimens of oaks, hickories, and tulip poplars. Because Gale refused to cut trees for any purpose other than long-term stand improvement, in the 30 years the Rickeys managed the sugarbush, the forest just got better and better: older, more beautiful, and much more valuable.

When it came time for the Rickeys to simplify their lives and liquidate some of their assets for retirement, they considered selling Sugarbush Hill, but because of its high timber value, they were certain the trees would be harvested if the land were sold on the open market. They couldn’t stand the thought of cutting the trees themselves, and they couldn’t bear the thought of anyone else doing it either. So they reached out to the Arc in the hopes that we might be interested in protecting their woodlands in perpetuity. We took one look at the property’s big trees and its superb understory of wildflowers and we assured the couple, “Ýes, we are interested. Very interested!” Rickey’s sugar bush is now the Arc’s Sugarbush Hill component of the larger Tobacco Barn Hollow Preserve.

Trails are in Tobacco Barn Hollow Preserve’s future. In addition to the trails currently under development at Canebrake Ridge, we also have plans to work collaboratively with the Buckeye Trail to create a hiking trail on Sugarbush Hill that will be open to the general public. The trail will invite hikers following the Buckeye Trail’s designated route down Morgan Fork Road, to take a pause from walking the road to enjoy a short walk in a beautiful woods. Watch for upcoming announcements on Volunteer Workdays to install the trail. We’d love to have your helping hands.

The Arc strives to protect the “best of the best” of what remains of Ohio’s intact natural communities. All of our preserves are wild in that they are natural, but not all of them are wilderness. Arc preserved that boast wilderness qualities are, in every case, adjacent to or within the vast holdings of Ohio’s state forests. Tobacco Barn Hollow enjoys this good fortune, and at this preserve, wilderness is secure.