Dysart Woods is a 400+ acre property containing 50 acres of old growth forest, accessible via a public hiking trail.
Located in central Belmont County, the property contains a 1.7 mile hiking trail of intermediate hiking over sometimes uneven terrain. The property recently changed hands from decades of ownership by Ohio University to Captina Conservancy. The Conservancy plans to repair and restore hiking trails, preserve and protect the old growth forest, and enhance the ecology of the entire property. Interested in volunteering at Dysart? Email: [email protected] to be added to our email list!
Located in central Belmont County, the property contains a 1.7 mile hiking trail of intermediate hiking over sometimes uneven terrain. The property recently changed hands from decades of ownership by Ohio University to Captina Conservancy. The Conservancy plans to repair and restore hiking trails, preserve and protect the old growth forest, and enhance the ecology of the entire property. Interested in volunteering at Dysart? Email: [email protected] to be added to our email list!
trail rules
Help us protect and preserve your refuge!
- Open sunrise to sunset
- Stay on trail, respect natural areas, do not alter or remove plants or wildlife
- All refuse carried in must be carried out
- Dogs must be under control, and owners must pick up after dogs
- No climbing on cliffs, boulders or rocks
- No motorized vehicles or horses
- No camping or open fires
- No firearms or hunting
Report Trail Conditions
Has a tree fallen across the trail? Are the blazes not visible? We appreciate your help monitoring trail conditions. Please email [email protected] to report any dangerous trail conditions.
LOCATION
61961 Dysart Woods Rd, Belmont, OH 43718
39.98211340460031, -81.00082334048028
39.98211340460031, -81.00082334048028
ABOUT The Land
Dysart Woods is home to some of Ohio’s oldest trees and is one of only a few pockets of old-growth forest left in all of central Appalachia. Located in Belmont County in southeastern Ohio on the unglaciated Allegheny plateau, Dysart Woods is the only known remaining remnant of the mixed mesophytic forest-type in Ohio. Mixed mesophytic forests are found below an elevation of 5,000 ft. and have humid climates with rich soils and great diversity of canopy, understory, and herbaceous plants; they are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems of temperate regions worldwide. The Dysart Woods preserve is 455 acres in total with 50 acres of old-growth forest surrounded by a mixture of second-growth forest, early-succession forest, and fallow farmland.
The old-growth sections of Dysart Woods are composed primarily of white and red oak but also feature many large, old American beech and sugar maple specimens. The most remarkable of these trees exceed 4 feet in diameter and are over 400 years old. Tulip poplar, black cherry, black gum, and American elm are also prevalent in Dysart’s old-growth swaths. There are about 130 acres of second-growth forest composed predominantly of American beech, red and sugar maple, tulip poplar, and hickory trees. The remainder of the property consists of early-succession forest and fallow farmland where tree and shrub planting will continue to take place to support the succession process.
Dysart Woods harbors great biodiversity of flora, fauna, and funga including 39 species of moss as studied by Ohio University in 2001. The shag-bark hickory trees provide habitat for the endangered Indiana bat, and early spring ephemerals are prevalent especially on the North side of the forest. Located within the Bend Fork subwatershed of Captina Creek, Dysart contains headwater streams to Bend Fork and Joy Fork both of which have superior high quality water that a wide variety of salamanders and small fish species enjoy.
"For those whose idea of great trees was formed by pictures of Western redwood groves where giants stand alone like cathedral pillars, Dysart Woods might be a disappointment. But only if you don’t know what this woods is all about... Dysart is what foresters call an all-age stand. The great trees are always attended by a court of lesser trees ranging in size from tiny saplings to aspiring giants. Whenever a windfall or a death opens a canopy, the under-trees race to get a piece of the sky before their contemporaries can overtop them, imprisoning them in shade. An all-age stand is the sign of a primeval woods. Neither man nor his animals have disturbed the remorseless succession of generations. This is the meaning of ‘climax’ forest, a stable order of trees that have looked just this way for thousands of years."
-John Fleischman, "The Lost Forest: In search of Ohio primeval," 1985.
History
Dysart Woods is a part of the homelands of the Monongahela culture, Shawnee, Mingo, Osage, Kaskaskia, Ofo, and Delaware people(s). Before the displacement of native Americans and subsequent European settlement, as much as 95% of the state of Ohio was once covered with forest. As settlers were attracted to the region for its rich soil, timber, and game populations, the land was cleared with tree-girdling and fire for settlement and agriculture. In addition, the landscape of southeast Ohio was dramatically changed through the 1800s with further human disturbances of large-scale logging and mining.
The land that makes up Dysart Woods was first settled by Miles Hart in 1813. The site was then acquired in 1902 by Henderson Dysart who married Hart’s granddaughter and built the farmhouse seen on the property today. Through generations of Dysarts, the upper slopes and ridges were cleared and farmed, but the original lush woodlands of the broad slopes and ravines of the property remained untouched.
Orien B. Dysart was the last to farm the land until it was inherited by his nieces, Gladys Dysart McGaughy and Margaret Dysart, upon his death in 1959. They rejected offers from lumber and coal companies before deciding to sell the land to the Nature Conservancy (TNC) in 1962. In 1967, Dysart Woods was declared a National Natural Landmark, and TNC transferred all 455 acres to Ohio University (OU) with a conservation easement on 188 acres with old-growth conditions. Bill and Bernice Bartels moved into the original Dysart farmhouse and served as the preserve’s volunteer caretakers for the university. OU opened the property to the public and installed 2 miles of hiking trails. They also used Dysart Woods as a research lab, particularly among the old growth sections, where studies have been conducted on tree dynamics, hydrology, moss and lichen community, and more. In 2018, Dysart Woods was inducted into the Old-Growth Forest Network.
Captina Conservancy was able to acquire Dysart Woods from OU in December 2022 with the help of the Clean Ohio Green Space Grant administered by the Ohio Public Works Commission. The funds used to purchase the property included deed restrictions thus ensuring the long term protection of all 455 acres.
The land that makes up Dysart Woods was first settled by Miles Hart in 1813. The site was then acquired in 1902 by Henderson Dysart who married Hart’s granddaughter and built the farmhouse seen on the property today. Through generations of Dysarts, the upper slopes and ridges were cleared and farmed, but the original lush woodlands of the broad slopes and ravines of the property remained untouched.
Orien B. Dysart was the last to farm the land until it was inherited by his nieces, Gladys Dysart McGaughy and Margaret Dysart, upon his death in 1959. They rejected offers from lumber and coal companies before deciding to sell the land to the Nature Conservancy (TNC) in 1962. In 1967, Dysart Woods was declared a National Natural Landmark, and TNC transferred all 455 acres to Ohio University (OU) with a conservation easement on 188 acres with old-growth conditions. Bill and Bernice Bartels moved into the original Dysart farmhouse and served as the preserve’s volunteer caretakers for the university. OU opened the property to the public and installed 2 miles of hiking trails. They also used Dysart Woods as a research lab, particularly among the old growth sections, where studies have been conducted on tree dynamics, hydrology, moss and lichen community, and more. In 2018, Dysart Woods was inducted into the Old-Growth Forest Network.
Captina Conservancy was able to acquire Dysart Woods from OU in December 2022 with the help of the Clean Ohio Green Space Grant administered by the Ohio Public Works Commission. The funds used to purchase the property included deed restrictions thus ensuring the long term protection of all 455 acres.
American woodcock eggs found in Dysart Woods.
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