As a consequence of this natural succession from an oak-hickory community to a beech-maple community, the maples and beeches are becoming more prominent members of the forest community at Johnson Woods.

As older trees die, they are being replaced by more shade-tolerant trees, such as sugar maple and American beech. Many of the larger oaks and hickories are now dying because they have reached the end of their biological lifespans. The largest trees, then and now, are white oaks, red oaks and hickories. Lucy Braun, who recognized its significance. This woodland historically was known as Graber Woods and was studied by the renowned ecologist, Dr. Neighbors referred to the property as the 'Big Woods.' Stories abound concerning hunters, wildflower bouquets, the Johnson boys' treehouse, poison ivy and even people getting lost. During the last few decades the woods became a stable feature of the local landscape. The site survived the sawmills of the Depression era of America due to Anna (Graber) Johnson, the mother of Andrew Johnson.

Having sprouted before the Pilgrims came to America on the Mayflower, these trees flourished through a time when clearing the landscape was one of the most important objectives of the settler. At that time, many of the trees were already 200 years old. This property included what is now Johnson Woods. After Jacob Conrad, Andrew Johnson's great grandfather, left France in 1823, he bought land in section 7 of Baughman Township and settled in Ohio. This tract was purchased with Ohio Income Tax Checkoff donations. Johnson sold 51 acres of adjacent old-growth woods on the north side of the road to the division. Clela Johnson and her family in memory of her late husband, Andrew C. The 155-acre tract on the south side of Fox Lake Road was a gift to the Ohio Division of Natural Areas and Preserves from Mrs. Some are 120 feet tall with a diameter of 4 to 5 feet. Many trees rise 40-50 feet before the first limbs occur and several are more than 400 years old. Johnson Woods is one of Ohio's largest and best remaining old-growth forests.

Fall 2022 DNAP eNews - Prairie Restoration.

Conrad's jackson township ohio