Tefft Memorial Preserve

A typical deciduous forest of unglaciated southeastern Ohio located on the West Branch of the Little Hocking River. © TNC

The preserve typifies the forested unglaciated Western Allegheny Plateau Ecoregion of southeastern Ohio.  It consists of two rugged north-south ridges flanking a deep hemlock gorge at the head of the West Branch of the Little Hocking River.  The ridges are incised by several side ravines containing small waterfalls and large sandstone outcrops.  About 40 acres of the preserve are old fields undergoing succession.  There is also a white pine plantation from the 1960s covering approximately 15 acres which is underoing selective thinning

The preserve was created in 1972 by a 120-acre gift from Mr. Harold Tefft in memory of his wife Catherine.  Mr. Tefft retained a life estate on the farm and served as its caretaker until his death in 1991.  Adjacent sites were acquired by The Nature Conservancy.  These additions brought the size of the preserve to 276 acres.

Location
Washington County, within the unglaciated portion of the Western Allegheny Plateau Ecoregion.

Plants
Tefft Memorial Preserve is home to Appalachian oak forest, mixed mesophytic forest, and hemlock-white pine-hardwood forest communities.  Within these communities are:

• Chestnut oak
• White oak
• Tulip tree
• Eastern hemlock
• Sugar maple

The site also supports four rare plants:

• Narrow-leaved Toothwort
• Golden-knees
• Rock Skullcap
• Wild kidney bean 

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
The hemlock gorge forest was ranked by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Natural Areas and Preserves as locally significant.  This supports what is likely the largest protected population of narrow-leaved toothwort in the state.  The rich spring flora is largely intact, with few invasive plant populations in the hardwood communities.

The major threat to this preserve is the potential for invasive plants such as Japanese honeysuckle, multiflora rose, Russian olive, and periwinkle to move into the woods from the abandoned farm fields. Another possible threat is off-road vehicle traffic and illegal dumping.  There is an exotic game reserve just north of the preserve.  Disturbance to the natural forest communities at the preserve has occurred on at least one occasion when a game animal escaped.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
The primary goal for this preserve is to maintain the forested communities and allow them to mature. The rare plant populations are monitored periodically.  Weed control measures are undertaken to minimize the spread of non-native plants into the native forest communities.  A selective thinning of a portion of the planted white pines took place in 1998 in an effort to encourage succession to a natural hardwood forest community.