Martin H. Mcallister
Appalachian Forests Project Manager - Ohio Chapter
West Union, OH
Martin McAllister Appalachian Forests Project Manager © TNC
AREA OF EXPERTISE
Forest Management, Invasive Species Management, Habitat Restoration, Wildlife Management
Biography
Martin McAllister is the Appalachian Forests Project Manager for The Nature Conservancy in Ohio, where he serves as the lead on forest management issues as well as directs the management of the Conservancy’s 20,000-acre Edge of Appalachia Preserve System located in Adams County.
Ohio was 97 percent forested at the time of settlement, but by 1910 this figure had dropped to 11 percent. Rebounding to around 33 percent today, Ohio’s contemporary forest differs greatly from the vast, unbroken, mature forest cleared by early settlers. High-graded for its best timber, exposed to erosion and “protected” from the beneficial influence of occasional fire, our forests today require intensive management to restore health and proper species composition. Martin believes that through science-based forest management, we can protect the lands and waters on which all life depends while continuing to provide a sustainable source of necessary timber products.
Prior to joining the Conservancy, Martin served for 27 years with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, where he managed a variety of state nature preserves and state parks in southern Ohio. He retired from ODNR in 2014 as the Southwest District Manager for Ohio State Parks and State Nature Preserves. In this capacity, he oversaw the management of 13 state parks, 14 state nature preserves and law enforcement activities on two state forests—together nearly a quarter of a million acres of public land.
Martin’s area of expertise includes ecological management of xeric limestone prairies and other plant communities, control of invasive species, recreational land management, and natural history interpretation. He holds a degree in Recreation and Parks Management from Shawnee State University.