The Twinsburg Heights Preserve Project, led by West Creek Conservancy, is protecting 49 acres of forestland within a 76-acre property in and along the City of Twinsburg, OH. Protecting the forest as part of a carbon project will generate funding for ongoing stewardship and maintenance for public access, unlocking recreation and open space benefits for the community.

The Project Area preserve is a hardwood forest of red and sugar maples, black cherry, and American beech. The property crosses the boundary between the City of Twinsburg and Twinsburg Township, where it is zoned respectively as Interchange Business District and Residential. As an open space lot in a highly developed area located right off a major interstate highway, the property was at high risk for clearcutting and development. West Creek Conservancy purchased the property in October of 2022 and recorded a deed restriction to preserve it in perpetuity.

Permanent protection of the Twinsburg Heights Preserve yields numerous environmental, social, and health benefits. The adjacent community of Twinsburg Heights is a formerly redlined and predominately African American residential neighborhood. This community still grapples with the legacy of the formerly discriminatory practices of redlining, with highway 480 directly adjacent to the neighborhood and fewer public amenities such as sidewalks and streetlights than can be found in nearby communities within the City of Twinsburg and Twinsburg Township. The commercial land use conversion of the property, as was the intent of the previous owner and was aligned with the zoning of the property, would have had significant and irreparable impacts on the Twinsburg Heights community, including exacerbating pre-existing stormwater issues such as flooding and erosion. Conservation of the property as a natural area will preserve the ecological services including flood control that the property provides to the adjacent community. The forest also provides a diversity of nesting habitats and food sources for wildlife.

More information coming soon.

Co-Benefits

Forest preservation projects not only reduce carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but provide ecosystem services or co-benefits that can be quantified. The co-benefits from this project represent a savings (avoided costs) of $488,320 per year, and $19,532,788 over 40 years.

• Rain interception (stormwater management) – 23,450 m3/year, $49,564 per year
• Air quality – 1.6178 t/yr, $3,988 per year
• Energy – cooling (electricity) – 71,205 kWh/year, $9,976 per year
• Energy – heating (natural gas) – 2,947,538 kBtu/year, $41,225 per year

Social Impacts

The 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an urgent call for action and global partnership among all countries, representing key benchmarks for creating a better world and environment for everyone. Well-designed and managed urban forests make significant contributions to the environmental sustainability, economic viability and livability of cities.

The main SDGs for this project are described below, with more detailed information in the Project Design Document.

This forest will continue to provide ecosystem services including flood control, urban heat relief, and filtration of air pollutants that the property provides to the adjacent community.

The forest’s preservation is aligned with the expressed wishes of the adjacent, formerly redlined and predominately African American residential community of Twinsburg Heights.

This project supports a variety of native plant and wildlife habitats. It has been identified as providing suitable habitat for, and within range of, at least 14 wildlife species and two plant species that are listed as either threatened or endangered in the state of Ohio.