Stearns Woods Management Plan

Today's Stearns Woods was fist developed to be the residence of Wyoming Ohio's seventh mayor, Roderick Barney. He served from 1886 to 1896 and was a passionate arborist who planted native and exotic trees and plants, some of which remain there today. As mayor he started Wyoming's tree planting program which laid the ground work for the city's current tree-lined character. The property's last building was removed 60 years ago and almost all of it has reverted to woods, excepting some hardscape remnants, making it a long term neighborhood forest to generations of children and hikers. In 2001, the Stearns family (of the Stearns and Foster Mattress Company) donated it to the City with a requirement that it be kept in an undeveloped state. The City's Urban Forestry and Beautification Commission works with City Council, its staff and residents to oversee the City's greenspaces including Stearns Woods. Excellent large trees populate sections of it but as with most eastern urban forests, invasive plants and excessive deer populations threaten its future as a healthy ecosystem.