Many forests throughout the central Appalachians have been suspected, or observed, to be indeclining health. Few studies have examined the vitality of southeastern Ohio's forests. The purpose ofour study was to evaluate the health of a representative southeastern Ohio oak-hickory forest. Thirty-two0.1 ha plots were sampled in August 1995 on the 550 ha Waterloo Wildlife Experiment Station (ODNR) inAthens County, OH. Data were collected for all living and dead stems with a DBH >10 cm (1,891 stemssampled). For living trees, a decline index (DI) was determined to evaluate the percentage of branchdieback, undersized leaves, and chlorosis. Dead trees were identified and categorized by mortality class(log vs. snag). Quercus spp. and Carya spp. accounted for 68% of all stems sampled (83% living). Amongthe live trees, only three species (Juglans nigra, Sassafras albidum, and Cornus florida) exhibited "non-healthy" DI values. All other species were observed to be healthy or exhibiting only trace symptoms ofdecline. In contrast to decline, high mortality was observed for S. albidum (29.1%), Liriodendrontulipifera (21.7%), and Prunus serotina (21.6%). Quercus spp. (17.0%), and Carya spp. (16.2%) exhibitedmoderate mortality. Acer spp. had the highest vitality among the dominant species. Most of the observedpatterns can be explained by successional dynamics and known pathogenic processes. Variousincongruities emphasize the need for long-term studies of forest dynamics and forest health monitoring.