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Indiana DNR forestry division conducting state assessment

By LINDA McGURK
Indiana Correspondent

SPENCER, Ind. — The first statewide assessment of Indiana’s forestlands since the 1980s is under way. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry (DOF) is hoping the assessment will generate a better picture of the condition of the state’s forests, and the agency is asking woodland owners and interested members of the public to get involved.

“This (assessment) should highlight areas in the state where action could be the most effective and dollars spent will have the most dramatic results,” said Chris Gonso, ecosystems services specialist with the DOF.

During the first phase of the assessment, the DOF distributed a survey to various organizations and individuals identified as stakeholders in Indiana forestry, asking them to rank their level of concern for different challenges facing the state’s forests. When the deadline for returning the survey was up last week, the DOF had received nearly 1,500 responses. And it’s not too late for those who’d like to have a say in the future of Indiana’s forestlands to share their opinion with the DOF, since the agency is planning a series of four open meetings during June and July in different parts of the state. “We try to hear as many voices as possible,” Gonso said.

Liz Jackson, executive director of the Indiana Forest and Woodland Owners Association, was one of the stakeholders who received and filled out the survey. She ranked the breaking up of large forest tracts into smaller parcels, partly to make room for new housing developments, as her number one concern. “The reason why we’re very concerned with fragmentation is that smaller tracts are harder to manage and managed forests are much preferred over non-managed forests,” Jackson said. “One tract of 50 acres is better than having 10 tracts of 5 acres, because then you have to train 10 people to manage them.”

Jackson also said the proliferation of invasive species like garlic mustard, bush honeysuckle and Japanese stilt grass is creating big problems in Indiana forests. “The invasive species change the whole ecology of the forest, so things that grow there stop growing,” she said. “Another thing that I ranked high was the transfer of forest to the next generation. We’re seeing less interest to be involved in the land among young landowners and we hear from older landowners that they’re ready to pass on their forest to the younger generation, but nobody in the family is interested.”

The DOF will use advanced technology to gather data about these and other potential problem areas for Indiana’s 4.5 million acres of forestland. “We’re pulling together data we never had before. Technology has progressed a lot and there are a lot of things we can do now that we couldn’t do in the ‘80s,” Gonso said. “We’re getting all the property lines done in GIS. In the ‘80s we relied on satellites and aerial photography.”

The DOF plans to have the initial assessment of the challenges facing Indiana forests done by the end of the summer, and after that the focus will shift to developing a strategy to address the problems. A year from now, the state assessment and strategy is due to the U.S. Forest Service, which is funding part of the project. Certain elements of the assessment and strategy were required under the 2009 farm bill. “I think regular reviews of our resources are always important,” Jackson said about the study.

Gonso encouraged anybody with an interest in the future of Indiana forests to attend one of DOF’s planned open meetings. “I think the most important thing is that the meetings are another opportunity (for stakeholders) to provide input on the issues facing our forestlands. It’s also an opportunity to coordinate efforts with others and learn more about the issues. Hopefully we’ll have some really neat maps, so that people will be able to look at their own communities and see how they compare to other areas in the state.” 

The DOF has scheduled four open meetings:
•North
Location: Wabash, Ind.
Date: Wednesday, June 24
Time: 6-8 p.m.
Where: The Honeywell Center
275 W. Market St.
260-563-1102

•Central
Location: Indianapolis, Ind.
Date: Thursday, June 25
Time 6-8 p.m.
Where: Indiana Farm Bureau
225 South East St.
317-692–7776

•South Central
Location: Bloomington, Ind.
Date: Tuesday, June 30
Time: 6-8 p.m.
Where: City Council Chambers
401 N. Morton St
812-349-3409

•South
Location: Huntingburg, Ind.
Date: Thursday, July 2
Time: 6-8 p.m.
Where: Huntingburg Event Center
110 E. 14th Street
812-683-2221

6/17/2009