To the editor:
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is required to publish notification of a timber sale in two different local newspapers, two weeks before the sale takes place. Historically, when they sell timber in Brown County, they’ve published this information in the Brown County Democrat.
In an effort to obscure this information, this time they published the sale notice in Columbus and Martinsville newspapers. Apparently this government agency isn’t beholden to the public, because they’ve followed the letter of the law while ignoring the intent.
Many people in Brown County have seen the increased logging firsthand. The DNR has not only increased logging by 400 percent; the scope of it and the method of logging is changing the character of the forests they are charged to protect.
From all appearances, the intent of the DNR Strategic Plan is to turn our wild forests into industrial tree farms.
The mechanization of logging is having a huge impact on the forest floor. Giant machines called Feller Bunchers do most if not all of the cutting. These machines have large tires with deep treads. They arrive in a tract covered in mud from the previous tract, and in their wake is a proliferation of invasive plant species — most notably, Japanese Stilt Grass.
As they move through the forest, these machines churn the forest floor, completely disturbing it. We have very steep terrain in Brown County, and this means of logging creates a tremendous amount of erosion that goes unchecked for months and months.
Even if the soil experiences remediation at the time of the logging — which it’s not — a logging event still causes erosion. Both Lake Lemon and Lake Monroe are directly affected by the increase in erosion from logging.
The proposed sale of the timber in the formerly protected Back Country is particularly egregious. Not only will Hoosiers lose one of the most beautiful and undisturbed sections of old forest in the entire state forest system, all of this area drains into Lake Lemon.
By selling the timber in these tracts, the DNR has targeted the Eco-Blitz study area. This is a comprehensive, four-year study that’s been conducted by top scientists in their fields that is a complete inventory of all living things in this section of the forest. Typically the DNR ignores any science they haven’t generated themselves, and this is another example of this behavior.
Because the DNR has refused any compromise with citizen groups, we are inviting the public to attend the timber sale at the Yellowwood State Forest office taking place on Nov. 9, at 9 a.m. The office is located on Yellowwood Road in Brown County and is clearly marked.
We intend to peacefully gather in silent witness to show our disapproval of this sale. If you agree that forest management needs to change, please consider joining us.
Thank you for your consideration.
David Seastrom, Possum Trot Road
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