Allison Shoaf, district manager of the Brown County Soil and Water Conservation District, walked the logged site on State Road 135 North before the Feb. 25 Brown County Parks and Recreation Board meeting. She recommended the following management practices be put into place:
SILT FENCING
A silt fence was installed in the stream channel south of the logging operation, but not properly, she said. It should be removed.
Her letter to the board states that any other permanent or temporary sediment control structures or material should not be installed in the stream without guidance from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management or the Indiana Department of Natural Resources division of water.
WATER BARS
Water bars should be installed on every logging trail based on the DNR’s Forestry best management practices. “Water that flows down these slopes will hit that and slow down, be diverted off,” she explained.
Shoaf, who also has a background in forest management, said water bars had been installed, but more are needed because of how steep the slopes are. She recommended installing them every 30 to 40 feet.
The logging company was responsible for installing these diversion bars, according to their contract with parks and rec. “The water bars that are out there look pretty good. A couple of them need to be redone; there’s not an adequate height on them. Over time, water could pass over those or the construction of them can fail. Those need to be looked at again,” she said.
Last week, G.R. Crowder, who is the agent for Crowder Hardwood Properties LLC, said that water diversion bars are kept in the logging roads; then, once the harvest is completed, more permanent water bars are put into place.
He said his company uses the DNR best management practices handbook.
Crowder said that riprap had not been used. “It will if it’s something the soil department deems is needed for mitigation at the end, then it will be put in at the end,” he said.
SEEDING
Shoaf recommended seed the trails and the logging landing at the top of the valley with a mixture of spring oats, switchgrass, Virginia wild rye and partridge pea — which are all native species except for spring oats.
The estimated area to be planted is about 5 to 8 acres.
“That should be planted as soon as possible, really before winter is over,” she said.
THE FUTURE
Shoaf’s long-term recommendation for the parks and rec board was to consider “natural resource management goals” for the property.
“Any future forest management decision should be made with the guidance of a professional forester or natural resource manager,” she said. That list includes the Brown County Soil and Water Conservation District, the Nature Conservancy, IDNR Division of Forestry, IDNR Division of Fish and Wildlife, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Services or private consulting foresters, she said.
Planning Director Chris Ritzmann said last week that county zoning code does not address logging.
The contract between parks and rec and the logging company states the logging company has a $1 million liability insurance policy and agrees to hold parks and rec “harmless for any injuries or damage incurred or caused by the timber harvest.”
“They said, ‘We want to be good citizens and we will help put back in whatever needs put back in,’” said parks and rec board Vice President Keith Baker.
Resident Cliff Bradley urged the board to take action quickly. “The erosion, the time of year, the amount of rain we’re planning on getting it will be a disaster if you don’t jump on it now,” he said.
Parks and rec board President Jim Hahn said the board has not turned their backs on the issue. “We’re going to do everything we can to rectify what the situation is,” he said.
“The logging company has agreed to put every effort towards helping us to do this, and we’re going to hold them to that. … Keep your eye on what we’re doing out there, and hopefully, within a couple of weeks, you’re going to see a lot of changes.”
