To the editor:
As a person who has been managing the forest of Indiana for all my life, I feel I need to speak up about forest management in the state forest.
If you look at a forest cover map of Indiana, you will see that Brown County is one of the most forested counties in the state. A large part of this area is already excluded from any timber harvesting activities. These areas include the state park, land trusts, nature preserves, national forest and others.
The state forest, along with private lands, allow timber harvesting. Of this harvestable area, Yellowwood State Forest makes up the largest area, as many of the private forests are not being harvested or managed for forest products.
Over the past 100 years, the forest of Brown County has matured from the early 20th century clearings for farmland. As the forest has matured, it has also been protected from fire. Fires, at one time, played a substantial role in disturbing the forest, allowing early successional forest to continue to occupy areas across the landscape.
As a result of fires and farmland clearings, over 70 percent (USDA Forest Inventory and Analysis data 2013) of the forest has developed into oak and hickory species. These heavy nut- and acorn-producing trees play a large part in sustaining the abundant wildlife in our area.
As can been seen in recent FIA data collected, the future forest is moving toward more beech and maple species. These species develop in the dense shade of the oaks and hickories. Over time, as this forest composition shifts from oak-hickory to beech-maple forest, the wildlife will lose much of the food it depends on for survival. With this change will come a shift in species and overall diversity. Keeping active management at the state forest will help reduce these trends.
Another benefit of keeping state forest as a managed forest will be the opportunity for jobs in the county. This would not just be logging jobs, but others dependent on the timber resource, such as sawmills and light manufacturing. With a core focus on tourism, our community can be heavily impacted by a downturn in the economy. Not having all our eggs in one basket can help to buffer this.
Trees are one of the most environmentally friendly renewable resources we have. They turn sunlight and nutrients into beautiful products that each of us use on a daily basis, including flooring, cabinets, furniture and many others. We need to encourage the use of this environmentally friendly resource instead of discouraging it.
Our county already has a large portion of its forest locked up in non-timber uses. Locking up more will not be to our benefit. Leaving the state forest a managed forest will be a good thing for the environment, local economy and wildlife.
Jim Allen, Nashville
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