Most people say they “like nature.” Forests, such as we find near here at Shades and Turkey Run, serve as our touchstones for getting closer to the natural world and “away from it all.” Walking on trails beneath the big trees, we breathe more deeply. Then, after the hike we go back to the “real world,” as we say.
Raoul Moore, lifelong Montgomery County resident and lover of forests, was guest speaker at the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County’s August Virtual Lunch with the League. As president of Indiana Forestry and Woodland Owners Association, he has a much richer story to tell about “the real world” of forests, groves, and woodlots and the part they play and can more fully play in our lives as Hoosiers.
As a matter of fact, Indiana’s forests are a juggernaut of our state’s agriculture economy. Indiana currently has 70,000 jobs associated with forestry. Owners of woodlands in Indiana pay the state c. $585 million in state and local taxes each year. Woodlot foresters sell between $160-180 million of wood each year, and the resulting economic impact from all wood-related production (from toothpicks to caskets to clothespins and furniture) produces around $10 billion of economic activity annually, more than Indiana’s fabled corn crops.
The story of our woods stretches far back in time, long before human history. Indiana was glaciated four times. About 15,000 years ago, as the most recent glacier was withdrawing, and cold air that produced an arctic-like climate was retreating from the scraped, emerging land of scattered spruce-fir forest and tundra, the first deciduous trees of our current geological era emerged. Horticultural geologists think honey locusts were among them. With their sharp, long thorns they deterred mammoths, mastodons, and other megafauna from eating them.
Fast forward to the centuries upon centuries (beginning as early as 13,000 years ago) when Native Americans were dwelling on this land. About 2000-3000 years ago, people began practicing a slash and burn agriculture that established and maintained a more open understory forest and also created and maintained open areas where crops were planted and prairies grew. Evidence in the soil shows that Indiana was intentionally burned every 3-7 years. Before people were here, periodic burning happened naturally.
Today scientists now know those ancient practices created resilience for both soil and forests. However, “slashing and burning” doesn’t suit the sedentary farming practices that came to our area about 200 years ago with European agricultural settlement. As Moore described it, “When Whites came here, Indiana was a blend of savannas and forests. The state was 80-90% forested. We had about 20 million acres of forest.” Those original forests were almost entirely either clear cut and then planted as permanent cropland; or, the forests were simply cut down for tax benefits. In today’s Indiana, development and urban sprawl continue to take a heavy toll on woodlands.
It was about 100 years ago when people realized the forests were nearly gone, and the state parks were established to halt that process and bring the value of forests to the public’s attention. It was mid-20th century when state forests were established. (The Yellowwood State Forest was the first, established in l947.)
But what about the rest of the wooded areas? Where does the wood come from that we need for building? It is important to note that on land that once (or more than once) has been cleared for timber, “the woods” that grow back aren’t necessarily economically valuable as they stand. They may be valuable to landowners for other reasons — such as windbreaks or landscaping, and they can be a tax asset, but rarely do they hold value in terms of timber without careful “forest farming.” In Indiana forests today about 10% of the trees hold 90% of the value. We’re fortunate in Indiana to have oaks, pecans, walnuts, and many other high-value woods that are of high quality for building and also provide the most nourishing foods for wildlife.
Most of Indiana’s forestry woodlots are family-owned (85%). Indiana’s economy can be much strengthened by increased growing of hardwoods using healthy techniques employed by trained forest farmers. As Moore says, if we don’t “weed” out trees with no value, and eradicate forest-destroying invasive species like honeysuckle and burning bush, for instance, we not only diminish animal and plant habitats, we also dramatically devalue woodlands economically. For instance, right now Indiana has lots of old oak but not much young oak. So we need to make provision for more oaks, either by planting, or by giving oaks a chance to sprout and grow by simply opening the understory so they can compete with trees like hard maples and beach. We also need to “get sun on the soil” by harvesting trees to promote healthy succession.
In looking to the future, Moore suggests we could much benefit by massive forestry planting projects all over this country. This would not only restock and build healthy forests, but would teach a whole generation of workers important forestry skills.
Trees have been civilization’s backbone for thousands of years. We need to attend to their needs — which are also our needs, since by doing so, we improve the health of the environment and at the same time maintain and build our state’s forestry economy. Most forests in Indiana today originated after serious disturbances and subsequent abandonment of the land. We need to help restore them, grow them, harvest them, and replant them for our mutual future health.
It’s time we all started thinking a little about “forest time” or “tree time.” We who time ourselves in nanoseconds can benefit much by being more attentive to the “different time horizon” of forests. A healthy future depends upon it.
For further information, visit the Indiana Forestry Woodlot Owners Association website (ifwoa.org) and the IFWOA Facebook page. Purdue University also has trained foresters on staff. Moore suggests that if you have woodlands, consider hiring a forester to help you understand it. The League of Women Voters encourages sustainable agricultural practices.
