University, Drake University, and the University of Indianapolis are involved with the HEE and provide students and faculty. Support also comes from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
Academics from these and other schools agree the oak and hickory forests are in peril in Indiana, as they review historic accounts. Changes in disturbances such as fire, grazing, and timber harvesting— common when the land was first occupied by Native Americans and early settlers— have resulted in changing forest composition. Mature oaks and hickories now dominate the forest canopy, but they are not regenerating naturally. HEE researchers are studying what types of forest management can help maintain oak and hickory trees in our forests and what effects different types of tree harvesting have on the forest ecosystem. Tree harvesting types, or treatments, include clearcuts, patch cuts, single tree removal, shelterwood, or no harvest. Recently prescribed fire on some sites has been added to the protocol.
Baseline data is collected by teams of students on a plot before any manipulation is conducted. Animals inventoried by HEE students include bats, beetles, birds, moths, salamanders, small mammals, spiders, shrubs, herbaceous species, and fungi. Once data from these taxa are collected, different types of harvest treatments are conducted on a variety of management units, including even and uneven aged stands in Morgan-Monroe and Yellowwood State Forests. Following a cut, another assessment is conducted to document what species are still present and what have changed.
Now in its 14 th year, incredible volumes of data have already been collected, assimilated, and reviewed.“ The more we look, the more we need to look further”, says Jeff Riegel, HEE field supervisor. Trends may develop but it’ s too early to tell what impact treatments have on certain species of birds and animals.“ There’ s a lot to look at,” says Jeff.
HEE students attending plant I. D. class.
Forest stewardship can mean we watch for accidental wildfires, remove alien plant species harmful to native vegetation, or conduct periodic harvests of mature trees. It can also mean we watch the current research that delves into what were mere mysteries a few years ago. We can learn what species may benefit from a cut, and what needs protection. Some species need sun-basking areas a single tree cut can provide, while neotropic songbirds that nest here may need larger openings for foraging. The oaks, a prime player and major food producer, can benefit from forest openings as sunlight bathes the forest floor allowing acorns to flourish.
Forest stewardship can also mean I wish to do nothing and let my woods mature while I live with them.
As research continues to reveal the necessities of a healthy forest and its inhabitants, we can feel assured that sound science will provide many answers for good decision-making. •
March / April 2020 • Our Brown County 49