Field Notes: A forest legacy
~ by Jim Eagleman
The later fall of the year hurries my thinking:“ Is there enough wood cut for the woodstove? Will my log splitter need a tuneup, more hydraulic fluid and winterizing before the last job? Can I finally tackle the job to cut back and treat the alien multiflora rose and autumn olive that has grown profusely along our road?” And the annual maintenance of chimney cleaning has to be done before the first fire of the season.
These and other pressing jobs I am facing have a common connection to wood. And it might not surprise you that I live in a log home, read forestry books, and admire well-made wooden furniture passed down by relatives.
I like wood and will always cherish these Brown County woods with their year’ round beauty and purpose.
Eric Sloane’ s book, A Reverence for Wood, relates our historic reliance on wood during this country’ s early start. The early American explorers were impressed with the availability of woods of all kinds. Wood was what was plentiful, grew to great heights, and could produce food, tools, shelter, and fuel.
Homesteading colonists willingly offered their tall pines so as to appease England’ s king, a gesture to keep them in good favor. Forests in eastern and northern America were cut first for the tall masts that were used in a royal navy— the pine in high demand. Massive oak beams and
walnut flooring also found their way into homes of Great Britain’ s elite. Our storehouse of timber appeared inexhaustible and well worth time and expense to ship back to England.
Our own county’ s extensive woodlands have an equally important story to tell. While stretching to both horizons, appearing old and undisturbed, this young forest hints of earlier use, and abuse. Starting in the early 1800s, tremendous quantities of timber were removed from these hills in favor of farming.
Prior to settlement, General Land Office surveyors traveled through southern Indiana to map lands for sale. From these records we know today’ s forest consists of the same kinds of timber that grew here earlier. Oaks, hickories, maple, and beech, along with sassafras, elm, and sycamore were listed in daily forest inventories.
Boundaries were marked with a blaze to determine a corner.“ Witness trees,” young growth purposely chosen, delineated one parcel from another as big trees were the first cut. Log heaps burned for weeks as hillsides were cleared, owing to one historical note of the“ smoky” Brown County hills. In deep ravines, green timber dried on top as dead limbs and branches kept fires burning. Timber crews for hire came through southern Indiana from northern Michigan as work there lessened.
Once cleared, the trees were used for railroad ties called sleepers, and fuel. Crops were planted on hillsides in and around tree stumps, up and
60 Our Brown County • Nov./ Dec. 2024