Maintaining A Healthy, Productive Forest

One of the first things to consider when evaluating your forest is the site on which it is located. Although trees can be found growing in the most unlikely places, they thrive where adequate sunlight, heat, water, nutrients, and space are available. In southern Indiana, these conditions can normally be found on north and northeast facing slopes, and in cove areas and creek bottoms. These areas, protected from direct sunlight and wind, contain more moisture and nutrients for tree growth.

Don't despair if your forest is not located on the best site; there are things you can do to improve it:

Control soil erosion
The creation of soil is not an overnight process; it takes many, many, many years of slow weathering of rocks and minerals. Therefore it's important that we try to maintain and protect what we've got. Forests can help do this if proper management techniques are applied.

• Avoid compacting the soil by selecting log yarding areas and skid trails prior to the start of logging.
• Fence livestock out of the forest. Livestock trample and compact the soil, and cause damage to feeder roots of trees that are close to the soil surface.
• Allow leaves, dead wood, and other logging debris to decompose on the forest floor. These materials are rich in nutrients and provide a source of carbon for building up organic matter.

Improve Tree Growth
Nearly all of the timber harvested in Indiana is second growth timber (remember, early deforestation practices left us with only 1.8 million acres of forest by the 1900s). This timber that has grown up since the previous logging, and because we don't let it reach maturity, it contains more defects and tends to be of lower quality. It is still possible to grow quantities of valuable, high quality timber by initiating a few management practices.

If your forest is one that has been neglected over the years and has trees of harvestable size, an improvement harvest may be in order. This type of harvest removes trees that are damaged, diseased, or of poor quality to make room for more vigorous trees of better quality, species, or value (crop trees). The remaining trees are then grown to maturity.

Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) is a term applied to a wide range of practices applied to forests not yet ready for harvest. These practices encourage the growth of crop trees and include grape vine control, pruning, thinning, crop tree release and culling.

• Grape vine control - grape vines often grow through and over the tops of trees, shading them out, deforming them, and sometimes breaking their crowns. Vines should be removed 3-5 years prior to a timber harvest.
• Pruning - the object of pruning is to produce a knot-free log at least 16' long. Pruning should be limited to young, well-formed, valuable trees, and should not remove more than one-third of the live crown at any one time.
• Thinning - thinning dense areas improves the health and increases the rate of growth of crop trees. All undesirable trees need not be removed; only those whose removal will benefit the health and productivity of the crop trees.
• Crop tree release - this practice removes competing trees and thereby promotes the growth of the best trees. To "release" a crop tree, any tree or vine that is competing with the crop tree's crown is eliminated. This allows the crop tree to develop a full, vigorous crown necessary for maximum growth.
• Culling - "cull" trees are those with no useable wood volume or commercial value, although they may provide wildlife food, breeding or nesting sites. These trees should be removed so that more vigorous, potentially valuable trees can thrive.

In nature, forests are a mix of tree species, and any one species may dominate over another depending on the conditions surrounding them. It's a good idea to follow this pattern in managing your own forest, encouraging those trees best adapted to a given site. Forests composed of a mix of tree species are also at less risk of disease and insect outbreaks than those of primarily one species.

Controlled burning can be a useful tool in some circumstances, however, wild fire can damage and kill stands of trees. Provide fire access trails for fire fighters, and observe guidelines issued by public officials during periods of high fire danger.

Maintaining A Forest That Conserves Nature Forests are more than just a collection of trees; they provide habitat for many other plants and animals. Hollow tree trunks and branches provide nesting sites for both mammals and birds. Standing dead trees are great forage sites for woodpeckers, roosts for bats, and perches for birds of prey. Trees that have fallen to the forest floor are home to an array of life that serves to process the rotting log in to humus and nutrients necessary for a healthy forest. Consider the following when developing a forest that conserves nature:

• Assess wildlife populations, including rare or endangered species and their habitat. "Endangered" means an animal or plant is sufficiently rare that it could easily disappear from Indiana. "Threatened" means it is likely to become endangered soon. The presence of these plants or animals does not prevent you from properly managing your forest. If you suspect you may have an endangered species on your property and want further information, contact the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Nature Preserves or Division of Fish and Wildlife, Non-Game Program.
• Get Professional help to enhance wildlife habitat.
• Assess unique habitats and rare plant communities and get professional help to properly manage them. Cypress swamps and hemlock groves can be found in Indiana, but not in Clark County. Wetlands, cliffs, and streamsides are though, and they can require special management practices to maintain.
• Choose native plant species for wildlife habitat plantings. Native food and cover help maintain a natural pattern.
• Control invasive exotic species. Exotic species, be it plant or animal, is one that is not native to North America. They find their way here from parts of the world with similar climates, but because they have few natural enemies here, they spread unchecked.
• Prevent and reduce forest fragmentation. Over the years, Indiana's forests have been cleared for various purposes - agriculture, home sites, roads, utilities. What is left are "fragments" of much larger blocks of forest. Providing corridors of trees along fencerows and streams will create natural pathways for animals to travel between fragments.

Maintaining A Forest That Protects Water Resources

Forests are great protectors and purifiers of our water supply in Indiana. They, among other things, slow the runoff of rainfall, thus controlling erosion and stream and lake sedimentation; filter pesticide and nutrient runoff; and shade waterways thereby cooling water temperatures. Unfortunately, humans have cleared, channelized, dredged and drained until waterways and the forests surrounding them have been drastically altered and the benefits of the forest have been lost.

If you are interested in managing your forest so that it helps protect and improve water resources, there are many practices you can implement.

• Fence livestock out of forests and streams. Livestock trample stream banks causing direct stream sedimentation. Their manure and urine also increases the nitrogen and phosphorus levels of the water which causes increased algae growth.
• Reforest open fields that have highly erodible soils.
• Replant trees on stream banks and in 50- to 100- foot buffer strips next to streams, rivers, and lakes, and around sinkholes. Sinkholes are relatively common in southern Indiana, and naturally collect water and direct it to underground streams flowing through caverns. Government cost share and land rent programs are available to help you with reforestation that directly benefits water resources.
• Consider an already cleared site for a project, such as a new home, instead of clearing forested land.
• Maintain roads. Access roads and trails offer many benefits, however, it not properly constructed and maintained, they erode and wash out.
• Use forestry best management practices (BMPs) when harvesting timber to reduce soil erosion:
  

  Establish and maintain a 50-foot or wider buffer strip or streamside management zone (SMZ) next to perennial streams, rivers, and lakes and a 25-foot SMZ next to large intermittent streams.

  Locate haul roads, skid trails, and log yarding areas to minimize erosion.

  Stop log skidding and hauling when the soil becomes too wet or soft to hold the machinery.

  Where possible, avoid crossing streams.

  Recycle or dispose of wastes such as used motor oil in accordance with state and local laws.

  Take precautions to avoid spilling fuel.

  Install water diversion structures on roads, trails, and log yards when logging is complete in order to prevent erosion. Ruts should be graded smooth, and temporary culverts, soil fill, and logging debris should be removed from stream channels.

• When using pesticides, always follow the manufacturer's label instructions. Avoid applying pesticides over streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, and sinkholes.
• Minimize disturbance in and around sensitive water resources such as wetlands, springs, and vernal pools.

Maintaining A Forest That Provides Beauty and Recreation A well-maintained forest is a beautiful place. It provides us with a little peace and tranquility in our fast-paced world as well as many enjoyable activities such as nature walking and camping. The beauty and recreation values of your forest extend beyond its boundaries. Other people enjoy the result of your management efforts as they drive down country roads or down the highways. They may be able to view your forest from the back porch of their home or while hiking a trail on the next hill over.

A well-managed forest that is aesthetically appealing will increase the investment value of your property, particularly when considering a home site or vacation home site. In this respect, you should keep the following practices in mind when managing a forest for its beauty and recreational potential:

• Maintain visual buffers along public roads and next to residential and other public areas. As well as providing beautiful scenery, they will lessen the impact of timber harvesting activities.
• Maintain important scenic views. Your forest is important to the overall scenic quality of your community. If it is adjacent to scenic highways, wild and scenic rivers, popular tourist destinations, or outdoor recreation areas, it may be more so.
• Use best management practices (BMPs) and other recommended practices to improve a logging job's appearance such as:
  

• Develop the recreation potential of your forest. Under Indiana law, you may restrict public access to your land. However, if you choose to do so, outdoor recreation can provide you with additional income producing opportunities.
• Protect and enhance cultural and historic sites. The past holds a wealth of clues as to who we are and why things are the way they are in our society today. You may find reminders of the past within your forest - a decaying house, a forgotten cemetery, and old fence line. It is important to conserve these resources.

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