Indiana

Through June of 2019, we have had 56 planting projects in Indiana.  Partners have included the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Purdue University, and the Indiana Society of American Foresters. The state has a rich group of State Forest properties, and we have worked often with the state foresters to implement plantings of Chestnut, Walnut, Oak, and many other species for their particular needs.

Clark State Forest - Projects #108 and #134

 Photos of the Larry Frye Heritage Forest located in the Clark State Forest in Southern Indiana, during the dedication ceremony by foresters, veneer industry veterans, trade association veterans and HFF staff.

     

 

Harrison Crawford State Forest - Project # 2

Our first Forestry Field Day was in the Harrison Crawford State Forest, where Forester Dwayne Sieg, Indiana DNR staff and Industry veterans made presentations to the public explaining the history of the property, showing the fields that needed to be planted to forest, and veneer logs that mills typically buy.     

 In 1991 the Hardwood Forestry Fund (HFF) partnered with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (Indiana DNR) to organize a tree planting in an empty field along the scenic Blue River in the Harrison-Crawford State Forest. The planting consisted of 1,000 walnut seedlings, and 6,000 white oak seedlings.  A few years later Dwayne Sieg, Property Manager of the State Forest, noted that the 1,000 seedlings the volunteers planted were thriving.

Horst Michaelis of Indiana Architectural Plywood predicts he would be 6 feet under before the seedlings would be 6 feet tall. We proved him wrong; 27 years later the trees are about 30 to 40 feet tall, and Horst is still 6 feet above ground!

Indiana Forester teaches Veneer "Executives" how to plant with an auger.

 

 Eleanor Martin, age 6 planting a walnut seedling in 1991

Fast forward to Thanksgiving week 2018, 27 years later we wanted to take a look at how the seedlings planted then were doing. “It was such a pleasure walking through the rows of forty-foot “former” seedlings” said Jim Martin, HFF Board Member.  “Returning to the converted field, to see the forest and its surroundings being used for canoeing, kayaking, fishing, hunting, and nature walks was gratifying to see, as well as a testament to the hard work the HFF and Indiana DNR have put in.” As the trees grow, select harvesting will make some of the trees available for beautiful furniture, cabinets, and panels, while still providing a canopy of forest for visitors and future generations.

 

The Child 27 years later.