The Indiana Division of Forestry recently denied a High Conservation Value Forest Area (HCVF) designation for the Jordan Creek Area in the Owen-Putnam State Forest and they denied the HCVF for the Yellowwood BackCountry Area. In its decision the Indiana Division of Forestry said there are no special areas worth saving for rare and endangered species both flora and fauna. Bats, Crayfish Frogs, and Cerulean Warblers are a few of the endangered creatures in the area. Also shining club moss, ostrich ferns, and ginseng is vulnerable and threatened.
On May 8 2024 the Indiana Division of Forestry posted nine Resource Management Guides (RMGs) for public comment. Your voice matters when it comes to public lands and you can comment on the Resource Management Guides through June 6, 2024. Eight are for Morgan-Monroe State Forest, and the other is for Yellowwood State Forest.
I’ll start with the six which are reissues of RMGs that are older than 5 years. This info will be bare bones. Prescription fire has been added to most Tracts. Since the Yellowwood Protest in 2017, only 3 acres of this area have been harvested.
- Compartment 3- Tract 6,Morgan-Monroe,53 acres,timber sales in 1971 &1996,Fire has been added to "prescription" little or no harvest volume increase over 2015 RMG.
- C.3-T.11 M-M,53 acres,acquired 1929&1933,sale 1999,Fire added,5-10% harvest volume increase over 2015 RMG.
- C.4-T10 M-M,58 acres,acquired 1931&1947,sales 1971&1986,Fire added,little or no increase to harvest volume over 2016 RMG.
- C.11-T1,M-M,110 acres,acquired 1930,sales 1974&1994,Fire added,little or no harvest volume increase over 2016 RMG.
- C.11-T2,M-M,115.5 acres,sales 1976&1999,Fire added,Little or no increase in harvest volume over 2017 RMG.
- C7-T19,YW,172 acres,sales 1976&1988.
The new RMGs are all for Morgan-Monroe's Compartment16,
- C16-T9,95.5 acres acquired 1950,sale 1988,Fire, the proposed date for sale is 2024-2028,but the sale will be for the combination of C16-T9,C16-T23,& C.16-T24. The total acreage if that happens will be 226.5 acres.
- C.16-T23,90 acres,acquired 1950&1951,sale 2003,Fire,timber said to be medium to large size class.proposed sale date 2024-2025.
- C.16-T.24,41 acres,acquired 1950&1953,no sales,Fire,15.5 acre "regeneration" opening,proposed sale date 2025
The Division of Forestry has also put some trees on the chopping block near the Fish Creek Campground and near some hiking trails in Owen-Putnam State Forest.
Indiana’s public forests belong to all of us. Help us protect our forests and call the forest office at 812-829-2462 or the Governor’s office at 317-232-4567 before June 6. You can also submit written comments online by visiting Indiana’s Division of Forestry public comment page. Let them know, “Logging has its place, just not every place. All public recreation areas should be protected from logging that reduces Hoosiers enjoyment of our public forests”.
Take a stand for public land; it belongs to you, your children, your grandchildren and the creatures that call our forests home.
Lora Kemp
Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter Executive Committee