IFA Completes Preliminary Ranking of Indianapolis’ Urban Forests

There’s a place where kids discover magical powers, adults become kids again, and time stands still. You know that place ...
Forests For Indy Map.

There’s a place where kids discover magical powers, adults become kids again, and time stands still. You know that place, although you might not know where it is. It might even be in your neighborhood. And chances are it is a forest! IFA is working across Indianapolis to protect its forests.

In Marion County, IFA has mapped all remaining forest tracts outside the existing city parks in IFA’s Forests for Indy project. Here is what IFA has found so far. Did you know Marion County is home to more than 4,200 forests, all of which are outside of the city park system? And did you know that Marion County is losing urban forests at a rate of 1.6% a year? They are not coming back anytime soon. Few forests lost to development are replaced.

Working with The Conservation Fund, a national organization with expertise in ranking urban forests and developing strategies for their conservation, IFA has completed its first preliminary ranking of the importance of these forests.

The rankings are based on the forests’ ecological attributes, the environmental services they provide, and the community needs their preservation will serve.

Interested in Reading More?

This article first appeared in the Forest Defender, a journal published by the Indiana Forest Alliance. Receive your print copy of the Forest Defender when you join IFA.

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