SB 420: A Voice of Support
It’s imperative that we keep these forests intact and continuing because they are among the oldest communities of organisms present in Indiana.
Creating a Forest Preservation Ethic in Indianapolis
Yesterday, Federal District Judge Jane Stinson denied our request for a preliminary injunction to stay contractors for the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from clearing the Crown Hill North Woods while the merits of our lawsuit against the VA for violations of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) are argued.
Since When is an Early Death “Healthy”?
Our hardwood forests have substantially longer growth cycles than current logging allows. White oak, tulip poplar, sugar maple and American beech have maximum life spans of 300 to 600 years and average life spans of 100 to 300 years.
The Rise and Fall of the Ruffed Grouse, and Associated Myths
A DNR biologist once told me that the hunters could never kill enough grouse to harm the population as a whole. Grouse were resilient and as long as there was adequate habitat they would continue to thrive, he explained. Which brings us to the big lie: “Grouse need clearcuts.”
A Cycle Interrupted: How Current State Logging Practices Short-Circuit Nature for Profit
Today’s state foresters are not allowing this natural cycle to occur, and their interruptive and fruitless efforts to grow currently popular intermediate hardwoods short-circuits this forest succession in the second stage.
Not Gullible Enough to Believe…
At the encouragement of the Indiana Forest Alliance, dozens — even hundreds — of citizens have been contacting Governor Mike Pence to ask him to limit logging on our state forests, and to set aside 13 State Wild Areas.
Lament of the Knobstone Trail: A Treasure, Logged?
It is my hope that the Indiana Department of Natural Resources might come to its senses. There is no scientific reason to increase logging by such a large amount — in fact just the opposite. That leaves only profit generation as an explanation for their actions.
Indiana Senate Kills Pro-Forest Legislation Due to “Fiscal Impact”
The bill appeared to have enough votes to pass. We were heartened so many Republican senators saw the value in protecting this fraction of taxpayer-owned land for wilderness recreation and deep forest wildlife habitat.
What’s in the Best Interest of Our State Forests?
The state forests belong to ALL Hoosiers, not just the timber industry and neither to just the state employees that we hire to manage them.
Eight Hoosiers Bear Witness to Extreme Logging
The Indiana Forest Alliance’s new 6-minute video about Indiana’s quickly diminishing public forestland launched February 1 and has been viewed by thousands of people on YouTube and Facebook. It features eight Indiana residents–not actors–who are experiencing the effects of our state government’s unprecedented increase in logging.