United States Department of Agriculture Indiana Forests 2013 Forest Service Northern Resource Bulletin Publication Date Research Station NRS-107 December 2016 Abstract This report summarizes the third full annualized inventory of Indiana forests conducted from 2009 to 2013 by the Forest Inventory and Analysis program of the Northern Research Station in cooperation with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry. Indiana has nearly 4.9 million acres of forest land with an average of 454 trees per acre. Forest land is dominated by the white oak/red oak/hickory forest type, which occupies 72 percent of the total forest land area. Most stands are dominated by large trees. Seventy-eight percent of forest land consists of sawtimber, 15 percent contains poletimber, and 7 percent contains saplings/seedlings. Growing-stock volume on timberland has been rising since the 1980s and currently totals 9.1 billion cubic feet. Annual growth outpaced removals by a ratio of 3.3:1. Additional information on forest attributes, changing land use patterns, timber products, and forest health is included in this report. Detailed information on forest inventory methods and data quality, a glossary of terms, tabular estimates for a variety of forest characteristics, and additional resources are available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.2737/NRS- RB-107. Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank numerous individuals who contributed both to the inventory and analysis of Indiana’s forest resources. Primary field crew and QA staff for the 2009-2013 field inventory cycle included: Josh Anderson, Craig Blocker, Lance Dye, Jake Florine, Matt Goeke, Aaron Hawkins, Justin Herbaugh, Jacob Hougham, Pete Koehler, Greg Koontz, Kasey Krouse, Dominic Lewer, Derek Luchik, Sally Malone, Andy Mason, Will Smith, Jason Stephens, Glen Summers, Tom Thake, Mark Webb, and Greg Yapp. Pre-field production staff included: Daniel Kaisershot, Cassandra Olson, Rebekah Price, Lucretia Stewert, and Jeff Wazenegger. Data management personnel included: James Blehm, Mark Hatfield, and Jay Solomakos. Report reviewers included John R. Seifert, Philip T. Marshall, Jeff Settle, and Scott Haulton of Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources. Cover: Beautiful autumn view of Clark State Forest in Indiana from the fire tower. Photo by Indiana Department of Natural Resources, used with permission. Manuscript received for publication October 2015. Published by: For additional copies: U.S. FOREST SERVICE U.S. Forest Service 11 CAMPUS BLVD SUITE 200 Publications Distribution NEWTOWN SQUARE PA 19073-3294 359 Main Road Delaware, OH 43015-8640 December 2016 Visit our homepage at: http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us Printed on recycled paper Indiana Forests, 2013 Dale D. Gormanson, Joey Gallion, Charles J. Barnett, Brett J. Butler, Susan J. Crocker, Cassandra M. Kurtz, Tonya W. Lister, William Luppold, William McWilliams, Patrick D. Miles, Randall S. Morin, Mark D. Nelson, Barbara M. O’Connell, Charles H. Perry, Rachel I. Riemann, Ronald J. Piva, James E. Smith, Paul A. Sowers, James A. Westfall, and Christopher W. Woodall Contact Author: Dale D. Gormanson [email protected] 651-649-5126 About the Authors Dale D. Gormanson and Ronald J. Piva are Tonya W. Lister, William McWilliams, Randall S. foresters with the Forest Inventory and Analysis Morin, and James A. Westfall are research (FIA) program, Northern Research Station, foresters with the FIA program, Northern St. Paul, MN. Research Station, Newtown Square, PA. Charles J. Barnett is a biological scientist with William Luppold is an economist with the the FIA program, Northern Research Station, FIA program, Northern Research Station, Newtown Square, PA. Princeton, WV. Brett J. Butler is a research forester with the Barbara M. O’Connell is a forester with the FIA program, Northern Research Station, FIA program, Northern Research Station, Amherst, MA. Newtown Square, PA. Susan J. Crocker, Patrick D. Miles, Mark Charles H. Perry is a research soil scientist with D. Nelson, and Christopher W. Woodall are the FIA program, Northern Research Station, research foresters with the FIA program, St. Paul, MN. Northern Research Station, St. Paul, MN. Rachel I. Riemann is a research forester/ Joey Gallion is a forest inventory program geographer with the FIA program, Northern manager with the Indiana Department of Natural Research Station, Troy, NY. Resources, Brownstown, IN. James E. Smith is a research plant physiologist Cassandra M. Kurtz and Paul A. Sowers with the FIA program, Northern Research are natural resource specialists with the FIA Station, Durham, NH. program, Northern Research Station, St. Paul, MN. Foreword Welcome to Indiana Forests 2013, the latest results of our statewide forest inventory. This inventory is an ongoing joint venture between the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry and the Forest Inventory and Analysis program of the U.S. Forest Service. Results from this seventh inventory show Indiana forests continue to grow more wood than is being harvested, providing an important and essential element to Indiana’s economy, the wood industry, and individual woodland owners. Indiana forests have expanded to nearly 4.9 million acres with an average volume of over 2,000 cubic feet per acre. These productive forests provide homes and food for wildlife; clean our water and air; protect soil that would otherwise disappear due to erosion; and provide fine quality hardwood products to Hoosiers, Americans, and the world. Indiana is fortunate to have a productive and high quality stand of forest land, yet the industry is vulnerable to economic cycles. Eleven percent of all exported agricultural products are wood products, but that has not kept pace with other agriculture exports. Opportunities abound to further enhance the value of Indiana wood products to the economy through its export channels as well as by providing employment. Every 1,000 acres of forest land directly supports nearly eight manufacturing jobs in the primary, secondary, and ancillary wood-using industry. While Indiana forests continue to be resilient and are actually expanding, there are concerns. Regeneration of some shade intolerant species such as oaks and hickories could be better. Average tract size continues to decrease with indications these holdings may also be changing ownership. Ash tree mortality resulted in a loss of 11 million cubic feet of volume per year, mostly attributed to the emerald ash borer, a nonnative insect accidentally introduced in Michigan that has spread to other states. There are a growing number of invasive plant species outcompeting native vegetation for sunlight and nutrients. In addition, white-nose syndrome is deadly to many of our beneficial forest- and cave-dwelling bats. All of these issues need to be monitored, and future management decisions may need to be altered to address such concerns. I invite you to read and interpret the results of Indiana Forests 2013. Hopefully you enjoy perusing the information. As a result, perhaps you will become more interested in our State’s forests and then participate in the discussions about the future of forests and forestry in Indiana. John Seifert, State Forester Contents Highlights . 1 Background . 3 Forest Features . 17 Forest Indicators . 67 Forest Economics . 121 Future Forests . 129 Literature Cited . 138 Appendixes . 152 Statistics, Methods, and Quality Assurance . Online at http://dx .doi .org/10 .2737/NRS-RB-107 Indiana Forests Summary Tables . Online at http://dx .doi .org/10 .2737/NRS-RB-107 Additional Resources . Online at http://dx .doi .org/10 .2737/NRS-RB-107 The one-mile loop trail at Tall Timbers Nature Preserve passes by a stand of old growth forest along Big Walnut Creek. Photo by Indiana Department of Natural Resources, used with permission. Highlights On the Plus Side • Eighty-four percent of Indiana’s forest land is privately owned by corporations and family forest owners. The vast majority, an estimated 3.6 million acres (73 percent), are owned by family forest owners. An estimated 85,000 family forest ownerships across Indiana each own at least 10 acres of forest land. • The statewide increase in timberland area between 1986 and 2013 may be attributed to farmland reversion; approximately 750,000 acres, nearly 20 percent, of privately owned forest land are enrolled in the Classified Forest and Wildlands Program (CFW). More than 13,000 landowners participate in the CFW program, and it appears conservation and stewardship measures are affecting the extent and quality of Indiana forests. • Over the past six decades, the area of Indiana timberland increased slightly from 4 to 4.7 million acres. Over that same period, the volume of growing-stock timber nearly quadrupled from 2.6 to 9.5 billion cubic feet. • Yellow-poplar continues to be the most voluminous species followed by sugar maple and white oak. Black cherry had the greatest percentage increase in volume—17 percent. • The mortality rate in Indiana (1.1 percent) is similar to that in the neighboring states of Ohio (1.1 percent), Kentucky (1.0 percent), Illinois (1.6 percent), and Michigan (1.1 percent). • During the recent recession, the number of employees working in the forest products industry hit its lowest level in 2010, while annual payroll (actual dollars) and the total value of shipments (actual dollars) bottomed out in 2009. After decreasing by 44 percent between 2004 and 2010, the number of employees working in the forest products industry increased by 13 percent between 2010 and 2013. Issues to Watch • Indiana forests are being affected by urbanization and fragmentation. Only 21 to 45 percent of the forest land in Indiana meets the definition of core forest statewide, and between 24 and 41 percent of the forest land is in unconnected fragments. | 1 • Future changes in Indiana’s forest land will depend on the pace of land development and, to a great extent, the economics of farming since idle farm land has been the source of much of the increase in forest land.