Our Woods

~by Jim Eagleman

I’ve written here before about the many types of trees we are fortunate to have in Brown County.

We have a lot of trees.

There are many possible uses of Brown County wood for the creative homeowner if they have the time, skills, and patience. It can be used for flooring, siding, and trim to add beauty and value to a home. A portable sawmill owner can be hired to come to your property for logs of oak, walnut, cherry, beech, and maple.

I contacted a sawmill owner recently and we soon became friends. A huge red oak next to our studio had to be removed. I had no intention of using any of the wood and wanted to donate it. His company uses native timber for various local projects, which he calls his hobby. But it may be more than a hobby, I thought, when he arrived with his equipment.

He used a bobcat and dolly to move the heavy oak logs, and a grappling hook lifted them onto a trailer. As he loaded them up, he said, “Thanks. I’ll let you know how we use it.” The logs were transported to his sawmill built of native tulip poplar timber.

When people talk about this place, they refer to our vast forestlands. I believe it’s what brings visitors here year-round. We residents could take it all for granted as we live, camp, hike, hunt, drive, and ride in the forests. We may not even consider the forests to be much of an asset. But they are if you talk with anyone who doesn’t live near trees.

A large, full color photograph I used at the park for programs shows the state of Indiana taken from a satellite over 400 miles in space. I really like this photograph. This long, narrow state with a meandering southern border along the Ohio shows colors of brown and tan agricultural lands, the city of Indianapolis, and a greenish tint to the south. The darkest, green color below Indianapolis is an unmistakable square—it’s Brown County.

Biologists call it a sink when land is used by resident wildlife and migrating birds and animals. Like when a plug is pulled and water drains, things flow into this refuge of natural land. Plant communities have established themselves here, and when habitats are left unaltered, unique and sometimes rare animals find a home here. Birds temporarily bivouac here as a stopover while migrating so they can rest, refuel, and regroup. The entire park and nearby national forest have been designated an IBA, an Important Bird Area.

Our glacier history reminds us that this sedimentary sandstone continues to be carved and shaped, creating deep ravines, rocky ridges, and wide floodplains. The green tint of this county, as seen from space, shows us this area’s value. It is unique when compared to the counties around it. Well worth telling is its more recent story of an art colony, a preserved and protected conservation area, and of course, a traditional Hoosier beauty spot.

When you consider the devastating removal of trees during the county’s early settlement years, and the slow recovery that followed, you can appreciate the resilience of our woods. They are now comprised of two kinds of communities: the beech-maple, and oak-hickory complexes.

Many diverse habitats are typical of this young stand. A forest of young hardwoods exhibits more homes and niches than a mature stand, and surprisingly, more than an old growth forest. Why? Look at a forest outside your door or along the road. Many levels, called strata, reveal nooks and crannies in the canopy, herbal layer, and understory. This creates many places for insects, birds, mammals, and reptiles to live. An overlapping set of habitat conditions can satisfy a myriad of critters. And insects are by far the most numerous and significant in the role they play.

The Nature Conservancy oversees the Brown County Hills Project Area. The group makes recommendations for private landowners and public land managers using science-based forest management. This contiguous tract of timber, occupying more than six counties in central and southern Indiana, includes several hundreds of thousands of acres. It makes sense that we take care of it and manage it to the best of our ability to assure that it remains healthy over the next many centuries, not just for the enjoyment of our tourist base: the hikers, mushroomers, bikers, and campers, but for the natural community that lives here: us, our guests, and of course the wild critters.

It was conservationist Aldo Leopold who said: “We abuse land because we consider it a commodity belonging to us; when we see land as a community to which we all belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” A true land advocate, Leopold hoped by using a metaphor like loving someone or something, people could perhaps see land viewed in a similar manner, and to love and care for it since we receive so many bountiful gifts.

Speaking of gifts—it was my donated red oak log at auction that was used to help purchase a lot for the next Habitat for Humanity house. What great news—a Brown County tree, used to help build a Brown County house, for a Brown County family. I couldn’t be happier!