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The hardwood ecoystem experiment
really benefits anyone who has an interest in sustaining our forest ecosystems,
in particular, our oak-hickory forest is in serious trouble.
It's in trouble because while we've got a great canopy of beautiful, mature oak and hickory,
we have a real shortage of the young, baby oak and hickory.
And our challenge is to design management
strategies that allow us to grow that young
oak-hickory system so that we can enjoy that in future generations.
A designed experiment like the Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment allows us to
determine whether or not the management is causing changes that we observe.
And a primary form of management in forests is timber harvest.
And so what we're doing in this experiment is looking at different types
of timber harvest.
And asking and measuring, what kinds of effects
those different treatments have on, certainly, oak and history regeneration.
But in addition, a whole bunch of other components of the ecosystem,
like bird communities, and bat populations, and salamanders, beetles,
small mammals, and so on.
Well, the information can be used certainly by the Division of Forestry as
they make decisions about how to manage state forest lands.
But in addition, as they and others advise private forest
land owners on how to manage for, not just the valuable,
fine oak hardwood that we appreciate so much.
But also how we go about managing for the value
of these systems to wildlife, and they are incredibly valuable to wildlife.
The seeds, for instance, that oak and
hickory produce, they support abundant populations of birds and
mammals, which in turn support robust populations of predators.
>> The Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment, or as we generally call it, the HEE,
is a long-term landscape level study designed to look at the social and
ecological impacts of common forest management practices.
These common forest management practices include even-age timber management,
such as clear cuts and shelter wood harvest.
Uneven-age management such as patch cut and single tree selection, and
no harvesting.
The HEE was initiated in 2006, and
since its initiation has involved numerous researchers from various institutions,
as well as a number of governmental and non-governmental agencies.
The Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment is designed to find forest management
prescriptions to maintain oak-dominated communities and landscapes.
Identify management's impacts on populations of plants and animals.
Determine the social and economic impact of management on Hoosier communities.
Provide demonstration sites and novel educational materials and techniques for
the public concerning forest management.
During the first ten years of The Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment,
researchers from seven universities have been involved in research on the HEE.
And have gone on to publish over 40 peer-reviewed articles in scientific
journals.
Also had at least 20 graduate students go on and
do their graduate work on research from the HEE.
We've also been able to provide educational and
employment opportunities for over 130 undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Each year we do multiple educational events and
outreach events and field tours on the Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment.
Working with different private land owners, forest management professionals,
as well as different school tours.
>> Well if we don't change the way that we're
dealing with our oak-hickory forests that the implications are pretty clear.
We're gonna end up with maple-beach forests in the future.
The canopy now, if you walk through one of our forests, our state forests,
it's all oak and hickory, or mostly oak and hickory in the over story.
But on the ground level, you see these maple and
beech, these species that are more tolerable of shaded conditions,
don't require those openings that provide light to the forest floor.
Yeah, well so 10 years into the experiment out of 100 years,
is still a short segment of time.
And so I would view these as preliminary recommendations.
But one thing that I think we have learned is that variety in age and
composition of the forest is important.
We've seen that in the creation of these young forest openings, and the positive
response that we've gotten from various segments of the animal community.
I think a second point that's related to that
is to consider management at a landscape scale.
Look up and see the landscape, don't just look at the tree in front of you.
If you're looking at the state forest, what do you see?
You see primarily older, mature forest, and so
we created a lot of value with these young forest openings.
It allowed for creation of habitat for species that didn't have it before.
In like manner, if you're a private landowner, and
you look around the landscape and nobody is creating young forest,
this gives you an opportunity to provide valuable habitat
while regenerating those oak and hickory that we enjoy so much.
The harvesting certainly isn't beneficial to every species,
there's no one size, fits all.
And so it is important to have that variety,
I think you can overdo it to either extreme.
Obviously if we were to clear cut the entire state forest
we'd have done something just horrendous.
But if we don't create openings,
we are equally guilty of mismanagement in my estimation.
I think the difference between science-based management and
management using anecdote or association is that with science,
you can establish the cause of management and the response.
Whereas with an anecdotal, or association sort of management,
you're hoping you know what's causing it, but you're never sure.
And in a complex ecosystem, that's a tough, tough way to manage.
Well, the Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment is providing science-based information
that can guide future management decisions that are made by the Division of Forestry.
And using that scientific information, I think will provide for
better decision-making and ultimately benefit the future of oaks,
of biodiversity, and of all Hoosiers.
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