As we turn back time and take a look at the first eight years of this 100 year project, we can then help the existence and growth of Indiana trees and wildlife in the future. This new publication, The Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment: Indiana Forestry and Wildlife, shares imperative information to aid in the growth of tree species that are producing no seedlings.

Many of Indiana’s forests, especially in the southern part of the state, have been dominated by oak and hickory trees for thousands of years. In recent decades, forest researchers and managers in the east-central United States have recognized that these tree species are not replacing themselves with new seedlings. Recognizing this issue, many stakeholders concerned with the status of Indiana’s forests convened in the late 1990s to determine the best approach to understanding this transition and to develop strategies for maintaining our oak-hickory ecosystems. As a result of the meetings of this working group, the Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment (HEE) was initiated in 2006. The HEE is intended to last for 100 years because many of the changes that occur in these forests happen over decades. In fact, many of the strongest effects of the transition from oak and hickory forests may not even be observable until we near the end of the project. This is an analysis of the first eight years of the project.

Resources
Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment
Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center (HTIRC)
The Education Store, Purdue Extension Resource Center

Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment