Gov. Eric Holcomb, left, plants a 12-foot tall cucumber magnolia tree on the Statehouse lawn Friday to commemorate the Department of Natural Resources meeting the governor's goal, announced in 2020, to plant 1 million trees across Indiana over a five-year period. Provided
Gov. Eric Holcomb, left, plants a 12-foot tall cucumber magnolia tree on the Statehouse lawn Friday to commemorate the Department of Natural Resources meeting the governor's goal, announced in 2020, to plant 1 million trees across Indiana over a five-year period. Provided
Gov. Eric Holcomb planted a tree on the Statehouse lawn Friday to commemorate the more than 1 million trees planted across the state over the past five years by Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

The Republican chief executive, in his 2020 "State of the State" address, called on DNR to step up its efforts to reforest Indiana by planting 1 million native trees on state forest, state park, fish & wildlife area, and nature preserve land by 2024.

"Getting out and exploring DNR properties is one of my favorite Hoosier pastimes. With 1 million more trees now dotting Indiana’s landscape, we can preserve this love for our great outdoors for future generations of Hoosiers and continue Indiana’s important legacy of conservation," Holcomb said.

The tree Holcomb planted, a cucumber magnolia, is native to southern Indiana. The 12-foot tree was grown at Clark State Forest and relocated to the state government campus in downtown Indianapolis.

Other tree species planted on state land to provide new habitat for wildlife and to store carbon as part of the governor's 1 million tree initiative include red oak, white oak, bur, chinkapin, swamp chestnut, Shumard, pin, cherry bark oak, and black walnut.

Indiana's native forests largely were cut down in the 19th century to support building construction and to clear land for farming. In 1901, the DNR Division of Forestry was established to protect, conserve and grow the remaining forests for future generations.

Currently, the Hoosier State is home to 4.8 million acres of forest land, including 160,000 acres in 15 state forests primarily located in the southern third of Indiana.