Timothy Thorne, For The Times-Mail
A grassroots movement has started to halt the USDA Forest Service’s Buffalo Springs Restoration Project, which the group argues would have serious consequences to the environment, economy and tourism in the area.
“When people come to visit, they are always amazed how beautiful it is,” said Janet Kennedy, who lives next to the Hoosier National Forest. “That’s what they come to see.”
The Hoosier National Forest has a special place in the hearts of those who live near it. Frankie Stewart, who also lives near the Hoosier National Forest, said when his son was born, he would take him out onto the trails before he could even talk. His wife, Sally Stewart, said when their son was fussy, Frankie would take him into the woods and when they got back, he would be asleep.
“Now they’re trying to take it all away from everybody,” said Frankie Stewart.
Andy Mahler also lives on the doorsteps of the Hoosier National Forest. He said the area is a very special place with abundant rainfall, good soil, an opportunity for recreation, farms and quality of life. If we take care of it, Mahler said, the area has great potential to take care of all of the needs of the community all within Orange County.
If the proposed project goes through, Kennedy feels Orange County will be “a little bit less fabulous.”
Purpose of the project
In the USDA’s scoping letter, it states the project “would improve the sustainability of the oak-hickory ecosystem, regenerate native hardwood communities by removing non-native pines, while also improving overall forest health and wildlife habitat.” The project is part of the 2006 Hoosier National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan), which has the “goal of moving the [Hoosier National] Forest toward its identified future condition.”
Most of the project is in Orange County with a small portion in Crawford County.
The Forest Service said the purpose of the Buffalo Springs Restoration Project is to: “Meet Forest Plan direction to promote tree growth, reduce insect and disease levels and move the landscape toward historic conditions and increase the resiliency and structure of forested areas (stands) by restoring the composition, structure, pattern, and ecological processes necessary to make these ecosystems sustainable.”
The Forest Service’s scoping letter states the project is needed to “provide a mosaic of forest conditions dominated by hardwoods and restore dry hardwood forest ecosystem that have not experience periodic disturbance due to fire or other naturally occurring events.” The maturing oaks and hickories are being replaced by maple and beech. The Forest Service says many wildlife species have evolved and depend on oak and hickory. Due to lack of fire in the area, these trees are being suppressed by a shade-tolerant mid-story. Reintroducing fire would promote regeneration and maintenance of mast producing oak and hickory.
The Forest Service said it also needs to reduce the amount of non-native pine to provide more suitable habitat for a wider array of wildlife. The pines were planted in the 1930s-1980s for erosion control, but their canopy is reducing the sunlight reaching the forest floor and preventing plants growing to provide cover or food for wildlife.
The Forest Service also stated stand density of trees is very high in areas and mortality is occurring. Reducing the density would promote forest health and improve overall health of vegetation in the project area, making the ecosystem more resilient to insects, disease and climate change.
Oak wilt is another concern of the Forest Service and they have found pockets of oak wilt killing red oak. Infected trees would be removed to prevent the spread to nearby healthy oaks.
The scoping letter said there is a need to utilize the Paoli Experimental Forest for research, which is “needed to advance our understanding and ability to predict outcomes from innovative use, new combinations, and novel sequencing of forestry practices to achieve desired future conditions during restoration and management of sustainable forest ecosystems on the Hoosier [National Forest].”
The Forest Service also states there are opportunities to repair poorly maintained roads and eroded areas to reduce sediment deposition into streams and lakes. The roads and trails may also be better located to reduce sedimentation and increase viability of aquatic organisms.
Save Hoosier National Forest
The actions of the Forest Service has been met with opposition on a number of grounds, and has led to the formation of the Facebook group Save Hoosier National Forest.
Steven Stewart, an admin for the site, shared a press release from the group that states they were formed to help people voice their opinions and ask for an extension on the deadline. More than 775 people joined in just a week and a half. The group now has more than 900 members.
One of the complaints of those opposed to the project is how quickly and discreetly the project is being put into action. The Save Hoosier National Forest press release pointed out that the Forest Service did not issue a press release for the public comment deadline. There are concerns that the people most impacted were not made aware of the proposal.
Sally Stewart, Steven’s mother, said she did not even receive her letter until Oct. 20. The deadline to receive comments was Nov. 15. Melinda Skeeto said she never got a letter, even though she lives up the road from Sally Stewart. And the reference to Buffalo Springs is a designation that none of the longtime residents of the area had ever heard of.
Mahler, another admin for Save Hoosier National Forest, said the map they were sent was on a 8.5-inch by 11-inch sheet of paper. The map did not include many of the roads and covered an area of more than 140 square miles. And they only had 30 days to decipher the map and comment. Mahler said you cannot say you’re against the project, but you have to list a specific site and exactly what you’re against.
“How do you tell them what you’re against if they don’t tell you what they’re doing?” asked Mahler.
Now the comment period is closed and Mahler said the Forest Service is not legally required to consider any new comments. Mahler enlisted the assistance of the Orange County Commissioners to try and extend the commenting deadline. The Commissioners sent a letter asking for the comment deadline to be extended and for the management plan to be revised or rejected, but to no success. The Orange County Commissioners sent a new letter of protest to U.S. Congressman Trey Hollingsworth and U.S. Senators Mike Braun and Todd Young to stop the plan.
Sally Stewart had also contacted Hollingsworth and received a response, but was not happy with his response. Sally Stewart said Hollingsworth referenced the amount of board feet in the Hoosier National Forest and believes he only sees dollar signs in the project.
In his response Hollingsworth wrote, “The United States has a long tradition of conserving and preserving lands for future generations. Our Hoosier National Forest consists of over 200,000 acres teeming with wildlife, lakes, and scenic vistas enjoyed by innumerable outdoor lovers each year. Ensuring we are responsible in our conservation efforts and in keeping our air and water clean is vital for the wellbeing of all Americans - both our health and our economic vitality. Given the huge amount of board feet grown in the Forest each year, many scientists agree that proper forest management is vital to both the protect of the forest and enabling its enjoyment by many Americans.”
Hollingsworth also wrote that he would closely monitor the efforts of the Forest Service to ensure it follows applicable laws and regulations pertaining to air and water quality, forest and wildlife safety and other environmental impacts.
Ecological concerns
The scope of the project is also of grave concern to those opposed. Mahler pointed out that the Buffalo Springs area is only 10,000 acres, but they are proposing 5,000 acres of logging and 700 acres of herbicide, which he said will flow into the watershed that feeds Patoka Lake, a source of water for many in the region.
Kennedy said she had talked to the Forest Service about her concerns about contaminants like herbicides getting into the water. Kennedy said their response was that it does not matter if they poison the water if it is little by little. “Gradual destruction doesn’t make it alright,” said Kennedy.
Mahler said he can show you 12 springs that run all year and could be safely drunk. Also, the sweet-tasting limestone water is a key ingredient in making bourbon. While there are no bourbon distilleries in Orange County, tainting the water would eliminate a possible industry.
The USDA has selected approximately 1,223 acres of even-aged management, 2,689 acres of thinning in both pine stands and hardwoods, 957 acres of selection harvest in hardwood stands and 255 acres of stand improvement.
The plan also includes 771 acres of herbicide spot treatment and 12,135-15,100 acres of prescribed fire. Six miles of roads will be constructed for the project and 13 miles reconstructed, with four miles decommissioned.
The USDA said the use of herbicide is for stand improvement activities to promote growth of targeted tree species. Prescribed fire is to create habitat conditions that are conducive to oak and hickory regeneration and reduce fuels created through timber harvest. Burn acreage would be split into smaller units and not all would be burned during any given year. It also depends on adjacent landowner participation.
According to the USDA proposal, “Burning under a suitable prescription would return the vegetation to a vigorous condition that would benefit wildlife and promote oak and hickory regeneration.”
Mahler worries that everything the Forest Service is proposing will dry out the forest and simplify its biodiversity. It will render everything in Orange County much more vulnerable to fire, he said.
Mahler recalled that his dear friend Clifford Bird told him that when he was a boy, every creek ran year-round and had fish you could catch and eat. He said when they logged the area, the water went away and has not come back yet.
Frankie Stewart said he has been here all his life. He remembers when there were springs everywhere and you could drink out of the rivers. Now he is afraid to do so because of all of the herbicides. He said it all goes into the ground and enters the water table.
Mahler said if we are smart enough, patient enough and have enough forbearance to wait 100 years, all of the creeks can run again with fish. But if the Forest Service project goes through, it will destroy the water for another hundred years.
Sally Stewart said Youngs Creek used to be a thriving community with enough water to power the grist mills. People would swim, boat and fish. She said when they logged the forest and planted the hills, the sediment filled the creek and they no longer had the water necessary to run the mill and the community went belly up. She said the Buffalo Springs Restoration Project will damage the land and cut down all the trees leaving the soil bare to wash into the streams. She said those creeks feed into Patoka Lake.
Brian Blankenship said there are wet and dry forests and they have different compositions, but the Forest Service is using a one plan fits all approach across the nation that is not going to work in Orange County. Mahler noted that any project with the word fire is getting an automatic green light because of the fires out west.
“Don’t mess with Mother Nature,” said Skeeto. “That’s my theory.”
Sally Stewart also thinks they are reducing the biodiversity too much. The goal of the project is to restore the oak-hickory ecosystem, but Sally Stewart points out that there are many other native trees in Indiana, such as the beech tree that dies and becomes den trees for animals or is a roost for bats. She said the pines are also used by native wildlife. “I can’t tell you how many turkeys roost in pines,” said Sally Stewart. “You go in and cut it all and burn it all, you’re not going to be able to hunt.”
Sally Stewart said some of the ecological habitat they are trying to create is not even necessary because much of the land around the Hoosier National Forest is already suitable. She said they want to create early successional habitat, which she describes as letting grasses and briars come up. Since the Hoosier National Forest is not one clump and touches a lot of private land that is already fields, farms and homes. Much of the surrounding area has been privately logged and turned into thickets that provide habitat.
Sally Stewart said that recent research has shown that older forests are more important than young forests for trapping carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. She cited a study done by Dr. Beverly Law, a professor of Global Change Biology & Terrestrial Systems Science with Oregon State University.
“It seems highly hypocritical that during the whole COVID thing, they said to follow the science, but now with this logging plan, they’re not following the science,” said 17-year-old Wyatt Blankenship.
Impact on tourism
Linda Lee worries that the plan will also reduce tourism in the area. Lee and Mahler live near a horse camp in the Hoosier National Forest. Lee said there are always people camping there. While the project is underway, parts of the Hoosier National Forest will be closed.
Mary Jo Beckman of Perry County said she enjoys visiting Orange County for horseback riding and is worried about what is going to happen. She said the current thing is already happening at part of the Hoosier National Forest near Birdseye. The property is blocked off as they started the logging process. She said before it was closed, she could see that many of the trees along the path were marked fore removal and that it looked like a “sea of paint marks.”
“We don’t want roads through the woods,” said Beckman. “We’re out there to enjoy nature.” She said they like little bitty trail roads that go through the forest and does not want to see the trails turn into logging roads.
Beckman said she seen the Forest Service do the same thing on Oriole Trail approximately 20 years ago. They put big rocks that horses cannot walk on and nobody wants to hike or bike on. Then she said the Forest Service is surprised when nobody uses the trail anymore.
Beckman said she volunteers with the Forest Service and understands the need for forest management, but disagrees with the way Buffalo Springs Restoration Project is going about it.
“It can be done on a lower scale,” said Beckman.
Skeeto worries that the logging will make the forest accessible to ATVs. She said after a different clearcut project, all she could hear were ATVs.
“Imagine what the forest will look like when four wheelers can access it,” said Skeeto.
Brian Blankenship also said nobody wants to walk through a stump field. Mahler said it can take 100 years to have big trees again after clear cutting a forest.
Protecting history
Sally Stewart is also worried about the historical devastation from the Buffalo Springs Restoration Project. Her son, Steven Stewart, is a big history buff. He has been researching the history of Greenfield and Southeast Township and plans on writing a book about Greenfield Township. For the past three years, Steven Stewart has been walking the woods, including the Hoosier National Forest. Sally Stewart said the buffalo trace is still identifiable and Steven Stewart has been able to find numerous areas where pioneer homes have been.
A week before the scoping letter for the Buffalo Springs Restoration Project was sent, Steven Stewart was able to meet with archaeologists from the Forest Service and show them what he has found. Sally Stewart said her son picked up a piece of glass to show the archaeologists and was told he cannot handle or remove artifacts from the forest.
Sally Stewart cannot understand how her son was chided for picking up a piece of glass, but it is OK for dozers to come in and build logging roads on top of the site. Sally Stewart said her son wanted people to know about the sites so they could be studied and preserved. Sally Stewart said the hills and isolation from roads had protected these historical sites, but fears all of it will be destroyed with the logging proposed.
Mahler feels the process has been political and that is why the Forest Service is racing through the largest project in the history of the Hoosier National Forest. Mahler suggested following back to Washington, D.C., which is who will get to keep the proceeds from selling the timber.
“It’s a sneak attack,” said Mahler. “They’re trying to get it done as soon as possible before the public can get organized.”