Forestry Assistance for Woodland Owners in Indiana

By Dan Shaver

In today’s world it seems that everything you need or want can be found online.

Groceries, clothing, sporting equipment, hunting gear, and every other product imaginable. And then there is advice you can find online. If you are a woodland owner, there is an endless supply of online content. Some good and some bad, and some terrible. Even with all these online resources, a walk in the woods with a forester or resource professional is an experience that cannot be replaced. For woodland owners there are more opportunities in Indiana today to connect with a forester or resource professional than at any time in Indiana’s history.

If you own woodland and have not had a forester or natural resource professional out to walk and talk with you here are the resources available in Indiana. Pick the one that sounds best to you and whoever you pick will get you connected with the broader forestry community in Indiana and help you get the information and services that you need to meet you land ownership objectives.

What is a forester? Foresters as discussed here are individuals who have achieved recognition as a ‘Professional Forester’ by successfully completing a 4-year college level curriculum accredited by the Society of American Foresters, and have received a Bachelor’s Degree or higher in Forestry from that accredited institution. These foresters may have additional certifications through the Association of Consulting Foresters, or the Society of American Foresters.

Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry – District Foresters
District Foresters from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources' Division of Forestry are professionally trained to manage forestland. A District Forester can help you start the management of your forested land by visiting your woods and recommending a best course of action to meet your goals. District Forester typically serve landowners with 10 or more acres of woodland and administer both state and federal programs that provide technical assistance, property tax incentives, and cost-sharing incentives for sustainable management. There is no fee for their services, but time spent on any tract of land is limited. You can contact your District Forester at https://www.in.gov/dnr/forestry/private-forestland-management/district-foresters/.

Indiana Association of Consulting Foresters (ACF)
Consulting foresters are independent professionals who serve landowners for a fee by managing their forests and ethically marketing forest products on their behalf.  Members of ACF work directly with woodland owners and Indiana’s wood-using industries to harvest trees in a manner that sustains and strengthens our state’s beautiful forests.

Because ACF members cannot buy timber and must always work in the landowner’s best interest, you can count on unbiased advice and expert opinions.  A consulting forester can offer guidance on adding to, sustaining, and regenerating tree growth to deliver a healthy and sustainable woodland.  Services offered may include selling timber, planting trees, appraisals, and more. The consultant is not an employee of government, but works solely to achieve the contracted woodland management objectives of their client. A consultant forester can also help you add recreational features such as trails to your woodlands, show you ways to enhance habitats that draw and sustain wildlife, and help you protect streams that run through or along your property. You can find a consulting forester in your area by searching Indiana Association of Consulting Foresters, or follow this link https://www.indiana-acf.org/contact-our-members/.

Industrial Forester
An Industrial Forester is a professional forester employed by an industry for procurement of timber, forestland management, improving utilization of materials in manufacturing, or other forest resource related assignments. They may provide management assistance to the woodland owners for a fee or other considerations. The Indiana Directory of Industry Foresters is maintained by the Indiana Forestry and Woodlands Owners Association (IFWOA).

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
With the mission of “Helping People Help the Land,” the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Indiana provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers and non-industrial forest managers (woodland owners) to implement conservation practices to address natural resource concerns on their land related to soil health, water and air quality, and wildlife habitat as well as implement climate-smart agriculture practices. With NRCS Assistance, producers are better able to conserve, maintain or improve their natural resources.

Indiana NRCS has personnel in USDA Service Centers who work with local conservation districts and other partners to serve farmers and landowners throughout the state. You can find your local District Conservationist at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/conservation-by-state/indiana.

NRCS just recently hired 4 NRCS Area Foresters in Indiana to help provide additional forestry assistance to woodland owners. Your local District Conservationist will connect you with an NRCS Area Forester as needed to help you meet your woodland goals.

National Wild Turkey Federation – National Forestry Initiative (NFI) Foresters
NFI foresters are responsible for delivering technical and financial assistance to private landowners across the nation through farm bill conservation programs. These foresters act as a support system and educational resource for private landowners and conduct an array of duties, ranging from helping landowners apply for conservation programs, to hosting “landowner field days,” which are educational events that illustrate how NRCS programs benefit the landscape, the landowner and wildlife. Indiana has two NFI Foresters working in southern Indiana. It is best to reach the NFI Foresters through the link above for the local NRCS District Conservationist. They will put you in contact with the NFI Forester if there is one in your area.

Indiana Forestry and Woodland Owners Association
Indiana Forestry & Woodland Owners Association (IFWOA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to conservation and sustainable management of forests in Indiana. IFWOA advocates for scientific best practices for woodland management to achieve objectives like clean water, wildlife habitat, soil protection, native species diversity, timber production, recreation, carbon sequestration and many others.

IFWOA has members in every county of Indiana both woodland owners and non-owners, city and rural dwellers, family farmers, wildlife conservationists, agriculture and forestry professionals, tree farmers, loggers, scientists, educators — anyone who cares about the health of Indiana forests and woodlands and wants to assure those lands receive the care and support they need. We work for Indiana woodlands! To help you connect with the forestry professional, IFWOA produces the Directory of Professional Foresters for Indiana. The directory can be found at https://www.findindianaforester.org/.

Indiana Invasives Initiative
The Southern Indiana Cooperative Invasives Management (SICIM) and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) entered into a contribution agreement for the purpose of developing local Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas (CISMAs) throughout Indiana. Both SICIM and the NRCS have been working for many years to combat invasive plants and raise public awareness of the devastation being caused by these non-native pests, and both have come to the realization that we will not begin to make much headway until the problem is addressed at the local level by local people using local resources. The Indiana Invasives Initiative project provides FREE one-on-one Technical Assistance to landowners and land managers, including on-site Invasive Plant Property Surveys and Management Plans. Learn more about these services and how to take advantage at https://www.sicim.info/cisma-project/#iiicontacts.

Soil and Water Conservation Districts
SWCDs, or Districts, are local units of government that manage and direct natural resource management programs at the local level. Indiana has 92 Districts – one for each county. They work closely with other forms of local, regional, and state government, private nonprofits, and educational institutions to provide a high level of conservation service to private landowners. They work to promote the wise use, development, and conservation of our state’s soil, water, and related resources in ways that are relevant to their unique localities. You can contact your local SWCD at https://iaswcd.org/contact-your-local-swcd/.

Purdue University
The Department of Forestry and Natural Resources (FNR) at Purdue University offers many educational resources for woodland owners. Their mission is to provide sound, science-based information in order for woodland owners and others to make better resource management decisions. A variety of publications, videos, and recorded webinars are accessible at https://www.purdue.edu/fnr/extension/. Field tours, workshops and other events are also listed on the FNR calendar. 

Woodland owners have a variety of choices to engage with a forester or natural resource professional in Indiana. Contacting any of the organizations above will get a real person out on your land to walk, talk, and listen to your goals and objectives.  It is a wonderful experience and the best way to get started on your woodland management journey or enhance your history of good forest management. Enjoy your woodland.

Dan Shaver is the State Forester or the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Indiana. Information for this article was taken from the website of the organizations featured above.