�Plant a Million� is bringing trees back to central Indiana. The Forestry and Backyard Trees Committees of the Hoosier Heartland Resource Conservation and Development Council, Inc. became concerned about the continued loss of trees in central Indiana and decided to do something about it.

As the group looked around the area they found older urban areas where dying trees were not being replaced. Many new homes in corn and soybean fields were without any trees or with a single tree of an undesirable species planted in the front yard. Another major concern was the loss of wildlife habitat and the fragmentation of forest lands. One committee member brought pictures of where an entire forty acre woods was cleared, except for a ring around the outside, for new houses. Otherwise healthy trees were being mismanaged by poor pruning, improper mulching, and especially by the drastic practice of �topping�.

Knowing that most homeowners thought they were doing the right thing the RC&D group believed that education about trees and tree care was a major need that will ultimately bring about improved tree management. The solution was the �Plant a Million� project. Its first goal is to encourage and help land users in the ten counties included in the Hoosier Heartland RC&D area plant a million or more mostly native trees. Its second goal is to help citizens of the area understand the importance of trees in their daily lives and to teach them how to manage and care for the trees they have or that they plant.

Residents are encouraged to report the trees they plant by sending in a card or form they can print from the www.plantamillion.org  website. In the first three years of the project over 400,000 trees have been planted and reported. Many have reported planting one tree and at least one person reported 30,000 from a reforestation project.