Restoration program benefits state hardwoods
Comet staff report

Indiana's hardwood products economy has received a $200,165 boost in the form of grants from the Indiana Woodland Restoration Program to improve or restore 5,764 acres of forest.

Carroll, Cass, Tippecanoe and White counties were among 51 to receive project funds.

Since the program's inception in 2006, more than $602,034 has been invested to improve Indiana's privatelyowned forests.

The purpose of the project is to promote the state's hardwood economy by helping private landowners plant new forests and improve the health of those already standing.

The hardwood products industry is Indiana's single largest agricultural sector, at $9 billion per year, based on the United States Forestry Service's publication "Forests of Indiana: Their Economic Importance."

A total of 85 percent of the state's forestland, or 3.8 million acres, is privately owned. Landowners submitted 259 proposals to the DNR Division of Forestry for the grants. The 121 top priority projects were selected for funding.

The DNR Division of Forestry has 20 district foresters serving local needs. Visit www.in.gov/dnr/forestry/ then link to private landowner assistance to find a local forester. Call Zachary Smith at (317) 232-4117 for more information.