Explainer: What’s behind a Hoosier National Forest management project controversy
By Olivia O’Neal, TheStatehouseFile.com Feb 18, 2025
On Feb. 6, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun wrote to the United States Forest Service (USFS) asking for the immediate withdrawal of a forest management project that would log 5,000 acres and burn over 15,500 acres of the Hoosier National Forest—204,000 acres of woodland located in south central Indiana.
It is known as the Buffalo Springs Restoration Project, and it would directly impact Tucker Lake, Springs Valley, Youngs Creek and Lick Creek Trails, affecting the habitats of Indiana wildlife and a popular recreation site. The project is set to begin this month.
Braun is selling property close to the project area for $1,675,000 and has a listed asset of over $250,000 worth of “timber ground” in the French Lick area.
“As an avid outdoorsman, I know these areas firsthand. The project area is treasured by Hoosiers and recreationists alike,” Braun said in the letter to Washington, asking instead for the USFS to focus on completing the “long overdue” Hoosier National Forest Management Plan.
He also expressed concerns about the project contaminating drinking water for over 100,000 residents as a result of residues draining into Patoka Lake.
A USFS newsletter explains the reasoning behind the project: concerns about disease and wildfires from dry plant matter and trees in the area and carbon emissions from decaying wood. USFS explained that the logging and burning is a method of introducing new growth to the forest.
“Our forests are not pristine, nor are they static,” said Chris Thornton, a district ranger who wrote a column in The Bloomington-Herald Times on the matter. He noted benefits of the project like hardwood restoration, ecosystem management and improving trails.
The Buffalo Springs Restoration Project exemplifies the complex and controversial topic of forest management, which aims to answer the question: Should humans intervene?
“In addition to being highly fragmented, the loss of most past human and natural disturbances has led to overly dense and shaded forests, which lack diversity in age and structure—very different than the historical conditions,” said Mike Chaveas, forest supervisor for Shawnee and Hoosier National Forests, in a three-part series on the project.
Chaveas pointed out the measures that will be taken to keep Hoosiers’ drinking water clean, such as silt fencing (which keeps sediment out of waterways) and water bars. He also mentioned that decreasing forest density allows for healthier vegetation, which can positively impact the health of water systems by limiting runoff and erosion.
He said timber harvest in the area will be gradual at the current rate of 0.13% a year, and fire is a natural part of many forest ecosystems, like that of the Oak-Hickory ecosystem, which has been exposed to such conditions from indigenous communities. These management practices remove the older, weaker trees and provide space for younger, more resilient ones.
Braun and many other Hoosiers are still in opposition. The governor’s letter cited legislation from Orange and Crawford counties and the town of Paoli that are averse to the project. The Indiana Forest Alliance has a full page dedicated to its concerns.
Braun’s letter said Hoosiers had made requests for modifications and alternatives to the plan during the Biden administration. These alternatives would take into account the historical and archaeological significance of the area where buffalo once migrated and Indiana’s first frontier road was established.
“Since assuming office, the Trump Administration has demonstrated a seriousness about re-evaluating decisions of its predecessors in order to achieve optimal results for the American people,” a press release from the governor’s office said.
It’s unclear what these “optimal results” could mean for the Hoosier National Forest.
Olivia O’Neal is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
