Forests of Indiana: A 1998 Overview

Indiana's forests are among the most diverse and productive in the country. Almost 200 years ago, forests covered 85 percent of the state. By 1860, most forestland disappeared to make room for farms, industry, infrastructure, and the growing number of Hoosiers. Indiana has added more than 400,000 forested acres since 1967. Forests now comprise 4.5 million acres (almost 20 percent) of the state. The information in this publication was collected during the 1998 inventory of Indiana's forest resources by the USDA Forest Service's Forest Inventory and Analysis(FIA) research unit. FIAs are part of a nationwide effort to determine the owners, age, amount and condition of the nation's forests. Many congressional mandates, including the Renewable Resources Research Act of 1978, require periodic FIA inventories. This was the fourth time Indiana's forests have undergone an analysis of this magnitude. Previous forest inventories were conducted in 1950, 1967, and 1986. How we care for, manage, and sustain our forests will determine the future of this important resource. Take a few minutes and become acquainted with the highlights of Indiana's forestland. NA-TP-03-00