Purdue experts available to discuss planned timber harvest for Hoosier National Forest

Logging may soon begin in the Hoosier National Forest, a predominantly hardwood forest located in south central Indiana, in the area of the Lake Monroe Watershed. The watershed is south of the Charles C. Deam Wilderness area.

The proposed timber harvest would take place across roughly 4,000 acres, clear-cutting up to 417 acres. Harvests like this have long been used as a practice to promote the diversity and health of forests across the state.

Several professors within Purdue University’s College of Agriculture are available to discuss forest management practices, hardwood forest ecosystems and the impact harvests can have on wildlife and plant life. All of these professors are team members of the Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment, a century-long, statewide project examining the effects of forest management on hardwood forests. These experts – all in Purdue’s Department of Forestry and Natural Resources - include:

* John Dunning: Dunning specializes in wildlife ecology and ornithology and can discuss how forest management impacts bird populations.

* Michael Saunders: Saunders specializes in hardwood silviculture, the practice of managing growth, composition and health of woodlands.

* Michael Jenkins: A professor of forest ecology, Jenkins can speak on issues of understory vegetation in hardwood forests and the impact timber harvests can have on flora.

* Robert Swihart: Swihart’s focus is on wildlife ecology, and he can discuss how wildlife within hardwood forests are impacted by management practices like timber harvests.

Featured Stories

A landscape view of Pfendler Hall, one of the three buildings that houses faculty and staff from Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources.
FNR Honors Four Individuals for Department Service in 2025

The Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources has honored four individuals for their...

Read More
the Szymanski and Siegmund labs stand together in front of photos and models of leaf epidermis on a screen between them.
Sticking together under stress: NSF grant brings plant biologists and engineers together to discover how tissues stay connected

Daniel Szymanski, professor of Purdue’s Departments of Botany and Plant Pathology and...

Read More
Ag Barometer
Farmer sentiment drifts lower as trade uncertainty hangs over agriculture

Farmer sentiment dipped slightly in December, with the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy...

Read More
Photos from the top 2025 stories for Purdue College of AG
What people clicked, watched and read in 2025

Explore the top content from 2025 for the Purdue College of Agriculture.

Read More
Wildlife alumna Lauren Wetterau kneels next to a red squirrel midden in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem; a red squirrel sits on downed tree
Alumna Lauren Wetterau's Research Featured on Animal Planet Show

2023 wildlife alumna Lauren Wetterau is coming to a television screen or streaming service near...

Read More
Lenny Farlee shows teachers how to use a Biltmore stick at the Natural Resources Teachers Academy.
FNR Extension Set to Offer Four Editions of Forest Management for the Private Woodland Owner Course in Spring 2026

Do you want to learn more about trees, forests and how to better manage your woodlands for a...

Read More