Figure 36. — Sheep, hogs, cattle, 

 horses — all kinds of livestock — 

 can seriously damage a wood- 

 land. 



times as much forage and an even greater amount of 

 protein than an equal area of woodland pasture. 



These studies indicate that if the woodland owner 

 chooses to grow hardwood timber, li\estock should be 

 kept out. If he prefers to produce forage, he will 

 find it more profitable to convert the area to improved 

 pasture, provided, of course, that the area is suitable 

 for such use. The possibility of erosion must always 

 be considered. Badly eroded areas and slopes too 

 steep to be held in place as an improved pasture 

 should be restored to forest cover and not grazed. 



Insects and Diseases 



Another way to improve the quality of the trees 

 being grown is to protect them from insects and 

 disease. These enemies of the forest not only kill 

 many trees, but the quality of the logs attacked is 

 reduced by rot and insect activity. Just how much 

 damage these enemies cause is not known, but 

 observations at sawmills and other wood utilization 

 plants indicate great loss. 



In Indiana oak wilt is probably the most important 

 tree disease at the present time. Research to find 

 ways of controlling this disease is in progress. Indiana 

 has a small program of work on white pine blister 

 rust. The area devoted to growing white pine is 

 relatively small and almost all of it is in scattered 

 plantations. Phloem necrosis and Dutch elm disease 

 have caused heavy losses of American elm. However, 

 this tree is of minor importance for wood products. 



Insects and diseases often attack weakened trees 

 damaged by fire and grazing. Continued protection 



of the forests from fire and grazing is also good pro- 

 tection from insects and disease. A sound cutting 

 program is another good weapon against insect and 

 disease losses. Harvesting the timber at frequent 

 intervals — every 5 or 10 years — will aid in removing 

 trees before they become severely diseased or defective. 



Other Forest Activities 



On publicly owned forests, development of recrea- 

 tional facilities ranks high in priority. Water storage 

 and M'atershed protection are also important to the 

 many cities in the State. 



Tree planting for forest, windbreak, and other 

 purposes has been important for many years. In 1 953, 

 State nurseries produced more than 10^2 million seed- 

 lings for use in Indiana. In addition one Federal 

 nursery in the State produced 8)^ million seedlings 

 and some of them were planted in Indiana. In this 

 same year the area planted to trees was 8,890 acres, 

 which brought the total to 102,115 acres. Sixty 

 percent of the area planted in 1953 ^\•as privately 

 owned. 



Research can find better ways to safeguard forests 

 from fire, insects, and disease. Research in manage- 

 ment can solve regeneration problems, develop desir- 

 able cutting practices for the multitude of stand 

 conditions and forest types, dexelop \vays of increasing 

 the productivity and quality of our forests, and devise 

 land-use practices that will best serve the interests of 

 timber, \\ater, wildlife, and recreation. Research in 

 harvesting, marketing, and utilization can find easier 

 and cheaper ways to do these jobs. 



28 



Forest Resource Report No. 10, U. S. Department of Agriculture 



