easily reach local and national markets by rail, truck, 

 or water. 



In 1950 the State had 2.5 miles of road for each 

 square mile of land area. At that time only 8,894 

 miles of State roads were unsurfaced. The Ohio 

 River is an important carrier of freight and as a result 

 important industries have developed in counties 

 bordering this waterway. 



Multiple Land Use 



About 85 percent of the land in Indiana is in farms. 

 Some large tracts are managed primarily for mining 

 and other industrial purposes. Other tracts are set 

 aside for urban development or public use. The 

 forested areas — 18 percent of the total land area — 

 are especially well suited to multiple land use (fig. 8), 

 including such uses as timber production, watershed 

 protection, food and shelter for wildlife, and recreation. 



Watershed protection and water storage are high 

 priority uses of forest land. Good forest cover helps 

 to prevent soil erosion, and thereby sedimentation in 

 the reservoirs is reduced. Forests also increase the 

 water-storing capacity of the watershed and regulate 

 the flow of water into streams. It is important that 



as much rainfall as possible infiltrate the soil to main- 

 tain a uniform ground water level and an even flow 

 of usable water in streams. Well-managed forests 

 improve the porosity of the soil so that rainfall enters 

 more readily. 



Thousands of hunters \'isit the forests annually in 

 search of game of many kinds. In 1951 hunters took 

 nearly 4 million game animals and birds in Indiana. 

 The State has a deer herd of about 5,500. Some 

 12,000 hunters killed 1,500 deer during the 3-day 

 season of 1951. 



Forests are ideal places to establish recreation areas. 

 Of the half million acres of publicly owned land in 

 Indiana, about half is forested. This land includes a 

 national forest, 18 State parks, and 13 State forests. 

 So many people visit these public areas annually to 

 hunt, fish, hike, picnic, and visit historic sites that 

 the Indiana Division of Forestry spends about one- 

 third of its manpower and funds on recreational work. 

 Even so, the public-use areas and facilities on State 

 forests are inadequate for the number of people that 

 use them. There is increasing pressure to develop 

 more forest land for recreational use — preferably 

 forests that will also protect community watersheds. 



FrcuRE 8. — Timber, water, and recreation — the needs of many people are being served by this forest area. {Courtesy of Indiana Department oj 



Conservation.) 



Indiana's Forest Resources and Industries 



