In 1901, the Indiana State Legislature created the Division of Forestry with its mission to restore Indiana’s woodlands. After the early settlement period of the state, large areas were abandoned, leaving behind eroding hillsides stripped clear of trees and small farms that eventually failed. With the heavy use of timber for construction, these vacant farms – and large areas of forest – had been depleted, mostly in the southern Indiana counties. Recognizing these issues, the Indiana State Legislature created the division. Some early laws are still in existence today that help regulate and conserve our forests.

The first state forest was Clark State Forest, established in 1903 on 2,000 acres. It has grown to more than 24,000 acres since its creation. For several years, it served as an experimental forest during the early development of forestry into a science and profession. More than 150 of the trees that were planted in the early 1900s can still be seen in many areas of Clark State Forest.

Many of our state forests were created in the 1930s, with the help of the Federal program, Civilian Conservation Corps. These included the Harrison–Crawford State Forest, the Morgan–Monroe State Forest, the Yellowwood State Forest and the Ferdinand State Forest to name a few. Today, you can visit many of our state forests. In total, there are 435 miles of hiking trails, 536 camping opportunities and 159 lakes.

The Division of Forestry under the Department of Natural Resources now oversees 15 properties around the state, with most in southern Indiana. All together they encompass more than 160,000 acres with an estimated 61.3 million trees. You can learn more about the Division of Forestry on their website.

You can learn more about the early development of our state forests in our digital collection, Open Spaces Historic Places.

This post was written by Christopher Marshall, digital collections coordinator for the Indiana Division at the Indiana State Library.