Speaker: Cliff Chapman is President and CEO of the Central Indiana Land Trust. Previously was an ecologist for the Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources as well as The Nature Conservancy.
The Central Indiana Land Trust (CILT) manages twenty-two (22) land preserves in central Indiana. With the acquisition of each preserve, CILT develops a conservation program to enhance and protect each preserves natural features.
Many times one of the preserve objectives is to convert existing farm fields to oak forests. CILT president & CEO Cliff Chapman will review CILT scientific studies aimed at regenerating oak forests at many of the CILT properties as improved habitat for animals, birds, insects, and the preserves bio diversity.
Sponsored by Chris Moore.
Today’s Presentation
Program: Live and Zoom: Oak Forest regeneration studies at CILT preserves in Indiana.
Speaker: Cliff Chapman, President and CEO, Central Indiana Land Trust (CILT). Former ecologist with Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources and The Nature Conservancy.
Introduced By: Chris Moore
Attendance: NESC 78, Zoom: 27
Guest(s): Jim Hermiller, Bernie Pierce, Rich Peine and Dee Ann Peine
Scribe: Terry Ihnat
Editor: Ed Nitka
To see the video of this program click on the link below.
Video for August 26 2024
The talk was by the Central Indiana Land Trust, whose mission is to acquire land for preservation. It is one of 24 such organizations in Indiana, not counting national organizations.
100,000 acres in Indiana are protected. Some areas are purchased, some donated, some are accepted as conservation easements, in which the private owner turns it over to the trust while maintaining ownership. Other areas are improved by assisting the land conservation plan as partners.
These natural areas took millennia to develop and can be destroyed in a day. The targets of the conservation plan are old growth forest, emergent marshes, ground water wetlands, tall grass prairies, glades and barrens, endangered species and unique geological features. These lands are protected, restored, maintained and made accessible to the public.
Billions of passenger pigeons used to swarm through Indiana prior to their extinction and in time they destroyed many oaks in Southern Indiana. In addition, there was fire suppression whereas natural fires had previously been occurring to help with the oak preservation.
The speaker discussed efforts to try and restore oak populations where they historically had been. One area in particular is Northern Brown County. Cleared areas were treated for invasive species and pollinator plants put in. These plants will thrive for 20 years until the oak canopy develops. Oak plantings in micro-openings in the forest had an 84% success rate. These can be helped by girdling some larger trees to make room for oaks to develop. Controlled burns helped to get rid of duff, i.e. old leaves, allowing sedges to thrive including a rare one.
Oak is a popular hardwood for building and bourbon barrel production.
Cliff Chapman
