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Indiana Forests

Indiana’s almost 5 million acres of forests are important for wildlife and bird habitat, wood products, clean air, clean water, and carbon among many important benefits. We have some of the highest quality and most productive hardwood forests in the nation, with a large diversity of plant and animal species and a strong wood products industry.

map of Indiana showing forest cover

Indiana's Forest Cover

There is an estimated 4.8 million acres of forestland in Indiana, approximately 21% of the land area. Native Americans and then European settlers through the 1800’s cleared the forest for agriculture.

Much of the un-glaciated land cleared for crops was low-quality and was abandoned, converting back to forest over the years. Many of our state parks and forests were created from that abandoned land.

To encourage reforestation of the state, in 1921 the Indiana Classified Forest law was established to provide tax incentives to landowners who own vacant forest land and manage it. Today, that low of 1.5 million acres has grown to almost 5 million acres. Our forests have a volume growth exceeding harvest and tree mortality averaging 2.5 to 3x. (green represents forests on the map)

Indiana's Forest Landowners

The National Woodland Owner Survey of the USDA Forest Service, tracks characteristics and concerns of forest owners across the nation, who they are and what they do. For Indiana data collected in 2018, here are the results for family forests 10 acres and greater.

This data is collected regularly and used by natural resource professionals to better understand what landowners need and what their concerns are so they can try to address them.

(USDA Forest Service. 2021. Family forest (10+ acres) ownership characteristics: Indiana, 2018. Res. Note NRS-273. Madison, WI. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 2 p. https://doi.org/10.2737/NRS-RN-273.)

pie chart showing percent of forest owned by landowner type
decorative image

About Indiana's Family Forest Owners

The National Woodland Owner Survey of the USDA Forest Service, tracks characteristics and concerns of forest owners across the nation, who they are and what they do. For Indiana data collected in 2018, here are the results for family forests 10 acres and greater.

This data is collected regularly and used by natural resource professionals to better understand what landowners need and what their concerns are so they can try to address them.

(USDA Forest Service. 2021. Family forest (10+ acres) ownership characteristics: Indiana, 2018. Res. Note NRS-273. Madison, WI. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 2 p. https://doi.org/10.2737/NRS-RN-273.)

Forest Threats

There are several threats that are of concern, the top ones are:

  1. Fragmentation (splitting large tracts of forest into smaller tracts) and conversion (removing forest for housing, cropland, or development), both reducing forest acreage. 
  2. Non-native invasive plant species cause harm to native ecosystems and are an economic burden. Humans cause invasive spread by planting non-natives in landscape settings and through global trade and transportation. Birds, wind, and wildlife can spread the seeds too.
  3. Diseases and pests have decimated some species in the past (i.e. elms to Dutch elm disease, ash to Emerald Ash borer). Diseases are difficult to manage and can cause major changes in our forests.
  4. White-tailed deer overpopulation affects species diversity and regeneration of new trees due to their browsing preferences. 

See the Indiana Forest Action Plan, which provides an analysis of forest conditions and trends, identifies strategies to ensure healthy trees and forests into the future, and delineates priority forest landscape areas.

overhead view of dense forest in fall
row of hardwood logs on a conveyer at a sawmill

Wood Industry

Indiana has some of the highest quality and most productive hardwood forests in the nation. Indiana is highly ranked in the industry:

  • 1st nationally in the production of wood office furniture and hardwood veneer
  • 2nd in wood kitchen cabinets and countertops, manufactured homes
  • 3rd in engineered wood products
  • 4th in pre-fabricated wood buildings
  • 5th in upholstered household furniture

Indiana’s hardwood industry has an annual economic impact of over $10 billion and supports 70,000 jobs — 44,000 in primary and secondary manufacturing and 26,000 in ancillary sectors. Information from the Indiana State Department of Agriculture website, learn more about Indiana’s hardwood industry.