Officials with the Hoosier National Forest will hold an open house from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 5 at Brownstown Central High Community School’s Corporation’s office at 608 W. Commerce St. to discuss a forest management project proposal in northwestern Jackson County.
This area, known as the Houston South Vegetation Management and Restoration Project, involves treating vegetation and conducting related management activities to improve forest health and increase sustainability of oak-hickory ecosystems, while also improving wildlife habitat.
This event will allow the public to engage with Hoosier National Forest subject matter experts who have been conducting the NEPA assessment. People are invited to stop by to visit individual stations devoted to different specific aspects of the project.
The project would move the forest toward its desired future condition as identified in the 2006 Hoosier National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan. The majority of the project area is in the northwest corner of Jackson County on the Brownstown Ranger District. Maps and project details can be viewed online at fs.usda.gov/project/?project=55119.
During the planning and analysis process, there may also be a need to repair poorly maintained roads, trails, eroded areas and replace undersized and obsolete infrastructure that prohibits upstream movement of aquatic species.
If approved, implementation of the project would occur over the span of approximately 10 years or longer. A second open house is set for 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 7 at the Monroe County Public Library, 303 E. Kirkwood Ave., Bloomington.
