ORANGE CO. – In response to recent tornado damage in the Paoli Experimental Forest in Orange County, Indiana, the Forest Service proposes the Paoli Tornado Response and Research Project.
The proposal includes research, salvage logging, and removing downed trees in Dry Run to prevent flooding.
Timber stands experienced significant damage in the August 7, 2023, EF-1 tornado, and salvage logging operations are proposed within a 138-acre area to include removal of dead and downed trees, as well as removal of standing timber that experienced crown damage, root collar, and/or root system damage, or other types of mechanical damage causing exposure of heartwood.
The Paoli Experimental Forest is an area of the Hoosier National Forest set aside for research and scientific study of the central hardwood forest ecosystem. The proposal includes research in conjunction with the Forest Service’s Northern Research Station that would offer opportunities to understand better how wind disturbances and salvage logging activities alter forest structure, carbon dynamics, regeneration, and vulnerability to invasive plant establishment between different treatment blocks. Research outcomes may also offer the opportunity to build and better understand compositional and structural resilience to future disturbance events. Understanding these interactions would provide valuable information to guide climate resilience management planning. Actions related to these research efforts would include tree planting and the establishment of deer exclosures with fencing.
The final proposal for the Paoli Tornado Response and Research Project is to remove trees that were blown down in the tornado and now pose a serious threat of causing stream blockages in Dry Run. The Orange County Highway Department has asked the Forest Service for approval to remove the trees from Dry Run as the area has a history of flooding County Road 240 South. Stream blockages also impede the movement of aquatic organisms, destabilize streambanks, and erode floodplains.
In addition to the research outcomes, expected benefits of the project include reduction of hazardous fuels, removal of current and future overhead hazards, preparation of the site for natural regrowth of native forest and tree planting, improvement of the aesthetics of the area, capturing the value of damaged timber while creating local jobs, restoration of stream flow and prevention of flooding by removing the source of blockages.
A decision regarding this project is expected in early 2024, with implementation to begin soon thereafter due to the need to remove the flooding hazards and salvage the usable timber expeditiously. More information and a map can be found here.
The public is invited to comment on this proposal, and comments would be most helpful if received by January 12, 2024. Comments may be sent electronically here.
Hard copies may be mailed or delivered to:
Chris Thornton, District Ranger
Tell City Ranger District
Attn: Paoli Tornado Response and Research Project
248 15th Street, Tell City, IN 47586
Include the following information when commenting:
- Title of the project (Paoli Tornado Response and Research Project) in the subject line
- Your name, address, telephone number, and organization represented if applicable
- Specific concerns, facts, and supporting reasons regarding your comments
All comments received are considered part of the public record and will be available for public inspection upon request. For questions or additional information, contact Travis Swaim at 812-547-9237 or justin.swaim@usda.gov.
