Presidents Message
The past two years have taught us many tough lessons about our personal health, society, economics, politics and even recreation. Trying to maintain “social distancing” and avoid crowded venues, many people flocked to the Great Outdoors. Federal, State and Local public properties, along with NGO’s, Land Trusts, etc experienced significant increases in visitation. This sparked a renewed interest and appreciation for our “Natural Areas”.
Just as we have been focusing on our own personal health to increase our chances of surviving this pandemic, maintaining healthy woodlands takes intentional management! Waiting until another drought, wind event or new invasive pest impacts your woods will likely make it more difficult to meet your objectives.
For thirty years, The Woodland Steward newsletter has reached out to Indiana Woodland owners with educational, science-based articles to help us better understand and manage our forests, prairies, and back yards. In 2020, “The Steward” was mailed out to over 28,000 woodland owners.
As we entered 2021, The Woodland Steward Institute experienced change as Dan Shaver stepped down from the Presidents position. I accepted the Presidents position, knowing that our diverse and experienced board members would support me as we strive to provide information that is timely and relevant to woodland owners in Indiana. My employment with the National Park Service, Indiana DNR and US Fish and Wildlife Service gave me experience in managing woodlands in all corners of Indiana. Much of that time was spent working with private landowners, where I started to understand how important privately-owned property was to our forest and wildlife resources. I have focused that desire to help private landowners through my forestry consulting business. In that regard, I look forward to serving The Woodland Steward Institute!
Please feel free to reach out to me or our Editor – Brian MacGowan if you have concerns, ideas or suggestions for this publication.
Sincerely,
Dan McGuckin, President
The Woodland Steward Institute
**For many years a mainstay of this publication has been the “Stumpage Report” provided by the Indiana Chapter of the Association of Consulting Foresters. The IN-ACF chapter was unable to provide this report for 2020. Our hope is to combine an abbreviated version of 2020 data with the 2021 data next year.
Thank You, Dan Shaver!
Board members of the Woodland Steward Institute, Inc. would like to thank Dan Shaver for his service as president during 2007-20. Dan’s love and passion for Indiana’s forests will be missed on our board. The good news is many of us still get to work with Dan in his new position as NRCS state forester. Congratulations, Dan!