Owen County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) may be putting the town of Southport, Indiana back on the map through conservation efforts that include replanting acres of bottomland.

“This is great for forest management and forest restoration education,” Owen County SWCD Executive Director Devin Brown said. “There are several different types of plantings to show landowners different techniques if they want to restore their bottomland.

“We want it to be more restoration and recreation,” he said.

The town of Southport was wiped off the map with flooding in 1914; void of residences and businesses, the area became agricultural land for property owners that lived outside the area. But Owen County – with about 22,000 residents – maintains a robust forest products industry.

The SWCD wanted to get back to that in this bottomland area just outside of the town of Spencer and also create a place the public and various groups can visit to see different conservation elements.

Over the past three years the district has planted more than 7,000 trees consisting of swamp white oak and chestnut, butternut, bur oak, shellbark hickory, river birch, black walnut, elderberry and dogwood. Pecan, hazelnut, shagbark hickory and cypress are among others that are now thriving in parts of more than 36 acres of former agricultural lands.

The majority of trees are protected by an electric fence perimeter, but more than 700 trees planted this spring with help from local students and volunteers are growing in tree shelters to shield the saplings from deer browse.

The SWCD is hoping to continue the project for another three years through a second Duke Powerful Communities Nature Grant.

“[The current grant] was for forest restoration, tree planting, establishing pollinator habitat, and managing the forest for success,” Brown said. “We wanted to get the species and flood protection back with all the benefits of a forest. Now, we’d like to continue with a different approach.”

Though the scope of the project has yet to be approved, the district is looking at developing a diverse 12 acres into a public-accessible learning “park” with separate sections showing different forest management techniques and a variety of conservation efforts.

The ecological restoration began in partnership with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources establishing a three-and-a-half-acre site with species such as black walnut, paw paw, elderberry, river birch and shellbark hickory designed to promote wildlife. Funding from the Duke Energy Foundation and the Owen County Community Foundation enabled the planting of diverse bottomland species that showcase management techniques for woodland owners.

Tags: Forestry Notes