Got Nature? Blog

The Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment (HEE) just updated their newsletter for the 2025 spring/summer season. The HEE is a long-term research initiative dedicated to understanding the ecological and social impacts of forest management in Indiana’s Central Hardwood Region. Launched in 2006, the HEE is one of the most ambitious forest ecology studies in the United States, designed to span 100 years across over 9,000 acres of state forest land. The HEE studies the effectiveness of different forest management methods in promoting successful oak and hickory regeneration and the effects of these management practices on plant and animal species. With nine partnering universities and agencies conducting research on the ecological and social impacts of long-term forest management, HEE has been an integral part of completed research for over 30 plus M.S. and Ph.D. level graduate students. The project has also employed more than 250 undergraduate and post-graduate students to conduct summer field work.

Highlights from the new Newsletter include:

• 2025 Field Season Round-Up
  By Kat Shay
  “The crew has been hard at work this field season—they finished all the Yellowwood State Forest plots and are in the last unit of Morgan Monroe State Forest now…”
• Breeding Bird Surveys
  By Rae Garrett
  “Breeding bird surveys were completed this field season, despite the weather doing its best to thwart our plans!…”
• Nightjars/ARUs
  By Haley Holiman (SIU)
  “Southern Illinois University’s nightjars crew deployed ARUs all across the HEE and conducted point count surveys…”
• Bats
  By Dr. Joy O’Keefe and Team
  “The bat crew monitored roost trees, conducted mist-netting, and performed radio-telemetry surveys…”
• Digital Forestry
  By Purdue University Digital Forestry
  “During leaf-off this winter we began backpack and UAV LiDAR mapping the inaugural HEE Unit 3 for our long-term project…”
• Botany News
  By Megan Crecelius
  “Southern Illinois University’s nightjars crew deployed ARUs all across the HEE and conducted point count surveys…”
• Out and About: HEE Outreach
  By Kat Shay and Rae Garrett
  “From radio interviews to presentations on fire ecology, the HEE team has been actively sharing research and connecting with partners across the state…”
• HEE Proposal Request
  By Mike Saunders
  “Proposal requests for the 2026–2028 HEE budget will be sent out in the next few weeks… “

To view the full newsletter visit: HEE Newsletter.

Resources:
Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment – Wildlife Responses to Timber Harvesting, The Education Store, Purdue Extension’s resource center
The Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment: Indiana Forestry and Wildlife, The Education Store
Breeding Birds and Forest Management: the Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment and the Central Hardwoods Region, The Education Store
The Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment: 2006-2016, The Education Store
Shrubs and Woody Vines of Indiana and the Midwest, The Education Store
Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment Playlist, Subscribe to Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources (FNR) YouTube Channel
Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment – Prescribed Fire, Purdue Extension – FNR YouTube
A Woodland Management Moment, Playlist, Purdue Extension – FNR YouTube Channel
Investing in Indiana Woodlands, The Education Store
Forest Improvement Handbook, The Education Store
Finding help from a professional forester, Indiana Forestry & Woodland Owners Association