Newsletter Fall 2025
Volume 18 Issue 1
From the Director’s Desk – Fall 2025
As autumn colors begin returning to Indiana’s forests, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the collaborations, research, and engagement activities that continue to advance the mission of the Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center (HTIRC). From expanded...
Modeling Tree Neighborhood Interactions and Their Effects on Hardwood Growth and Regeneration
Understanding how individual trees interact with their neighbors is essential for developing management prescriptions that support the regeneration and growth of hardwood species. A newly-funded HTIRC research project led by Drs. Insu Jo and Mike Jenkins seeks to...
Meet the P.I. – Dr. Insu Jo
Dr. Insu Jo grew up on Jeju Island, the largest island in South Korea. His parents were farmers, operating a mandarin orange orchard. Insu played around the farm and had a “quite close connection to nature,” which eventually led him to study plant ecology at Seoul...
Understanding the Role of Carbohydrate Dynamics on White Oak Regeneration
White oaks are a keystone species in the Central Hardwood Forest Region, for many reasons from aesthetics to cultural, ecological and economic value. White oak is used in a variety of commercial forest products from whiskey barrels to flooring, cabinetry and furniture...
Meet the P.I. – Dr. Morgan Furze
Dr. Morgan Furze, assistant professor of botany and plant pathology and forestry and natural resources, considers herself an eco-physiologist. Her work considers how plants function in response to their environment. Although Morgan’s favorite activity as a child was...
Planting Conservation Seedlings – Steps to Success
Success with tree plantings for conservation purposes like wildlife habitat, re-establishing forest areas, controlling erosion, creating windbreaks or riparian buffers, or future timber products involves prior planning and preparation before the first tree is planted....
HTIRC Co-Hosts Regional Forest Health Conference
The HTIRC, along with Purdue’s Institute for Digital Forestry and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, hosted the North Central Forest Pest Workshop September 29 - October 2 with the theme of “Application of Digital Technology for Forest Health.” The event...
Indiana Woodland Owners to Tour Purdue’s Nelson-Stokes-Lewman Property
On October 31, Purdue Forestry & Natural Resources forestry staff will be hosting the Indiana Woodland Owner Conference at the department’s Nelson-Stokes-Lewman Woodland property in Putnam County. This morning tour will visit the 162-acre property used for...
HTIRC Mid-Season Breeding Update
by Caleb Kell, HTIRC Operational Tree Breeder 2025 Harvest Outlook An unusually wet and rainy June and July have transitioned into an extend period of cool, dry weather which has stimulated many nut trees to begin dropping seeds two weeks earlier than usual. Combined...
Walnut Council Hosted 2025 Annual Meeting in Rockford, Illinois
The 2025 Walnut Council annual meeting took place this past July in Rockford, Illinois., drawing over 100 attendees from around the country. This event featured a diverse program that focused on the management of fine hardwoods. A highlight of the meeting was a trip...