Forest Resource Trail

White Oak Nature Preserve Trail

The Resource Trail is an easy 1 mile loop hiking trail featuring 14 stops on a self-guided interpretive trail. The trailhead can be accessed from the Oak Lake Shelter.
Clark State Forest, established in 1903, is the oldest State Forest in Indiana. The original appropriations included funds for the purchase of a 2,000 acre tract that was known at the time as the State Forest Reservation. The land from the ball field to the fire tower, including the forests surrounding this Resource Trail, was part of this purchase. Clark State Forest was used as an experimental forest for many years, early in the development of forestry into a science and profession. More than 150 experimental tree plantations were established from 1905 through 1935. Many can still be observed in areas throughout the forest including several along the Resource Trail.

Directions

From I-65: Take Exit 19 off I-65, travel east into the town of Henryville, turn north (left) onto US 31 continue for about 1 mile, turn west (left) into the main entrance, immediately turn left circling around the ball field, park at the second shelter (Oak Lake Shelter), and the trailhead will be behind you.
Walking from Family Campground: Exit the Family Campground through the main entrance, cross the road and take the Ball Field Trail toward the ball field. After you emerge from the woods, head toward the Oak Lake Shelter, and the trailhead will be on your right.

What You’ll See on Your Hike

1. Water Quality - Indiana’s State Forests provide a variety of benefits besides recreation and trees. They also help improve water quality. Forest canopies intercept rainfall and reduce the force with which water impacts the forest floor. Once rain reaches the forest floor, it is quickly absorbed by the layers of organic matter and through the many root channels and insect and animal tunnels. This greatly reduces or eliminates erosion or sedimentation. The forest soils act as a sponge and filter, slowly releasing clean water back into the surface waters into creeks and streams like the one you see here.
2. Forest Health - Indiana’s State Forests have complex structure and high plant diversity, allowing them to provide better habitat, timber, and other benefits. They have distinct layers of vegetation extending upward from the leaf litter to grasses and ground cover, shrubs, saplings, vines, the midstory (medium) trees, and finally overstory (tall) trees. Do you see these layers around you? What kind of benefits do you think each of these layers provides to wildlife, for air and water quality?
3. Dead Trees - As you hike, look for dying, dead, or fallen trees. Trees die for a variety of reasons. Insect damage, disease or fungus damage, lightning strikes, severe wind damage, drought, or even reaching the end of their natural lifespan can cause a tree to die. Standing dead trees, called snags, are a great place for bats to roost (sleep) and for woodpeckers to find insects to eat. Fallen dead trees provide excellent hiding spaces and homes for local salamanders. Please do not disturb these critters’ homes by moving fallen limbs or logs.
4. Multiple-Use - Clark State Forest is managed under the policy of multiple-use in order to obtain benefits from recreation, timber production, and watershed protection. Here the Resource Trail intersects an access lane that allows staff to maintain the trail for recreation and to survey the area for forest management needs.
5. Wildlife - As you hike the trail, look and listen for signs of animal life, such as tracks, dens, nests, calls or songs, shed snake skins, feathers, or hair caught in the bark of trees. Please leave your finds where they are so others can enjoy them, too. Eastern box turtles, gray squirrels, and Eastern chipmunks are among the wildlife species known to regularly use the oak forest around you as their home and dinner table. Chipmunks eat a variety of foods including grains, insects, berries, seeds, mushrooms, and nuts. Chipmunks cache (store) food throughout the warm summer months and rely on these stores through the cold winter months while they are hibernating (a long period of sleep).
6. Wildlife Pond - Creeks and streams hold water during most of the year, but during dry periods they may dry up. The wildlife pond in front of you was created to give wildlife a place to drink year-round. Do you see any animal tracks on the banks of the pond? It also provides habitat for amphibians such as frogs and salamanders. Do you see any frogs on the banks of the pond? What kind are they?
7. White Pine Plantation - These trees, planted in the early 1900s, show how natural competition for sunlight, water, and soil nutrients affect individual trees’ growth. Even though they were planted at the same time, the white pine on your left is smaller than the white pine on your right. This demonstrates how size and age are not always correlated with trees.
8. A Bit of History - In the woods here, you’ll notice chunks of concrete. These are the remnants of pits that were used to store sphagnum moss when the first state tree nursery was in operation here. The moss was used to pack around the roots of tree seedlings to keep them moist until they were planted elsewhere. Indiana’s first state tree nursery was established here in 1925.
9. Invasive Species - Invasive species are plants, animals, or diseases that are not native to an area and have caused or are likely to cause environmental, human health, or financial harm. Here we see several invasive species of shrub including bush honeysuckle, multiflora rose, and autumn olive. Autumn olive is native to Asia and was introduced to North America in 1830. Now we use a variety of methods, including the application of herbicides, to control invasive species. Wondering what you can do to help? You can report invasive species through EDDMaps. This allows species types and distribution to be mapped and studied so effective management strategies can be developed.
10. Plantations - Here you are surrounded by tree plantations. There is a black walnut plantation in front of you, a mature yellow poplar plantation to your far left, and a pine plantation behind you. Thinking you need some trees of your own? The DNR sells tree seedlings from Vallonia State Nursery. Among many other options, at the website below, you can purchase a variety pack of 50 tree seedlings that are ~1ft tall for less than $50. Learn more.
11. Nursery Equipment - This equipment was used at the state tree nursery in the mid-1900s. The discs, cultivator, and cultipacker were used to prepare the ground and to plant trees.
12. Tree Identification
    1. Black oak (BO) On your left is a black oak. They have dark brown, furrowed bark and their leaves have three large, deeply cut lobes and two smaller lobes. The acorn cup covers about half of the acorn.
    2. Northern red oak (NO) In the center in the back is the Northern red oak. These trees have light, shiny streaks of bark on their upper trunks and simple, alternate leaves with pointed lobes that are not deeply cut. The acorn cup covers no more than a quarter of the acorn.
    3. White oak (WO) On your right there is a white oak. This is the most common overstory tree species along the Resource Trail. White oaks have gray bark divided by vertical furrows, and their leaves are deeply cut into lobes, without points on the ends.
13. Tree Identification
    1. American beech (AB) On your left, in the back, is an American beech. It has smooth, gray bark and its leaves are toothed, waxy, and attached alternately along the stem. Beech tends to retain its leaves, which turn a light tan color through the cold winter months and make them easy to recognize.
    2. Yellow poplar (YP) On your right is our state tree, the yellow poplar, sometimes called the tulip tree or tulip poplar. They have distinct four-lobed leaves with a rounded base and gray-brown bark with closely interlacing furrows.
    3. Red maple (RM) Across the trail on your right is a red maple. This tree has opposite branching and simple leaves cut into lobes with teeth along the entire margin.
14. Your Forests at Home - Do you have questions about your own forest or trees? Contact your local District Forester (DNR staff members), who can answer your questions!