Local environmental groups urge Indianapolis to protect its urban forests

It’s a cold, windy day in Crown Hill Woods, the only old growth forest in Indianapolis’s core. Birds chirp overhead, and the few leaves remaining on trees hold on for dear life with winter quickly approaching.

This forest was almost torn down twice, in 2007 and 2017. Grass and trees would have been turned to concrete. Community backlash halted development both times.

Indianapolis is home to 59 square miles of forest. About 85% of that land is privately owned, and has little or no protection from being destroyed.

Indiana Forest Alliance is a nonprofit dedicated to preserving these forests. This past budget season, IFA members and activists consistently showed up at Indianapolis City-County Council meetings.

Dozens of activists donned matching blue shirts and carried signs asking the city to earmark $6 million in funding for urban forest preservation in the 2025 budget. IFA identified four of the most historic forests in Indianapolis, and said the targeted money would help the city purchase the lands and make them publicly owned.

Evan Robbins, director of communications and policy at IFA, said old growth forests like these are rare.

“Especially in a major city. It’s kinda unique that we have these, and we gotta save them, because if we don’t preserve them, eventually they will be torn down as we expand,” Robbins said.

In October, city leaders passed the $1.6 billion budget for 2025. The $6 million in funding for urban forest preservation was not included.

The largest portions of the budget go to public safety and infrastructure.

The budget includes more than $245 million for the Department of Public Works. The department has told IFA that it would be interested in working to identify endangered forests and purchase them for preservation. That would likely be done through stormwater projects, which make up roughly $28 million in the department’s budget.

Robbins said he’s hopeful they’ll take action.

"I think it just takes a little more will, and it takes the city leaders hearing more from people year after year," Robbins said. "This isn’t an issue that’s just gonna blow over, we’re not going to forget about it next budget cycle."

Currently, the city prioritizes urban forests through its sustainability work on the Thrive Plan. The city launched the plan in 2019 with the goal of making Indianapolis carbon neutral by 2050. Last year they reached 30,000 native tree plantings.

The city partners with environmental nonprofit Keep Indianapolis Beautiful to plant new trees. KIB plants about 3,000 trees per year. They try to focus on parts of the city where green infrastructure has been underinvested in, including historically redlined neighborhoods.

Jeremy Kranowitz, President and CEO of KIB, said spending time in greenspace has enormous health benefits. He acknowledged that newly planted trees take a long time to grow, and said it’s important that the city preserves its existing urban forests as well.

"A new tree, kind of is like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree, right? It has a couple branches, it’s trying to feel its way, but it doesn’t have the height or breadth of a really nice, mature tree. It will take about 25 years for that tree to really fully grow," Kranowitz said.

At a recent event in an east side neighborhood, around 20 volunteers were out at 9 a.m. on a chilly Saturday morning, planting trees.

Bob Henning was one of the volunteers. He said he's been working with KIB for more than 10 years, and that in that time he’s planted thousands of trees.

"I’ve always been interested in trees because my great-grandfather ran a saw mill, and I feel like I have to make up for that a little bit, for my grandchildren," Henning said.

Preserving existing forests is more economical than planting new ones. A 2021 study from IFA found that the annual value to Marion County in benefits added by trees is over $250 million. Those benefits include improved stormwater drainage, air quality, energy saving, and aesthetics.

The city budget did include $1 million in discretionary funding for each of the 25 city-county councilors. That money is reserved for public works, parks or infrastructure projects. IFA said it has been in discussion with some councilors about potentially using money for urban forest preservation.