Hoot Woods

One of the few remaining stands of old-growth forest in Indiana is preserved at Hoot Woods. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources reports that “of Indiana’s original 20 million acres of forest, fewer than 2,000 acres of old-growth forests remain intact.”

The property was owned by the Hoot family from the time they emigrated from Germany in 1860. It was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1973. In 1981, Alice Hoot donated a conservation easement to The Nature Conservancy to permanently protect the woods from being cut. Alice’s heirs donated the property in 2017 for Sycamore to own and care for in perpetuity.

Sycamore does not plan to build trails or open the property to general visitation to protect the woods and because of limited public road access. Management efforts include regular monitoring, working with scientists on research at the woods, and control of invasive plants.