McCalla’s Woods

McCalla’s Woods borders the Hoosier National Forest, adding to an important block of forest habitat in southern Indiana. The wooded preserve contains several stands of planted pine trees surrounded by native upland hardwoods. Many pines in one stand were blown down in a storm in 2011, opening up the canopy for native forest regeneration. The preserve is also crossed by seasonal creeks.

The nature preserve was created by gifts from two generations of the McCalla family. The McCallas moved to Paoli in 1958, and soon after purchased rural land that included the future nature preserve parcels. Barbara and Charles McCalla III donated the first parcel of the preserve to Sycamore in 1998, followed by a gift of adjoining land from Charles McCalla IV and his wife Teri Bluel in 2008.