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MARTELL
FOREST
ACQUIRED IN 1958 AS A RESEARCH SITE AND SPACE FOR
outdoor teaching labs near campus, Martell Forest is named for Eldred “Shorty” Martell, who
served as head of the Department of Forestry
and Conservation (precursor to the Department
of Forestry and Natural Resources) from 1940 to
1957. The heavily hilled property was originally
called Shidler Forest after the family that owned
the land. Throughout its history, the forest has
been central to the education of hundreds of
natural resource professionals as well as a center for diverse research activities. Nearly half of
all field extension events held on department
property occur at Martell.
“At Martell, I can incorporate teaching to
achieve my forest management goals,” Beheler
says. “Collaborating with researchers or offering
extension opportunities—it all plays into goals
for the forest for long-term use.”
One of Beheler’s goals for the property is to
create a mosaic of forest conditions for teaching and research. He won’t see the fruits of that
labor for 50 or 60 years. Because of its location
in the central valley near the Wabash River, Martell’s ecosystem supports certain species in its
understory that might be more challenging to
grow in other parts of the state.
“In the short term, there’s a lot of things we
can do to promote forestry, ecology, wildflowers, bugs, and birds,” he says. “But long term, it’s
going to be an even healthier and more productive forest with more diversity while still keeping
the keystone species we are known for, such as
oak and hickory.”
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P U R DU E A LUM N U S
