Martin State Forest has grown by 51 acres following a land acquisition in Greene County, Gov. Mike Braun and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources announced Thursday.

The property is located along Taylor Ridge Road in southeastern Greene County. It fills a three-sided inholding within the existing state forest, bringing Martin State Forest's total size to 9,735 acres.

According to the DNR, the property includes young forest that has grown on former agricultural land as well as mixed-age hardwood forest. The land will be managed as part of the state forest and opened for public hunting.

The state purchased the property for $270,000. Most of the funding, $243,000, came from the President Benjamin Harrison Conservation Trust, with the remaining $27,000 provided through the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation Tree Fund.

The conservation trust is primarily funded through sales of Indiana's blue environmental license plate. Since 1992, proceeds from the plate have helped the DNR purchase and permanently protect more than 74,000 acres across the state.

Martin State Forest was established in 1932 and encompasses land in in Martin and Greene counties.