Agreement Narrative: Collaboration to Maintain, Restore, and Enhance Forest Conditions and Wildlife Habitat on the National Forests in Georgia Primary Funder: Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Location: Chattahoochee National Forest, Gainesville, Georgia Innovation: The Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society (RGS & AWS) and Georgia DNR will collaborate on efforts to implement active forest management treatments in the Fightingtown Creek Project on the Conasauga Ranger District of the Chattahoochee National Forest. We will collaborate on issues relating to sustainable forest management, forest health and ecosystem restoration, the role of working forests in climate change adaptation and mitigation, ruffed grouse and American...
Projects
Southern Blue Ridge Prescribed Burn Association (North Carolina)
Agreement Narrative: Southern Blue Ridge Prescribed Burn Association Primary Funder: Coalitions & Collaboratives, Inc. (COCO) Location: Western North Carolina Innovation: Our project will increase prescribed burning and reduce wildfire risk with private landowners in western North Carolina by engaging private landowners and coordinating a prescribed burn association (PBA). Our Southern Blue Ridge PBA will decrease the obstacles for private landowners to implement burns on their forest land by providing training opportunities, education and outreach events, providing shared personnel, materials, supplies, and equipment, and working with partner organizations and contractors to construct firebreaks, prepare prescribed burn plans, and implement prescribed burns on private lands....
Restoring Young Oak Forests in the Nantahala Ranger District of the Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina
Agreement Narrative: Restoring Young Oak Forests in the Nantahala Ranger District of the Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina Primary Funder: American Forests Location: Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina Innovation: Our project will restore young oak forests by implementing a noncommercial habitat improvement treatment on the Nantahala Ranger District of the Nantahala National Forest. The habitat improvement treatment will thin smaller diameter trees in the forest to help establish oak seedlings in the understory. This treatment will be completed in advance of a commercial timber harvest. Once the oak seedlings develop on the forest floor, a commercial timber harvest will release them and create...
Timberdoodle Stewardship Project (Virginia)
Agreement Narrative: Timberdoodle Stewardship Project Primary Funder: USDA Forest Service Location: Clinch Ranger District, George Washington & Jefferson National Forest (GW-Jeff) Innovation: This project is a stewardship agreement between RGS & AWS and the GW-Jeff. The project is designed to improve forest health and create and enhance wildlife habitat, with special emphasis toward ruffed grouse. Active forest management activities include creation of early successional and open forest habitat through commercial timber harvest, manual post-harvest clearing to promote hardwood seedling development, management of wildlife fields, nonnative invasive plant control, and other activities as authorized by the Decision Notice for the Turkey Cove Ruffed Grouse...
Sugar Creek Stewardship SPA (North Carolina)
Agreement Narrative: Sugar Creek Stewardship SPA Primary Funder: Nantahala National Forest (Stewardship) Location: Nantahala Ranger District, Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina Innovation: Repackaging timber sale that previously went no-bid when offered as a conventional timber sale contract. Commercial timber harvests will create young and open forest conditions. Service work items include noncommercial habitat improvements such as thinning to promote hardwood saplings in middle-aged forests, wildlife field maintenance, nonnative invasive plant control, and roadside wildlife fields. The sale includes aerial logging operations, so there will be a need to support advanced timber harvesting systems in the project. Impact: The stewardship project will generate the following...
Dynamic Forest Restoration in Southwest Virginia
Agreement Narrative: Dynamic Forest Restoration in Southwest Virginia Primary Funder: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF)– Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program Location: Southwest Virginia Innovation: RGS & AWS and our partners will implement active forest management that results in a mosaic of mixed-aged forests that support a diversity of songbird and wildlife species on state and private lands in southwest Virginia. We will create a Dynamic Forest Restoration Block (DFRB) focal area to diversify habitat on Channels State Forest, Hidden Valley WMA, and Clinch Mountain WMA, and surrounding private lands. Primary objectives of the project include: 1) perform conservation planning to develop a DFRB,...

