by Zac Chandler | RGS & AWS Forest Wildlife Specialist – All-Lands Tennessee Forester
Ruffed grouse populations in the Southern Appalachians are declining, mainly due to the loss of suitable habitat. As the bulk of Appalachian forests increase in age, this results in a drop in ruffed grouse numbers as they primarily depend upon early successional forests for much of the year.
Ruffed grouse thrive in forests kept young and vigorous through repetitive, active forest management like prescribed fire and timber harvesting. These repeat disturbances create an abundance of woody and herbaceous diversity, maintaining critical food and cover resources necessary for supporting healthy and productive ruffed grouse populations. Where active forest management tactics like fire and timber harvests are frequent, mast-producing species like oaks and hickories thrive and are able to maintain dominance over less desirable species such as poplars, maples and certain types of pines.
To address these problems and promote active forest management on a landscape scale in Tennessee, RGS & AWS and the Cherokee National Forest (CNF) entered into a stewardship agreement, entitled the “Double G Project,” where both parties work together on the CNF to create and improve forest habitat and ecosystems for ruffed grouse and other wildlife species. CNF is the largest public landholding in Tennessee with over 650,000 acres of forest lands that are in dire need of intentional, active forest management. Our stewardship agreement seeks to combat the lack of early successional forest age classes and their accompanying habitats, reduce open understories used as ground forage for wildlife and decrease regeneration of mast-producing species.
This agreement exchanges CNF timber for early successional habitat creation and improvement, road maintenance and timber sale preparation and administration performed by RGS & AWS, which will provide added capacity to increase the amount of active forest management objectives accomplished on the CNF as part of their forest plan. More capacity to deliver on-the-ground forest and land improvements means more forest management projects completed faster, leading to more acres of forest lands improved and, ultimately, more vital habitat created for at-risk wildlife.
Our stewardship agreement allows us to sell CNF timber to a contractor to harvest the timber and contract out any service work objectives like forest stand improvement treatments not involving harvesting timber also on CNF lands. The revenue generated from selling the timber can be used for offsetting the costs of the sale and for completing the additional agreed upon service work with forest product revenues remaining within the project area for continued improvement. During these operations, we administer and inspect the timber harvest units being completed to ensure operational and environmental standards are met. Each step of this process is managed by our forestry staff, providing added capacity to the CNF by allowing their personnel to allocate more time and resources to other active forest management goals.
The Double G timber sale on the Tellico Ranger District of the South Zone CNF in Monroe County, Tennessee, is our first stewardship timber sale and subsequent success story in relation to our agreement with CNF. This sale sought to increase forest structural diversity for the benefit of native plant communities and the conservation of at-risk wildlife. In just two years, the Double G timber sale met its four main goals:
- Commercial timber harvests (135 acres) were completed across seven cutting units to create young forest stand conditions, increase mast production and enhance the development of native vegetation. Eastern white pine and specific mature hardwoods were removed to establish more open forests with select, high-quality oaks retained to serve as the seed source for regenerating these stands and as critical hard mast for wildlife consumption.
- Post-harvest site preparation treatments were completed across six of the seven cutting units, totaling 123 acres. Cutting the smaller stems interlaced between the retained overstory oaks further opens forest understories to encourage native grass and shrub establishment, and promotes regeneration post-harvest. It also creates nesting and cover habitat necessary for ruffed grouse and other ground-dwelling species.
- Wildlife opening expansion (3 acres) completed across three existing CNF wildlife openings, helping them dry out quicker, control erosion and promote the growth of desirable forbs growing or planted along openings. Where forested land meets grassland encourages great species and structural biodiversity by supporting numerous soft and hard mast-producing herbaceous and woody vegetations. Maintenance of these openings is necessary to ensure they remain open for establishment of native grass and forbs used by invertebrates, pollinators, game and non-game species.
- Road maintenance was completed on all forest service access roads used to reach each harvest unit. Roads were reconstructed at two landslides along forest service road #40832 (Maple Camp Lead Rd.). This maintains and improves these roads, which are used daily by local residents and CNF staff once the harvests are complete. This work also provides critical access to future project areas throughout the forest by repairing and reinstating roads otherwise unsafe for vehicle use.
The Double G timber sale was sold by us to Frerichs Sawmill & Log Homes of Tellico Plains, Tennessee, a local, family-owned and operated logging operation with a long-standing reputation for exceptional forestry work in southeast Tennessee. The Frerichs harvested the timber on the seven cutting units, completed the opening expansion work on the three wildlife openings, and maintained and improved the forest service roads they used during operations. The two landslide reconstructions along forest service road #40832 was completed by Valley Resource Construction of Kodak, Tennessee.
The projects already accomplished, currently in progress and pending on National Forest lands in Tennessee wouldn’t be possible without the exceptional CNF team. Their fantastic ability to collaborate on monumental forest management initiatives helps us move forward to benefit our fleeting populations of at-risk ruffed grouse and other forest wildlife species.
Together, we’re actively engaged in other habitat improvement projects across the North and South Zones, including both commercial timber harvests and noncommercial forest stand improvement management actions. We’re currently working with CNF on assessing and identifying more than 50,000 acres for active forest management, implementing stand exams and intricate landscape analysis on 2,000 acres and assisting with the layout and completion of 700 acres of forest stand improvement treatments. The successful Double G timber sale and partnership laid the foundation for the continued benefit of forests and wildlife in East Tennessee.
Our work in Tennessee extends beyond the boundaries of CNF. In my role at RGS & AWS, I tackle active forest management on critical state lands and targeted private lands in addition to National Forest lands. Cross-boundary forest management is the necessary approach that we’re taking to promote healthy forests and abundant wildlife through instilling a conservation ethic in all types of landowners.
Through partnerships with the U.S. Forest Service, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Tennessee Department of Forestry, Natural Resources Conservation Service, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Tennessee Wildlife Federation, The Nature Conservancy and many other key organizations, we’re able to enact forest habitat conservation, restoration and management across East Tennessee in a landscape-scale approach to benefit the Southern Appalachians and the wildlife that call these woods home.
Zac Chandler is the Tennessee all-lands forest wildlife specialist for RGS & AWS. A Texas native, Chandler earned his bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology from Texas Tech University and continued his education at Mississippi State University. Chandler’s professional interests include active ecological conservation and management for game and non-game wildlife species and the use of prescribed fire for various land management goals.
