Agreement Narrative: Dynamic Forest Restoration in Western Virginia
Primary Funder: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program
Location: Western Virginia
Innovation: Our project will increase capacity for planning and implementing active forest management projects on state and private lands in western Virginia, with a focus on the NFWF’s Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program’s Southwest Virginia and Blue Ridge focal geographies. RGS & AWS will hire a forest wildlife specialist as a partner position with Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (VDWR) to lead efforts on state lands and to coordinate with private landowners in close proximity to dynamic forest restoration blocks (DFRBs) in western Virginia. Project objectives and anticipated results include: (1) planning support on state-owned wildlife management areas (WMAs), (2) implementation support on state-owned WMAs and private lands, (3) promotion of low-grade wood product markets and facilitated implementation of CAP 106 management plans and supporting American Tree Farm System (ATFS) forest certification and sourcing in western Virginia and West Virginia, and (4) assessing and integrating climate adaptation and mitigation benefits into the DFRB framework.
Impact: Our project will result in the following outputs and outcomes on state lands: 120 acres of midstory treatments to promote natural regeneration of oak seedlings and saplings, 281 acres of crop tree release treatments to promote desired mast-producing trees in 20-30-year-old forest stands, 465 acres of commercial timber harvest to create young and open forest conditions, 100 acres of nonnative invasive plant control, 90 acres of forest management to promote older forest conditions, and 802 acres of prescribed burn implementation. In addition, 100 acres of noncommercial habitat improvements will be completed on private lands.
Partners and Chapter Contributions: We will collaborate with the Virginia Department of Forestry, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture and The Nature Conservancy.
