Agreement Narrative: Forest stand improvements on public lands in the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee and Kentucky
Primary Funder: The Nature Conservancy
Location: Catoosa Wildlife Management Area (TN) and the London Ranger District of the Daniel Boone National Forest (KY)
Innovation: Our project will restore young oak and pine forests and increase forest habitat diversity in older forests on Catoosa Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Tennessee and the London Ranger District of the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky. At Catoosa WMA, noncommercial habitat improvements will promote more structurally diverse old forests (i.e., late successional) as a complement to efforts to increase young and open forest conditions within a wildlife habitat restoration focal area (i.e., Dynamic Forest Restoration Block). By increasing the amount of young, open, and late successional forests at Catoosa WMA, we will have the greatest impact on a broad suite of at-risk wildlife species as part of a win-win strategy, including ruffed grouse and cerulean warbler. We will also implement noncommercial habitat improvements across 200 acres in 20-30-year-old forest stands to promote desired mast producing tree species (e.g., oak) for wildlife and forest health. On the London Ranger District of the Daniel Boone National Forest, we will implement shortleaf pine tree planting across 30 acres as part of our Peter’s Branch Stewardship Project. The shortleaf pine planting will occur in areas that recently received a commercial timber harvest that RGS & AWS’s forester in Kentucky oversaw. RGS & AWS’s foresters in Tennessee and Kentucky will lead the planning and implementation of these habitat improvements in a way that adds capacity to partner agencies.
Impact: Late successional management will be implemented via prescribed burning and chemical treatments to thin the forest and create variably sized canopy gaps across 60 acres. We will also implement noncommercial habitat improvements across 200 acres in 20-30-year-old forest stands to promote desired mast producing tree species (e.g., oak) for wildlife and forest health. Shortleaf pine planting will occur in clusters across 30 acres as part of our Peter’s Branch Stewardship Project with the Daniel Boone National Forest.
Partners and Chapter Contributions: We will collaborate closely with The Nature Conservancy, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, and Daniel Boone National Forest staff on implementation. Funding from The Nature Conservancy will be matched with 15,604.94 of nonfederal match from RGS & AWS, and $559,967.08 in federal funds from our Peter’s Branch Stewardship Project.
Local contractors will be utilized for implementing the treatments on the ground.
