Agreement Narrative: Peter’s Branch Stewardship Project
Primary Funder: USDA Forest Service
Location: Daniel Boone National Forest, London, Kentucky
Innovation: This is a stewardship agreement between RGS & AWS and the Daniel Boone National Forest. The purpose of this agreement is to promote forest health and improve wildlife habitat. Commercial timber harvests will create young and open forest conditions across 569 acres. Service work items include noncommercial habitat improvement treatments across 720 acres. RGS & AWS’s Forest Wildlife Specialist in Kentucky will administer the project on-the-ground.
Impact: The project will accomplish the following outputs: 1) 569 acres of commercial timber harvests, 2) 69 acres of post-harvest clearing to promote hardwood seedling development, 3) 302 acres of thinning to promote hardwood saplings in middle-aged stands, 4) 114 acres of low forest thinning to promote oak seedling development, 5) 151 acres of forest thinning to promote shortleaf pine trees, 6) 21 acres of timber marking, 7) 63 acres of nonnative invasive plant control, and 8) 20 acres of shortleaf pine tree planting. In addition, the project will complete road maintenance across the project area to facilitate access for forest operations.
Partners and Chapter Contributions: We will provide a subaward to the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves to complete rate plant propagation from within the project area and collaborate closely with Daniel Boone National Forest staff on implementation. Contracts will be awarded to local and regional logging contractors and service work contractors.
Lightner Sams Foundation is providing $10,000 as nonfederal match towards the agreement. This funding will complete 20 acres of shortleaf pine planning and 14 acres of midstory removal treatments.
A specific logo is not needed to recognize funders or partners.
Deliverables:
- Completed commercial timber harvests across 179 acres to create young and open forest habitats.
- Completed 74 acres of understory thinning to promote oak seedling development in advance of a commercial timber harvest.
- Completed 70 acres of noncommercial thinning and gap creation to favor desired hardwood trees and shortleaf pine.
- Provided 2 days of support for timber marking.
- Completed 24.44 acres of nonnative invasive plant control.
- Conducted post-treatment efficacy monitoring for understory thinning, allowing for adaptive management during upcoming service work.
Shortleaf pine thinning.
Commercial woodland thinning: unthinned on the left, thinned on the right.
Woodland thinning unit, with reclaimed log landing in the foreground.
