Agreement Narrative: Promoting Young Oak Forests Through Noncommercial Habitat Improvements in the Southern Appalachians
Primary Funder: American Forests
Location: Daniel Boone National Forest (KY), George Washington & Jefferson National Forests (VA), Chattahoochee National Forest (GA) and Cherokee National Forest (TN).
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’s midstory to promote a high density of oak seedlings and saplings. The 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 young forest conditions. The project is innovative in that it leverages private investment from American Forests to implement habitat restoration efforts on National Forest System lands. This project will build a queue of forest stands with high quality oak regeneration ready for even-aged regeneration treatments via commercial timber harvests.
Impact: We will collect pre-treatment forest data and develop recommendations to the U.S. Forest Service on how to implement the treatment. We will layout the treatment on-the-ground and complete all the contracting. We will implement the noncommercial habitat improvement as a chemical application across 1,746-acres of National Forest System lands with a combination of Forest Service and American Forests funds to promote oak seedlings in advance of a commercial timber harvest.
Partners and Chapter Contributions: We will collaborate closely with National Forest unit staff and American Forests on implementation. We will utilize $328,948 in American Forests funds and leverage $477,310 in federal funds through challenge cost-share supplemental project agreements with four National Forests. Local contractors will be utilized for implementing the treatments on the ground.
