Agreement Narrative: Restoring Forest Habitat for Wildlife in the Cumberland Plateau (KY, TN)
Primary Funder: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation- Cumberland Plateau Stewardship Fund
Location: Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee and Kentucky
Innovation: Over the course of two years, our project will improve forest habitat conditions in the Cumberland Plateau region of Tennessee and Kentucky. We will use active forest management techniques to enhance the diversity of trees and structures within these forests, with a specific focus on benefiting wildlife species that are at risk. Our efforts will be concentrated in the northeastern Freshwater and Terrestrial Focal Area identified by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF).
To achieve our goals, we will build upon existing conservation initiatives led by the Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture’s Cumberlands Focal Landscape and Kentucky’s Grouse and Young Forest Strategic Plan. The Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society (RGS), along with our partners, will establish designated areas called “dynamic forest restoration blocks.” These blocks will serve as focal points for our activities, allowing us to carefully create, manage, and monitor forest conditions that are conducive to the growth and well-being of key wildlife species. Through our working forests approach, we will prioritize the enhancement of structural diversity, age variety, and the mix of tree species. This will contribute to the overall health of the forests and create an environment that supports abundant wildlife populations. Additionally, our project will emphasize noncommercial habitat improvements in shortleaf pine and oak forests, targeting specific wildlife species for population growth and conservation
Impact: Our project will develop “dynamic forest restoration block” focal areas at Catoosa Wildlife Management Area and Lone Mountain State Forest in Tennessee and Kentucky Ridge State Forest Wildlife Management Area, implement active forest management to achieve desired conditions on 12,233-acres of public and private lands, perform technical assistance to 62 private landowners in forest blocks and the surrounding landscape and enroll 39 landowners in Farm Bill programs to improve 6,825 acres, and monitor the vegetative and wildlife population response across forest blocks. Our project will improve forest structure and tree composition to benefit healthy forests and abundant wildlife, focusing on a suite of focal wildlife species that required mixed-aged forests. Project outcomes will be tiered to broader landscape-scale conservation initiatives and at-risk wildlife recovery plans, including AMJV’s Cumberlands Focal Landscape, the Shortleaf Pine Restoration Plan, State Forest Action Plans, State Wildlife Action Plans, and the KY Grouse and Young Forest Strategic Plan.
Partners and Chapter Contributions: We will collaborate closely with Tennessee Wildlife Federation, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Tennessee Division of Forestry, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Kentucky Division of Forestry, The Nature Conservancy, Daniel Boone National Forest, Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and Natural Resources Conservation Service on the project.
Local contractors will be utilized for implementing the treatments on the ground.
Deliverables:
- Completed 1,054 acres of prescribed fire implementation on private lands in southeast Kentucky in partnership with Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
- Completed 8,604 acres of prescribed fire implementation on the Daniel Boone National Forest in partnership with The Nature Conservancy.
- Targeted 1,764 private forest landowners in Tennessee and Kentucky via a direct mailer as outreach for technical assistance.
- Provided technical assistance to 6 private forest landowners in Tennessee and Kentucky, including preparing forest management plans.
- Completed 434 acres of active forest management treatments on public lands in Tennessee and Kentucky, including commercial timber harvests and noncommercial habitat improvements.
- Completed 766 timber cruise plots at Lone Mountain State Forest to prepare forests for commercial timber harvests.
