Agreement Narrative: Restoring Young Oak Forests in the Nantahala Ranger District of the
Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina
Primary Funder: American Forests
Location: Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina
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 to help establish oak seedlings in the understory. This 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 lands.
Impact: We will collect pre-treatment forest data and develop recommendations to the US 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 140 acres of National Forest System lands to promote oak seedlings in advance of a commercial timber harvest.
Partners and Chapter Contributions: We will collaborate closely with Nantahala National Forest staff and American Forests on implementation. We will Leverage $84,212.64 in federal funds through a challenge cost-share supplemental project agreement with National Forests in North Carolina.
Local contractors will be utilized for implementing the treatments on the ground.
A specific logo is not needed to recognize funders or partners.
Deliverables:
Drafted the agreement with Nantahala National Forest staff that will be the mechanism to implement treatments on-the-ground with AF funds. We’re still waiting for the NEPA decision to be signed before moving forward.
