Fall 2023 9 likely will not be changing dramatically in the coming years. The situation on many public lands also is not encouraging. Due to the thinner, poorer soils characteristic to the Blue Ridge and areas west, hardwood stands on the ridges and slopes in the National Forest overall are not as productive as stands found on the better soils down in the valleys and especially to the east in the Piedmont region. Additionally, efforts by managers of these lands to conduct stand improvements, manage dead and downed debris, and enhance habitat diversity have declined noticeably in recent decades as societal views on forest management have changed. The amount of timbering conducted on the National Forest for forest management and habitat improvement purposes today is but a fraction of past levels. Although timber harvests and salvage operations on small tracts still occur, forest management objectives to promote earlier stages of growth largely are being met using prescribed fire. In the meantime, large portions of the public forest continue to age and, due to declining habitat diversity, are no longer supporting the wealth of wildlife observed previously. These facts obviously pose a number of concerns about the future health and condition of the forests as well as the sustainability of values tied to different stages of growth in the forest. Our forests clearly are aging, as large-diameter, high-volume (in cubic board feet) trees assume greater dominance. Among the hardwoods, oak-hickory stands currently predominate over all other species in terms of stand coverage, although red maple [Acer rubrum] and yellow poplar [Liriodendron tulipifera] dominate in terms of the number of individual trees (Fig. 2). Wildlife Impacts Older and larger hardwoods frequently produce substantial quantities of hard mast (i.e., acorns and other nuts). This production provides a highly desired food resource for many species of wildlife but also represents the seedbank necessary to perpetuate the future forest. However, the closed canopies created by these large trees often impede the regeneration of younger individuals of the same species. Many of these important commercial hardwoods are shadeintolerant and need substantial sun exposure to properly germinate and grow, especially in their early years. Instead, large sections of hardwood forests now display a sparse understory composed primarily of shadetolerant species of lower quality in terms of future commercial value or marketability and relative habitat condition for wildlife. As Virginia’s forests continue to age and the understory thins out or disappears altogether, less food is available under the closed canopy of a mature forest. Further, as the amount of acreage under active timber management declines and harvesting timber does not appear high on the list of landowners’ objectives, Virginia’s forests seem destined to continue aging, stand composition likely will favor shade-tolerant species, and habitat conditions for many wildlife species dependent on a well- developed understory likely will deteriorate as well. Hunting in Our Changing Forests To browsing species like the whitetailed deer (Odocoileus virginiana), much of what constitutes potential forage in a mature forest with a sparse understory grows out of reach up in the canopy, except when hard mast falls to the forest floor. This changing habitat condition is not a problem only for deer. Approximately 60 percent of Virginia’s native songbird populations nest or forage within the understory—the zone extending from the forest floor to a height of about 20 feet. As the understory changes, so too will the diversity of wildlife species that need that cover type. Further complicating problems associated with the loss of the understory due to forest aging processes, deer themselves inflict additional Figure 2. Current composition of Virginia’s forest cover. (FROM VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY) Virginia’s Forest Types USDA Forest Service, FIA Program Miles 200 150 100 0 25 50 N Forest Type Groups Elm/Ash/Cottonwood Group Loblolly/Shortleaf Pine Group Longleaf/Slash Pine Group Maple/Beech/Birch Group Oak/Gum/Cypress Group Oak/Hickory Group Oak/Pine Group Virginia State Boundary Legend
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