14 VIRGINIA FORESTS Today Beginning in the 1980s, recognition of Atlantic white cedar’s diminished status was becoming apparent to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and forestry agencies. Conservation efforts today can be divided into three broad categories: 1. Habitat Restoration. Conserving the site types required for Atlantic white cedar is critical to the species’ long-term success. Projects aimed at rewetting drained swamps and restoring natural hydrology help protect and expand sites suitable for Atlantic white cedar. Tree planting projects have occurred throughout its range. Seedlings are being produced by at least one state forestry agency, the North Carolina Forest Service, and are available for public purchase. (See https://nc-forestry.stores.turbify. net/ for more information.) 2. Conservation Policies. Both state and federal rules and regulations provide for conservation of Atlantic white cedar habitat. Going back to the Clean Water Act of 1972, projects involving the dredging or filling of wetlands on “waters of the United States” required authorization from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. At the state level, laws such as Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act and policies such as the Coastal Zone Management Program work to protect vital Atlantic white cedar sites from conversion and development. Private landowners recognize the importance of this tree’s habitats and engage in reestablishment projects. NGOs protect sites through purchase or conservation easement, and state and federal parks protect additional lands from encroaching development. 3. Research and Monitoring. Programs by NGOs, state, and federal governments not only map and measure existing stands, but they also provide fundamental research into the silviculture of Atlantic white cedar and the biology of the sites it occupies. The U.S. Forest Service, through the Forest Inventory and Analysis program, incorporates data collection on Atlantic white cedar into its reporting. The North Carolina Forest Service has conducted several studies of Atlantic white cedar and has perfected seedling production (albeit in small quantities). NGOs such as the Atlantic White Cedar Initiative and particularly The Nature Conservancy provide sources of information, public outreach, and restoration work throughout the Atlantic white cedar’s range. Tomorrow Two things are required for the return of Atlantic white cedar to tomorrow’s coastal forests: cooperation of those controlling suitable sites, and replanting the tree itself. Conservation of coastal cypress swamps is paramount in furthering the species. Through state and federal regulation, NGO purchase and easements, and private land ownership, thousands of acres favorable to the These Atlantic white cedar saplings were grown by students in local Maryland schools to be planted at The Nature Conservancy’s Nassawango Creek Preserve as part of their annual planting event, which is organized in partnership with the National Aquarium in Baltimore. These saplings were planted in an area of the preserve that TNC has worked to restore from a former loblolly pine plantation. (©MATT KANE/TNC) expansion of Atlantic white cedar are now protected. Tree planting projects have been undertaken in all states lying within the tree’s native range, with hundreds of thousands of seedlings being planted in the past few decades. Today, while the lumber is produced by a few mills (and the demand for the finished product is high) sources of the raw material are limited. Tomorrow, and in the future, we can expect to see increased supply and greater use of this durable, valuable wood as we walk (or row, or swim!) through majestic canopies of newly established Atlantic white cedar forests throughout its natural range. Fred Schatzki is a Consulting Forester with American Forest Management, Inc., and serves on the Virginia Forestry Association’s Magazine Editorial Committee.
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