WVFA Mountain State Forestry Winter 2020-21

F E A T U R E D N E W S 14 West Virginia Forestry Association Mountain State Forestry | Winter 2020-2021 www.wvfa.org The 41,026-acre project area is centered around Slatyfork, but includes lands in Pocahontas, Randolph, and Webster counties. Proposed activities would only occur on National Forest System lands (33,328 acres) within the project area. The project includes a proposed project-specific Forest Plan amendment related to the West Virginia Northern Flying Squirrel, which as of 2013 is no longer listed as a threatened, endangered, or protected species, and therefore consultation with the USFWS is no longer required. A draft environmental assessment could be available for public review as early as February 2021. Learn more about the project and track its progress: www.fs.usda.gov/ project/?project=57646 Docks Forest Restoration Project The Decision Memo for the Docks Forest Restoration Project was signed in late October and the first steps toward implementation will begin this winter. The 1,520-acre project area is south of Minnehaha Springs in Greenbrier County along State Route 23, bordered by Forest Road 343. This project is the first in Monongahela National Forest to be authorized through the Healthy Forests Restoration Act and includes a variety of activities to address insect and disease infestations that have resulted in declining forest health across the project area. Activities will include commercial timber harvest, applying prescribed fire, planting native trees and shrubs, building vernal pools, creating wildlife openings/savannas, riparian restoration, trail improvements, and timber stand improvements. The project includes the district’s first timber sale in more than 20 years. Read the full decision memo: www.fs.usda.gov/nfs/11558/www/ nepa/109326_FSPLT3_5344234.pdf µ Upper Elk Project Proposed Actions Vegetation and Engineering Actions This product is for informational purposes and may not have been prepared for, or be suitable for legal, engineering, or surveying purposes. Users of this information should review or consult the primary data and information sources to ascertain the usability of the information. 0 0.75 1.5 2.25 3 0.375 Miles UTM, Zone 17 NAD 83 10/26/2020 TSV Upper Elk Project Boundary Monongahela NF West Virginia MAP 2 Management Prescription (MP) MP 3.0 - Vegetation Diversity MP 4.1 - Spruce and Spruce-Hardwood Restoration MP 6.2 - Backcountry Recreation Upper Elk Project Boundary Engineering Proposed Permanent Roads Proposed Temporary Roads Road Reconstruction Vegetation Management Beech Treatment Commercial Spruce Restoration Hemlock Treatment RBC Habitat Improvement Regeneration Harvest Stand Improvement Thinning Noncommercial Spruce Restoration