WVFA Mountain State Forestry Fall 2021

F E A T U R E D N E W S 18 West Virginia Forestry Association Mountain State Forestry | Fall 2021 www.wvfa.org Cranberry Spring Creek Management Prescriptions UTM, Zone 17 NAD 83 02/18/2021 TSV 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 1.5 3 4.5 0.75 Miles MP 3.0 MP 5.0 MP 4.1 MP 6.1 Text Cranberry Wilderness Area MPs Acres 3.0 23310 5.0 22437 4.1 19217 6.1 3545 8.0 939 Grand Total 69448 Monongahela NF WV Cranberry Spring Creek Project Boundary µ Project Boundary Cranberry Wilderness Area Management Prescription (MP) MP 3.0 - Vegetation Diversity MP 4.1 - Spruce and Spruce-Hardwood Restoration MP 5.0 - Designated Wilderness MP 6.1 - Wildlife Habitat Emphasis Surface Ownership USDA Forest Service NON-FS MONONGAHELA NATIONAL FOREST IS ANALYZING A PROPOSAL to improve general forest health and resiliency, red spruce/northern hardwood forests, wildlife habitat, and recreational experiences in the Cranberry Spring Creek Project Area on the Gauley Ranger District. The project area is located north and east of Richwood, West Virginia in Greenbrier, Nicholas, Pocahontas, and Webster counties. It includes approximately 69,000 acres of National Forest System land primarily within the Cranberry River and Spring Creek watersheds, with a small portion in the adjacent Gauley River and Williams River watersheds. Bishop Knob Campground, Cranberry Glades Botanical Area, Cranberry Mountain Nature Center, and Falls of Hills Creek Scenic Area are all recreation sites within the project area. Proposed management actions in the project area were developed by comparing existing conditions on the ground with desired conditions described in the Monongahela National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan). The Forest Plan is available online at www.fs.usda.gov/ main/mnf/landmanagement/planning. Forest managers have identified the need to increase the quantity and quality of early successional forests in Management Prescription (MP) 3.0 (Vegetation Diversity) areas and MP 6.1 (Wildlife Habitat Emphasis) areas. In MP 3.0 areas, less than 2% is early successional while desired condition is 12–22%. MP 6.1 areas are also lacking in young forest habitat, which is necessary for many wildlife species. Clearcutting with reserves, shelterwood and group selection harvests on 1,679 acres are proposed. In MP 4.1 (Spruce and Spruce-Hardwood Restoration) areas, forest managers have an opportunity to increase the amount of red spruce in the overstory. Commercial thinning for spruce restoration is proposed on 2,108 acres, with non-commercial spruce restoration on 125 acres. The forest within much of the project area is very densely stocked. As overstocked Monongahela National Forest Analyzing Proposal for Cranberry Spring Creek Watersheds