Forest Management Challenges Opportunities Green Counties Green Lands

Forest Management Challenges & Opportunities Green Counties: Green Lands Madison, VA 18 September 2007 Mike Santucci Region 3 Forest Conservation Specialist

Topics of Discussion n n The forest by the numbers Demographic impact Threats and issues Points to ponder 9/18/2007 2

Forest Cover – Madison County 9/18/2007 3

Timberland – All Landowners 9/18/2007 4

Timberland – NIPFOs 9/18/2007 5

Forest Cover Types 9/18/2007 6

Forestland Ownership 9/18/2007 7

Economic Impact n $156. 3 MM n n n 1180 residents employed n n DIRECT, INDUCED impacts #1 agricultural industry in the state 10% of population Difficult to quantify other values 9/18/2007 8

Demographics n 2000 Pop. 2006 Est. Pop. % Change MAD 12, 520 13, 613 + 8. 7 VA 7. 1 MM 7. 6 MM + 8. 0 Northern Piedmont is fastest growing region in VA n n 9/18/2007 Added 15, 000+ people in 5 years Lost 5000+/- acres of forestland 9

Conservation Continuum Exploitation “Been–heres” Generational families Traditionalists Economic incentives Private property rights 9/18/2007 Preservation “Come–heres” New residents Neo-conservationists Regulation Societal benefits 10

Ecological Footprint n A single human being: Annually consumes the amount of wood in a 16 inch diameter tree that is 100 feet tall n Uses 750 pounds of paper year n n Home construction 20, 000 board feet of lumber n 14, 000 board feet of panel products n n 9/18/2007 24 acres of forestland person 11

Ecological Footprint Acres of Forestland per Person 9/18/2007 Canada 30. 0 Madison County 9. 3 Northern Piedmont 4. 6 El mundo 4. 5 United States 2. 6 Virginia 2. 0 12

Local Threats to Forestland n Loss of open space n n Improper forest management n n n Through parcelization, fragmentation and conversion Past and present Water quantity and quality Invasive species 9/18/2007 13

Forest Parcelization n n Division of large, contiguous forest tracts into smaller properties Promotes forest fragmentation and land-use conversion. 14

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Fragmentation n Often leads to conversion n Tends to isolate and separate forested tracts from each other. 75 acres n n Usually development Healthy & manageable forest systems Madison County n n Average tract size is 20 acres 85% of tracts are smaller 17

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Conversion n VA losing 26, 000 acres of forestland per year n n n 71+ acres per day 2. 9 acres per hour 1 million acres by 2040 Majority is concentrated in northern piedmont and mountains 75% due to development 9/18/2007 19

Proximity Pressure People per Square Mile Forest Management Potential 20 75% 45 50% 70 25% 150+ 0% 9/18/2007 n Culmination of fragmentation and development Madison County Population Density = 42 people per square mile n 20

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Some Points to Ponder n n History is the future Succession happens Forest management is an act of trade-offs Where do the opportunities lie? 9/18/2007 25

History is the Future n n n Past events impact today’s decisions Today’s decisions will impact tomorrow’s choices “By understanding our past, we can shape our future. ” n 9/18/2007 Forest History Society 26

Succession Happens n Forests: n n Are not static Age at a different rate than us Can and do change Take the long view n n 9/18/2007 The shorter the planning horizon, the less possibility for sustainability “Forest time” is out of sync with “human time” 27

Trade-offs n n Very few panaceas or silver bullets Very little is black & white n n Get comfortable in the “gray” Objectives can be contradictory n 9/18/2007 Cause and effect 28

Opportunities n Public participation n n Forest Stewardship Management Plans Cost Share Programs Tax Incentives n n n Comprehensive Plan revisions Ad hoc committees Land Use taxation Forestal districts Conservation Easements 9/18/2007 29

THANK YOU! n 9/18/2007 Questions? 30