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

9/18/20072 Topics of Discussion The forest by the numbers The forest by the numbers Demographic impact Demographic impact Threats and issues Threats and issues Points to ponder Points to ponder

9/18/20073 Forest Cover – Madison County

9/18/20074 Timberland – All Landowners

9/18/20075 Timberland – NIPFOs

9/18/20076 Forest Cover Types

9/18/20077 Forestland Ownership

9/18/20078 Economic Impact $156.3 MM DIRECT, INDIRECT, INDUCED impacts #1 agricultural industry in the state 1180 residents employed 10% of population Difficult to quantify other values

9/18/20079 Demographics 2000 Pop Est. Pop. % Change MAD12,52013, VA 7.1 MM 7.6 MM Northern Piedmont is fastest growing region in VA Northern Piedmont is fastest growing region in VA Added 15,000+ people in 5 years Lost 5000+/- acres of forestland

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

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

9/18/ Ecological Footprint Acres of Forestland per Person Canada30.0 Madison County9.3 Northern Piedmont4.6 El mundo4.5 United States2.6 Virginia2.0

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

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

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

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9/18/ Conversion VA losing 26,000 acres of forestland per year 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/ Proximity Pressure People per Square Mile Forest Management Potential 2075% 4550% 7025% 150+0% Culmination of fragmentation and development Madison County Population Density = 42 people per square mile

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

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

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

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

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

9/18/ THANK YOU! Questions? Questions?