EcoForesters post-Helene forestry panel discussion and Q&A

Press release from EcoForesters:

EcoForesters, in collaboration with the USFS, USDA, Weyerhaeuser, and Society of American Foresters, will be hosting a panel discussion on our forests and resources for landowners post-Helene. Western North Carolina was devastated by Hurricane Helene, leaving many landowners and communities asking “What next?” This event will bring forestry professionals together to discuss the challenges facing the region and answer questions from concerned landowners.

This event will take place on Wednesday, December 18th from 4-8PM, with the panel discussion beginning at 6PM. Panelists include Wesley Sketo with the North Carolina Forest Service, Tara Keyser with the USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Greg Cooper with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Andy Tait with EcoForesters, and Dan Callaghan with Wildwood Consulting. In addition to the panel discussion, organizations such as the North Carolina Forest Service, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, Asheville GreenWorks, and more will be tabling to answer questions about options for forest landowners. For more information, or to register, visit https://www.ecoforesters.org/outreach-events/ or call 828-484-6842.

EcoForesters’ Annual Awards, celebrating achievement in ecological forestry, will also be awarded during this event. Chris Henline of the NCWRC is the recipient of the 2024 Root Cause award for his dedication to restoring early successional habitat on the Sandy Mush Game Lands. John Schuler is the recipient of the 2024 EcoForesters of the Year award for his work to promote biodiversity in his family’s forest.

Almost 70% of the forests of Western North Carolina are privately owned, yet less than 25% have a management plan. In the absence of planning, forests are subjected to invasive species, development pressures and weather extremes as a result of climate change. The impacts of Helene have worsened these pressures, with an estimated 27% of forestland sustaining damage from the storm. Additionally, 78% of trees that were damaged are on private forestland, exacerbating the need for management resources in our region.

There once was a time when doing no harm was considered enough.  This usually meant not cutting any trees or developing your forest. But the time for doing nothing has passed, and we must be intentional in how we steward the land. EcoForesters is a non-profit forest management group in Asheville whose mission is to conserve and restore Appalachian forests through education and stewardship. The absence of planning has created a situation where forests are losing their resiliency and ability to provide clean water, wildlife habitat and the quality of life attributed to them. Given healthy forests’ ability to offset climate change through carbon sequestration, EcoForesters is driven to improve awareness and the number of forested acres being managed.

BACKGROUND ON RECIPIENTS AND WHY THEY WERE CHOSEN

This year’s group of award winners were chosen because they best exemplified our mission and approach to forest stewardship. Efforts must be taken to create awareness about the current state of our forests and what can be done to help restore them. We must encourage forestland owners to manage their land in a way that supports their values and legacy. Each forestland owner that protects forest resiliency through wise management is an unsung hero as everyone in our region benefits from the clean water, wildlife habitat and quality of life that come from healthy forests.

2024 Root Cause Award

In preparing our forests for the coming threats of climate change, invasive species, and development pressures, we must work to restore both private and public forests. The Sandy Mush Game Lands is a 2800 acre public property managed by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC), consisting of mixed hardwood and pine forest and old farmland. For his exemplary stewardship and commitment to promoting wildlife habitat on the Game Lands, this year’s Root Cause award winner is Chris Henline of the NCWRC. The Game Lands are home to an abundance of wildlife, including over 150 species of birds. Many of these bird species, as well as pollinators and small game like quail and rabbits, rely on early successional habitat to thrive and reproduce. This type of habitat cannot be created without disturbance; otherwise, the Game Lands would consist of nothing but mature forest. To maintain the biodiversity of the Sandy Mush Game Lands, Chris and the NCWRC have fostered a variety of early successional stages through prescribed burns, mowing, and small timber harvests, rotating techniques to create a patchwork of successional stages. His dedication and expertise have helped make the Game Lands an exceptional display of biodiversity and a model example of varying successional stages for increased wildlife habitat.

EcoForester of the Year Award

Perhaps the biggest challenge for EcoForesters as leaders in ecologically beneficial forestry is reaching the many private landowners that control over two thirds of our region’s forests.  So, when a landowner exhibits model behavior as a forest steward, we feel the need to lift them up and support the behavior we hope to see in other landowners.

The threats facing forests are common across ownership. What is less common is the understanding that nature cannot always take care of itself.  But by planning and actively engaging in forest stewardship, natural systems and native species can be strengthened.  When a landowner engages with their land, they gain a better understanding of how forestry unfolds over decades and how adaptive management can help overcome past mistakes. Active landowners do exist and they should be honored for managing their forest in a manner that improves ecological health.

Past forestry practices such as clear-cutting and selective tree harvesting have left our forests in a degraded state. Important tree species–such as oaks, chestnuts, and hickories–and old-growth forests have become a rarity on the landscape. Although at first glance, our forests may appear lush and healthy, they are ridden with non-native invasive species and lacking in the biodiversity they once had. Active stewardship is necessary to combat a history of poor management.

Our EcoForester of the Year for 2024 is John Schuler, a model steward in Western North Carolina dedicated to improving forest health on his family’s property. John has spent the last 40 years on his property working tirelessly to promote and improve biodiversity. Thanks to his extensive restoration efforts, such as encouraging early successional habitat, removing invasive plants, and increasing pollinator presence, unique species of flora and fauna (such as the near threatened Golden Winged Warbler) are thriving on his property. The biodiversity and habitat variance of John’s forest are a testament to his dedication and hard work. This resilient ecosystem he has so carefully tended to sets a model example for landowners to strive towards.

Please contact Lang Hornthal if you have additional questions regarding the event, the EcoForesters Awards, or how EcoForesters’ mission driven forestry is making a difference in Western North Carolina.