Cherokee National Forest Partners with Collaborative Stakeholder Group to Restore Native Forest Communities

This spring, the Cherokee National Forest will implement the Stonepile Project, a restoration initiative developed with the assistance and enthusiastic support of the Cherokee National Forest South Zone Collaborative Group (SZCG).

The SZCG came together in 2017 to identify restoration priorities for the South Zone of the Cherokee National Forest, which includes portions of Polk, Monroe and McMinn counties. Convened by The Nature Conservancy, the SZCG includes members from the U.S. Forest Service, state agencies, environmental protection organizations, wildlife conservation groups and private forestry representatives.

In 2020, the Cherokee National Forest adopted the SZCG’s recommendations to prioritize restoration of dry forest communities. Because of logging and fire suppression, tens of thousands of acres of dry oak and yellow pine forests in southeastern Tennessee are dominated by tree species more typical of wetter forests. When species occur in habitats where they would not be found under natural conditions, they are known as “off-site” species. The SZCG recommended targeted logging to remove off-site species and reestablish a diverse, native forest. The group also included recommendations to protect steep slopes and limit road building in remote areas.

The Stonepile Project, near Turtletown, is one of several to apply these new collaborative recommendations. It includes ambitious proposals to remove off-site trees on several tracts up to 115 acres. Openings created by logging are ordinarily limited to 40 acres, but larger openings were necessary here because the off-site species are so widespread.

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry is helping oversee the implementation of the project under a Good Neighbor Agreement with the Forest Service, and the Southern Environmental Law Center is funding monitoring to confirm that native dry forest communities are successfully reestablished.

As Cherokee National Forest Supervisor Mike Wright explained in 2020, this collaborative approach will “facilitate the implementation of high-priority restoration work at a higher rate than has been accomplished in the past.” Restoration forestry “has many benefits, including wildlife habitat and native diversity of rare species, as well as the creation of local jobs and valuable wood products.” It also improves “resiliency to disturbances including insect and disease, fire and variations in climate.”

Below are statements about the upcoming project from SZCG member organizations:

Britt Townsend, Director of Forestry, The Nature Conservancy—Tennessee

“The Stonepile Project reflects years of careful planning guided by science and informed by a wide range of perspectives. The Nature Conservancy’s role has been to convene and support a collaborative process that helps turn shared restoration priorities into on-the-ground action. Seeing this project move forward is a testament to what sustained engagement and thoughtful forest management can achieve.”

Sam Evans, Senior Attorney and Leader of the National Forests and Parks Program, Southern Environmental Law Center

“We’re proud to be a part of this innovative and bold project. At a time when public lands management is fraught with conflict across so much of the country, the Cherokee National Forest is proving that we can work together for win-win outcomes. This collaborative approach to forest management should be a model for Forest Service leadership across the country.”

Clint Smith, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Region 3 Wildlife Management Area (WMA) Coordinator

“As a wildlife biologist and land manager, I’m excited to see forest restoration projects that remove off‑site species, bring sunlight back to the forest floor and restore the natural fire that these systems depend on. These projects help create the kind of habitat that supports the wildlife Tennesseans and our guests care about. Species that benefit include ruffed grouse, wild turkey, white-tailed deer, pine warbler and reptiles like the eastern fence lizard.”

Sean Barry, Forest Conservation Director, Southern Appalachian Region, Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society

“At the Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society, we believe in landscapes of diverse, functioning forest ecosystems that provide homes for wildlife and opportunities for people to experience them. The Stonepile Project represents a fantastic opportunity for forest restoration at a pace and scale that will benefit a number of wildlife species that depend on diverse forest conditions. This project also shows that collaboration is possible across stakeholders who all value the Cherokee National Forest and what it provides to the public.”

Josh Kelly, Resilient Forests Program Director, MountainTrue

“Part of the Stonepile Project is restoring tree plantations to natural forests. These plantations are more like crops than forests, so it makes sense to remove the entire crop and start over with a diverse forest of native trees. Cherokee National Forest has been a leader in ecological forestry that combines natural processes like fire with tree harvest to restore and maintain the natural diversity of oak and pine forests in the Southern Appalachians.”

Jill Gottesman, Southeastern States Director, The Wilderness Society

“This collaboration shows what is possible when communities unite around common values to conserve our heritage for future generations. The Stonepile Project reflects the power of trust, partnership and strategic thinking, and it will help advance important forest restoration work. We are proud to work alongside the Cherokee National Forest and our partners in the South Zone Collaborative Group.”

South Zone Collaborative Group

Ben Myers, Panther Creek Forestry

Britt Townsend, The Nature Conservancy

Catherine Murray, Cherokee Forest Voices

Christopher DeVore, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Clint Smith, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

Jill Gottesman, The Wilderness Society

Josh Kelley, Mountain True

Justin Feeman, U.S. Forest Service

Martin Schubert, Tennessee Forestry Association

Matthew Aldrovandi, Department of Agriculture Tennessee Division of Forestry

Sam Evans, Southern Environmental Law Center