The Forest Service at Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in western Kentucky has proposed commercial timber harvests on approximately 120 acres in response to a tornado that impacted the area on July 6. Most of the harvests proposed in the Birmingham Ferry Salvage Project are on the north end in the Birmingham Ferry/Pisgah Bay area near Kentucky Lake and the Cravens Bay area near Lake Barkley. There are several problems with this proposal, and we encourage the public to submit comments in opposition.
While the Forest Service has already been able to clear most roads and trails, they have chosen to propose to harvest timber under a “Categorical Exclusion,” or “CE,” which means that there will be no Environmental Assessment and only one opportunity for the public to comment. Comments must be submitted by September 30, 2016. Kentucky Heartwood’s comments for reference, and information on writing comments that the Forest Service will accept are on down this page, along with lots more information and background on the project proposal. Maps showing details of the proposed project area, including Core Areas, are below.
The Forest Service hosted a field trip in the area on Friday September 16, 2016.
A news story was aired on local television station, WPSD Local 6, and can be viewed here.
Natural disturbance events like tornadoes and ice storms are as much a part of the forest as leaves falling in autumn. While it can sometimes be sad to see trees fall, the fact is that broken, dead, and dying trees are often an important part of natural, healthy forests. They provide habitat and food, and create “gaps” in the forest where different species thrive and new trees grow. Neighboring trees, relieved of competition, can grow faster while the forest moves toward the more complex structures characteristic of old-growth forests.
Canopy gaps from ice storm in Pisgah Bay project area
Good forestry practices work to mimic natural disturbance, but also come with unavoidable impacts. The Forest Service will have to bulldoze temporary roads in the forest, establish skidder trails, and build large log landings to stockpile and load logs. These disturbances to the forest floor create ideal conditions for infestations of non-native invasive species in forest interiors. While not currently proposed, multiple follow-up treatments with herbicides or intensive manual efforts will likely be needed deal with invasive species.
Large trees in the Pisgah Bay Core Area
About 42,000 acres, or one quarter of Land Between the Lakes, is designated as “Core Areas.” These special areas are supposed to be managed without timber sales and for the development of old-growth characteristics, and to operate as a comparison to more intensive management elsewhere. Though the Forest Service did not disclose this information in their proposal, the salvage areas include 28 acres of the Pisgah Bay Core Area and another 19 acres of logging in a Core Area near Cravens Bay. Logging these areas goes against the expressed intent of the Core Area designation in the Area Plan.
Large trees in the Pisgah Bay Core Area