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This presentation by Mike Santucci, Region 3 Forest Conservation Specialist, discusses critical issues in forest management in Madison County, VA. It highlights the demographic impacts on forest cover, emphasizing the significant loss of forestland due to fragmentation, parcelization, and development. The economic contribution of forests, alongside the challenges posed by invasive species and water quality concerns, is examined. Conservation strategies and opportunities for public engagement, including stewardship plans and tax incentives, are also addressed, underscoring the importance of sustainable management practices.
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Forest ManagementChallenges & Opportunities Green Counties: Green Lands Madison, VA 18 September 2007 Mike Santucci Region 3 Forest Conservation Specialist
Topics of Discussion • The forest by the numbers • Demographic impact • Threats and issues • Points to ponder
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
Demographics • Northern Piedmont is fastest growing region in VA • Added 15,000+ people in 5 years • Lost 5000+/- acres of forestland
Conservation Continuum Exploitation Preservation “Come–heres” New residents Neo-conservationists Regulation Societal benefits “Been–heres” Generational families Traditionalists Economic incentives Private property rights
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
Local Threats to Forestland • Loss of open space • Through parcelization, fragmentation and conversion • Improper forest management • Past and present • Water quantity and quality • Invasive species
Forest Parcelization • Division of large, contiguous forest tracts into smaller properties • Promotes forest fragmentation and land-use conversion.
Fragmentation • Often leads to conversion • Usually development • Tends to isolate and separate forested tracts from each other. • 75 acres • Healthy & manageable forest systems • Madison County • Average tract size is 20 acres • 85% of tracts are smaller
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
Proximity Pressure • Culmination of fragmentation and development • Madison County Population Density = 42 people per square mile
Some Points to Ponder • History is the future • Succession happens • Forest management is an act of trade-offs • Where do the opportunities lie?
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
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”
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
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
THANK YOU! • Questions?
