VIRGINIA

Among our projects in Virginia is the following:

 Paul State Forest – Project # 246

The Virginia Department of Forestry advised there were few opportunities left to study the development of regeneration after harvest of mature upland hardwood stands such as the on on the Paul State Forest. They completed the harvesting of an 11 acre block demonstrating three different approaches on sections about 3 acres in size:

1. A clear cut which left the regeneration in full sunlight
2. A shelter wood marked to leave approximately 55 sq ft of basal area per acre and thereby increase the amount of sunlight by 50% or more
3. An understory removal which increased the amount of light to a lesser degree, leaving the mature over-story in plance.

They installed demonstrations of deer browe impacts by building 8-ft woven wire deer exclosures  approximately 35x35 ft. In the fenced and unfenced blocks they planted 10 northern red oak and 10 American chestnut hybrid seedlings, and half of each species were in tubex tree shelters, while the other half will unsheltered.  This allowed staff to evaluate the early growth of seedlings of both species, with the intention of thinning the surviving stems if necessary as they near crown enclosure.

As in a past project the the VDF, the project was to be featured on forest landowner bus tours in cooperation with Virginia Tech and the Virginia Cooperative Extension. Also the Turner Ashby High School Future Farmers of America train and hold their annual forestry juding contest at the Paul State Forest.