Many assume that any forested area necessarily provides suitable habitat for wildlife, but the reality is often much different. Over time, without management, any forested area will grow into a monoculture of trees. Whether dominated by large, mature trees or an overpopulation of closely spaced smaller trees, the tree canopy will eventually act as an umbrella, blocking almost all sunlight from reaching the ground. Without sunlight, there will be very little plant-life at or near the forest floor. While forests of trees with a largely open understory may be pleasing to the human eye, most wildlife species require food and cover, i.e., habitat, at the ground level. Thus, the reality is that if left undisturbed, many forestland areas become the equivalent of deserts for wildlife, providing little suitable habitat to sustain most species. Unfortunately, this condition has become common in many areas of Virginia’s Western Appalachian Mountains.
Virginia’s Western Appalachian Mountains contain large areas of timberland, thousands upon thousands of acres of which are owned by the government, especially the U.S. Forest Service. Many of these areas have been largely untouched and undisturbed for the last 100 years or more. Historically, most forestlands were subject to periodic disturbance, whether caused by human events such as logging, farming and land clearing, or related to natural events such as fire, storm, or disease. However, over the last 100 plus years, large blocks of our Western Appalachians have increasingly remained untouched by man and less impacted by traditional cyclical natural events, such as widespread fire. Significant effort has gone into curtailing and containing both human disturbance and natural disturbance cycles as much as possible. As a result, there are now extensive forestlands in our mountains that have developed into a monoculture of trees with very little plant-life existing beneath. Thousands upon thousands of acres of forests now providing minimal habitat for the many species of wildlife that have historically called these areas home.
At the Appalachian Habitat Association, we understand the critical role of periodic disturbance, whether caused by man or nature, in breaking up the forest monoculture to create diversity. Forest diversity exists when there are different age classes of trees interspersed with areas dominated not by trees but by grasses, shrubs and other types of plant-life. Diversity creates an ideal habitat for most wildlife species in the natural world, including larger animals and small animals, birds, and insect life. Unfortunately, as diversity has declined, many wildlife species, birds, and insects have also become threatened or even disappear.
However, by encouraging diversity of habitat on private and public lands, the Appalachian Habitat Association seeks to reverse the loss of habitat and promote management practices that will ensure that our beloved wildlife has a home for generations to come.
In recent decades, some well-meaning individuals have advocated for a “hands-off” approach to our forestlands, asserting that forests naturally manage themselves. However, this approach does not consider the beneficial impacts of proper, planned forest management to create diversity. Moreover, preventative measures also prevent many regenerative natural forces from functioning as they would have historically. For example, wildfires are more effectively contained and extinguished as quickly as possible for safety reasons. Natural disease occurrences are curtailed or limited as much as possible. While these actions are understandable and well-meaning, they also prevent large scale natural disturbances that traditionally impacted our forestlands to create diversity even before humans played any role in the process. To better understand the importance of diversity, it is necessary to look closer at the types of forestland and the positive changes made by periodic forestland disturbances.
Mature Forests
Well-spaced, mature trees create a very pleasing forest in appearance to the human eye. Towering majestic trees, like the oaks or poplars of the Virginia mountains, rise far above the leaf-covered ground. The mature tree canopies essentially eliminate smaller competing plant life, resulting in a very open and “park-like” understory. This aesthetically pleasing openness increases visibility, often extending to hundreds of feet or yards. It is this type of forestland appearance that many might describe as appearing “healthy,” “beautiful,” “pristine,” etc., and would be seen as perfect for hiking or many human activities. However, from a wildlife viewpoint, which focuses mainly on what exists at the ground level and a few feet above, these forests of mature, majestic trees result in very little viable habitat at or near the ground level for wildlife. While some large trees, such as oaks, may provide a bounty of food mast in the Fall months, the absence of sunlight reaching the ground results in insufficient understory plant life. These areas are primarily characterized by ground cover of dead leaves with only a very few shade hardy plant species such as ferns or laurels being able to survive. As a result, wildlife species have insufficient food resources most months of the year and are robbed of vital ground cover to nest, hide, or make a home. Thus, these seemingly beautiful, park-like forests fail to provide substantial habitat for most wildlife.
Clear-Cuts
At the other end of the spectrum from mature forests are areas where all trees have been removed. This condition would typically be associated with intense logging operations commonly known as “clear-cutting.” However, this can also result from dramatic natural events such as large wildfires, storms, or extensive insect or disease events. Admittedly, these areas are displeasing to the human eye and typically have the appearance of a catastrophic disaster or aftermath of a terrible event. However, these seemingly destructive but complete forest disturbances do serve to “re-set” the forest environment. This re-set will dramatically improve the land’s habitat quality within a year or two. As reflected in the photos below, significant tree removal and “re-setting” of the forest results in an explosion of plant growth at the ground level that is truly amazing. For years after such events, these areas create high-quality wildlife habitat, providing extensive amounts of both food and cover that allow many wildlife species to thrive for years to come.
Over-populated Forest Areas
Although “mature” forests and “clear-cuts” are the two extreme conditions of forestlands, there are many other varieties. Another prevalent type, especially in Virginia’s Western Mountains, are forest areas dominated by dense numbers of smaller trees. These over-populated areas may result from historic logging operations that have not been further managed for decades or are also characteristic of some areas that have been intentionally re-planted, such as areas of planted pines. Regardless of the cause, these areas are not characterized by towering, mature trees but by a high density of similar-sized trees. However, the result is similar to a mature forest – the tree canopy density results in the complete shading out of the ground, resulting in very little plant life at the ground level. However, if the tree density is reduced through proper forest management to permit sunlight to reach areas of the forest floor, habitat conditions will quickly improve.
Natural Disasters
Another unfortunate and increasingly prevalent occurrence is deforestation resulting from disease or insects. In recent years, large areas of Virginia’s mountains have fallen victim to insect infestations. Whether gypsy moths killing oak trees, emerald ash borers eliminating the ash tree, or the wooly aphid impacting hemlocks, there have been large outbreaks that have killed thousands upon thousands of trees. Likely the most dramatic has been the impact of the emerald ash borer, which may result in the ash tree suffering a fate similar to the American Chestnut, disappearing from a forest scape where it once thrived. These large-scale infestations can serve to “re-set” forest areas nearly as dramatically as a “clear-cut.” Nevertheless, they also result in the complete loss of the trees and wood, which could have been harvested to preserve a needed natural resource and create economic opportunities for landowners and those in the wood products industry. This type of wide-spread tree kill can also cause hazardous areas of dead or falling trees, causing potential safety concerns and other issues for years to come. These events may provide improved wildlife habitats, but in some cases, the extent of the disease damage is exacerbated by unmanaged forest conditions such as a high tree density or excessive, unbroken forest areas. Accordingly, proper forest management encourages diversity and better wildlife habitat promoting healthier forests that are less susceptible to diseases or natural disasters
Managed Forest Land Areas
In contrast to unmanaged forests, there are also numerous options by which landowners can seek to manage their forestlands to encourage diversity and eliminate the various types of forest monocultures that can develop. Many of these involve selective cutting or thinning of the trees rather than excessive tree-clearing techniques. Opening the tree canopy and allowing sunlight to reach the ground will result in an explosion of undergrowth which creates desirable habitat for wildlife. Such practices can also be followed up by using prescribed fire to enhance the diversity of the ground-level plant life. Other areas of diversity can be created by land clearing or converting previously forested areas into open spaces, a practice often associated with cultivating “food plots” for improved hunting or wildlife management. While the many different methods and possibilities of creating forestland disturbances are beyond the scope of this discussion, the majority of them result in the improvement of habitat for wildlife.
As can be seen from the descriptions and images above, while many have advocated for a “hands-off” approach to forestlands, unmanaged forests are typically less healthy and unable to provide the best habitat for wildlife. When managed with beneficial periodic disturbances, forests are enabled to offer the maximum food, cover, and protection, sustaining a healthy and diverse population of animals, birds, and insects. AHA strives to encourage that our forestlands are being conscientiously maintained to engender and protect this diversity to ensure that the wildlife population will be healthy and thriving for generations to come. While AHA encourages all landowners to evaluate their land management practices, our organization especially focuses on supporting and directly assisting the state and federal government agencies in undertaking projects on public land to address habitat decline by creating and maintaining areas of forest diversity and improved wildlife habitat.