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Chapter 10
Forestry in the Little Tennessee River Basin
10.1 Forestland Ownership and Resources
Approximately 52 percent of forestland in the Little Tennessee basin is privately owned. The
majority of the balance is comprised of publicly owned land in the Nantahala National Forest
and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This ownership estimate comes from the most
recent data published by the USDA-Forest Service Forest Statistics for North Carolina, 2002.
(Brown, Mark J. Southern Research Station Resource Bulletin SRS-88. January 2004).
10.1.1 Forest Management
At least 800 acres of land were established or regenerated with forest trees across the basin from
September 1, 1999 through August 31, 2004. During this same time period the Division of
Forest Resources provided nearly 600 individual forest plans for landowners that encompassed
almost 25,000 acres in the basin.
10.1.2 Forest Legacy Program
In 2002, the USDA Forest Service provided initial match funding through its Forest Legacy
Program to be used for the acquisition of a conservation easement encompassing nearly 1,100
acres. This funding supplemented private and state grants that were used to conserve a
significant portion of forestland within the viewshed of the Blue Ridge Parkway, near Balsam
Mountain in Jackson and Haywood counties. This Forest Legacy project is located in subbasin
04-04-02 of the Little Tennessee basin.
The Forest Legacy Program partners with participating states to support efforts that protect
environmentally sensitive forestlands. The program is specifically designed to encourage the
protection of privately owned forestlands and is entirely voluntary. It encourages and supports
acquisition of conservation easements that most often are used to place restrictions on
development, while requiring sustainable forestry practices, and protecting other values. The
program’s Web site has more information: www.fs.fed.us/spf/coop/programs/loa/flp.shtml.
10.1.3 Christmas Tree Production
The Division of Forest Resources does not oversee regulations related to land clearing activities
for Christmas tree production or the associated BMPs for tree farming operations. These
activities are deemed to be an agricultural/horticultural activity and are under the oversight of the
NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (NCA&CS) and their recommended
agricultural BMPs. The NC Cooperative Extension Service through NC State University has
developed extensive guidelines and recommendations for Christmas tree operations. This
material is available on-line at www.ces.ncsu.edu/fletcher/programs/xmas/.
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10.2 Forestry Water Quality Regulations in North Carolina
10.2.1 Forest Practice Guidelines (FPG) for Water Quality
Forestry operations in North Carolina are subject to regulation under the Sedimentation Pollution
Control Act of 1973 (G.S. Ch.113A Art.4 referred to as “SPCA”). However, forestry operations
may be exempted from the permit and plan requirements of the SPCA, if the operations meet the
compliance standards outlined in the Forest Practices Guidelines Related to Water Quality (15A
NCAC 1I .0101 - .0209, referred to as “FPGs”) and General Statutes regarding stream
obstruction (G.S.77-13 & G.S.77-14).
The North Carolina Division of Forest Resources (DFR) is delegated the authority to monitor
and evaluate forestry operations for compliance with these aforementioned laws and/or rules. In
addition, the DFR works to resolve identified FPG compliance questions brought to its attention
through citizen complaints. Violations of the FPG performance standards that cannot be
resolved by the DFR are referred to the appropriate State agency for enforcement action.
During the period September 1, 1999 through August 31, 2004 the Division of Forest Resources
conducted 349 FPG inspections of forestry-related activities in the basin; 87 percent of the sites
inspected were in compliance.
10.2.2 Other Forestry Related Water Quality Regulations
In addition to the State regulations noted above, DFR monitors the implementation of the
following Federal rules relating to water quality and forestry operations:
y The Section 404 silviculture exemption under the Clean Water Act
y The federally-mandated 15 Best Management Practices (BMPs) related to road construction
in wetlands
y The federally-mandated BMPs for mechanical site preparation activities for the establishment
of pine plantations in wetlands of the southeastern U.S.
10.2.3 Water Quality Foresters
While the DFR currently has a Water Quality Forester located in ten of the DFR’s thirteen
Districts across the State, there are none assigned within the Little Tennessee River basin.
However, the forester staff based in the DFR’s Sylva District Office and Asheville Regional
Office address water quality issues related to forestry as time permits, while also handling
wildfire suppression and forest management duties.
10.2.4 Forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs)
Implementing Forestry Best Management Practices is strongly encouraged by the Division of
Forest Resources in order to efficiently and effectively protect the water resources of North
Carolina. During this reporting period, the DFR recorded over 500 instances across 28,000 acres
in which BMPs were either noted in use or had been recommended. The Forestry Best
Management Practices Manual describes recommended techniques that should be used to help
comply with the State’s forestry laws and help protect water quality. This manual is currently
undergoing its first revision since adoption in 1989. This revision, led by the DENR-appointed
Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) has undertaken four years of effort.
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To further assess BMPs, the DFR conducted a detailed, statewide BMP Implementation Survey
from March 2000 through March 2003 to evaluate Forestry BMPs on active harvest operations.
This survey evaluated 26 harvest sites in the basin, with a resulting BMP implementation rate of
73 percent. The problems most often cited in this survey relate to stream crossings, skid trails,
and site rehabilitation. This survey, and additional surveys to be conducted, will serve as a basis
for focused efforts in the forestry community to address water quality concerns through better
and more effective BMP implementation and training.
10.2.5 Watersheds and BMP Research
In 1933 the USDA-Forest Service set aside 3,900 acres (later increased to 5,750 acres) of the
Nantahala National Forest located between the communities of Franklin and Otto (Subbasin 04-
04-01) to create the Coweeta Experimental Forest for an expanded program in watershed
research. An intensive program of weir construction began in 1934 along with a network of 56
standard rain gages, numerous groundwater wells, and meteorological stations.
Since then, scientists have conducted a variety of watershed experiments at Coweeta. Early
studies documented the harmful effects on soil and water resources by unrestricted land-use
practices that included farming, grazing, and logging. The knowledge gained in these early
experiments was the basis for a pilot test of intensive multi-resource management of Southern
Appalachian forests and has provided guidelines for watershed management and Best
Management Practices on public and private lands alike.
More recent experiments have demonstrated improved methods for managing steep mountain
lands to minimize damage to soil and water. The centerpiece of today’s efforts is the Long-Term
Ecological Research (LTER) Program with the University of Georgia, begun in 1980 and funded
through the National Science Foundation. More information about Coweeta LTER is available
at: http://coweeta.ecology.uga.edu/.
10.2.6 Bridgemats
The DFR has been providing bridgemats on loan out to loggers for establishing temporary stream
crossings during harvest activities. Temporary bridges are usually the best solution for stream
crossings, instead of culverts or hard-surfaced ‘ford’ crossings. Wooden timber bridgemats have
been available for use in the basin for nearly seven years, and are available upon request from the
Sylva District Office. In 2005, six new 25-foot wooden bridgemats were assigned to the Sylva
District; these mats were acquired with USEPA 319-Grant funds, allowing DFR to continue this
successful program. More information about using bridgemats, and the above noted BMP
survey, is available on the ‘Water Quality’ section of the DFR’s Web site www.dfr.state.nc.us.
10.2.7 Forest Products Industry
There are five forest products-related manufacturers or processors located within the basin.
These manufacturers pay an assessment to the state, which is then combined with annual
legislative appropriations, to fund the “Forest Development Program” (FDP), which provides
cost-shared reforestation assistance for forest landowners.
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10.2.8 Protection from Wildfires
The “Firewise Communities” program is a national, multi-agency effort designed to reach
homeowners, community leaders, planners, developers, and others in the effort to protect people,
property, and natural resources from the risk of wildfires, before a fire starts. The Firewise
Communities program offers a series of practical steps that individuals and communities can take
to minimize wildfire risks. The Firewise approach emphasizes community responsibility for
planning in the design of a safe community as well as effective emergency response, and
individual responsibility for safer home construction and design, landscaping, and maintenance.
In North Carolina, the most susceptible areas for wildfires in which homes and woodlands co-
exist are in the mountains and areas of the coast.
Some examples of Firewise practices include:
y Maintaining a ‘defensible perimeter’ around homes and structures by controlling vegetation
growth
y Removing so-called ‘ladder fuels’ from around structures, that may allow a small fire on the
ground to move upwards, and into the structure
y Constructing access roads and driveways in a way that will allow access by fire trucks and
other heavy emergency response vehicles.
More information is available on the North Carolina Firewise Web site
http://www.ncfirewise.org/ and the national Web site http://www.firewise.org./
10.2.9 Forestry Accomplishments
Since the previous basinwide plan was produced, the DFR accomplished the following tasks in
an ongoing effort to improve compliance with forest regulations and, in turn, minimize nonpoint
source (NPS) pollution from forestry activities:
y Replaced worn-out wood timber bridgemats in the Sylva District with new mats available for
use throughout the basin.
y Established a Forestry NPS Unit that develops and oversees projects throughout the state that
involves protection, restoration and education on forestry NPS issues.
y Revised and produced 10,000 copies of a pocket field guide outlining the requirements of the
FPGs and suggested BMPs to implement.
y Created and published 15,000 copies of a new brochure “Call Before You Cut” for
landowners promoting pre-harvest planning to insure water quality issues are addressed prior
to undertaking timber harvesting.
y Continued to assist with workshops in cooperation with the N.C. Forestry Association’s
“ProLogger” logger training program.
y DFR continues its efforts to protect water quality through various protection, restoration, and
education projects. This includes research projects, on-site demonstrations, and integration
of NPS topics through the DFR’s network of Educational State Forests and State Forests.
Progress reports and summaries are posted in the ‘Water Quality’ section of the DFR’s Web
site http://www.dfr.state.nc.us./ as they are completed.
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