Tennessee Forest Legacy Program Priority Areas (2020-2030)

Published by colin.stiles_tndof

<p style='text-align:center;'><span style='font-size:24px;'><strong>Tennessee Forest Legacy Program Priority Areas (2020-2030)</strong></span></p><p>The Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Division of Forestry updated priority areas for its Forest Legacy Program in the 2020 Tennessee Forest Action Plan. All 50 states are required by federal law to develop and update a Forest Action Plan every ten years in order to be eligible to receive funds under the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act administered by the USDA Forest Service.</p><p>This plan provides a comprehensive assessment of the condition of Tennessee's forest resources, risks and challenges associated with forest health and resiliency, and strategies for protecting, conserving, and enhancing this vital resource for our citizens and visitors. The 2020 Tennessee Forest Action Plan builds on the state's inaugural 2010 Forest Resource Assessment and Strategy.</p><p>Implementation of the Forest Legacy Program fills an important gap and provides a safety net to protect environmentally important resources in Tennessee. Tennessee's Forest Legacy Program objectives are used to determine which eligible tracts will receive priority for participation in the program. Objectives are aimed at protecting forest resource values that stakeholders and public consider of greatest concern. The mission of Tennessee's Forest Legacy Program is to protect environmentally important, private forestlands threatened with conversion to non-forest uses. The primary focus of the program is to maintain well-managed, working forests. The objectives of Tennessee's Forest Legacy Program are as follows:</p><ul><li>Prevent conversion of forestland to other uses</li><li>Preserve forestland for current and future wood production</li><li>Preserve and protect water quality, fisheries, and water supplies</li><li>Preserve and protect riparian habitats</li><li>Preserve and protect fish and wildlife habitats, rare plants, and biological diversity</li><li>Preserve and protect natural beauty</li><li>Preserve and protect forest-based recreation opportunities</li></ul><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Candidate properties must be forested tracts of at least 20 acres continuous forest and located in one of the top 60% of primary forest product-producing counties. Property must also be in a watershed with significant risk of becoming lightly stressed, stressed, impacted, or damaged due to extent of impervious surface by 2030, or at high risk of becoming urbanized by 2030. Finally, the property must be located within The Nature Conservancy's Resilient and Connected Prioritized Network. Tennessee's Forest Legacy Priority Areas dataset identifies areas that are currently eligible for the program.</p>