Restoration Activities Timeline with Meeting Minutes

December 2007: A region-wide group of interested individuals met with Forest Service managers to identify possible restoration priorities for National Forest lands in the Southern Appalachians. They identified five Southern Appalachian restoration focus areas which had broad support at this meeting.

July 2008: Representatives from the National Forests in North Carolina, USFS Southern Research Station and interested organizations and individuals gathered in Asheville to help develop specific restoration goals most important for the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests. Participants reviewed the recommended restoration focus areas from the December meeting as well as restoration needs identified by scientists from the Southern Research Station. 

July 2008 Workshop Resources

Presentations
Workshop Introduction  (pdf)
Restoration Strategies: An Overview of What Restoration Means  (pdf)
Southern Appalachian Ecosystem Restoration Focus Areas:
         Part 1: Watersheds, Low Diversity Stands and Invasive species (pdf)
         Part 2: Rare Habitats and Fire-Dependent Ecosystems (pdf)
Restoration Issues Specific to the NFs in North Carolina  (pdf)

Handouts and Notes
Southern Appalachian Ecosystem Restoration Focus Areas (pdf)
Meeting Notes (pdf)

The main outcome of the summit was the identification of restoration focus areas for the Pisgah and Nantahala.

August 2008: Just a month after the July summit, participants gathered again to further explore the the goals, and identify information needs and techniques for advancing action on the ground.

August 2008 Workshop Resources

Workshop Introduction (pdf)
Identifying Restoration Priorities (pdf)
DRAFT Meeting Notes (pdf)
DRAFT Next Steps for all Focus Areas (pdf)

Explore the outcomes for each topic in depth by clicking on the topic headings below or read additional thoughts on the focus areas overall.

• Stream systems and watersheds
• Rare native communities
• Fire-dependent and fire-adapted ecosystems
• Diversity in low-diversity forest stands
• Viable native plant communities by controlling invasive species
• Wildlife habitat
• Threatened and endangered species

View or download a PDF document containing  all of these focus area write-ups.

September 2008: A new national interim directive on ecological restoration (FSM 2000 – National Forest Resource Management, Chapter 2020 – Ecological Restoration and Resilience (.doc, 112 kb)) articulates foundational policy for the restoration of National Forest System lands and associated resources. Learn more about the national policy.

November 2008: Forest staff identified a process for incorporating restoration goals in our rapid assessment planning areas for FY09 and FY10. District planners held three rapid assessment area planning meetings for the Pisgah National Forest and documented opportunities for restoration projects in each area. Learn more about rapid assessments.

December 2008 / January 2009: Our Restoration Collaboration steering team, which includes FS staff and external partners reviewed the restoration priorities and project ideas that emerged from the summits in December 2008. The group will meet again in January to discuss key initiatives for 2009. The steering team includes representation from the following organizations:

• National Forests of North Carolina
• USDA Southern Research Station
• National Park Service
• North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
• North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
• Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition
• Southern Appalachian Multiple Use Council
• US Fish and Wildlife Service

Contact the steering committee through National Forets of North Carolina staff at this e-mail address.

Next Steps:

Thanks to all who participated in our sessions and to those who have provided feedback on the web regarding upcoming restoration efforts for US Forest Service Lands in NC.  This is where we plan to go from here: 

• Some identified restoration needs and opportunities are larger than the rapid assessment areas or focus on unique resources - such as dealing with hemlocks suffering from the woolly adelgid and management of sites like Roan Mountain.  We will try to build on interest identified at our meetings to create stronger partnerships for these types of projects.  
• While these is much agreement regarding restoration goals for National Forest lands, there are areas where passionate and knowledgeable people don't agree. We want to continue this dialogue and are looking into options for identifying a third party who can facilitate such discussions. The goal will be to find greater common ground where possible and to better understand the viewpoints of others.
• Another need identified by participants is to look beyond ownership boundaries when assessing resource needs and conditions.  We will be seeking to better identify adjacent lands and landowners that would volunteer to participate as partners in resource management activities, including state and local governments, conservation organizations, and private landowners.

Contact Us

Your feedback is important. Please let us know if we are still missing a restoration action that is important to you, if something is not clear or if these ideas could better reflect your restoration priorities. Contact us at n.f.restoration@gmail.com for feedback.