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$700,000 grants awarded for Cumberland Plateau Forestland restoration and improvement
SEPTEMBER 25, 2016 at 9:48 p.m.


KNOXVILLE — The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and International Paper (NYSE: IP) have awarded $700,000 in grants to support forestland restoration and working forests throughout the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama. The American Forest Foundation, the Nature Conservancy-Tennessee Chapter, the University of Tennessee, the Alabama Forestry Association, and the National Wild Turkey Federation will receive grants through the Forestland Stewards Initiative, a partnership of NFWF and International Paper. These five grants will leverage more than $769,000 in additional funds and in-kind support from agency and project partners, ultimately establishing more than 2,200 new acres and enhancing an additional 6,100 existing acres of native forest, as well as protecting 1,500 acres of working forest and wildlife habitat in the region.

Established in March 2013, the Forestland Stewards Initiative is a pioneering partnership created to conserve and restore southern forestlands representing some of America’s most iconic landscapes. These forests provide critical habitats for endangered wildlife and economic opportunities for local communities. Through the initiative, International Paper has committed $7.5 million over five years to restore native forests, strengthen important fish and wildlife populations, and protect watersheds — while at the same time promoting and supporting working forests in eight states across the southeastern United States.

“By creating a stakeholder network of diverse organizations, partnerships like the Forestland Stewards Initiative enable International Paper to deliver on our commitment to use natural resources responsibly, thus strengthening the communities where we live and operate – including our home state of Tennessee,” said Tom Cleves, vice president of global citizenship. “Through a combination of co-ops, land trusts and conservation groups, these grants put the necessary resources in place to really make a difference.”

“Conservation efforts are most effective when all stakeholders work together on a landscape scale vision and focus their efforts on measurable results,” said Jay Jensen, director of NFWF’s Southern Regional Office. “The grants announced today support collaborative projects that are the building blocks of a healthier forest, which will benefit wildlife, provide cleaner air and water, and strengthen the natural infrastructure that protects our communities.”

“The Forestland Stewards Initiative will help us maintain and showcase the only prescribed fire timing and frequency demonstration area in the eastern U.S.,” said Craig Harper, professor of wildlife management in the Department of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries at The University of Tennessee. “Data from the Bridgestone/Firestone WMA demonstration area will help guide management decisions regarding prescribed fire for shortleaf ecosystem restoration as well as management for specific wildlife species. The public will be able to view prescribed fire effects in a pristine environment, almost totally void of nonnative invasive species.”

Since 2013, NFWF and IP have invested more than $7.6 million in projects through the Forestland Stewards Initiative, and these investments have been used to leverage more than $15.9 million in additional funds from grant partners, for a total investment of more than $23.5 million for forestland conservation. These projects will restore more than 21,800 acres and improve more than 157,000 additional acres of native forest and wildlife habitat. NFWF and International Paper anticipate that through this initiative, more than 200,000 acres of forestlands will be restored and improved, and more than 3,000 private landowners will be engaged through outreach and technical assistance to implement forest stewardship practices.

The initiative’s latest round of grants will benefit numerous species and support working forests in three priority regions in the Southeast: the Carolina Low Country Forests; the Cumberland Plateau of Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee; and the Piney Woods of Texas and Louisiana.


Coordinating Partner: The Nature Conservancy-Tennessee Chapter
Title: Cumberland Plateau Tennessee Working Woodlands

Objective: Launch Working Woodlands, an innovative forest conservation program that will provide incentives to conserve high value shortleaf pine-oak forests, riparian and aquatic habitats and associated species of conservation concern on private lands in Tennessee.
Award Amount: $100,000

Project Description: The Nature Conservancy’s Tennessee Chapter and partners will build on private landowner relationships and strategically seek additional landowners to launch a Working Woodlands program in the Cumberland Plateau. This innovative project will provide incentives to landowners to establish conservation easements and forest management plans for conserving high value shortleaf pine-oak forests, riparian and aquatic habitats, and associated species of conservation concern on large tract private lands. The project will reach at least 75 individuals and implement cost-share opportunities to improve 50 acres of shortleaf pine-oak habitat and protect 1,500 acres of forest habitat with conservation easements on private lands.

Project Partners: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Tennessee Department of Agriculture - Division of Forestry, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service


Coordinating Partner: University of Tennessee Extension
Title: Bridgestone/Firestone Wildlife Management Area Prescribed Fire Timing and Frequency Demonstration Area

Objective: Demonstrate the effects of prescribed fire on the establishment and maintenance of naturally regenerated shortleaf pine and oak savanna/woodland.
Award Amount: $70,000

Project Description: The University of Tennessee Extension and partners will demonstrate the effects of prescribed fire on the establishment and maintenance of naturally regenerated shortleaf pine and oak savanna/woodland. Project will take place on 156 acres of the Bridgestone/Firestone Centennial Wilderness Wildlife Management Area, an established demonstration area that supports naturally regenerating shortleaf pine and various oak species and is maintained with periodic prescribed fire. Data collected from the site will provide information for educational publications and will be provided to landowners during a field day workshop. In addition, the project will work with the Natural Resource Conservation Service to provide private landowners with management options and cost-share opportunities for shortleaf pine and oak savanna/woodland restoration.

Project Partners: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service


Coordinating Partner: National Wild Turkey Federation
Title: Cumberland Shortleaf and Woodland Savannah Restoration - II

Objective: Restore shortleaf pine and oak woodlands/savannas on public lands in Tennessee and Kentucky.
Award Amount: $186,000

Project Description: The National Wild Turkey Federation and partners will restore shortleaf pine and oak woodlands/savannas on public lands in Tennessee and Kentucky. Project will result in 6,002 acres restored through shortleaf plantings, prescribed fire, and forest opening enhancements. In addition, the project will host public outreach events across the Daniel Boone National Forest of Kentucky and the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area of Tennessee, engaging over 700 people. These conservation activities will enhance the extremely high plant and animal diversity within the landscape.

Project Partners: U.S. Forest Service – Daniel Boone National Forest, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Tennessee Wildlife Federation


Coordinating Partner: Alabama Forestry Association
Title: Incentives for Planting Shortleaf Pine in the Alabama Cumberlands - II

Objective: Provide cost-share incentives for site preparation and planting shortleaf pine. Project will overcome a major barrier to planting shortleaf pine and will result in the restoration of 1,136 acres of shortleaf pine/upland savanna forest in the Cumberlands of Alabama.
Award Amount: $150,000

Project Description: The Alabama Forestry Association and partners will restore 1,136 acres of shortleaf pine in the Cumberland Plateau region of Alabama through financial assistance to private landowners. Efforts build on a previous project phase that identified barriers, including financial, for private landowners to plant shortleaf in the region. Partners will directly address these obstacles with private landowners, promoting sustainable management and ensuring ongoing access to technical assistance. The project will target tracts in close proximity to existing shortleaf stands or that are being planted as a result of other shortleaf pine planting projects to increase landscape level benefits.

Project Partners: American Forest Foundation, Alabama Forestry Commission, Natural Resource Conservation Service


Coordinating Partner: American Forest Foundation
Title: Shortleaf Restoration on the Alabama Lauderdale and Freedom Hills Forever Wild Tracts - II

Objective: Partners will expand upon ongoing efforts to restore shortleaf pine habitat on Alabama public lands in Lauderdale and Colbert counties.
Award Amount: $194,000

Project Description: The American Forest Foundation will build upon ongoing efforts to restore shortleaf pine habitat by establishing shortleaf pine on public lands within the Lauderdale and Freedom Hills Forever Wild tracts in Lauderdale and Colbert counties. The State Lands Division will plant 1,100 acres of shortleaf pine in the 2016-2018 planting seasons. Primary activities include ensuring proper access, site preparation, reforestation, and management of the established stands. The project will serve as a demonstration site for education and outreach for existing and future shortleaf restoration efforts in the region, with a particular emphasis on management regimes that align with private landowner objectives.

Project Partners: Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources - State Lands Division, Alabama Forestry Commission, Alabama Treasure Forest Association, Alabama Forestry Foundation, Auburn University, U.S. Forest Service, and Aldo Leopold Foundation.

Learn more about Forestland Stewards at: www.nfwf.org/forestlandstewards. Learn more at www.nfwf.org. For more information about International Paper, please visit internationalpaper.com.

Published September 25, 2016










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