Logging could threaten a scientific research site in one of Tennessee’s oldest forests.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture is developing a plan to sell timber from the Franklin State Forest on the Cumberland Plateau, a hilly area with thin soil, active fungal networks and centuries-old trees near Sewanee.
This state forest also contains a nearly 90-acre research site with a long legacy of data — a site the department suggested could be subject to chopping.
Caroline Eggers – WPLN News
Photo: Bob Butters
Ed. note: Extensive clear cutting has been going on in Franklin Forest for some time. This is one of the primary original purposes of state forests. That’s why they’re managed by the Department of Agriculture. My personal opinion is that state forests are an antiquated concept, and they should be transformed into state parks, recreation areas, or wildlife management areas, with potential for limited selective timber harvesting but no clear cutting. I don’t see that happening anytime soon, but perhaps it’s time for some serious discussions about how state forests are managed, and for what purposes. BB