Tennessee Agencies Help Private Landowners With a Forest Stewardship Plan
In partnership with: Tennessee Department of Agriculture
When Carter and Evelyn Franklin bought their Tennessee farm, they saw the potential for a flourishing forest despite the rocky terrain.“My husband said we should have called it the ‘Cedar and Rock Farm,’” says Evelyn, who is determined to bring healthy, native life back to this 100-acre property of forest and abandoned farmland in Sumner County. “It’s mostly rock and mostly cedar.”
The poor soil and sloped land challenged the regeneration of native plants, as did the overgrown nonnative privet shrubs. The invasive plant’s dense thicket strangles out forest plants and inhibits wildlife habitat.
Motivated to make improvements, the private landowners turned to public agencies for help, including the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) Division of Forestry. This led to the development of a Forest Stewardship Plan, which has already improved the land’s deer and turkey populations, repopulated native grasses, reduced pressure from that problematic privet, and supported the farm’s oak-hickory stands.
This forestry success story led to the couple’s recent designation as Forest Stewards by the TDA Division of Forestry. Humbled by the honor, Evelyn encourages landowners to seek professional support, as they did, within Tennessee’s network of public agencies.
“Tennessee has their act together on what they offer and how they will help you,” Evelyn says. “They really helped me come up with a plan for my farm. I couldn’t have done it without them.”
See more: Kids Learn About Forest Resources at Tennessee Forestry Camp
Education and Networking
Evelyn’s support from public agencies started with her participation in the New Farmer Academy presented by Tennessee State University and University of Tennessee Extension. The course connected her with Extension specialist Finis Stribling, who helped the landowner create a vision for the farm and exposed her to a network of agency professionals. Experts Trevor Hunt with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service and Richard Saltzman, area forester for the TDA Division of Forestry, are among those who continue to help improve the farm.
“The class helped me not only to present what I wanted to do, but it helped them take me seriously,” Evelyn says. “They knew I was really trying to do something.”
“Tennessee has their act together on what they offer and how they will help you.”
– Evelyn Franklin, farmer
Each professional has visited the farm at no charge. In fact, property visits are a standard practice for Saltzman, an area forester who covers a four-county area in Middle Tennessee. In this Highland Rim District, he helps implement programs in forest and resource protection, water quality, urban forestry and stewardship.
Saltzman drafted a forest stewardship plan for the Franklin farm. When the couple enthusiastically implemented the plan, he nominated them for the Forest Stewards honor.
“You can’t just have a plan,” Saltzman says. “You have to be committed to conducting those recommended practices.”
Putting the Plan in Motion
Following the recommendations of the forest stewardship plan and other agency professionals, the Franklins acted. They built a hoop house with hopes to grow and transplant native wildflowers. Goats supplement the mechanical and chemical means to eradicate privet. In the spring, the farm carries out prescribed burns to invigorate the growth of native, warm-season plants.
Professionals helped the couple locate and protect the farm’s glades, areas of shallow, rocky soil where both the Tennessee coneflower and prickly pear thrive. The couple even received help to apply for funding to support their conservation efforts. And soon, a company will harvest selected trees with the intent to support the forest’s overall health for wildlife and future high-value stands.
“I think people may get overwhelmed by the resources available to them,” Saltzman says. “Each agency and each of their representatives fulfill a different mission. You need to bring it all to the table, sift through it and make the decision that is right for you and your property.”