Virginia Forestry and Wildlife Group

Sweet Briar College – Amherst County, Va (2002-2007)

Sweet Briar College is a small women’s college in central Virginia that consists of four tracts of pasture and woodland that together encompass more than 3,248 acres of rolling Piedmont land.  Though portions of the property are represented by steep and mountainous terrain, most of the land is typical Piedmont - an upland plateau in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains that is characterized by gently sloping topography and numerous streams and wet weather tributaries.

The Main Campus tract is the most significant timberland holding of all the Sweet Briar properties.  This is due to the sheer size of the tract (2,438 acres) and large number of mature stands composed of high grade timber.  In addition, this parcel contains all of the “Old Growth” sanctuaries.  Though the Main Campus tract contained the oldest and most overstocked stands on the property (those most in need of thinning), its proximity to the campus and many critical viewsheds and riding trails severely limited the intensity and location of timber harvesting.  Overcoming opposition from students and those in the administration was quite an obstacle.  As a result, it was critical that we manage the timber very carefully to maintain its aesthetic quality while improving the health, quality and vigor of the stand.  It was also important that we employ a small logging crew that would work carefully and methodically to minimize the amount of damage to the residual timber.  In addition to cutting and leaving tops very close to the ground (to expedite decomposition and reduce the amount of standing slash), the crew left little or no debris on the logging site, and skidded timber out in log lengths (instead of tree length).  Research has shown this greatly reduces the amount of butt damage to the remaining timber.  During my five year contract with Sweet Briar, we held outdoor classrooms for undergraduates and established research plots to evaluate the effects of “gap thinning” on hardwood regeneration.   It was the first landowner whom we contracted with on a long-term basis and yearly management fee, instead of a commission on all timber sales.  This proved to be a very satisfactory arrangement because it removed the inherent bias (to mark more timber and high dollar, superior trees) of commission based fees and allowed us to practice better, more sustainable forestry.

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