Middle Mountain Farm

Albemarle County, Va— 2016- Current

Middle Mountain Farm contains 1,524 acres of forested mountain land interspersed with occasional open meadows, ponds and old orchards in the Blue Ridge Mountains just of west of Charlottesville, Virginia.  It lies on the north flank of Bucks Elbow Mountain and adjoins the Shenandoah National Park.  Numerous perennial and intermittent streams originate on the property, which empty into the South Fork of the Moormans River above and below Sugar Hollow Reservoir. 

The first task was to prepare a Forest Stewardship Management plan for the entire property and provide recommendations for improving the health and quality of the woodlands, protecting scenic viewsheds and soil and water resources, preserving rare and unique natural areas, and restoring a wooded landscape engulfed by a multitude of invasive species.  The overall goal was to integrate each of these disparate objectives into a comprehensive plan that met the diverse goals of the landowner. The end product was a mosaic of management units bound by a common thread - responsible land stewardship!

However, invasive species control has proven to be the most important objective because so much of the mountainland was once open farm and orchardland that was rapidly invaded by invasives following abandonment.   Our work began with conducting an exhaustive survey of 13 different invasive plants found on the property by running lines 300’ apart and recording the location, type, and relative abundance of each invasive.  All told, we recorded nearly 1,000 sample points and used this data to provide an in depth report and action plan for their removal.  Since 2016, VFWG crews have worked regularly each year to control invasive plants on the farm and restore the natural habitat so a wealth and diversity of native plants can thrive once again.