News

October 31, 2007

A new 500-year forest in the offing

Most forests in the mountainous regions of Virginia run up the slopes.  In contrast the Sunshine forest, owned by Donald and Joanna Sunshine, lies down the slopes of Mill Creek in Montgomery County near Blacksburg, Virginia.  This 117.5 acre forest is very diverse and species rich with at least 9 different forest types.  There is a regionally rare stand of Post Oak on the east side of Mill Creek. 

Joanna Sunshine eloquently expresses her deep environmental concerns.  These are “our mountains, our valley, our forest.  We live and work in our farmhouse studios surrounded by the gently rolling, tree covered Blue Ridge.  It is a privilege… indeed a gift to live here.  We see our task as one of stewards, custodians of the land, of improvement and preservation of the land for generations to come.  It is up to us to leave this a better place.  The potential rape and plunder of this forest, of this gift, is totally unacceptable.”  We believe, “No one, no purpose, no cause has the right to destroy nature.”  Thus, the Sunshines enthusiastically embraced the idea that their forest could become an old-growth forest.

The Sunshines are modifying their existing conservation easement with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, to remove the right to any future harvesting and restricting any development within the designated 500-year forest area.

Non-native species especially Ailanthus are present in high numbers in the previously harvested areas.  As with much of Virginia, deer are a serious threat to native forest regeneration.  Our management efforts will focus on bringing the invasives under control and reestablishing the native forest in those areas.  A plan for this work and a detailed analysis of the forest is being developed by Britt Boucher of Foresters, Inc., Blacksburg, Virginia.

The Sunshine property was one of the sites identified by the mapping study announced on July 10 last year.  The study was conducted under the leadership of Carolyn Copenheaver, Associate Professor of Forest Ecology, Virginia Tech Department of Forestry.

Post Oak Granddaddy

in the Sunshine forest

July  10, 2006

The 500-Year Forest Foundation has received a $3,000 grant from the Virginia Outdoors Foundation and the Virginia Environmental Endowment to do a pilot mapping study in three counties where there are forests that have a chance to become old-growth forests.

The study will be performed under the leadership of the Virginia Tech Department of Forestry and the Center for Geospatial Information Technologies.

The exact locations of the forests have not been determined, but one county will be selected in each of the three distinct parts of the state: the Piedmont, Ridge and Valley, and Coastal Plain.

The objective of the mapping study is to determine where potential sites are for this work. The study will also determine whether the forests are already under existing conservation easements, are located on private land, are parcels of at least 100 acres, and are currently forested.

The mapping study will help the foundation do a focused, efficient search for parcels and landowners that might be good matches for the work of the 500-Year Forest Foundation.

Virginia Outdoors

Foundation

                                       Department of 

Forestry 

                                              Center for Geospatial

                                                        Information Technologies

June 8, 2005
The Virginia Land Conservation Foundation awarded $224,130 to The 500-Year Forest Foundation for the protection of 225 acres of forest including two old-growth northern red oak and chestnut oak communities. These special communities were threatened by logging.  This 225 acre forest is part of a larger tract owned by Bob and Darlinda Gilvary who will match the grant with a donation of the timber and development rights.  A deed of dedication and conservation easement will protect the communities. The old-growth preserve will be known as the Chestnut Ridge Natural Area Preserve and will become a part of Virginia Natural Area Preserve system.

The Virginia Land Conservation Foundation (VCLF) provides state funding used to conserve certain categories of special state lands. Those categories are open spaces and parks, natural areas, historic areas, and farmland and forest preservation. For more information, visit www.state.va.us/dcr/vlcf/index.htm.

June 18, 2004
The 500-Year Forest Foundation is pleased to announce a grant of $11,300 from The Virginia Environmental Endowment. We will use the grant to assist in the development of biological inventories and old-growth management plans for two 500-Year Forests.

The Richmond based Virginia Environmental Endowment works to improve the quality of the environment by using its capital to encourage all sectors to work together to prevent pollution, conserve natural resources, and promote environmental literacy. For more information, visit www.vee.org.