Mark Twain Forest overhaul draws controversy
December 10, 2014
Charlea Mills
A proposed project regarding the Mark Twain National Forest is creating controversy locally, and many are submitting comments and hoping to halt the plans. The Butler Hollow Project, a forest management plan affecting 18,181 acres of National Forest System proposed by the Ava/Cassville/Willow Springs Ranger District (ACWSRD), would restore much of the land in the local area forest to conditions as they were historically, which is primarily open woodland.
According to the ACWD Rangers, management is necessary to improve the forest health conditions and enhance native plant communities. A big part of the project involves cutting down trees for timber, cut and leaving timber and performing prescribed burns. This method was said to have occurred historically on a fairly regular basis but has not been done with the same regularity since.
The area of the forest that is to receive this treatment is located along the northern edge of Roaring River State Park and Highway 86. Highway 86 also forms the eastern boundary. The southern boundary is the state line with Arkansas, and the western edge of the Cassville Unit.
Many locals are speaking out against the project, claiming that it will destroy the forest already there and that it will be a burden on taxpayers to maintain it in the future. A vocal group of nay-sayers are encouraging others to research and make comments during the 30-day public comment period that will be closing on December 22.
The two proposals for the Butler Hollow Project include two choices: taking no action or going through with the project as planned. As it is proposed, vegetation management would include restoration thinning, cutting trees for timber, cutting and leaving hardwoods, pine and cedar, and removing cedar from various areas. A prescribed burn would include 17,517 of the 18,181 acres in the project area. Of the 57.3 miles of National Forest system roads and 10.2 miles of non-system roads maintenance would be done on 19 miles, reconstruction on 8.3 miles and another 20.2 miles would be decommissioned. Other smaller projects include closing six caves, restoring glade on 2,790 acres and controlling noxious weeds as needed.
Currently, the forest is classified as closed woodland and forest communities. The ACWSRD hopes to change the current open woodland from 2,142 acres to 10,842 acres. Open woodland is an overstory canopy of 30 to 50 percent with a dense shrub layer, very different than the closed woodland that is currently prevalent. This part of the project is most concerning for residents because it would impact the current dense forest with drastic thinning. Closed woodland currently is 7,174 acres, and the ACWSRD hopes to get that down to 3,087 acres. Upland forest will also decrease, and glades will be up to 3,089 acres from the current 465 acres. In other words, a significant percentage of the forest land will change fairly drastically.
The primary reasoning behind the project is the complaint that, as it stands, the forest is not maintaining itself, and most of the present trees are mature timber, making them prone to disease and damage. Around 86 percent of the timber stands are mature and susceptible to those problems.
Primary objectives listed in the comment package include:
- Control a minimum of 2,000 acres of noxious or non-noxious species
- Restore or enhance 125 acres of bottomland hardwood forest
- Improve open woodland to at least 10,500 acres for habitat for the summer tanager, northern bobwhite, Bachman’s sparrow, and eastern red bat
- Increase managed native grasslands to that of exotic cool season grasses from 46 percent native to 55 percent native grass to provide habitat for northern bobwhite
- Maintain forest, closed woodland or open woodland cover for over 85 percent or more for the habitat of the worm-eating warbler
- Treat 4,000 acres of glads or reduce woody vegetation for the Bachman’s sparrow
- Prescribe burn 40 percent of the projected burn acres in September through December instead of just the late-winter through early-spring burns.
Many in the community have reached out to local legislators to help preserve the forest as it is now. When asked for a comment on the project, State Representative Scott Fitzpatrick stated, “I’ve only recently become aware of the federal government’s plans for Butler Hollow. If this plan is carried out, it will have a decades-long impact on the beauty of the forest. I will be in touch with our federal legislators requesting their assistance in ensuring that an adequate review period is observed, and that the input received from Barry County residents, especially those with adjacent land, is a key component in the decision making process. Given that the National Forest is not under the jurisdiction of the state, mine and Senator Sater’s ability to influence the outcome of the decision will be very limited, which is why it is extremely important that our federal delegation receive input from as many citizens as possible.”
For more information on the Butler Hollow Project or to make a public comment, go to http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/mtnf/projects or call Allen Weathersbee at the Mark Twain National Forest, Ava/Cassville/Willow Springs District Office, at (417) 683-4428 ext. 131.
Charlea Mills
A proposed project regarding the Mark Twain National Forest is creating controversy locally, and many are submitting comments and hoping to halt the plans. The Butler Hollow Project, a forest management plan affecting 18,181 acres of National Forest System proposed by the Ava/Cassville/Willow Springs Ranger District (ACWSRD), would restore much of the land in the local area forest to conditions as they were historically, which is primarily open woodland.
According to the ACWD Rangers, management is necessary to improve the forest health conditions and enhance native plant communities. A big part of the project involves cutting down trees for timber, cut and leaving timber and performing prescribed burns. This method was said to have occurred historically on a fairly regular basis but has not been done with the same regularity since.
The area of the forest that is to receive this treatment is located along the northern edge of Roaring River State Park and Highway 86. Highway 86 also forms the eastern boundary. The southern boundary is the state line with Arkansas, and the western edge of the Cassville Unit.
Many locals are speaking out against the project, claiming that it will destroy the forest already there and that it will be a burden on taxpayers to maintain it in the future. A vocal group of nay-sayers are encouraging others to research and make comments during the 30-day public comment period that will be closing on December 22.
The two proposals for the Butler Hollow Project include two choices: taking no action or going through with the project as planned. As it is proposed, vegetation management would include restoration thinning, cutting trees for timber, cutting and leaving hardwoods, pine and cedar, and removing cedar from various areas. A prescribed burn would include 17,517 of the 18,181 acres in the project area. Of the 57.3 miles of National Forest system roads and 10.2 miles of non-system roads maintenance would be done on 19 miles, reconstruction on 8.3 miles and another 20.2 miles would be decommissioned. Other smaller projects include closing six caves, restoring glade on 2,790 acres and controlling noxious weeds as needed.
Currently, the forest is classified as closed woodland and forest communities. The ACWSRD hopes to change the current open woodland from 2,142 acres to 10,842 acres. Open woodland is an overstory canopy of 30 to 50 percent with a dense shrub layer, very different than the closed woodland that is currently prevalent. This part of the project is most concerning for residents because it would impact the current dense forest with drastic thinning. Closed woodland currently is 7,174 acres, and the ACWSRD hopes to get that down to 3,087 acres. Upland forest will also decrease, and glades will be up to 3,089 acres from the current 465 acres. In other words, a significant percentage of the forest land will change fairly drastically.
The primary reasoning behind the project is the complaint that, as it stands, the forest is not maintaining itself, and most of the present trees are mature timber, making them prone to disease and damage. Around 86 percent of the timber stands are mature and susceptible to those problems.
Primary objectives listed in the comment package include:
- Control a minimum of 2,000 acres of noxious or non-noxious species
- Restore or enhance 125 acres of bottomland hardwood forest
- Improve open woodland to at least 10,500 acres for habitat for the summer tanager, northern bobwhite, Bachman’s sparrow, and eastern red bat
- Increase managed native grasslands to that of exotic cool season grasses from 46 percent native to 55 percent native grass to provide habitat for northern bobwhite
- Maintain forest, closed woodland or open woodland cover for over 85 percent or more for the habitat of the worm-eating warbler
- Treat 4,000 acres of glads or reduce woody vegetation for the Bachman’s sparrow
- Prescribe burn 40 percent of the projected burn acres in September through December instead of just the late-winter through early-spring burns.
Many in the community have reached out to local legislators to help preserve the forest as it is now. When asked for a comment on the project, State Representative Scott Fitzpatrick stated, “I’ve only recently become aware of the federal government’s plans for Butler Hollow. If this plan is carried out, it will have a decades-long impact on the beauty of the forest. I will be in touch with our federal legislators requesting their assistance in ensuring that an adequate review period is observed, and that the input received from Barry County residents, especially those with adjacent land, is a key component in the decision making process. Given that the National Forest is not under the jurisdiction of the state, mine and Senator Sater’s ability to influence the outcome of the decision will be very limited, which is why it is extremely important that our federal delegation receive input from as many citizens as possible.”
For more information on the Butler Hollow Project or to make a public comment, go to http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/mtnf/projects or call Allen Weathersbee at the Mark Twain National Forest, Ava/Cassville/Willow Springs District Office, at (417) 683-4428 ext. 131.
