About the Forestry Department

Education/demonstration serves as the structure for the management goals of wood, water, wildlife and recreation. The forestry effort began at the dawn of the American conservation movement. A small private College with egalitarian ideals has provided a unique setting for this. Berea College continues to offer low cost education to capable students with limited financial resources. There is still a commitment to the Southern Appalachian Region. Now we are beginning the 2nd century of forestry practice in the United States. The period is marked by contentious debate over forest management. Perhaps, the greatest value of the Berea College Forest is as a resource to demonstrate and evaluate the results of long term forest management in the Southern Appalachian Region.

Recreation

Each fall since 1875, Berea students have celebrated "Mountain Day" by hiking in the area of the College Forest. Year round hiking is available for the public. Up until the 1960's, hikers and logging crews used the same roads/trails for their activities. When all logging roads were open to hikers, over 20 miles were available. Increased recreational use required separation of timber harvesting and hiking. Currently, some 12 miles of hiking trails are open to the public for day use. Active silviculture takes place along a portion of the trails for education/demonstration access. Some old growth stands may be viewed also.

Water Production

Water was an initial Berea College Forest management goal.
Water from springs on the Forest began flowing the 5 miles to Berea by gravity in 1905 and the first reservoir was built in 1920. Four reservoirs and a treatment plant now produce some 798 million gallons of water annually (1996 total) for Berea and several water districts. The largest of the lakes is Owsley Fork at 151 surface acres. Water and wood production have coexisted for 95 years within the main block of the Forest. The 1,300 acres in the Owsley Fork watershed were purchased since 1970 and have not been included in the timber production base.

Cultural Rescues

The College Forest contains several sites of archaeological or cultural significance including walls built by the Adena culture (1,000 BC-500 AD) and Civil War sites.

Timber Management

A privately run sawmill near the Forest was a destination for sawlogs. The haul road goes through the creek. The creek is used to dispose of sawdust and slabs. By this time, most old field and harvest sites had begun to reach saw timber size. Wood output in 1949 was 165,000 board feet (BF) saw timber, 593 cords of pulpwood, 10,228 fence posts (locust & chestnut), 2,000 hickory handle billets, 2,100 mine props, 100 tobacco barn tier poles, and 46 cords of fuel wood. Increases in harvest levels began in 1945 under a management plan revision. By 1954 annual saw timber harvest was above 200,000 BF. Prior to 1945 there were average annual harvest levels of around 100,000 BF of saw timber. However, salvage of dying chestnuts pushed harvest levels as high as 300,000 BF for a few years in the 1930's. The College not only sold the stumpage and logs, but also produced some lumber for construction, furniture, crafts, etc.

The sale of timber supports both the Forest operation and the General Fund for support of the College. In 100 years, 5,000 acres of the forest has produced some 16 million board feet of saw timber and a tremendous quantity other wood products. Most of that land was acquired in an old field or just harvested condition (1898-1960). Land that contains inoperable sites, recreation areas, the Owsley Fork watershed and tracts acquired since 1960 have not contributed to the timber production base. Following implementation of a sustained-yield management plan, the College ran its own sawmill from 1960-70. That period saw an annual cut of 800,000 board feet. The complexity of the sawmill business did not fit the College well and the mill was sold. Timber production was suspended until the mid 1980's. Current annual harvest levels are in the 200,000 board feet range and have both timber and wildlife management goals.

Adaptive Management

A 90-year-old shortleaf pine stand in Davis Hollow has been favored by a past commercial thinning. It is an even-aged, old field stand with a history of fire. However, most of the harvests on the Forest prior to 1984 have been single tree and group selection. This has led to a decrease in certain tree species, shortleaf pine being one. We now understand that pre-European settlement, native American fire use and agricultural practices resulted in landscapes of varied vegetation cover, including even-aged stands, and favored pyrophytes like shortleaf pine, oaks and chestnut. To some extent, early (pre-industrial) settlement practices of fire use and land clearing gave similar results. Selection harvests (and fire protection) have discriminated against such conditions. Even-aged silviculture and control of shade tolerant species is currently being used to restore such communities. Prescribed fire has not been used, but is being considered for future management. Limited restoration of grassland (prairie, savanna, etc.) communities is also being done.