EXAMPLE PAGE - REPORTS - FOOTHILLS CONSERVANCY - Flipbook - Side 21
2023 Impact Report
New Age of Forestry
removing the entire forest canopy (i.e. clearcutting). When an oak-hickory forest in our Southern
Appalachian region is clear-cut and the entire
By Ryan Sparks, Stewardship Director
Every day in our forests there is a silent struggle
between tree species for available resources like
sunlight, water, and space to grow. The effects of these
interspecioc encounters aren9t immediate, so a person
has to sit back, be patient, and observe, sometimes for
several generations, to understand the outcomes.
Over the last century or so, our magniocent
oaks, hickories, Southern yellow pines, and other
slow-growing, ore-tolerant tree species have
been suppressed by opportunistic, water-loving
(mesophytic) species like maple, yellow poplar,
beech, and blackgum, among others. This change
in the dominant canopy tree species over time
has been dubbed,
