BLM-ES, Eastern States Lower Potomac Field Station Natural Resource Assessment & Forest Stewardship

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BACKGROUND: The BLM, Lower Potomac Field Station (LPFS) is seeking to support a university partner in pursuing multifunctional natural resource assessments and management recommendations on 600 acres of forested land at the Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA) in Lorton, VA. The forest is a second generation mixed hardwood forest composed of stands of sweet gum, white oak, American holly, Virginia pine, beech, black locust, honey locust, mountain laurel, various species of maple, and other hardwoods common to Northern Virginia forests. The SRMA is within the Lower Occoquan watershed, one of the least developed areas within urbanized Fairfax County. Development restrictions within the watershed were designated to protect streams, ecological areas and minimize impervious surfaces to protect water quality. Resource assessments would be beneficial to establish a baseline of current conditions for the forest, wildlife, understory vegetation, riparian habitats, and water quality. Resource planning recommendations would help ensure forest management activities benefit the full suite of biological resources, maintain social values, and protect and enhance broader conservation goals within the Lower Occoquan watershed. OBJECTIVES: The natural resource assessment and forest stewardship project is conceived as a five-year effort to meet the following objectives: 1) Establish a permanent forest inventory system to collect data on forest composition and health, timber quality and productivity, and understory plant diversity and abundance. 2) Design wildlife monitoring protocols to measure wildlife diversity and abundance. 3) Design and analyze surface and sub-surface nutrient flows along streams. 4) Assess soil conditions in pasture meadows and botanical composition. 5)Design protocols to measure recreational user experience. PUBLIC BENEFIT: Management of forest resources can be designed to meet multiple resource benefits and sustained yield consistent with BLM's mandate in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA). Improved forest health at the SRMA can result in increased carbon sequestration, reduced forest fuels, maintained and enhanced recreational opportunities, and support water quality goals to protect Chesapeake Bay.

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