NWTF, SUNY ESF Promote Healthy Habitat on Demonstration Forest
EDGEFIELD, S.C. — The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) Forest Properties team recently completed a timber harvest at the Pack Demonstration Forest property that began in fall 2025, thanks to funding provided by the New York NWTF State Chapter Super Fund.
The New York NWTF State Chapter granted $6,500 to help fund the project, which is designed to enhance wildlife habitat, promote regeneration of climate-adapted forests and serve as a demonstration area for landowners and land managers.
The recent 15-acre harvest is a part of a larger project that will provide opportunities for ESF Forestry students to construct firebreaks at the Spruce Mountain Climate Adaptation Area within Pack Forest. NWTF funds will also support the purchase of equipment to aid in fire line construction.
There has not been active management on this property since the 1980s when small, selective harvests were carried out. Trees are now mature to overmature, and the most recent harvest will create young forests with varied structures.
When trees are harvested, the forest’s health, structure and age classes are improved, which allows for an increase in biodiversity. More aggressive management will continue to shift the composition of the forest to a mosaic.
The 128-acre project area consisting primarily of eastern hemlock, sugar maple, birch and white pine will showcase practical examples of adaptive management to forestry professionals and the public through the creation of an interpretive trail that highlights forest management strategies aimed at increasing resiliency to future stressors. Opening this spring, the trail will offer educational tours to forest landowners, professionals, and members of the public.
This effort will be supported by ESF’s Student Association of Fire Ecology (SAFE), a campus club sanctioned by the National Association of Fire Ecology (AFE). ESF’s SAFE Chapter was established in early 2025 by students with interests in fire ecology and management. Such interests have grown on campus in association with Andy Vander Yacht, Ph.D., assistant professor at ESF, and his related course and the research being conducted by his Applied Forest and Fire Ecology Laboratory.
Other partners include the Audubon Society, Ruffed Grouse Society, Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District and the NYS Forest Rangers. Planning is underway for visitor access that will allow visitors to learn about the project while they tour the area.
About the National Wild Turkey Federation
Since 1973, the National Wild Turkey Federation has invested over half a billion dollars into wildlife conservation and has positively impacted over 25 million acres of critical wildlife habitat. Since 2022, the NWTF has also invested over $2.3 million in critical wild turkey research that, when leveraged with partner contributions, has resulted in more than $22 million to guide the management of the wild turkey and to ensure sustainable populations. The organization continues to deliver its mission by working across boundaries on a landscape scale to create healthy forests and wildlife habitats, clean and abundant water, resilient communities and robust recreational opportunities. With the help of its dedicated members, partners and staff, the NWTF is committed to creating a nation united by the life-changing power of the outdoors.