The Role of the U.S. Forest Service in Pollinator Habitat
Many forest service projects involve the creation of early successional habitat, which directly supports pollinators.
The U.S. Forest Service works year round to manage the Monongahela National forest. The majority of these management projects are aimed at improving forest health, and lucky for pollinators, many of those activities either directly or indirectly provide pollinator habitat!
This is because most Forest Service projects involve the creation of early successional habitat. But what is this and why is it important to pollinators?
According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, early successional habitat can include weedy areas, grassland, shrub thickets and young forest and provides habitat and food for many wildlife species. In addition to providing full sunlight and foraging habitat for pollinators, early successional habitat is also crucial for many bird species in the Appalachian forest region. Unfortunately, strip mining in the mid 1900's led coal companies to plant non-native, monoculture forests which has resulted in forest stands that are now all the same age class.
This means that to help native forests reestablish, the Forest Service has to do reclamation and maintenance work to ensure a healthy ecosystem. Additionally, without natural disturbances, early successional habitat eventually grows into mature forests, which is currently the condition for the majority of the Monongahela forest. Therefore, in addition to mine land reclamation work, the Forest Service has to be active in the creation of early successional habitat to provide wildlife openings.
The following Forest Service projects highlight just a few of the projects currently in progress that involve the creation of early successional habitat and benefit pollinators!
Panther Ridge Wildlife Habitat Enhancement Project
This project will create savannahs for songbirds and at-risk pollinator species including the rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis), yellow-banded bumble bee (Bombus terricola) and monarch butterflies.
The Brushy Mountain Wildlife Habitat Improvement Project
The Marlinton-White Sulfur Ranger District hopes to create early successional wildlife habitat and enhance tree regeneration in this area of the Monongahela Forest. This will create habitat for wildlife that depends on early successional habitat, young forests, flowering plants and oak-hickory forests.
Upper Elk Ecological Restoration Project
Overall, this project by the White-Sulfur Marlinton Ranger District aims to improve forest health. Part of this improvement includes improving age class diversity, as the majority of the area is filled with stands that are 80 to 120+ years old. This lack of diversity means that stands are overcrowded and more susceptible to disease.
Cranberry Spring Creek Project
As a part of this project, the Forest Service will create pollinator habitat by creating wildlife openings. Additionally, the staff at the Gauley Ranger District are adding native wildflower species in their reclamation mix, which previously only included grass species.
Beulah Wildlife Enhancement Project
This project at the Greenbrier Ranger District will improve wildlife habitat for the ruffed grouse, the American woodcock, deer and other species that prefer early successional habitat via vegetation diversity enhancement, wildlife opening management and timber and wildlife stand improvement. In addition to benefitting overall forest health, these wildlife openings also create habitat for pollinators.
Spruce Mountain Grouse Management Area Project
This project in the Cheat-Potomac Ranger District is working to restore and maintain ruffed grouse habitat. This will be accomplished by increasing early successional habitat and enhancing species diversity to increase foraging opportunities. However, in addition to benefitting the ruffed grouse, these early successional areas also provide habitat for pollinators in the Monongahela forest.
Panther Ridge Wildlife Habitat Enhancement Project
This project will create savannahs for songbirds and at-risk pollinator species including the rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis), yellow-banded bumble bee (Bombus terricola) and monarch butterflies.
This is needed because there is currently a lack of habitat diversity in the forest, as there is only 1.7% of early successional habitat cover and this percentage would ideally be closer to 12-20%. Additionally, this project aims to create savannahs for pollinators.
To address pollinator habitat, this project would specifically work to establish native milkweed and other nectar plants in the savannahs for the pollinator species. Additionally, 5,065 acres would be treated with prescribed fire, which would allow for wildflowers and grasses to grow and lead to increased species richness of butterflies and native bees!
The Brushy Mountain Wildlife Habitat Improvement Project
The Marlinton-White Sulfur Ranger District hopes to create early successional wildlife habitat and enhance tree regeneration in this area of the Monongahela Forest. This will create habitat for wildlife that depends on early successional habitat, young forests, flowering plants and oak-hickory forests.
Specifically, this project aims to create habitat for migratory birds such as the blue-winged warbler, red-headed woodpecker, yellow-bellied sapsucker and the ruffed grouse. However, in addition to helping these species that. are a Birds of Conservation Concern for the Appalachian Mountain Birds Conservation Region, this habitat creation will also benefit pollinators that need full sun and open habitat.
Upper Elk Ecological Restoration Project
Overall, this project by the White-Sulfur Marlinton Ranger District aims to improve forest health. Part of this improvement includes improving age class diversity, as the majority of the area is filled with stands that are 80 to 120+ years old. This lack of diversity means that stands are overcrowded and more susceptible to disease.
Specifically, this project hopes to maintain 30 existing wildlife openings and create 22 more acres of early successional habitat - all of which will improve pollinator habitat.
Cranberry Spring Creek Project
As a part of this project, the Forest Service will create pollinator habitat by creating wildlife openings. Additionally, the staff at the Gauley Ranger District are adding native wildflower species in their reclamation mix, which previously only included grass species.
In addition to other management, the Cranberry Spring Creek project aims to create up to 1,000 acres of wildlife openings over next 10 years. This includes the creation of 59 new wildlife openings on flats in the project area (for a total of 588 acres) and the rehabilitation of 47 wildlife openings, totaling 106 acres.
Creating wildlife openings means that there will be a greater amount of early successional habitat in the area, and therefore more habitat for meadow-loving pollinators!
Future project directions allow for the possibility of adding additional pollinator seeding and planting of native wildflowers and fruit trees and shrubs.
Beulah Wildlife Enhancement Project
This project at the Greenbrier Ranger District will improve wildlife habitat for the ruffed grouse, the American woodcock, deer and other species that prefer early successional habitat via vegetation diversity enhancement, wildlife opening management and timber and wildlife stand improvement. In addition to benefitting overall forest health, these wildlife openings also create habitat for pollinators.
Spruce Mountain Grouse Management Area Project
This project in the Cheat-Potomac Ranger District is working to restore and maintain ruffed grouse habitat. This will be accomplished by increasing early successional habitat and enhancing species diversity to increase foraging opportunities. However, in addition to benefitting the ruffed grouse, these early successional areas also provide habitat for pollinators in the Monongahela forest.
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For a full list of these Forest Service projects, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/mnf/landmanagement/projects