Old Growth

The Forest Service recognizes old-growth forests as a valuable natural resource worthy of protection, restoration, and management. Old-growth forests provide a variety of values, such asbiological diversity, wildlife habitat, recreation, aesthetics, soil productivity, water quality, aquatic habitat, cultural values, and high-value timber products. Direction for old-growth management is found in

Chapter 4, ``Management Area Goals, Desired future Conditions, Standards, and Guidelines.''

Additional direction can be found in “Guidance for Conserving and Restoring Old-GrowthForest Communities on National Forests in the Southern Region, Report of the Region 8 Old-Growth Team, June 1997.

 VG-40 In addition to the large and medium-sized old-growth patches allocated in Chapter 4,small patches (199 acres) of existing or future old growth will be designated during fieldexamination and inventory throughout the planning period.   These small patches will bedesignated to help fulfill the forestwide objectives found in Chapter 2, ``Forestwide Desired Future Conditions, Goals, and Objectives,'' and the management area DFCs for MA 7.1, 7.2, 7.3,and 9.2 found in Chapter 4. Small patches will be designated as old growth in the upland longleaf pine and southern wet pine communities and classified as unsuitable for timber production. The use of RCW clusters and recruitment/replacement stands is compatible with old-growth designations. Small patches also will be designated as old growth in the dry and drymesic oak/pine, upland mesic hardwood, and dry and xeric oak communities.  These patches will be unsuitable for timber production. Any stands inventoried and found to be existing old growth (based on Regional Guidance) will be designated as old growth and classified as unsuitable for timber production