Whenever the TDEC asks Tennesseans to prioritize environmental issues, inevitably, the fundamental alteration of the environment is a major concern, whether it is the loss of habitat, conversion of valuable farmland or fragmentation of our forest lands. Remarkable success has been achieved by environmental efforts that focus on specific media, such as drinking water or waste management. As we continue to learn more about the interrelationship between natural systems, however, it is becoming apparent tha t we could fully comply with all of the federal and state environmental laws and still fail to have a healthy, sustainable environment.
Tennessee can be divided into eight basic types of biological communities or ecoregions and 25 subregions. The sustainability of these areas is key to our continued use of this land for agriculture, commerce and life itself. It is essential to realize t hat clean air, clean water, a strong economy and healthy people are all dependent on a healthy ecosystem.
When Tennessee was first settled in the late 18th century, the settlers found one immense oak-chestnut forest, broken only by occasional barrens, bogs and prairies. Tremendous changes to our ecosystem since that time have dramatically altered the origina l balance of this natural system. During the first 150 years of our statehood, more than 70 percent of the state’s forests were cut and cleared. Unlike modern timber harvesting practices, much of the early forest clearing was accomplished through widesp read burning, which further resulted in the denuding of steep slopes.
Overuse and abuse of the land during and after the Civil War hastened the decline of the state’s forests. The worst forest disaster in American history occurred in the 1920s and ’30s when a blight almost entirely eliminated the remaining chestnut forest. By the 1930s, the health of the land reached an all-time low, as much of Tennessee’s land was useless and eroding into streams and rivers.
With the advent of modern soil conservation methods and a stable, improving economic base, much of our badly eroded land has been reclaimed. The Natchez Trace State Forest is an excellent example of reforestation efforts that took place under the directi on of the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Tennessee Division of Forestry and others. Reclamation efforts continue today in the Copper Basin in the southeastern corner of the state, although this area still bears the ugly scars of deforestation and land degradation.
It is currently estimated that forests statewide are regenerating at a rate three times faster than they are being harvested. Forestry experts have expressed a concern about the quality of these second- and third-growth forests, however, as timber harves ters often “choose the best and leave the rest.” To improve the overall quality of our forests, we must continue to encourage the implementation of sound forestry practices.
Natural Areas
There are only a few places in Tennessee that resemble their presettlement condition. State Botanist Milo Pyne has identified some of these “old-growth” areas, such as Roan High Bluff on Roan Mountain, Albright Grove in the Great Smoky Mountains National
Park, Big Frog Mountain in the Cherokee National Forest and even Overton Park within the Memphis city limits.
In 1971, the state General Assembly passed key legislation that laid the foundation for ecosystem or “place-based” protection. The objectives of Tennessee’s place-based protection are the acquisition of the last great wilderness treasures in the state an d the maintenance of the overall sustainability of our major ecosystems.
The 1971 Natural Areas Preservation Act preserved and protected 29 natural areas for future generations to enjoy, including Radnor Lake in Nashville, Big Cypress Tree in Weakley County and Savage Gulf on the Cumberland Plateau. Today, 47 natural areas ar e protected under this act.
In each of Tennessee's diverse ecoregions, there are many opportunities to
restore degraded natural areas and to provide protection for others.
Resource management agencies together with public and private partners are
working to identify high value, threatened ecosystems and to ensure that
they are managed for natural values. Illustrated here are five such
valued wilderness treasures. Many others could be listed.
The General Assembly greatly strengthened this effort in 1991 by establishing a dedicated land acquisition fund. Barnett’s Woods, Hubbard’s Cave, Powell River Preserve, Sneed Road Cedar Glade, Sunnybelle Cedar Glade, Washmorgan Hollow, Couchville Cedar G lade, Ghost River section of the Wolf River, Prince tract, Three Rivers at Pickett State Forest, Radnor Lake boundary tract, Frozen Head viewshed, Tim’s Ford State Park boundary tract, Crockett State Park viewshed and Cove Lake State Park boundary tract a re just a few of the recent acquisitions made in an effort to preserve rapidly disappearing natural and wilderness areas.
Ensuring the sustainability of our varied ecosystems does not mean that we must restore the entire state to its presettlement condition. It does mean that highly valued, threatened ecosystems will continue to be identified and management strategies for t heir protection developed.
Tennessee’s ecosystems will certainly face new challenges from disease, invasive exotic plant and animal species, and the pressures of population growth. However, all indications are that the state of the land is much better today than it was 50 years ag o and that it will be even more healthy 50 years from now.
The Ghost River
The Wolf River and the Hatchie State Scenic River are the only two remaining functional, unchannelized rivers in West Tennessee. Originating in northern Mississippi, the Wolf River enters Tennessee in Fayette County and continues through Shelby County on
its 86-mile journey to meet the Mississippi River in Memphis. Although small sections of the Wolf River have been channelized in Shelby County as well as in its uppermost reaches, it is largely a functional riparian system with its associated bottomland
hardwood forest and cypress/tupelo swamps.
TDEC State Natural Areas Coordinator Brian Bowen quietly
manuevers a canoe through the lush canopy of he Ghost River.
The Wolf River is heavily impacted by runoff sediments, and much of its floodplain has been cleared for timber or agricultural use. However, the river corridor itself retains its natural beauty and majesty. Recognizing this, the Wolf River Conservancy, the TDEC, the TWRA, the Conservation Fund and many private contributors recently cooperated in raising funds to acquire and protect a 4,000-acre tract located along the Wolf River in Fayette County. This section of the river contains a vast cypress/tupel o swamp with no discernible river channel, hence the name “Ghost River.”
The Fayette County tract, known as the Beasley farm, will be jointly managed by TDEC and TWRA with input and support from the Wolf River Conservancy and other conservation groups. A portion of the tract containing the river corridor and the Ghost River s ection will be managed by TDEC as a State Natural Area, with the remainder of the property being managed by TWRA as a Wildlife Management Area.
This acquisition represents but one of many conservation projects under way to protect the Wolf River. Efforts will continue to ensure that this unique river is preserved in its natural state for future generations of Tennesseans to enjoy.