Forest
Products and Silviculture
Since
1956, this program has generated $50 million in revenue from
the sale of forest products, primarily sawlogs for lumber,
pulpwood for paper, and pine straw for mulch. The value
of the standing timber at SRS is over $500 million.
USFS-SR harvests about 25 million board feet annually, which
is roughly half of the net forest growth at SRS. This
harvest supplies the equivalent of about 20 percent of the
wood supply in the Central Savannah River Area. A low intensity
of management is designed to support DOE’s sustainable resource
management objectives, which include management for endangered
species, ecological and environmental restoration, research,
deer hunts, and a diverse array of forest conditions for nongame
wildlife and plants. Harvesting activities include thinning,
partial-cutting, and clear-cutting. Silvicultural practices
include planting pines and hardwoods, vegetation management
and spacing control. The program is responsible for
supporting and implementing many of the SRS resource management
objectives.
The following
are services that this program provides to partners and SRS
cooperators: 
- Preparation
of timber sale contracts to clear land for rights-of-way
and facilities. It is desirable to have at least six
to nine months notice so that contracts for sale can be
prepared and advertised. Large sales that can be harvested
during the winter months increase revenue potential.
- Advice
on vegetation management using herbicides or other management
technologies. The staff, in collaboration with other
pest management experts, has the qualifications and experience
to facilitate environmentally sound and cost-effective vegetation
management.
- Assistance
in timber harvest and silvicultural activities associated
with environmental restoration projects. The program
has funded and implemented major wetland restoration projects,
such as Pen Branch and Carolina bays.
- Support
and assistance for most research conducted at SRS that involved
manipulation of vegetation and forest cover. The staff
assists in design, location, logistics, implementation,
measurement, and management of numerous research projects.
- Management
of the SRS forest structure and composition to meet game
and nongame wildlife objectives. Harvesting and other
silvicultural practices are the primary tools for manipulating
vegetation to support specific wildlife habitat objectives.
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