Logging at Prentice Cooper State Forest
The nearly 30,000 acres of Prentice Cooper State Forest are a treasure for people in the Chattanooga Area, an excellent example of Cumberland Plateau forest, with numerous stands of forest land that is reaching near old-growth character in the 130-150 year age range. While a lot of the lower slopes are not under logging prescriptions, much of the plateau top is, and are subject to clearcutting and two-stage seedtree cuts. Below are some pictures of two recent cuts along Tower Road. Tennessee Heartwood is working to raise public awareness of the need to protect at least some of this important upland/ridgetop habitat. We managed to get to site 2 to video footage capturing the land before logging, then returned a couple of months later to document the effects. See the video below: