Officials at Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area are continuing with a planned timber thinning and sale this week.
The Paradise Timber Sale on the north end of LBL paused for five-months during the winter season, but will now resume as soil conditions have improved.
Contractors plan to clear fast-growing loblolly pine trees, which aren’t native to the region. LBL Public Relations Specialist Josh Frye says the goal isn’t to eliminate trees species, but promote growth for future flora and fauna.
“There have been some species that have been introduced throughout the years," said Frye. "In general you have to manage your forest in order to really stimulate biodiversity and support species which include white-tailed deer and wild turkey. They really need a forest and a habitat that they can thrive in.”
Frye says the removal is not a decision made lightly and is part of the bigger picture for managing the vast environmental resources at LBL.
“We’ve got 170,000 acres of land at Land Between the Lakes and managing it is a Herculean effort," said Frye. "So we’ve got on our staff foresters, silviculturists and wildlife biologists. They have to work together with our community, with our stakeholders to execute a plan.”
The timber thinning will affect approximately 308 acres.
Contractors will soon resume work near Road 112 and the Woodlands Trace.
A buffer zone between Woodlands Trace and the timber sale will be put in place as a visual barrier to passing visitors.
