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Catlett Farm
Gloucester County, Virginia

Showcases:
Catlett Farm
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Fort Story Forestry Inventory

Williamsburg Environmental Group, Inc. (WEG) has been retained by Timberneck, LLC to provide forestry consulting services on the Catlett Farm Property 981 acres located in Gloucester County, VA. WEG has authored a forest management plan outlining the silvicultural practices for this property, focusing not only on the riparian forested areas, but the reforestation of a previously logged portion of the site as well.  Initial steps involved Resource Protection Area (RPA) determination in order to delineate where the se practices may take place.  A forest health survey has been conducted within the RPA paying close attention to all trees that are found to be dead, showing signs of disease, dying, or showing further signs of decline. In addition, trees that show signs of structural failure were flagged for removal. These stems will be removed without the use of mechanized wheeled or tracked equipment that may pose adverse effects to the natural ground conditions found in the RPA. Within the survey area, trees that will prove to be valuable wildlife habitat will be left to remain as long as they pose no threat to property or persons and are of non-pine species. This focuses on the prevention of pine bark beetle infestations within the immediate forest community and neighboring forested lands.

This canopy thinning will take place landward of the RPA and will be performed to thin the forest in a manner that focuses on reducing the number of trees-per-acre (TPA) to allow the nutrients and sunlight to be used by the residual stems left onsite. This will greatly increase tree diameter and vitality of the remaining trees as well as ensure future tree health and the retention of historical forest genetics.  Trees found to lie within the RPA and seaward may be vista pruned to allow for a view-shed from the proposed homes that are to be constructed onsite. The objective of vista pruning is to selectively remove scaffold limbs within the canopy of a tree to grant a view from a determined point. When vista pruning is implemented no more than 25% of the canopy is removed and virtually none of the shade tree or canopy attributes of the tree’s structure are sacrificed.  This method of riparian forest management will prove to be the most prudent to preserve the riparian ecosystem as well as gain the desired view-shed.  This pruning will be done under the guidance and direction of a certified arborist.

All of these practices are believed to be approved and applicable to the Catlett Farm project site through Section 5.5-13 “Exemptions” of the Gloucester County Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance.

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