Statement of need: james river national wildlife refuge (JRNWR) is a 4,700-acre property located in prince george county, virginia comprised of pine-dominated, hardwood and floodplain forest

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) was awarded a $1,244,000 Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) under the National Wildlife Refuge System Enhancements program (CFDA 15.654). The 4-year project aims to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire on 2,100 acres of loblolly pine-dominated habitat at the James River National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia. Key activities include: 1) completing a timber inventory to assess baseline conditions; 2) conducting timber harvesting to reduce canopy tree density; 3) using prescribed burns to transition the habitat towards a more fire-resilient, biologically diverse southern pine savanna ecosystem; 4) underplanting longleaf pine and seeding native grasses/wildflowers; and 5) controlling invasive species. A portion of the $94,000 in BIL grant funds will be used for the timber inventory and forester monitoring, while the remaining $1,150,000 will come from program income generated by the timber harvests.

Historically, under a natural disturbance regime of lightning-set, low-severity fires, JRNWR acreage would have been dominated by widely-spaced, fire-tolerant longleaf pine instead of the densely stocked, fire-intolerant loblolly pine stands currently found on the property. JRNWR S dense loblolly stands limit native plant and animal diversity and pose a risk to surrounding landowners should stands catch fire due to lightning or human-set fire under extreme weather conditions. Refuge biologists have concern conditions favoring extreme wildfire conditions, particularly extended droughts, may be on the rise as a result of climate change. Intense wildfire resulting in canopy mortality could set back decades of habitat restoration work on the refuge. In addition, travel of fire off-refuge could lead to substantial loss of property value on surrounding, privately-owned parcels of land. The path towards a more fire-resilient and biologically diverse forest at JRNWR requires substantial thinning of loblolly stands to reduce fuel loading and to set the stage for future conversion of loblolly to longleaf pine.FWS staff recognize the urgent need to engage partners to meet the aggressive challenge of restoring 2,100 acres of pine savanna habitat within a 4-year project timeframe. The nature conservancy (TNC) has over 25 years of experience in restoration and management of pine savanna habitat in southeast VA and as a trusted non-profit organization can help FWS achieve desired conservation outcomes.goals and objectives: the primary goal of this project is to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire on 2,100 acres of loblolly pine-dominated habitat on JRNWR. Key objectives are to 1) reduce the existing loblolly pine canopy density to stocking levels identified by FWS biologists 2) reduce the abundance of surface fuels 3) initiate establishment of more fire-tolerant canopy tree species 4) maintain and where possible increase the abundance of native plants 5) create new opportunities for the refuge visitor engagement.activities: element 1 of the project will be completion of a timber inventory of project area stands to determine baseline conditions. Element 2 will involve timber harvesting to reduce canopy tree density. Element 3 will involve prescribed fire. All project area stands will receive at least one burn over the course of the project period and -900 acres will be treated twice. In element 4, to begin transition of JRNWR to southern pine savanna ecosystem, a demonstration area will be underplanted with longleaf pine in a heavily thinned pine stand. Native grass and wildflower seed will be sown in pine stands and other select sites to accelerate restoration of groundcover diversity. Finally, element 5 will involve invasive species control to restrict the spread of various non-native species from roadway shoulders into thinned stands.source of funds: a total of 94,000 of F23AS00103 refuge enhancement non-infrastructure grant funding through the bipartisan insrastructure bill (BIL) is requested. BIL funds will be used to complete a timber inventory of the project area and to contract with a professional forester to monitor timber harvesting operations. Additional funding to cover elements 3-5 will be available through program income generated from timber harvests. The estimated timber harvest income over the course of the project is 1,150,000.timeline: this is a 4-year project beginning summer fall 2023.