Bath Forest Service Report

Hot Springs, Va. –

The final forest plan is scheduled for release. This is District Ranger Patrick Sheridan from the James River and Warm Springs Ranger Districts. A final revision of the George Washington Forest Plan is set for March 2013. A draft revision of the George Washington Forest Plan was released in May 2011. The Forest Plan is revised every 12 to 15 years and provides overall direction and guidance to the management of the George Washington National Forest. Visit our website for additional information or call the Warm Springs or James River Ranger Districts.

Kisamore Logging of Churchville, Virginia was the highest bidder for the Mares Run Timber Sale, which was auctioned off in mid-November. Work is expected to begin in the spring of 2013. This project will commercially harvest 165 acres of timber, construct .4 miles of temporary road, create 7 wildlife clearings, build 8 wildlife waterholes, prescribe burn 518 acres, treat 32 acres of invasive plants, and conduct 50 acres of timber stand improvement thinning. The environmental decision was signed in June 2012. This project is located in Bath County, 3 miles east of Warm Springs, Virginia.

The Tri County Timber Sale project in Alleghany County sold earlier this year to Gilbert Brothers Logging. Timber sale contracts are also active on Back Creek Mountain in Bath County and on the So Big project in Alleghany County. Timber projects sold in 2012 included Mares Run in Bath and Tri County in Alleghany County. Timber management areas being planned for 2013 are Little Mountain in Bath, Mad Anne in Alleghany, the Duncan Knob area in Bath, Lime Kiln in Bath and Brattons Run in Alleghany and Rockbridge.