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Draft Broome State Forests Unit Management Plan

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Draft Broome State Forests Unit Management Plan Broome State Forests UNIT MANAGEMENT PLAN DRAFT Broome County Towns of Sanford, Windsor, Vestal and Kirkwood and the Tioga County Town of Owego August 2020 DIVISION OF LANDS AND FORESTS Bureau of State Land Management, Region 7 2715 State Highway 80 Sherburne, New York 13460 607-674-4036 www.dec.ny.gov DRAFT BROOME STATE FORESTS UNIT MANAGEMENT PLAN COVERING EIGHT STATE FORESTS IN BROOME AND TIOGA COUNTIES, NY: HAWKINS POND – BROOME R.A. # 3 MARSH POND – BROOME R.A. #4 SKYLINE DRIVE – BROOME # 5 CASCADE VALLEY – BROOME # 6 BEAVER POND – BROOME #7 WHITAKER SSWAMP – BROOME #8 CAT HOLLOW – BROOME #9 TRACY CREEK – BROOME-TIOGA #1 Prepared By: Christopher Sprague, Supervising Forester, Team Leader Andrew Blum, Senior Forester New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Lands & Forests Office 2715 State Highway 80 Sherburne, New York 13460 607-674-4036 Contributing Staff: Paul Giachetti, Mineral Resources Randy Ortleib, Operations Field Supervisor Barb Small, Operations 1 DEC’s Mission "The quality of our environment is fundamental to our concern for the quality of life. It is hereby declared to be the policy of the State of New York to conserve, improve and protect its natural resources and environment and to prevent, abate and control water, land and air pollution, in order to enhance the health, safety and welfare of the people of the state and their overall economic and social well-being." - Environmental Conservation Law 1-0101(1) * Highlighted (bold) terms are defined in the Glossary. Vision Statement State Forests on the Unit Name Unit (unit acronym, if commonly used) will be managed in a sustainable manner by promoting ecosystem health, enhancing landscape biodiversity, protecting soil productivity and water quality. In addition, the State Forests on this unit will continue to provide the many recreational, social and economic benefits valued so highly by the people of New York State. DEC will continue the legacy, which was started in 1929, of leaving these lands to the next generation in better condition than they are today. This plan sets the stage for DEC to reach these ambitious goals by applying the latest research and science, with guidance from the public, whose land we have been entrusted to manage. 2 Table of Contents Broome State Forests ................................................................................................................... 1 DEC’s Mission ....................................................................................................................................... 2 Preface ................................................................................................................................................. 7 State Forest Overview ...................................................................................................................... 7 Legal Considerations ..................................................................................................................... 7 Management Planning Overview ..................................................................................................... 7 Strategic Plan for State Forest Management ................................................................................ 8 DEC’s Management Approach and Goals ......................................................................................... 8 Forest Certification of State Forests .............................................................................................. 8 Ecosystem Management Approach .............................................................................................. 9 State Forest Management Goals ................................................................................................ 10 Historical Background Information ................................................................................................ 13 State Forest History ..................................................................................................................... 13 Local History ................................................................................................................................ 14 Recent History of the Broome State Forests Unit ........................................................................ 18 Information on the Unit ..................................................................................................................... 20 Geographic and Geologic Information on the Unit ..................................................................... 20 History of the Forest Cover .......................................................................................................... 24 Major Land Classifications Within The Unit ................................................................................ 28 High Conservation Value Forests................................................................................................. 29 Wetlands and Water Resources .................................................................................................. 30 Mineral Resources ....................................................................................................................... 32 Wildlife Resources ....................................................................................................................... 34 Rare Species and Significant Ecological Communities ................................................................ 42 Cultural Resources ....................................................................................................................... 46 Recreational Resources ............................................................................................................... 47 Other Facilities ............................................................................................................................. 52 Supporting Local Communities .................................................................................................... 55 Property Use Agreements ........................................................................................................... 56 Land Acquisition .......................................................................................................................... 57 Forest Health .................................................................................................................................. 58 3 Deer Impacts on the Vegetative Composition of the Forest ....................................................... 58 Insects .......................................................................................................................................... 59 Diseases ....................................................................................................................................... 63 Invasive Plant Species .................................................................................................................. 64 Landscape Conditions and Trends ............................................................................................... 64 Resource Demands on the Unit ......................................................................................................... 68 Forest Products ............................................................................................................................ 68 Non-Timber Forest Products........................................................................................................ 72 Mineral Resources ....................................................................................................................... 72 Biological Resources .................................................................................................................... 75 Recreation Resources .................................................................................................................. 76 Management Constraints on the Unit ............................................................................................ 78 Physical Constraints..................................................................................................................... 78 Administrative Constraints .......................................................................................................... 78 Societal Influences ....................................................................................................................... 79 Department Rules, Regulations and Laws................................................................................... 79 Vision Statement ................................................................................................................................ 80 Goals and Objectives .......................................................................................................................... 81 GOAL 1: Provide Healthy and Biologically Diverse Forest Ecosystems. ........................................ 81 Objective 1.1 Protect soil and water quality by preventing erosion, compaction and nutrient depletion. ..................................................................................................................................... 82 Objective 1.2 Provide forest vegetation types or features which are declining or rare in the landscape to enhance wildlife habitat diversity. ......................................................................... 85 Objective 1.3
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