Draft Mcdonough Unit Management Plan
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McDonough UNIT MANAGEMENT PLAN DRAFT Towns of McDonough, Preston & Smithville County of Chenango June 2019 DIVISION OF LANDS AND FORESTS Bureau of State Land Management, Region 7 2715 State Highway 80 Sherburne, NY 13460 www.dec.ny.gov McDonough UNIT MANAGEMENT PLAN COVERING FOUR STATE FORESTS IN CHENANGO COUNTY, NY: McDONOUGH - CHENANGO R.A. # 1 & 11 LUDLOW CREEK - CHENANGO R.A.# 6 GENEGANTSLET-CHENANGO R.A. # 26 March 2019 Prepared By: Gregory Owens, Senior Forester Andrew Blum, Senior Forester Christopher Sprague, 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: Scott Prindle, Aquatic Biologist Linda Collart, Mineral Resources Supervisor Glenn Wolford, Regional Supervisor, Real Property Richard Chapin, Operations Supervisor 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 McDonough Unit 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 started more than 80 years ago, 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 Table of Contents DEC’s Mission ..................................................................................................................... 2 Vision Statement ................................................................................................................. 2 Table of Contents................................................................................................................. 3 PREFACE .............................................................................................................................. 9 Legal Considerations .......................................................................................................... 9 MANAGEMENT PLANNING OVERVIEW................................................................................ 9 Ecosystem Management Approach ................................................................................... 11 Multiple-use Management ............................................................................................... 11 Landscape Ecology ........................................................................................................... 11 Ecosystem Management Strategies .................................................................................. 12 STATE FOREST MANAGEMENT GOALS .............................................................................. 12 Historical And Background Information .............................................................................. 15 State Forest History .......................................................................................................... 15 Local History .................................................................................................................... 16 Recent History of The McDonough Unit ............................................................................ 22 Geographic and Geologic Information on the Unit ............................................................ 26 Soils ............................................................................................................................. 29 Forest Cover Types ........................................................................................................... 30 Major Land Classifications Within the Unit ....................................................................... 31 High Conservation Value Forests ....................................................................................... 32 Representative Sample Areas ........................................................................................... 33 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Resource Protection Areas ................................................................................................ 33 WETLANDS AND WATER RESOURCES ................................................................................. 34 Wetlands.......................................................................................................................... 34 Streams ............................................................................................................................ 35 Ponds ............................................................................................................................. 35 MINERAL RESOURCES ........................................................................................................ 36 Oil, Gas and Solution Mining ............................................................................................ 36 Shale Pits ......................................................................................................................... 36 Biodiversity ....................................................................................................................... 37 Common Species .............................................................................................................. 37 Wildlife Resources ............................................................................................................ 37 Birds ............................................................................................................................ 37 Mammals ......................................................................................................................... 38 Herpetofauna ................................................................................................................... 38 Fish ............................................................................................................................. 38 Game Species ................................................................................................................... 40 Important Habitat Features ............................................................................................... 41 Coniferous Forest Cover Type ............................................................................................ 41 Continuous Forest Cover ................................................................................................... 42 Wetlands/Riparian Areas ................................................................................................. 43 Early Successional Habitat ................................................................................................ 43 At Risk Species and Significant Ecological Communities..................................................... 44 Significant Ecological Communities ................................................................................... 44 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Significant Plants .............................................................................................................. 44 Significant Animals ........................................................................................................... 45 Historic and Cultural Resources .......................................................................................... 47 Historic and Archaeological Site Protection ....................................................................... 48 Archaeological Research ................................................................................................... 48 Recreational Resources ...................................................................................................... 49 Snowmobiling .................................................................................................................. 49 Hiking ............................................................................................................................. 50 Cross Country Skiing & Snowshoeing ................................................................................ 50 Hunting & Trapping .......................................................................................................... 50 Mountain Biking ............................................................................................................... 50 Horseback Riding.............................................................................................................. 50 Fishing 50 Auto-touring, Wildlife & Nature Observation .................................................................... 51 Formal and Informal Partnerships and Agreements ............................................................ 51 Overall Assessment of the Level of Recreational Development