Here is a little news to brighten your day. The Nature Conservancy, in concert with the state of Tennessee and two timber companies have pulled off a major conservation victory. The area involved is the Cumberland Plateau, known for its amazing biodiversity, so much so that it stands out as one of the most diverse wild areas on Earth. The details involved in this massive undertaking are many, but needless to say, it required many dedicated people over a period of over half a decade to patch all of the various parties together into an agreement that conserves this precious environment. Of course, part of this area will be a ‘working forest‘, which means that lumber companies will be able to harvest trees.  I have written before about some of the main problems that logging can introduce to an area if it isn’t done properly, including the removal of old-growth and mast trees.  The article claims that only new-growth trees will be removed, but I guess the devil is in the details.  It is now open for exploration, if you’re up for a road trip!

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