The Blue Ridge Soil & Water Conservation District has cost share available to install Agricultural and Forestry best management practices and is prioritizing lands impacted by the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP). these may include grazing management, tree plantings, agricultural waste management and more. If interested, please contact the Blue Ridge Soil & Water Conservation District at (540) 352-3312 to find out more and determine eligibility.
This year the Virginia Department of Forestry chose to recognize Mr. Roger Hatcher for the 2020 BMP Forestry Award. The property that Mr. and Mrs. Hatcher own has been in his family since 1949. The Hatcher family farmed this property for many years before making the deciding to transition from farming to forest management. The property is mainly used for hunting and growing pine & hardwood timber. This property is a Certified Stewardship property.
The first recorded timber harvest on this property took place from 1998 to 1999. A 42-acres area of mature Virginia Pine was clear-cut and then reforested with Loblolly pine. These planted Loblolly pines were commercially thinned for the first time in 2019. The overall goal for this area is to eventually have it clearcut and reforested once again, but only after the newly harvested and reforested areas have become well established.
In 2004 another 13 acre area of mature Virginia Pine was clearcut and reforested with Loblolly pine. This area was not commercially thinned during the most recent harvest because the timber still needs more time to grow. In the future when the 42 acres parcel is clearcut this parcel will likely be commercially thinned. Giving the residual trees more room to grow.
Over the course of the last 2 years the Hatcher’s have had approximately 22 additional acres clearcut directly beside their home place. This area has since been reforested and release sprayed to reduce natural hardwood regeneration competition. By harvesting this area last, they have insured that, in the future, they will not have a view of the large clearcut area that will be a result of the final harvest of the pines that were planted in the late 90s.
The Hatcher family has invested many years of blood, sweat, and tears into this beautiful Henry County property with the goal of having something to leave to their children. The children and grandchildren have and will continue to reap the benefits of the hard work that Mr. and Mrs. Hatcher have put into their land during the last 20 years and for many years to follow.
