The WVU Division of Forestry & Natural Resources Research Forest staff manages over 8,500 acres of forest land in West Virginia with the mission of facilitating opportunities for education, training, and research through data-driven management to promote stewardship, resiliency, and utilization of our forest resources.
The Research Forest straddles Monongalia and Preston Co. and encompasses roughly 7,600 acres. The University Research Forest was overseen by long-term forest manager, Bob Driscole, until 2017. Mike Boyce assumed the manager position until 2021. Heidi Harmala, a graduate of Michigan Tech., is the current Forest Manager and she has been with the University since 2022.
Past land uses have influenced the species composition, age, structure, and condition of the forest. Beginning around 1800, iron manufacturers started establishing furnaces near CRSF to process low-grade iron ore. By 1845, five furnaces in and around CRSF were processing mined iron ore. The heat required to produce the pig iron was derived from charcoal created from the trees surrounding the furnaces—each requiring about 250 acres of timber annually. The iron industry declined in the mid- to late 1800s. Between 1868 and 1911, much of this land was sold and subjected to selective cuttings. During this period, small tracts of land were sold for farms. After several decades of mountain farming, many of these farms were abandoned by the 1920s.
From 1911–1928, the tract including the Research Forest was operated on by the Kendall Lumber Company. Most of the standing timber was harvested with the aid of Shay locomotives. Consequently, frequent fires burned through logged areas consuming slash and debris, impacting the development of the forest.
The State of West Virginia purchased the property in 1936 and immediately imposed fire control measures. Much of the abandoned farm tracts were planted with pine and spruce by the Civilian Conservation Corps. In 1959, the DNR leased the northern portion of Coopers Rock State Forest to the West Virginia University Division of Forestry, to establish and maintain an experimental and educational forest.
Under WVU’s management, the forest has continued to grow and develop. Over the last 60 years there has been a sevenfold increase in volume (see table 1 below.)
Sawtimber volume—board feet (Int. ¼) per acre for the Research Forest and for each of the administrative blocks based on measurements from 1962, 1967, 1975, 2000, and 2021.
Currently, the Research Forest is dominated by various Appalachian hardwood species. Oaks and yellow-poplar comprise 89% of the volume. However, red maple is the most abundant species, with over 22% of the total stems per acre. Interestingly, the composition of the forest exhibits the “bottleneck” distribution for oak species, especially red oaks. The largest diameter classes are dominated by red oaks, whereas the smaller diameter classes are dominated by shade tolerant species like red maple and blackgum.
In the first 20 years of the Research Forest, the forest was utilized very little. Small areas were used for teaching activities and research projects. have occurred on the Research Forest since the 1960s. Over the last three decades, sustainable harvests removed about 500,000 bf per year, all the while standing volume is increasing across the forest.
The active timber harvesting program is designed to create and support, research, and demonstration opportunities. The Research Forest staff strive to provide a diverse array of management treatments, regeneration approaches, and for student learning. Part of our management also includes annual prescribed burns (with DOF and DNR staff) which also provides training opportunities for students and regional partners.
However, not every acre on the forest is managed for timber. Several unique and reserve areas are found on the forest. The well-known hemlock trail forest includes eastern hemlock trees that exceed 200 years old and has a forest structure with old growth characteristics. Additionally, two forest compartments with a combined 500+ acres of reserve area, provide control areas to monitor long-term changes to trees, understory plants, and fauna. For those that are looking for a different kind of adventure, the WVU Outdoor Education Center has zipline canopy tours and aerial trekking adventures located just above our Natural Resource Center.
The Research Forest hosts over 50 class visits each year. Forestry classes such as Dendrology, Forest Mensuration, Silviculture, and Forest Ecology use the forest as outdoor laboratories. Wildlife majors also utilize the forest in Wildlife Techniques, Advanced Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Herpetology, and Wildlife Silviculture courses. Academic use peaks during May when both the Forestry and Wildlife programs have their summer camps. The Forestry summer camp relies heavily on the forest during its four-week summer camp for activities like navigation, road layout, forest inventory, chainsaw operation, sawmill operation, tree, and lumber grading, as well as wildland fire training. The Wildlife majors stay onsite for their week-long camp where they receive instruction on wildlife capture techniques, deer necropsy, bird banding, nuisance wildlife management, and habitat assessment skills.
Since 1959, over 250 research publications have been published by faculty from the School of Natural Resources that contain information gathered from the Research Forest by graduate students, faculty, and staff. These experiments also serve as a source of information and field sites for tours, demonstrations, and professional workshops hosted by the Division of Forestry and Natural Resources.
Three graduate students utilized the forest for their research this year. Wanhe Hu completed his Ph.D. looking at the conversion and utilization of logging residues for biproducts. Jami Baker is finishing her M.S. thesis assessing the impacts of biochar applications on salamander populations. Patrick Plaugher is studying the impacts of strip clearcutting on oak regeneration.
The Research Forest staff are also opportunistic. For example, a recent fall cankerworm defoliation provided an opportunity to work collaboratively with WVU’s Natural Resource Analysis Center to assess the extent of damage to red oak and red maple trees and follow their recovery aided by fertilization.
The RF has long been a location for hosting training and demonstration workshops. Over the past year we hosted the Forest Carbon Workshop field tour, an open house event for professional foresters, and a logging equipment demonstration. The recent winch-assist steep slope logging demonstration had several hundred attendees and brought in professionals from as far away as New Zealand.
Regardless of the season, there is always some kind of activity at WVU’s forests. Our Instagram page is a great way to keep up with current events. Additionally, you can reach us by phone at 304-594-1003 or email at heidi.harmala@mail.wvu.edu or
jamie.schuler@mail.wvu.edu.
