I don’t think anyone at the Oct.4th meeting took notice that The Savanna Habitats that were shown in The T.W.R.A presentation were all during the green or warmer months. These “Savannas”, while may be ideal habitats for some wildlife during the spring and summer, are almost void of any nutritional needs for the animals in the late fall and winter.
The T.W.R.A. released 1200 quail in The Ranch portion only a few years ago, and admittedly the T.W.R.A. reports only 6 small coveys remain. I believe this is mostly caused by the rampant coyote population in The W.M.A., as quail roost on the ground at night, and are easily consumed by the aggressive predator. These pests added to the fox, the great horned owl, and common feral house cats, along with the quail hunters’ leaves little room for adequate propagation for the birds. In other words, the quail experiment is already a failure, so why on earth should it be expanded?
Contrary to the disingenuous T.W.R.A. presentation, even the quail that they hold so dear, will need to forage in and around the dense forest areas, during those lean months where Beech mast, Dogwood nuts, and partially eaten acorns, and hickory nuts will help them to survive. It is a well known fact that is known by true outdoorsmen, that deer eat only half the acorn as when they bite it, the other half falls to the ground where it is often left for other animals like the quail and turkey to consume. It is also a well known fact that squirrels are messy eaters, and leave hickory nut and acorn crumbles wherever they eat one. No hardwoods, no squirrels.
Nature is complex and intertwined, and it seems whenever man interferes, in this case The T.W.R.A., nature loses. Contrary to the falsehoods the T.W.R.A. is trying to get everyone to believe, the closed canopy hardwoods are both bountiful with sustenance, and essential for all wildlife survival.
As a bow hunter of over thirty years, I can tell you that it is nearly impossible to have a whitetail deer get close enough in those open Savannas to get a shot at one, especially after the leaves fall. Their keen sense of smell and sharp eye for movement are the reason why. I think a lot of bow hunters along with the rest of the furious residents would be quite unhappy if The W.M.A. only provided opportunities for rifle hunting. I believe that Mike O’Neal was spot on; this is nothing more than a gigantic experiment with gigantic consequences when it fails miserably.
As far as the timber profits are concerned, Neither Tennessee State or The T.W.R.A. are supposed to profit. The Timber Contractor profits, and pays what is known in the industry as “stumpage”. Usually this can be as much as 60% of the actual timber company price per foot that is paid to the logging company. The “stumpage” is paid to alleviate the logging company’s responsibility to remove the stumps left behind when the trees are removed. Tennessee State or The T.W.R.A. only profit if they avoid their responsibility to remove the stumps. This arrangement works to profit private landowners, because they have no obligation to public interest to have the stumps removed, however, both Tennessee State and The T.W.R.A. do. It is my opinion that if Tennessee State workers and equipment are used to deforest any area, 100% of the timber company’s price per foot that is paid out to Tennessee State should be considered “Stumpage”, and used to to finish the project by reforesting or removing all the stumps.
The information concerning the pricing of timber provided by the T.W.R.A. is misleading as timber is not sold by the ton. It’s sold by the board foot, and different prices per foot for different tree species. Interesting fact: A large, well equipped logging company can deforest approximately 40 acres a week. Just to deforest the proposed few hundred acres, will leave local residents dealing with heavy equipment traffic and logging trucks for at least half a year on Eastland road, which is already in desperate need of repaving.