By Ben Benton
PIKEVILLE, Tenn. — A trip through Bledsoe or Prentice Cooper state forest might first give the impression of a lush, dense forest of native species, but a local conservation group says a closer look at logging sites reveals a lack of biodiversity that could be helped by better state management of timbering in Tennessee’s public forests.
Local environmentalist Davis Mounger, co-director of Tennessee Heartwood and a Sierra Club member, said logging activities under agreements with the Division of Forestry in some 15 state forests are leaving the land to scrub growth that limits recovery, biodiversity and results in growth of lower-value timber and fewer native hardwoods.
