Welcome to Tennessee's State Forests

To learn more about one of Tennessee's state forests and their locations, click on one of the links below:

For more than a century, the Tennessee Division of Forestry has worked to protect, conserve and enhance the state's forest resources. Founded in 1914, TDF began with a focus on wildfire control and reforestation at a time when Tennessee's woods had been thinned by decades of clearing and logging.

Today, TDF cares for all 16 state forests, fights wildfires in all 95 counties, supports private landowners in managing their woods and educates Tennesseans about the value of healthy forests. The work has expanded, but the mission remains the same.

Two public campaigns share that mission online:

• ProtectTNForests offers stories and resources about Tennessee's forests, wildlife and sustainable forestry.
• TNWildlandFire delivers timely information about wildfire prevention, current fire conditions and how Tennesseans can protect their homes and communities.

Working forests need careful, ongoing stewardship. Each harvest, planting and prescribed burn on a state forest is planned to keep the land healthy and productive for generations.

After a harvest, foresters guide the land through regeneration, the process of renewing the forest. Some stands regenerate naturally from seeds and sprouts already on site. Others are reforested by planting native seedlings. Restoration projects bring degraded lands back to health by reintroducing native trees, controlling invasive species and reestablishing natural fire cycles.

Regenerative harvests are central to this work. By carefully timing and designing each cut, foresters open the canopy to sunlight, create wildlife habitat and ensure the next generation of trees has what it needs to thrive.

All 16 of Tennessee's state forests are certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Forest Management Standard, one of the most rigorous benchmarks for responsible forest stewardship in North America. TDF first earned SFI certification in 2020 and has maintained it through annual independent audits ever since.

Each audit measures TDF's practices against 17 performance areas covering everything from timber harvest planning and water quality to biodiversity, soil conservation, climate resiliency and prescribed fire. The most recent audit confirmed that all 16 state forests continue to meet SFI's standards, passing with no corrective action requests.

Certification holds TDF accountable to management grounded in science and assures Tennesseans that the wood, water, wildlife and recreation flowing from state forests come from lands managed with care.

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry began intensively managing State Forests in the early 1970s with the goals of regenerating hardwood stands (oak, hickory, maple, etc.) every 80 years and pine stands (predominantly loblolly pine) every 60 years. While the plan was scientifically sound, complete implementation did not occur and resulted in forest stands that are now skewed to mature or over-mature age classes on average. That simply means that on individual forests, too many stands already exceed 80 and 60 years old for hardwoods and pine respectively, and too few stands are in younger age classes. It is important to have a diverse mix of age classes on any given forest to ensure the health, productivity, and sustainability of that forest.

After more than a year of discussion and research, the Division developed and adopted a new forest regeneration plan designed to create healthier individual forests and a healthier forest system. The foundation for Plan 2020: Harvest Plan for Sustainable State Forests is the same as the plan developed in the 1970s-- to regenerate hardwoods at 80 years and pine at 60 years. Another guiding principle incorporated into this new plan addresses the impact on volume of annual growth. Trees, like most living things, grow. The Division is able to determine how much the forests grow each year through continuous inventories. In recent years, the Division harvested about 50% of the forest’s annual growth system wide. When this new plan is implemented, more timber will be harvested with a cap on removals at 70% of annual growth. This means that less volume will be cut than grows every year, yet the harvest rate will result in more age class diversification by creating younger stands.

Another change taking place on State Forests integral to the new harvest plan involves third-party certification. The most desired certification by private landowners in Tennessee is the American Tree Farm System (ATFS). One reason State Forests exist is to demonstrate sound forest management for private landowners. This creates a natural relationship between private owners and the State Forest system. The standards set by ATFS are rigid and ensure that State Forest management practices are environmentally sound and sustainable for years to come.

Plan 2020 was implemented July 1, 2012 with confidence that generations of Tennesseans to come will enjoy the many benefits afforded them by healthy, productive, publicly-owned forests.