Forestry in Hanover County, Virginia
Dave Terwilliger,
Forester
Kathleen Ogilvy,
Technician
Virginia Department of Forestry
13038 Winston Road
Ashland, Virginia 23005
Phone:
804.798.8362
Map and Directions to this office.
Department of Juvenile Justice Hanover Juvenile Correctional Center
Pamunkey Farm
The Hanover County office of the Virginia Department of Forestry partnered
with Hanover-Caroline Soil and Water Conservation District, The Chesapeake
Bay Foundation, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Ducks Unlimited
and the Virginia Department of Corrections to improve water quality at the
Hanover Juvenile Correctional Center. There were many projects which took place
on the farm to restore water quality. The biggest was the installation of watering
facilities (troughs) for the cattle. The water troughs make water available
to the cattle without the cattle ever having to enter a creek or stream. This
prevents contamination of the water and protects the integrity of the stream
banks. To ensure the cattle do not enter the stream a series of fences were
built around all natural water features on the farm. These fences were built
at least 50 feet from the banks edge allowing for a riparian buffer area to
become established. The Virginia Department of Forestry provided a variety
of water loving tree seedling to help speed up the natural process of forest
succession. The trees planted in these areas were red osier dogwood, river
birch, bald cypress, silky dogwood, green ash, and buttonbush.
The same mix of tree seedling species used to create the riparian buffers around the streams in the fields was also used to restore an area of the farm where a dam was destroyed during a recent tropical storm. Here a large portion of the side slope had sloughed off and serious erosion had begun occurring. The tree seedlings planted in this area will help hold the soil in place therefore preventing further erosion and will protect water quality.
Riverine Master Naturalist Chapter
Hanover is lucky to be the home of one of the first Virginia Master Naturalist Chapters. The Riverine Chapter resides in Hanover County but serves Chesterfield, Charles City, Goochland, Henrico, New Kent, Powhatan counties and the City of Richmond. Kathleen Ogilvy, Forestry Technician, graduated with the first class and serves on the Chapter’s planning committee. To find out more about the program visit their Web sites at http://www.virginiamasternaturalist.org
Hanover AG Days
The Virginia Department of Forestry participates annually in a great event
sponsored by Colonial Farm Credit. On May 30 and 31st of this year over 1400
third graders visited Poor Farm Park to learn all about farming, water quality, wildlife, soils and forestry. At the forestry stop we emphasize the importance
of the Commonwealth’s natural resources and what the students can do
to help us protect and manage them.
Rural Legacy Committee formed to protect County’s “Green Areas”
At the April 11th Hanover County Board of Supervisors meeting Area Forester, David Terwilliger was asked to serve on a new committee. The goal of this committee is to study current zoning and land uses in the County’s Rural Conservation Area and recommend polices to “protect and maintain current forested/agricultural lands”. The committee has met monthly and at the September meeting completed a proposal regarding the new “by-right” rural cluster ordinance. These recommendations will be considered at the next regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors. Next on the Committee’s list is to explore methods of providing “incentives” to landowners and developers that take steps to reduce building lot sizes and minimize fragmentation of Hanover’s natural resources. Purchase of Development Rights (PDR’s) programs have sprung up in many counties of late with State grant money becoming available to help fund the programs. Hanover County is currently determining the best route to take in developing its own program. For more information visit: http://www.co.hanover.va.us/
General Information
- Population: Map l Graph
- Forestry-related ordinances and zoning
- Virginia Locality Property and Tax Assessment Web page
- Hanover County Web site
- U.S. Census Bureau - Hanover County
- Virginia's Soil and Water Conservation Districts
- USDA Soils Web site - Soil maps and data available online for all 95 Virginia counties and 39 cities.
- Virginia Cooperative Extension - Offices in Virginia.
Conservation
Fire
Forest Economics
- Harvest Value, Volume
- Planning Districts
- Jobs/Economy
- Harvest Value By County: Overall Ranking l Ranking by County Name
Forest Management
Water Quality
Weather Information
- Visit VDOF's Weather Page
Last modified 2007-07-03
