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Welcome to the Virginia Department Of Forestry

Forestry in Floyd County, Virginia

A map showing the geographic location of Floyd County in Virginia.

Dennis Anderson, Forester

Virginia Department of Forestry
P. O. Box 96
100 East Main
Floyd County Courthouse
Floyd, Virginia 24091


Click for Floyd, Virginia forecast. Phone: 540.745.2616
FAX: 540.745.6674

Map and Directions to this office.

Floyd County - An Introduction

Floyd county, which contains 243,981 acres of land, of which 60% is forestland, lies on the Blue Ridge plateau; Southwest of Roanoke Virginia. The elevations range from 1900 ft. at the Montgomery county line in Copper Valley to 3,971 ft. on the top of Buffalo Mountain. The county watershed is at the headwaters of the New River and the Roanoke River. Therefore, all water flows out of Floyd County.

The soils overlie metamorphic and igneous rock and are well suited to growing trees. White pine that is planted on a 10 X 10-ft. spacing will produce 40,000 bd. ft. per acre in 35 years. The average rainfall is 44" per year.

White pine

White pine (Pinus strobus) has always been a valuable and versatile tree. Since 1605 when the British Royal Navy reserved large white pines along the New England coast for shipmasts, until today's nursery stock, this tree is a proven asset.

White pine is native to Floyd County and the first plantations were established in the late 40's and early 50's. The furniture industry has traditionally been a large user of white pine. However, recent relocation of many furniture plants over seas and competition from Radiata pine, has reduced white pine usage in furniture. Currently, log cabin logs are using white pine as a raw material.

White pine seedlings are hand planted in cutover, prescribe burned or dozed land, while planting machines are used in openland. When planting in cutover land, aerial release is usually needed to control competing hardwoods and allow maximum growth of the seedlings. In openland, herbicides are usually applied in conjunction with the planting to reduce competition from grass.

Tipping

Select this image to enlarge it. Tipping is an additional way to derive income from white pine plantations. Tipping is the cutting off of the lower branches. Pines between the ages of 10 and 12 years loose their lower branches due to lack of sunlight. Harvesting of this material prior to this shading usually takes place at age 7-10 years.

Hand crews cut these branches, bag them and transport them to local manufacturing facilities, which in turn create Christmas roping, and wreaths. Tips are cut in October and November and are mostly purchased by the boundary.

Nursery stock

Floyd County has a strong wholesale nursery stock industry. White pine is the primary species used. Pines from 3 ft. tall to 20 ft. are dug, wrapped in burlap and shipped all over the Eastern and Central part of the county. They are used primarily for landscaping. Other species utilized besides white pine include; Norway spruce, dogwood, hemlock, Fraiser fir, birch, maples, oaks, and boxwood among others.

Select this image to enlarge it.There is some overlap between nursery stock production and Christmas tree production, but Floyd produces huge quanties of Christmas trees also. White pine and Fraiser fir are the most poplar species. It takes a 2-year-old pine seedling or a 5-year-old fir seedling 6-8 years to reach harvestable size. Floyd was the first to mail order Christmas trees and the first to ship to foreign countries.

The Virginia Outdoors Foundation currently has a conservation easement on one farm in Floyd in the amount of 266 acres, located on Panther Knob.

The New River Valley Land Trust task is working with local landowners to preserve natural, cultural and historic resources in the New River valley through easements and donations as is the Virginia Department of Forestry through it's Forest Legacy Program.

General Information

Conservation

Fire

Forest Economics

Forest Management

Water Quality

Weather Information

Last modified 2006-12-22