Tennessee State Forests Meet High Bar for Sustainable Management

NASHVILLE - The Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry's (TDF) state forest system has successfully completed its latest Sustainable Forestry Initiative^® (SFI) audit, passing with no corrective action requests or observations.

The independent audit confirms that TDF's management approach and practices meet SFI's rigorous standards for sustainable forest management, ensuring Tennessee's state forests continue to deliver clean water, wildlife habitat, timber production and public access for generations to come.

"We are proud of this achievement," State Forester Heather Slayton said. "It reflects TDF's commitment to ensuring future generations have the same access to forests and their benefits that we enjoy today. Our team manages Tennessee's state forests using rigorous, science-based principles, and regular SFI audits hold us accountable and strengthen our stewardship."

SFI is one of the forest industry's leading authorities on sustainable forestry. Certification requires compliance with comprehensive management standards covering social, economic, and environmental impacts and is subject to periodic third-party audits to ensure continued compliance.

TDF maintains current documentation and forest management plans for each state forest, using long-term resource analysis, forest inventories and growth modeling. Activities such as prescribed burns, regenerative harvests, invasive species treatments and thinning on small-compartment tracts are selected to support the forest's long-term health, sustainability, resilience and diversity.

Tennessee's 16 state forests stretch from mountain coves in East Tennessee to bottomlands along the Mississippi River. Managed primarily for natural resources - including high-quality timber, wildlife habitat and biodiversity - many of these lands were eroded or unsustainably harvested before state acquisition. Decades of restoration and careful management have transformed them into productive, healthy forests that provide a vast supply of high-quality timber and other forest products and offer the public an opportunity to connect with nature.

Timber from state forests contributes to the state's forest industry, which comprises 3.2% of the state's economy, supports 94,000 jobs and generates $29.4 billion in economic output. State forests also serve as demonstration sites, showing how forestry best management practices protect and enhance water quality and accommodate multiple goals and objectives across the landscape.

TDF protects Tennessee's forests by fighting wildland fires, coordinating hazard emergency response, providing prescribed fire guidance, services, and wildland fire training. Additionally, the division promotes the responsible use of forest resources by assisting landowners, providing quality seedlings, monitoring insects and diseases, improving urban forests, managing state forests, protecting water quality and collecting forest inventory data. TDF also promotes forest industries to stimulate the state's economy. Visit the Tennessee Division of Forestry webpage for more information.