Natural Resources

The Natural Resources unit of USDA Forest Service - Savannah River manages the U.S. Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site wildlife, plants, and renewable timber resources so that ecological systems are sustained, protected, and returned to their natural resilience. The timber management program harvests and replants trees for healthy forests, wildlife habitat improvements, protection of water resources, and a sustainable supply of forest products to promote a healthy economy in local communities. 

The Natural Resources wildlife program safeguards DOE-SRS forest habitat from non-native plant species and damaging animals such as feral hogs. We protect and conserve wildlife through careful habitat planning and management. For example, our longleaf pine reforestation program provides habitat improvements for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker. We also protect sensitive and endangered plants such as the smooth purple coneflower. We develop habitat management plans through consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for endangered species management.

The wildlife program actively seeks ways to combine DOE-SRS resource management with public service through relationships with educational and community organizations. For example, USFS-SR conducts deer research and monitors the deer population in order to develop population targets and write harvest prescriptions implemented by Savannah River Nuclear Solutions. We work with the DOE-SRS Operations Office and DOE-SRS contractors to support on-site deer hunts, which were initiated in 1965 and have accommodated more than 177,000 hunters over nearly five decades. More recently, USFS-SR has partnered with the National Wild Turkey Federation's Wheelin' Sportsmen program. Since 2004, approximately 230 hunters with mobility impairments have participated in the Ultimate Turkey Hunt.