My Alabama Woods: Cumberland Plateau
The American Forests Foundation and its partners want to work with you to help sustain all that makes the Cumberland Plateau a beautiful, important and unique part of Alabama. I If you are interested in:
- Learning more about what makes this area special
- How your land fits into the aesthetic, diversity and economic values that are found in the Cumberland Plateau
- What you can do to improve the health of the streams, creaks and waterways on your land
- How prescribed burns can play a role in ensuring the health of your forests
- Restoring or enhancing shortleaf pine on your land
- Getting the technical assistance you need to accomplish what you want to do
- Participate in landowners events like field days or training workshops
- Map you land with our easy to use mapping tool on www.MyLandPlan.org. Create your free account today.
Then please join us by contacting:
bchristenberry@forestfoundation.org
334-219-0223
555 Alabama St.
Montgomery, Alabama 36104
The Cumberland Plateau of north Alabama is one of the more scenic and special regions of the state. From the sandstone plateaus and ridges with carved limestone to the shale and dolomite canyons and valleys, the beauty of this region is hard to miss. But there are a lot of other things that make this area special.
Did You Know?
- 61% of the region is forested? The forests include Loblolly-Shortleaf Pine, Oak-Hickory, and Oak-Pine types. But over time, the pine forests are being replaced with oak and hickory. Why is this happening? Historically fire has been used to keep the pine forests as pine but as fire has been kept off of the land, the pines trees can’t compete with the oak and hickory.
- Alabama ranks 5th in the nation (first east of the Mississippi) in the diversity of their plants, animals, insects. And that includes 144 species found nowhere else on earth, making this area pretty unique.
- The Cumberland Plateau makes up about 15% of Alabama’s land and has 55 endangered species. These 55 species, which help make this area so special and unique, are at risk of disappearing for good. Some of these species include the Red Cockaded Woodpecker, the Cahaba Shiner and the Green Pitcher Plant
- Some of the threats to this area including these unique species are weeds that are brought in from other parts of the world, like Chinese Privet, Multiflora Rose and Kudzu. These weeds can take over an area, pushing out the native plants and the insects and animals that depend on them.
- This area includes many great recreational areas, including the first federally designated wilderness east of the Mississippi. These federal and state lands include:
- The Bankhead National Forest
- Little River Canyon National Preserve
- The Walls of Jericho (sometimes called the Grand Canyon of the South)
- Black Warrior Wildlife Management Area
- Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge
- Skyline Wildlife Managerment Area
- Lake Guntersville State Park
- The forests within the Cumberland Plateau support a local forest products industry that employs over 28,000 workers and generates nearly $138 million in taxes, accounting for 2.5% of the regions total workforce. This industry creates lumber, strand board, packaging, pilings and polls from the working forest throughout this region.
Learn more about My Alabama Woods: Cumberland Plateau resources available for you.
Learn about the partners who make up the My Alabama Woods: Cumberland Plateau.
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