Cedars Of Lebanon State Forest

About Cedars Of Lebanon State Forest

The forest is located about 15 miles east of Nashville and is on the east side of the Tennessee River, south of Interstate 65. It is located about 1.5 miles north of downtown Nashville and about 5 miles south-west of Knoxville.

The forest was created in 1935 as part of the resettlement programme, and in 1955 the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry took over responsibility for the forest.

Although the resettlement administration bought the land, it was owned by many landowners with small acreage, and its use was through row farming and pasture in the forest. The forest is heavily deforested, burnt and damaged by pastoral farming, the agricultural land is impoverished by erosion and the forests are severely damaged.

It is an important natural heritage site because it is one of the largest public forest complexes in the state of Tennessee. The forest covers about 4,500 hectares and is designated as a Tennessee Natural Resource Area. Some 14 of these sites contain threatened or threatened plant species and their habitats, as well as other natural resources.

The predominant species is the eastern red cedar, which occurs in pure stands on very sparse soils. Most of the 85% of this area is classified as forest area, but not all.

There is currently no timber harvesting in this forest, except for salvage work after the death of the Southern Pine Beetle. The heavy use of off-road vehicles has eroded the forest and severely damaged it. Overload vehicles are banned in the area, which has led to management and enforcement problems for both the TDOA and the DCR.

Hunting has always been a traditional use of the forest and has always been the main source of income for the local community and the Lebanese government.