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Tennessee Forestry Commission asks legislature for $1 million recurring to maintain state forests
Summary
At a committee presentation, the Tennessee Forestry Commission requested $1,000,000 in recurring funds for state-forest operation and maintenance (about $5.70 per acre across 173,269 acres), citing increased visitation, infrastructure needs and vandalism.
The Tennessee Forestry Commission asked the House Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee to consider adding $1,000,000 in recurring funding to the Division of Forestry's budget for state-forest operation and maintenance. John Charles Wilson, chair of the Forestry Commission, described the request as necessary to pay for road repairs, signage, gates, maps and other routine maintenance across the state's 173,269 acres of state forest.
"If you divide 173,269 acres into $1,000,000, that's $5.70 cents an acre for operation and maintenance," Wilson said, urging members to consider the modest per-acre cost in the context of growing use and maintenance needs. He noted past omissions of the request from the governor's proposed budgets and cited vandalism and increasing visitor use as stressors on equipment and infrastructure.
