Virgil Mountain Unit Management Plan

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The Virgil Mountain Unit Management Plan addresses future management of James D. Kennedy Memorial and Tuller Hill State Forests which cover 6,862 acres in Cortland County .The plan is the basis for supporting a multiple-use goal through the implementation of specific objectives and management strategies. Management will ensure the sustainability, biological diversity, and protection of the Unit's ecosystems and optimize the many benefits that these State lands provide The landscape surrounding and including the Virgil Mountain Unit is similar to that found throughout Cortland County. The higher elevation uplands surrounding the unit are typically heavily forested. The lower elevations and/or gently sloping lands surrounding the unit are a matrix of agriculture, small woodlands, residences, and commercial uses.

It is the policy of the Department to manage State lands for multiple benefits to serve the people of New York State. This Unit Management Plan is the first step in carrying out that policy. This Plan has been developed to address management activities on this Unit for the next twenty years, with a review due in ten years. Some management recommendations may extend beyond the twenty-year period. Factors such as budget constraints, wood product markets, and forest health problems may necessitate deviations from the scheduled management activities.

The Virgil Mountain Unit Management Plan is based on a long-range vision for the management of this area. Specific goals and objectives to support that vision are based on the rapidly evolving principles and technologies of ecosystem management, balanced with the increased demands for public use.