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Central & Western: Tug Hill Plateau Landscape

Clickable map
Clickable map

Learn more about this project with the Online Field Guide.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
The 150,000-acre Central Tug Hill Forest is one of the three largest, intact forests in New York State. Thanks to its high level of precipitation—most of which falls as snow—and its relatively poor soils, Tug Hill is comprised of largely undeveloped northern hardwood forests, extensive wetlands, and the headwaters of 4,000 miles of rivers and streams.
Within the borders of the central forest seven rare plant species, four rare animal species and fourteen different natural communities can be found.
An intact forest of this size provides habitat for wide-ranging mammals, such as bobcat and black bear, and interior forest species, such as blackburnian warblers and goshawks.

By preserving it, we will also protect the water quality of the 4,000 miles of rivers and streams that flow off Tug Hill, which includes the drinking water supply for the city of Rome.

Plants
Most of the Tug Hill forests are a mix of Spruce Northern Hardwood and Beech-Maple mesic forests, with sugar maple, American beech, red maple, yellow birch, black cherry, and red spruce as some of the more common trees.  The high quality wetlands provide habitat for several rare species including Jacob’s ladder, brown bog sedge, Wiegand’s sedge, auricled twayblade, broad-lipped twayblade, and wild sweet William.

Animals
Due to its large size and diverse mix of forests, wetlands, and streams, Tug Hill provides habitat for a wide variety of animals. 

Many birds, including the rare three-toed woodpecker as well as wood thrush;, veery; great blue heron; black ducks, wood ducks and other waterfowl; blackburnian warblers and neotropical songbirds like the olive-sided flycatcher; and raptors such as the goshawk spend all or part of the year on Tug Hill. 

Wide ranging mammals, including bobcat,  fisher, white-tailed deer, and black bear, particularly benefit from the large expanse of tailed deer, and black bear, particularly benefit from the large expanse of unbroken habitat. 

The high quality wetlands and streams create exceptional aquatic habitats that support important populations of eastern pearlshell mussels and native brook trout.

Threats
Historically, forestry has been the primary industry in this area, and unsustainable timber harvesting has altered forest composition in places and reduced the amount of mature forest habitat.  Emerging threats include increased recreational use pressure; conversion of forests and wetlands for residential, recreational and commercial development; atmospheric deposition; and climate change.

Our Conservation Strategies

  • Work with conservation partners and private landowners to maintain the 150,000-acre Tug Hill Central Forest as an intact forest, while assuring continuance of traditional uses such as hunting, fishing, and timber management. 
  • Protect an extensive forest core of 15,000 acres or more within the Central Forest that will be allowed to grow into a mature forest.
  • These goals will be accomplished through land acquisition, conservation easements, and education and outreach.
  • Continue to support research on the effects of atmospheric deposition and climate change on the Tug Hill Plateau.

Conservation Actions
In 2002, The Nature Conservancy purchased a key 45,000-acre property in the heart of the Central Tug Hill Forest, which was at the time the largest land deal in New York State during the Conservancy's 53-year history. 

The Nature Conservancy worked with the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation, Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust, the Tug Hill Commission, a local sportsman's coalition, and GMO Renewable Resources (a private timber buyer) to ensure that the land would be restored to mature forest conditions and managed for public recreation and sustainable timber production.

The Conservancy worked with public and private partners to create a 30,000-acre working forest that is owned by a private timber company and encumbered by a conservation easement held by the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation. This easement will prevent over-harvesting and high-grading of the timber resource and will allow for long-term sustainable forest management. 1,350 acres along the East Branch of Fish Creek (the drinking water supply for Rome, NY) were transferred to the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation to be held as a state forest, which will extend for nearly 15 miles along the creek and provide public access.

The remaining 14,000 acres of the property will be held by The Nature Conservancy and restored to mature forest. This complex project successfully blends sustainable forestry, compatible public and private recreation, and conservation of important natural areas.

Partners

  • Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust
  • NY State Department of Environmental Conservation
  • Tug Hill Commission
  • NY Rivers United
  • Mott Foundation
  • U.S. EPA
  • Northern Forest Protection Fund
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
  • Tug Hill Resources Investment for Tomorrow
  • NY State Department of State
  • John Ben Snow Foundation
  • East Branch of Fish Creek Working Group
  • GMO Renewable Resources
  • Gilbert and Ildiko Butler Foundation

 

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