Virginia Highlands Focal Landscape

Development of the Virginia Highlands Focal Landscape and the Virginia Highlands Network

The Virginia Highlands focal landscape covers portions of 8 counties in northwestern Virginia characterized by forested ridges alternating with valleys dominated by pastures and working farms. The region offers valuable habitat for AMJV priority species such the Cerulean Warbler.

The focal landscape contains a diversity of habitats, including spruce fir forests, mixed hardwood and conifer forests, young forests, old fields, karst habitats, non-tidal wetlands, and warm and cold water streams and riparian habitats. The Virginia Natural Heritage Program designates the majority of the focal landscape as having a high density of conservation sites, which are key areas of the landscape worthy of protection and stewardship because of the rare plants and animals, significant natural communities, and geological features they support. Of the 121 Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Virginia’s Wildlife Action Plan, at least 97 are dependent upon habitats provided within the focal landscape.

In March 2019, AMJV initiated the process of designating a focal landscape in Virginia to help direct and concentrate our work in the state. Through a process that included consultation with numerous state and federal agency and non-profit partners and the review of their existing spatial data and designated priority areas, the Virginia Highlands was identified as the region with the highest potential for establishing a focal landscape. Criteria that were taken into consideration included established partners already working in the region, importance to priority bird species, a mix of public and private lands, and the extent and condition of remaining forest cover.

Since that time, the focal landscape partnership has continued to evolve and refine priorities for our work. The Virginia Highlands Network is now the framework for the group of partners working to advance collaborative conservation within the focal landscape. The Virginia Highlands Network exists to support our partners in the pursuit of cohesive, landscape-scale planning and conservation action in the region.

While each member of this partnership brings their own area of interest and expertise – from ecological restoration to recreational access to farmland conservation – we share a common vision for the region that sees the area remain a vibrant source of clean water, healthy forests, and rural economic resilience. As such, we aim to advance our shared conservation mission and vision by protecting land from development, restoring water quality in streams and rivers, and building a strong sense of regional identity among residents across the watershed to preserve the ecological, agricultural, cultural, and recreational importance of this landscape for generations to come.

Focal Landscape Partners

Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources is the lead partner for this focal landscape. Other partners include:

Shenandoah Valley Conservancy
Virginia Department of Forestry
Mountain Soil and Water Conservation District
Virginia Natural Resources Conservation Service
The Nature Conservancy
National Wild Turkey Federation
US Forest Service
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Appalachian Lab

Collaborating to Address Shared Priorities

As part of the planning process, local partners identified priority habitats and associated species for conservation action in the Virginia Highlands.

Partners in this region also identified a need for assistance with landscape-level planning and comprehensive stand-level forest management recommendations. To fill this need, AMJV led focal landscape partners in the development of Oak-Hickory Forest Management Recommendations for the VA Highlands Focal Landscape. The guide is written following an approach called Full Rotation Conservation Planning.
This approach offers management guidance at both the landscape and stand level for a suite of multiple priority species, helping to create high-quality habitat throughout all forest ages.

Additional Resources and News

Virginia Highlands Fact Sheet

AMJV and Virginia USDA-NRCS Host Forestry Training and Technical Service Provider Registration Event (Winter 2022)

Second Season of Bird Monitoring Completed (Winter 2022)

Partner Spotlight: The Nature Conservancy’s Allegheny Highlands Program (Summer 2022)

Landowner Highlight: Boiling Springs Rod and Gun Club (Summer 2022)