30 August 2025
(Before Salvage Logging)
High Knob Salvage_Unit 3b
Natural Regeneration In Wake of Helene
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
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09 August 2025
Main Skid Road
Logging When Too Wet
High Knob Salvage Logging_Unit 5b
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
The landscape transformation from before the "Salvage" to after the activity is absolutely stark.
07 September 2025
Scene Before Salvage_Unit 3b
Dense Vegetation and Wildflowers
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
07 September 2025
Scene Before Salvage_Unit 3b
Looking At Above Scene From A Distance
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
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13 September 2025
Scene Above After Salvage_Unit 3b
Dramatic Landscape Transformation
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
The opening into this portion
of Unit 3b is excessively wide.
13 September 2025
Excessively WIDE Opening Into Unit 3b
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
How is disturbance to these high
elevation habitats being minimized?
13 September 2025
Road Into Unit Is Steep
Excessively WIDE Opening Into Unit 3b
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
The High Knob Massif has again been the wettest area
in Virginia during 2025 with a year-to-date precipitation total of 66.02" observed on Eagle Knob
(as of 7 September 2025).
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7 September 2025
(Before Salvage Logging)
High Knob Salvage_Unit 3b
Natural Regeneration In Wake of Helene
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
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09 August 2025
Main Skid Road
Logging When Too Wet
High Knob Salvage Logging_Unit 5b
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
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7 September 2025
(Before Salvage Logging)
High Knob Salvage_Unit 3b
Natural Regeneration In Wake of Helene
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
Would you rather see the above or the below?
09 August 2025
Main Skid Road
Logging When Too Wet
High Knob Salvage Logging_Unit 5b
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
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30 August 2025
Inside Proposed High Knob Salvage_Unit 3b
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
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30 August 2025
High Knob Unit 5b
Debris Pile Left Following Salvage Logging
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
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7 September 2025
Inside Proposed High Knob Salvage_Unit 3b
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
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30 August 2025
High Knob Salvage_Unit 5a
Landing With Water-bars Toward Stream
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
Anyone who knows me understands that I never speak against logging in general (certainly not on private land). There are two notable exceptions to where I speak, and I have very good reasons.
1). Upper elevations which are extremely limited and unique across the mountain region.
2). Water supply basins in the High Knob Massif (which are located in mid-upper elevations).
I have decades of my life invested in the study of these upper elevation environments and have come to understand and realize how special and limited they are (comprising less than 7% of total land in all of Wise, Scott, Lee, and Dickenson counties).
Recent published research illustrates the time involved
in just one small aspect (area) of my mountain research:
I have much more research planned for publication through coming years with enough collected data to finally begin formal dissemination.
This portion of my website is being devoted to
a collective research effort that involves on-the-ground and aerial surveys of hurricane Helene disturbance. It evolved in response to the USDA Forest Service decision to impact high-elevation environments while simultaneously providing limited information and opportunity for public input under the disguise of an unfounded emergency declaration (*).
*Helene created a true emergency across the southern Appalachians. Here I am referring to this mountain and many months post-Helene and the unsupported (by data) assertion that this is a high wildfire risk setting. If so,
how is concentrating salvage debris into piles helping?
The core of this has nothing to do with logging and loggers. This is about a blind recognition of unique high-elevation environments in what is the wettest landscape in Virginia.
Future orthophotography will allow all unit activities
to be assessed. Downed and live trees will be able to be observed and quantitatively analyzed with computer processing between pre & post salvage activity.
High Knob units are supposedly salvage
(not thinning) of downed or damaged trees
but live trees are being taken.
07 September 2025
Scene Before Salvage_Unit 3b
Observe Heathly Live Trees Right-Left
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
13 September 2025
Same Scene After Salvage_Unit 3b
Live Trees Gone Following "Salvage"
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
30 August 2025
Green Live Tree_Tree Top Left_Unit 5b
High Knob Salvage (Not Thinning) Logging
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
It is clear from on-the-ground survey that live, healthy trees were taken in this declared salvage only unit. How many live trees were taken can be determined later by computer analyses.
30 August 2025
Green Live Tree_Tree Top Left_Unit 5b
High Knob Salvage (Not Thinning) Logging
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
30 August 2025
Green Live Tree Taken_Unit 5b
High Knob Salvage (Not Thinning) Logging
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
30 August 2025
Green Live Trees Taken_Unit 5b
High Knob Salvage (Not Thinning) Logging
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
13 September 2025
High Knob Salvage_Unit 3b
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
13 September 2025
Live Trees Taken_Unit 3b
High Knob Salvage (Not Thinning) Logging
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
Removing live trees in a salvage only unit is just one concern. How can elevated trees/slash above the main skid road prevent water flow and erosion? How can NNIS (invasive species) be treated in this type of setting when it is impossible to reach the skid road with effective treatment?
30 August 2025
High Knob Salvage_Unit 5b
Trees Across Skid Road After Logging
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
How can logging on the wettest mountain
in Virginia not do environmental damage
when using heavy equipment?
Monthly Precipitation Total
Eagle Knob of High Knob Massif
(Elevation 4196 feet)
January
9.72"
February
14.90"
March
7.60"
April
5.64"
May
8.66"
June
4.37"
July
6.55"
August
6.22"
Sep 1-7
2.36"
2025 Total: 66.02"
(January 1-September 7)
**This year-to-date total does not include all of the secondary moisture added by many days spent inside clouds at upper elevations during 2025.
What Is Trying To Be Saved
High Knob Lake Basin of High Knob Massif
(Sample Near Unit 3b and Unit 4)
This sample was taken just a few hundred feet
from the boundaries of Unit 3 and Unit 4.
07 September 2025
High Knob Lake Basin
Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis)
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
Yellow Birch and Hobblebush are characteristic northern species of High Knob Lake basin.
07 September 2025
High Knob Lake Basin
Hobblebush (Viburnum lantanoides)
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
07 September 2025
High Knob Lake Basin
Diverse Array of Fungi
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
Wetness has generated a diverse array
of fungi across these high basins.
07 September 2025
High Knob Lake Basin
Diverse Array of Fungi
Jessica Bier Photograph © All Rights Reserved
07 September 2025
High Knob Lake Basin
Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis)
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
07 September 2025
High Knob Lake Basin
Bluebead Lily (Clintonia borealis)
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
Bluebead Lily and Mountain Wood Aster are not even recognized as officially being in Wise County of southwestern Virginia.
07 September 2025
High Knob Lake Basin
Mountain Wood Aster (Eurybia chlorolepis)
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
07 September 2025
High Knob Lake Basin
Beautiful Forest Scenes
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
07 September 2025
High Knob Lake Basin
Beautiful Forest Scenes
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
07 September 2025
High Knob Lake Basin
Beautiful Forest Scenes
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
Mountain Wood-sorrel (Oxalis montana)
is another northern species of flora that
is common in High Knob Lake Basin.
07 September 2025
High Knob Lake Basin
Mountain Wood-sorrel (Oxalis montana)
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
07 September 2025
High Knob Lake Basin
Beautiful Forest Scenes
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
Trilliums have recently been found in both high basins of Big Cherry Lake and High Knob Lake (and they look good for this time of year).
07 September 2025
High Knob Lake Basin
Trilliums In Autumn (Trillium sp.)
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
07 September 2025
High Knob Lake Basin
Beautiful Forest Scenes
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
07 September 2025
High Knob Lake Basin
Beautiful Forest Scenes
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved