State agencies to restore Red-cockaded Woodpecker

Plans are underway to reintroduce the red-cockaded woodpecker (RCW) to Tennessee. , The RCW was once native to upland mature pine and oak-pine savannas in Tennessee, but disappeared from the landscape due to fire suppression, logging, and habitat fragmentation. The last known RCW in Tennessee was observed in 1994 in the Cherokee National Forest. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) is partnering with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) on the restoration project, which will begin at Savage Gulf State Park near Beersheba Springs.