OVERVIEW

Welcome to the Falling Springs Farm. Historically, this 115+/- acre farm is one of northern Greenbrier County’s better hay and timber boundaries. The farm has spectacular views from every direction, sweet limestone soil and an exceptional intermittent creek.

Located 20 minutes to Lewisburg and 1 hour to Snowshoe Resort, the property is well situated in the beautiful Renick Valley. The Greenbrier River and River Trail is just a 10 minute drive and the Monongahela National Forest and Watoga State Park is nearby as well.

LOCATION

Google Coordinates:
38.023740°(N), -80.312868°(W)
Address: Brownstown Road, Renick, WV 24966
Elevation Range: 2047 ft. to 2418 ft. +/-

FOREST/TIMBER RESOURCES

Falling Springs Farm 82 +/- acre timber resource acreage is composed of unusually high quality Appalachian hardwoods. This well managed timber resource can provide a great deal of flexibility to the next ownership in terms of potential harvest revenue and can be managed to provide cash flow opportunities to offset holding cost and long-term asset appreciation.

Capital Timber Value of the timber and pulpwood has been determined to be approximately $100,000.

Average volume per acre is reported to be 5,625 board feet Doyle rule.

Species composition:

The forest’s predominately well-drained upland terrain has led to a resource dominated by hardwood species. Overall, the species composition is highly desirable and favors Appalachian hardwood types, consisting primarily of: • Black Cherry• Sugar Maple• Poplar/Basswood • Red Oak Group • White Oak/Chestnut Oak • Soft Maple • Hickory • Ash • A host of associate species (black walnut, birch, beech, sycamore).

Stocking, Stem Quality, and Forest Structure:

Forest-wide, most stands are fully stocked, providing the next ownership with a great deal of flexibility in shaping their own silvicultual legacy. Stem quality forest-wide can be considered excellent with the forest containing an abundant current and future veneer source.

The property’s timber component has been well managed over the years and generally consists of two age classes that have been managed under even-aged silvicultural guidelines. The predominant timber stand contains 40-120 year old stems ranging in size of 10”-36” dbh. Portions of this stand have been thinned over the last several decades as prudent forest management called for. Many sections of this stand are ready for a selective thinning which will generate considerable income.

The second distinct stand was established over the past 50 years when some of the farm fields and pastures were abandoned and the forest began to naturally regenerate. These stands represent a quality hardwood resource and will be reaching economic maturity in the next 20-40 years.

Sawlog & Veneer Value:

These species dominate the sawlog and veneer value, collectively representing nearly all the total sawlog volume.

• Yellow Poplar/Basswood – 46%
• The Red Oak & White Oak group – 7%
• Hickory – 19%
• Maples – 7%
• Ash – 8% (under pressure from Emerald Ash Boer – 100% mortality expected)
• Black Walnut – 4%
• Black Locust – 3%
• Black Cherry – 3%
• The remaining 3% of volume is spread across a diverse range of species including, Beech, Sycamore, Birch, and other associates.

Diameters are well represented across the commercial spectrum with a notable mature size class, as well as abundant pole size timber and growing stock. Several “Heritage Trees” are scattered throughout the forest and field edges. These ancient trees, some 200-300 years old, have withstood the test of time, weathering ice, wind, lightning strikes and fire.

The forest is generally healthy and there are no signs of pest infestations of Gypsy Moth. The Emerald Ash Borer, which has inundated the entire Northeast US, is present and the Ash component will significantly decline over the next few and 100% mortality is eventually expected in the Ash species statewide. There have been no forest fires in the recent memory.

The forest floor is home to several types of mushrooms, medicinal plants, wild ginseng, ferns and cool green mosses. One could spend a lifetime getting to know this inviting environ.

WATER RESOURCES

Five ephemeral streams are located in the hollows and interspersed throughout the property creating a dynamic environment. Large trees, moss, ferns and wildflowers growing along the streams create a serene and tranquil setting.

AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES

There is a level 14 acre hay field and several acres brushy land in transition between field and forest.

WILDLIFE

The forest produces tons and tons of acorns, hickory nuts, walnuts, wild grapes, blackberries, beechnuts, poplar and maple seeds. Because there is such an amazing food source, there is an abundance of wildlife, including wild turkey, white tail deer, raccoons, opossums, squirrels and chipmunks. The dense forest, with its closed canopy, is home to a variety of song birds, owls, ravens, buzzards, woodpeckers and hawks. Many of these birds nest in the “den trees”, which are full of holes and cavities. The birds feed on a variety of insects, including hundreds of thousands small caterpillars that inhabit the upper reaches of the canopy.

MINERAL RESOURCES

All rights the owner has will convey with the property.

BOUNDARIES AND SURVEY

Several boundary lines are indicated by fencing as created according to recorded surveys for earlier out sales.  Other boundaries are indicated by fencing by adjoining farms.  A long portion of the boundary runs with Brownstown Road.  The property is being sold by the boundary and not by the acre.

UTILITIES

Water: a well would have to be drilled
Sewer: a septic system would have to be installed
Electricity: nearby
Telephone: telephone lines are on the property
Internet: satellite internet is available or DSL should be available through the phone service
Cellphone Coverage: Adequate in most areas

ACCESS/FRONTAGE

The property has about ½ mile of accumulative frontage on Brownstown Road RT 7, providing direct access to the public road system.

ZONING

The county is subject to some zoning and subdivision regulations. All prospective buyers should consult the County Commission and also the Health Department for details regarding zoning, building codes and installation of septic systems.

Information can be found at the county website: http://greenbriercounty.net/ordinances/

PROPERTY TYPE/USE SUMMARY

This property has a small former field that is in the early stages of regenerating back to forest, several acres of pasture, and forestland, being summarized as follows:

Former field with mixed young woody growth: 2 acres +/-
Pasture: 14 acres +/-
Forestland: 99 acres +/-

(This summary is an estimation of current property use as determined from aerial photography.  It is made subject to the estimation of property boundaries and any errors in the interpretation of land use type from the aerial photography utilized.)

DEED AND TAX INFORMATION

Deed Information: Deed Book 519, Page 782

Greenbrier County, West Virginia
Acreage: 115.78 acres +/-

Real Estate Tax ID/Acreage/Taxes:

Greenbrier County, West Virginia
Falling Springs District (4)
Tax Map 54 Parcel 1; 115.78 AC FROM MITCHELL FRONTING ON SIDE OF RT 7; Class 2.

2016 Real Estate Taxes: $115.10

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Greenbrier County School District:

Public Elementary School:
Frankfort Elementary School

Public Middle Schools:
Eastern Greenbrier Middle School

Public High School:
Greenbrier East High School

SURROUNDING AREA

HISTORIC GREENBRIER VALLEY

The world-renowned Greenbrier Resort, with 800 rooms and 1600 employees, is located nearby in the sleepy little town of White Sulphur Springs. The 4-Star resort has a subterranean casino and is home to the PGA tour, the “Greenbrier Classic.” Several other area golf courses are available in the area – including Oakhurst Links, America’s first golf course, where guests play using old style hickory-handled clubs and ground-burrowing golf balls!

Lewisburg, which is the Greenbrier County seat, was voted the Coolest Small Town in America in 2011, combining the warmth of a close community with the sophistication of more urban locations. The thriving downtown historic district offers year-round live productions presented at the State Professional Theatre of WV, Carnegie Hall, distinctive dining venues, antique shops, award-winning galleries/boutiques, and two summer-season farmer’s markets. Greenbrier Valley Medical Center is a modern hospital and all attendant medical facilities, along with the many big box stores.

Lewisburg is home to the WV Osteopathic Medical School (600 students) and the New River Community and Technical College. The area is a strong economic generator with a solid workforce employed in county/state government, tourism, hospitality, medical, education, retail, construction, wood products, mining and agriculture.

The Greenbrier County Airport with WV’s longest runway provides daily flights to Atlanta and Washington DC. A picturesque train ride from White Sulphur Springs connects the area to DC, Phili, Chicago, and many other locations. By car, DC is 4 hours away and Charlotte is only 4.

Another 2-3 hours drive are located some of the finest recreational facilities in West Virginia , Winterplace Ski Resort, the 2000 acre Bluestone Lake, Pipestem State Park and Resort, the 80,000 acre New River National Gorge National Park, and whitewater rafting / fishing on the New River and Gauley Rivers. The new 10,600 acre Boy Scout High Adventure Camp, Summit (home to the US and World Jamboree) offers weekend visitors ziplining and canopy tours, ropes courses, climbing and repelling, mountain biking, as well as BMX and skate plazas. Five other area state parks and state forests offer unlimited hiking, horseback riding, ATV riding, and rock climbing opportunities.

THE GREENBRIER RIVER

At 162 miles long, the Greenbrier is the longest untamed (unblocked) river left in the Eastern United States. It is primarily used for recreational pursuits and well known for its fishing, canoeing, kayaking and floating opportunities. Its upper reaches flow through the Monongahela National Forest, and it is paralleled for 77 miles by the Greenbrier River Trail, a rail trail which runs between the communities of Cass and North Caldwell.

It has always been a valuable water route, with the majority of the important cities in the watershed being established river ports. The river gives the receiving waters of the New River an estimated 30% of its water volume. Over three-fourths of the watershed is an extensive karstic (cavern system), which supports fine trout fishing, cave exploration and recreation. Many important festivals and public events are held along the river throughout the watershed.

The Greenbrier is formed at Durbin in northern Pocahontas County by the confluence of the East Fork Greenbrier River and the West Fork Greenbrier River, both of which are short streams rising at elevations exceeding 3,300 feet and flowing for their entire lengths in northern Pocahontas County. From Durbin the Greenbrier flows generally south-southwest through Pocahontas, Greenbrier and Summers Counties, past several communities including Cass, Marlinton, Hillsboro, Ronceverte, Fort Spring, Alderson, and Hinton, where it flows into the New River.

Along most of its course, the Greenbrier accommodated the celebrated Indian warpath known as the Seneca Trail (Great Indian Warpath). From the vicinity of present-day White Sulphur Springs the Trail followed Anthony’s Creek down to the Greenbrier near the present Pocahontas-Greenbrier County line. It then ascended the River to the vicinity of Hillsboro and Droop Mountain and made its way through present Pocahontas County by way of future Marlinton, Indian Draft Run, and Edray.

GREENBRIER RIVER TRAIL

The 77 mile long Greenbrier River Trail is operated by the West Virginia State Parks and is a former railroad grade now used for hiking, bicycling, ski-touring, horseback-riding, and wheel-chair use. The trail passes through numerous small towns and traverses 35 bridges and 2 tunnels as it winds its way along the valley. Most of the trail is adjacent to the free-flowing Greenbrier River and is surrounded by peaks of the Allegheny Mountains.