NFWF Cumberland Plateau Stewardship Fund
Restoring North Alabama's Natural Heritage
Rocky Ridge Land Management — conservation through private landowner partnerships across the Cumberland Plateau.
A New Opportunity for North Alabama Landowners
Alabama A&M University, in partnership with Rocky Ridge Land Management and the Native Habitat Project, is working with private landowners across North Alabama to improve their property for both agriculture and wildlife. This project is made possible by a generous grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Our goal is to bring back and improve the natural grasslands, rangelands, and native habitats of the Cumberland Plateau — ecosystems that once supported extraordinary biodiversity and that, with care and science-based management, can do so again.
About Rocky Ridge →Program By the Numbers
$1.17M
Total Program Value
15
Properties Under Management
1,021+
Acres of Habitat
8
Management Plans
5
Counties Served
3 Years
Program Duration
Featured Properties
A selection of properties under active management
Bethel Spring
Madison County, AL — LTNAL Property
Shortleaf pine/oak habitat management — the program's pilot property under active prescribed burning and timber stand improvement.
Painted Valley
Jackson County, AL — LTNAL Property
Invasive species removal, canebrake restoration along Paint Rock River corridor, and native orchard establishment.
Richards — Flint River
Madison County, AL — Private
Riparian buffer establishment, canebrake restoration, and invasive species management along the Flint River corridor.
Science-Based Conservation for the Cumberland Plateau
Every practice we use is grounded in ecology — developed with scientific review from Alabama A&M University and field-tested by our conservation partners.
Prescribed Burning
Restoring fire to fire-adapted ecosystems — the foundational process for open woodland, grassland, and canebrake health.
Timber Stand Improvement
Selective canopy management to favor oak and pine, restore sunlight to forest floors, and improve wildlife habitat value.
Invasive Species Management
Species-specific control of privet, kudzu, honeysuckle, and other invasives threatening native ecosystems.
Canebrake Restoration
Re-establishing native cane (Arundinaria spp.) along streams and bottomlands — now at 2% of historical extent.
Program Partners
Alabama A&M University
National Fish & Wildlife Foundation
Native Habitat Project
Land Trust of North Alabama
Are You a Landowner in North Alabama?
If you own land in Madison, Jackson, Morgan, Etowah, or Lawrence County, learn how this program can help improve your property for agriculture, wildlife, and a lasting conservation legacy.