The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) says a plan is set for the return of a bird species that hasn’t been seen in Tennessee in over 30 years.

TWRA officials say the last time a Red-cockaded Woodpecker (RCW) was spotted in the state was in 1994 in the Cherokee National Forest.

Fire suppression, logging of old-growth pines, and habitat fragmentation led to the bird being eradicated from the state.

A land restoration project for the federally threatened white fringeless orchid was expanded to include RCWs after biologists found the area could support the bird.

TWRA officials say the reintroduction process is multifaceted and all of the agencies involved have a goal to finish releasing RCWs in 2028.

“The return of the Red-cockaded woodpecker is not just a biological milestone—it

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