Research Highlights
Managers of forests of the Southern Appalachians face all sorts of challenges. Here's what our research tells us can be done about four important issues facing our forests today.
Water Quality
Land Use
Prescribed Fire
We have three large-scale prescribed burning projects underway, in cooperation with the Nantahala National Forest of North Carolina, Chattahoochee National Forest of Georgia, and Cherokee National Forest of Tennessee. Specific research questions to be addressed by prescribed and restoration burning are:
- How does burning affect carbon and nutrient cycling and what are the short- and long-term effects on productivity and sustainability?
- What are the effects of burning on regeneration patterns, biodiversity, and understory productivity?
- How does burning affect wildlife habitat? and
- How does burning affect stream water quality? more »
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
Hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) is a non-native invasive pest that impacts eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) and Carolina hemlock (Tsuga caroliniana). HWA was first reported in the 1950's in the northeastern U.S., and has now spread to the southern Appalachian region of northern Georgia, western North Carolina, and southern Virginia. Without control, hemlocks typically die within 5 to 7 years after infestation. Unfortunately, neither natural predators nor host resistance have been able to stop the spread of HWA. more »
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