News Releases from the Southern Research Station

Forest Plants And The Animals That Eat Them

Asheville, NC -- James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station forest ecologist, and Karl V. Miller, wildlife ecologist at the University of Georgia's School of Forest Resources in Athens, collaborated to write Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses. Published by the Southern Weed Science Society, this field-durable manual describes 330 plant species of the Southeast and summarizes wildlife uses for each plant genus. Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses includes 644 color photographs of herbaceous plants, grasses, shrubs, woody vines, palms, and ferns common to forests, rights-of-way, and natural areas. The book includes native, wetland, and exotic plants. Descriptions and photographs of plants appear on facing pages, making identification easier. Extra-high resolution photographs will appear in the companion CD, available in February 2000.

Southeastern forests include complex communities of plants, animals, insects, and microorganisms. The critical need to better understand the intricate relationships that have evolved over millions of years--and the effects of humans on the entire ecosyste--helped motivate James Miller and Karl Miller to write Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses. Foresters, botanists, and wildlife biologists will find this book helpful in the classroom and in the field. Natural resource managers, private landowners, and naturalists will also be comfortable with this manual.

You can purchase Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses for $36 (includes shipping and handling) by contacting the Southern Weed Science Society. Please send your request and check to 1508 West University Avenue, Champaign, IL 61821-3133. You can call (217.352.4212) or send an e-mail to raschwssa@aol.com . Proceeds will support the Society's graduate programs.

James Miller, honored by the Southern Weed Science Society as the 1999 Scientist of the Year, performs research at the Southern Research Station's Vegetation Management Research and Longleaf Pine Ecosystems research work unit at Auburn University. Co-author Karl Miller is widely recognized for his research related to the impacts of forest management practices on wildlife habitat.