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Restoring Forested Wetland Ecosystems

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Forests as natural systems are intrinsically linked to the sustainability of fresh-water systems. Efforts worldwide to restore forest ecosystems seek to counteract centuries of forest conversion to agriculture and other uses. Afforestation, the practice of regenerating forests on land deforested for agriculture or other uses, is occurring at an intense pace in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV) of the southern United States. Objectives of this chapter are (1) to place afforestation efforts in the LMAV into a global context of forest restoration by drawing parallels to work in other countries; (2) to summarize available information on afforestation techniques used to restore bottomland hardwood ecosystems; and (3) to document what is known about the effects on ecosystem functions.

Citation

Stanturf, John A.; Gardiner, Emile S.; Warren, Melvin L., Jr. 2003. Restoring Forested Wetland Ecosystems. In: Achieving Sustainable Freshwater Systems. Holland, Marjorie M.; Blood, Elizabeth R.; Shafffer, Lawrence. Eds. Island Press. Chapter 9. p. 193-220.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/6463