HLTH-3: October 2000 Progress Report
How have abiotic factors including environmental stressors such as air pollution influenced the overall health of the South's forests and what are future effects likely to be?
October 11-12, 2000, Atlanta, GA
Acid Deposition (vegetation, hydrology, soil, soil microorganisms)
Progress:
Estimate areas of timberland/forest area by forest type
Current and/or historical estimates of N & S deposition; future predictions of N deposition
Detection and evaluation of forest types at greatest risk of negative impacts of acid deposition (e.g., leaching of base cations, lack of microbial activity, etc.)
Status of surface water acid-base chemistry and response to acid deposition
Issues:
Must separate vegetation response into spruce-fir (Southern Appalachians) and pine/pine & hardwood forest types
Ozone
Progress:
Current and predicted future estimates of O3 concentrations
Review of FHM bioindicator database in progress
Quantified reduction in net primary productivity resulting from increased O3concentrations
Rank forest types by severity of risk/susceptibility to O3 impacts
Issues:
Difficult to integrate O3 exposure data with other sources (exists as points, not continuous surface)
Climate Change
Progress:
Results from forest ecosystem models for current and future estimates of net primary productivity under varying climate scenarios
Linkage between temperature and/or precipitation change and extreme weather events; info in form of average impact (acres), average forest economic cost
Linkage between increased CO2 and increased O3
Issues:
Weather event info summarized at national level
Carbon Sequestration
Progress:
Use models to understand and estimate C storage under different land-use scenarios
Include potential to improve C storage through changed management practices: (e.g., low/no till, converting marginal grasslands to plantations, agroforestry)
Address C storage and loss in forest products
Issues:
Incomplete understanding of C storage patterns and processes
Most C sequestration research is restricted to local areas
Remaining questions include differences across land covers (past and current) and soil types, estimating (current and) future state of C sinks
Soil Compaction, Erosion, Nutrient Status
Progress:
Collection of soil compaction research from Bob Rummer et al.
Issues:
Limited amount of research at the regional level
Comment to QM Progress Reports HLTH-3 Assessment Home
modified: 17-Oct-2000