Ecological Processes and Restoration Team

People standing in a wooded area

The team develops methods to restore animal and plant communities and assess how well restored systems compare with target natural systems.

Emphases are:

  • Providing Technology transfer of existing knowledge
  • Developing methods to establish plant communities similar to natural plant communities
  • Developing methods to establish animal communities in aquatic and bottomland hardwood habitats
  • Identifying baseline levels of natural ecosystem functions and values as a yardstick for restoration success

Team Members

There are 5 people in the Ecological Processes and Restoration Team
Name Title Phone
DeSteven, Diane Research Ecologist (Retired)
Devall, Margaret Research Ecologist (Retired) 662-336-4804
Hamel, Paul B. Wildlife Biologist (Retired) 662-336-4826
Moran, Matt Hydrologic Technician 662-325-0534
Ouyang, Ying Research Hydrologist 662-325-8654

Pondberry

CBHR technicians monitoring pondberry populations. (Forest Service photo)

Pondberry (Lindera melissifolia) is a rarely seen woody plant that grows in seasonally flooded wetlands and on the edges of sinks and ponds in six southern states. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed it as an endangered species in 1986. Much of the land where pondberry previously occurred has been converted to agricultural fields. Drainage and flooding of wetlands and timber cutting have also affected pondberry populations.

As part of a conservation program, it is essential to find all of the existing pondberry populations so that we may follow the growth or decline of the species. The publication entitled A guide to finding pondberry is designed to help both amateurs and professionals correctly identify pondberry throughout the year. If you find a new population of pondberry, please contact us. We will add your information to the database we use to track pondberry populations in the South.