Category: Threats

Cogongrass Continues to Invade the South

by Stephanie Worley Firley, Eastern Threat Center  • 
It grows on every continent except Antarctica and has earned a reputation as one of the worst weeds on earth — and according to U.S. Forest Service emeritus scientist Jim Miller, cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica) is without doubt one of the most threatening invasive species in the South. In addition to cogongrass, it goes by  other…  More 

Forests of the South’s Coastal Plain

by Zoe Hoyle, SRS Science Communications  • 
What will the Coastal Plain forests of the South look like in 50 years? With the myriad of factors involved—including climate change, population growth, economic outlooks, and more—it’s not a simple question. U.S. Forest Service researchers provide an overview of current and future issues for southern coastal forests in the general technical report Outlook for Coastal Plain Forests. The report is one of…  More 

The Appalachian-Cumberland Highland: The Next 50 Years

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
Knowing more about how the future might unfold can improve decisions that are sure to have long-term consequences. The Southern Forest Futures Project, a multi-agency effort led by the U.S. Forest Service, aimed to forecast and interpret changes in southern forests under multiple scenarios over the next several decades. The project also included a suite…  More 

Changes in Forest Conditions Have Contributed to Pollinator Decline

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
Forests in North America have changed rapidly over the past century. Before European settlement, forests were a mosaic of open pine and hardwood forests, prairies, and woodland savannas. Recent studies have found that forests with sun-filled openings and those with open canopies —  where the branches from adjacent trees don’t touch or overlap — favor pollinators…  More 

Expanding the Reach of Forest Data and Research with Story Maps

by Zoё Hoyle, SRS Science Communications  • 
The USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station (SRS) Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) unit is increasing the interactivity and reach of forest science by using FIA and other data to create storymaps on topics that range from southern forest products to white-nose syndrome. Developed on Esri’s ArcGIS Online platform, storymaps are stand-alone web-based resources that…  More 

When Privet’s Removed, Native Plants and Pollinators Return

by Zoё Hoyle, SRS Science Communications  • 
Forests infested with privet invoke a kind of despair in people attuned to the problem of invasive plants. Privet invades a forest quickly, sprawling across the understory and growing into thickets that crowd out native plants and change the very ecology of an area. Even if the woody shrub can be removed effectively, can a…  More 

How Healthy Are Your Pines?

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
Seventeen percent of the world’s industrial roundwood comes from U.S. forests – and southern pine forests are among the most productive in the country. Pine plantations in the South often anchor local and regional economies while providing ecosystem services such as clean water and air, and countless recreation benefits. “Forests are an integral part of…  More 

A Graduation Milestone and a Special Gift Honor a Father’s Wisdom

by Stephanie Worley Firley, EFETAC  • 
Throughout her life, Serra Hoagland’s father has told her, “When a door opens, don’t be afraid to walk through.” Back in 2011, when Serra had just received her Master’s degree in Environmental Science and Management from the University of California, Santa Barbara, she traveled to Minnesota to attend the Intertribal Timber Council’s (ITC) annual symposium.…  More 

A New View of the Forest Canopy of the Smokies

by Stephanie Worley Firley, EFETAC  • 
Researchers working at the U.S. Forest Service Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center office in Asheville, North Carolina, are just a short drive away from one of the most biodiverse places on the planet: the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which straddles 800 square miles of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Although they and…  More 

Climate and Society Will Determine the Future of Wildfire in the South

by Zoё Hoyle, SRS Science Communications  • 
A new study by U.S. Forest Service scientists and collaborators projects a four percent increase overall in acres burned by wildfire in the Southeast by 2060, but with substantial uncertainties and large variations by state and ecoregion, including a 34 percent increase in acres burned due to lightning-caused fires. The study, just published in the…  More