Tag: Land use change

The Bioenergy Balancing Act

by ZoÑ‘ Hoyle, SRS Science Delivery Group  • 
Wood-based energy has been proposed as an alternative to fossil energy sources such as coal and natural gas, a way to reduce the carbon emissions that lead to atmospheric warming and changing climatic conditions. But debate continues about whether substituting wood for natural gas or coal actually reduces emissions, and how long it takes for…  More 

Life in the Rubbish: Crayfish Habitat in the Mississippi Yazoo River Basin

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Delivery Group  • 
Crayfish – also called crawfish, crawdads, or mudbugs, depending on where you live – look like tiny lobsters, and live in freshwater rivers and streams. Crayfish need instream cover to hide from predators – and from larger, cannibalistic kin. They also use cover to find food, to shelter while incubating eggs, and to keep themselves…  More 

Appalachian-Cumberland Highlands: The Next 50 Years

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Delivery Group  • 
Knowing more about how the future might unfold can improve decisions that have long-term consequences. The Southern Forest Futures Project, a multi-agency effort led by the U.S. Forest Service, aims to forecast and interpret changes in southern forests under multiple scenarios over the next several decades. The first of five sub-regional reports to explore these…  More 

The Future of Outdoor Recreation in the South

by Zoe Hoyle, SRS Science Communications  • 
The Southern Forest Futures Project Technical Report provides an interdisciplinary assessment of potential futures of southern forests and the many benefits they provide. The Southern Forest Futures Project (SFFP) started in 2008 as an effort to study and understand the various forces reshaping the forests across the 13 states of the Southeast. Chartered by the…  More 

Does Carbon in Wetland Soils Go With the Flow?

by Stephanie Worley Firley, EFETAC  • 
Among the various providers of ecosystem services, forested wetlands might be the champions. With their sponge-like abilities, they supply and purify water, protect communities from flooding, offer habitat for diverse species, produce timber and other goods, and present many opportunities for recreation and general enjoyment. Hidden in wetland soils is another critically important benefit: storage…  More 

Outdoor Recreation in the Shifting Societal Landscape of the South

by Zoe Hoyle, SRS Science Communications  • 
The Southern Forest Futures Project Technical Report provides an interdisciplinary assessment of potential futures of southern forests and the many benefits they provide. The Southern Forest Futures Project (SFFP) started in 2008 as an effort to study and understand the various forces reshaping the forests across the 13 states of the Southeast. Chartered by the…  More 

Eastern Threat Center Co-Organizes Special Landscape Ecology Event

by Stephanie Worley Firley, Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center  • 
The term “landscape ecology” may have different meanings for different people. That’s because the science of landscape ecology encompasses many subjects, perspectives, interactions, and scales. “It is about people, ecosystems, species, energy, pollutants, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing, modeling, disturbance, flows, conservation, and many, many other things,” according to the US-Regional Association of…  More 

Prestigious USDA Grants Support SRS Research in the Southern Appalachians

by Zoe Hoyle, SRS Science Communications  • 
In the News Two SRS units—the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory and the Upland Hardwoods Ecology and Management unit—recently received word that their scientists, along with university collaborators, received grants from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) for studies based in the Southern Appalachian region. AFRI supports research,…  More