ESA Forest Health Workshop
There is some indication that southeastern yellow pine forests, including those planted and naturally established, may be at risk of a forest health problem that may result in a local or regional decline in function and productivity. In response to this issue, in June 2007, ESA hosted a workshop that brought together experts to assess the definition and extent of the problem, cause of the problem, and management actions for the short and long term. Products of this project include three white papers and a nontechnical summary, available at www.esa.org/science_resources/forest_health_workshop.php, and presentations at ESA and other national and international meetings.
This workshop focused on southeastern yellow pine forests and addressed the following questions:
- What is the forest health/decline problem and how widespread is it (scope/scale/magnitude)?
- What are the underlying causes and do these causes differ across the region?
- Are there management actions that can be taken immediately that would help minimize the impact of a potential forest health problem? and
- How would a significant forest health problem affect achievement of long term plans (desired future conditions, red cockaded woodpecker recovery, troop training on bases in the southeast, etc.)?
Detailed notes and a report from the workshop are available here:
Three white papers prepared by workshop participants discussing the above issues are available here:
- Otrosina et al.: Loblolly pine decline on Ft Benning
- Eckhardt et al.: What is pine decline?
- Mitchell et al.: Pine mortality at Ft Benning
A report from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineer Research and Development Center provides a nontechnical summary of the white papers:
Forest Health Resources
Publications
Rauscher, H. Michael; Johnsen, Kurt, eds. 2004. Southern forest science: past, present, and future. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS -75. Asheville, NC : U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 394 p.
The Nature Conservancy's Global Forest Partnership, Forest Health Program. An Ounce of Prevention: How to Stop Invasive Insects and Diseases from Devastating U.S. Forests.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. Sustainability and Productivity of Southern Pine Ecosystems. Science Update SRS -001. 32 p.
Addington, Robert N., Wade C. Harrison, Lori G. Eckhardt, Roger D. Menard, and John K. Doresky. 2006. Monitoring of Upland Pine Tree Vigor and Mortality on Fort Benning, GA /AL. Presented at the 2006 Forest Health Monitoring Working Group Meeting in Charleston, SC.
