FOREST RESTORATION PLANNING AND ASSESSMENT FOR THE SOUTHERN PINE BEETLE AND OTHER INVASIVE PEST SPECIES

The economic, social, and ecological impacts of the southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis, SPB) are catastrophic across the Southern US.  The geographic range of the current epidemic continues to expand and new host tree species are being infested.  The extensive damage caused by this insect exceeds all historical records.  Consequently, an issue of paramount importance is the restoration of landscapes that have been damaged by the SPB.

We are currently studying regeneration of forests after infestation by SPB and the restoration of landscape that have been damaged by the SPB. Accordingly, the goal in this project is to develop a procedure to facilitate restoration planning and evaluation in a sustainable forest management context. The specific objectives are (1) to adapt the LANDIS forest simulation model for use in SPB damage restoration planning and evaluation in the southern Appalachian Mountains and (2) to apply the LANDIS model and develop a SPB damage restoration plan that can be implemented in a sustainable forest management context.

News: 

• LANDISLINK: An integrated analytical tool for LANDIS and LINKAGES. See a poster  [Click here] 2008-06-19

• LANDISVIEW: A landscape visualization and analytical software tool. See a poster [Click here for a user survey] 2008-05-20

• Simulation modeling as a tool for understanding the southern pine beetle infestations manuscript published. [Click here] 2008-05-20

• Southern pine beetle hazard map for the Pisgah National forest, North Carolina (ESRI Map Book) in press. [Click here] 2008-04-15

• Landscape modeling for forest restoration planning and assessment manuscript in press. 2008-03-24

• Simulating the reciprocal interaction of forest structure and SPB herbivory manuscript published. [Click here]  2008-02-20

• Forest restoration after the southern pine beetle (A invited  book chapter for ‘Forest Landscape Restoration’)  2007-11-30

• Modeling restoration effects on pine forests following southern pine beetle infestations.  2007-08-03

• Modeling the effects of fire on dynamics of yellow pine and oak forests manuscript published. [Click here]  2007-07-30

• The KEL restoration website has been highlighted on the July 2007 Ecological Society of America Bulletin.  2007-07-02

• Landscape modeling for forest restoration: Concepts and applications manuscript published.  2007-05-14

• An integrated approach to mapping forest conditions in the southern Appalachians.  2007-04-02

• The KEL Wiki-Writer-System is available [Click here] 2007-03-06

• Simulating the impacts of southern pine beetle and fire on pine dynamics manuscript published.  2007-02-26

• LANDISVIEW (A Visualization & Analytical Tool) is available for download.  [Click here] 2006-12-18

• Animation of historical southern pine beetle outbreaks (1960-2004). [Click here] 2006-10-01

---

                                                                                                                           Sponsored by

---

Last modified on June 19, 2008                       You are Visitor Number 7558 Since 01/26/2007                      Contact  for further information