 United
States Department of Agriculture -
Forest Service |
 Southern Research Station200 Weaver Boulevard P.O. Box 2680 Asheville, NC 28802 |
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New Online Scientific Knowledge System Developed by USDA Forest Service and Cooperative Extension Service
www.forestryencyclopedia.net
The USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station, and the Southern Regional Extension Forestry Office are developing an online hypertext encyclopedia system to make forestry research information available to the public. The system stands to revolutionize the way scientific knowledge and information are organized and communicated. It was originally designed for natural resource professionals and others who desire direct, comprehensive access to the research literature on forestry topics, but it is expected to be a valuable resource to anyone with related interests.
The initial encyclopedia that is being developed on the Web site focuses specifically on the ecology and management of southern Appalachian forest ecosystems. Specific information is organized under the broad topics of Landscape, Resource Management, Forest Ecology, Forest Health Management, Social Sciences, and Economics. This project serves as a pilot project from which other encyclopedias will be developed. For example, work has already begun on a fire history, ecology, and management encyclopedia.
At this time, people are invited to offer comments on this project while it is still under development. More materials will be added in the coming months. Public input on the structure, content, and other features will be used to improve the Web site. To review and comment about the pilot encyclopedia about the forested ecosystems in the southern Appalachians, please visit www.forestryencyclopedia.net on the Internet. An online comment form is on the homepage for the encyclopedia.
So far, the "Southern Appalachian Hypertext Encyclopedia" consists of about 800 Web "pages" - another 500 are being prepared by contributing authors. It is intended to be dynamic, with updates and additions occurring regularly over the coming years. Evaluators will encounter occasional "dead ends" - where links are in place for the material that is still under development. Plans for this and future hypertext encyclopedias include subjecting the content to a peer review process to ensure that the information represents the best available science knowledge on the included topics.
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