 United
States Department of Agriculture -
Forest Service |
 Southern Research Station200 Weaver Boulevard P.O. Box 2680 Asheville, NC 28802 |
||||||
|
Findings Remain Unchanged in Final Report that Gauged Health of Southern Forests & Resources
ATLANTA-Completing a review of citizens' input, federal officials released today the final version of a study aimed at gauging the sustainability of southern forests.
While the final report of the Southern Forest Resources Assessment addresses concerns raised during a 90-day public comment period, overall findings remained unchanged from last year's initial version, officials said. The first report concluded that, while several forces are reshaping southern forests, urban sprawl represents the most significant and permanent force affecting their future.
"The public provided hundreds of comments on the assessment-many had coordinated their messages," said USDA Forest Service's John Greis, who co-led the study. "While making the final revisions to the documents, we paid particular attention to and used comments that addressed accuracy and completeness of the technical material or its clarity of presentation. While each of the report's authors made subsequent changes to their individual chapters, the conclusions were unchanged."
Four federal agencies, alongside southern state forestry agencies, teamed up in 1999 to study pressures placed on southern forests and forecasted their future condition, given the pressures being placed on them. While it appears southern forests are sustainable-which means they will remain diverse and productive, while providing economic and social benefits for the future-the Assessment pointed to a number of trends that require attention.
Population growth and urbanization are the most significant challenges facing Southern forests, " said Forest Service Researcher Dr. David Wear, who was also a co-leader for the study.
Between 1992 and 2020, about six percent of the South's forests could be lost to urban uses, Wear said. Effects of urban and suburban areas extend far beyond city limits, resulting in wildlife habitat fragmentation, a scarcity of forest benefits such as recreation opportunities, and limitations on management options necessary to keep forests healthy. Most of these effects will be focused in the Piedmont and along the coastal areas of the South.
Compiled by more than 25 scientists from the Forest Service, Environmental Protection Agency, Tennessee Valley Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and several universities, the Assessment provides a comprehensive basis for informed public policy and decision-making.
"This Assessment provides the necessary information in an understandable form so that southern citizens, the five million southern landowners and public policy-makers can better understand southern forests, their condition, and how management decisions can affect them." Wear said.
Citizens may obtain copies of the final report by accessing the Assessment's official Web site at www.srs.fs.fed.us/sustain, beginning October 6.
# # #
Return to the News Release Homepage
Return to the Southern Research Station Homepage