Quantifying the contribution of sustainable forest practices to at-risk species and terrestrial and aquatic communities

Principal Investigator: Dr. Darren Miller, Vice President, Forestry Programs, NCASI

Collaborators: National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO), Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Supported by: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NCASI

Project Summary: The overarching premise of sustainable forestry is that realizing value via forest management can be accomplished on the landscape while providing ecosystem services, such as biodiversity, at sufficiently broad scales of space and time. Although widespread certification of forests in the southeastern U.S. provides assurances of sustainability, further understanding the role of private, working forests for conservation of at-risk species is needed. The purpose of this project is to quantify the role of working forest landscapes in conserving species-at-risk and maintaining aquatic and terrestrial communities. Specifically, we seek to examine species from multiple taxonomic groups over an extended time horizon in a landscape dominated by certified, private forests managed primarily for timber production.

Project Poster – Click to download the pdf