New Forests on the Edge Reports
A Closer Look at Forests on the Edge: Future Development on Private Forests in Three States
A new report was released by the U.S. Forest Service, entitled "A Closer Look at Forests on the Edge: Future Development on Private Forests in Three States." The report examines conditions and trends influencing residential development in three case study areas.
Collectively, more than 1,500 square miles of privately-owned forest in the case study areas are projected to experience significant increases in residential development by 2030. Several key factors influence the rate and pattern of residential development and its impact on forest resources in the three areas: population growth from domestic migration, forest land ownership changes, historical settlement patterns and topography, and land use planning mechanisms and forest conservation programs.
Learn more and download the report.
The geography of private forests that support at-risk species in the conterminous United States
In addition, a paper sponsored by the Forests on the Edge project will appear in an upcoming issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. The paper is entitled "The geography of private forests that support at-risk species in the conterminous United States" and was produced jointly by NatureServe and the US Forest Service.
It presents an assessment of the geographic areas where privately owned forests support at-risk species in the conterminous United States. Results indicate that two-thirds of the watersheds in the conterminous US contain at-risk species associated with private forests, with counts ranging from one to 101 species. Those forests projected to experience the greatest increase in housing density within the next 25 years, and with relatively high densities of at-risk species, are found in over 100 watersheds, most of them in the Southeastern states.
