Forest Service

Forests in the Southern Appalachian Region of the United States Are Critical Providers of Timber, Wood Fiber, Water, Biodiversity, and Other Ecosystem Services for Individuals, Communities, and Society at Large. Climate Change, Disturbances, and Management Have Induced Changes in Forest Canopy Species Composition and Expansion of Subcanopy Shrubs (i.e., Rhododendron Maximum L.). These Changes Have Made Southern Appalachian Forests Less Resilient to Drought and Have Negatively Affected Productivity, Timber Quality, Water Yield, and Understory Biodiversity. Forest Land Managers Need New and Innovative Strategies to Ensure Forest Agro-ecosystems Are Resilient Under a Changing Climate, and to Enhance Forest Wood Production While Maintaining or Enhancing Ecosystem Services. This Study Will Contribute to Foundational Knowledge Needed to Develop Management Strategies for Sustainable, Quality Timber Production and Clean, Abundant Water Supplies in Biologically Diverse Forested Agro-ecosystems in the Southern Appalachians. We Will Test a New Forest Management Regime That Will Manipulate System Diversity Through the Removal of Rhododendron and Use of Repeated Low-severity Prescribed Fire to Enhance Water Supplies and Biodiversity While Maintaining Production and Ecosystem Resilience at the Watershed Scale, the Scale Relevant to Land-use Management and Decision-making. Over the Long Term, the Management Strategy Could Transform How We Manage Forests for Multiple Uses, and Has Potential to Improve the Sustainability of Forest Ecosystem Services by Increasing Water Yield and High-quality Timber Productivity Through Increasing System Diversity.