Research Highlights

I am a Research Highlight about Soil

Without fire, forests in the southeastern U.S. typically grow until the canopy is closed and the understory is dense. These forests store more carbon than managed pine forests would, but they are also at much greater risk of releasing all that carbon in a stand-replacing wildfire. When carbon emissions from wildfire are considered, prescribed fire is the ideal land management practice with respect to net ecosystem carbon balance, reports a new modeling study.

Forests provide clean air, clean water, and wildlife habitat. But private landowners infrequently receive payments for the benefits their forests provide. However, some opportunities exist for forest owners to receive payments for ecosystem services, and these programs have grown in recent years.

More than any other land type, forests reliably provide clean drinking water. Scientists, land managers, and other experts from the Forest Service are showing how forests provide drinking water supplies across the conterminous U.S. Their work can help land managers prioritize watersheds for fuels reduction, restoration, and other projects that protect or enhance water supplies.

The area burned by wildfire is projected to more than triple by the end of the century, according to a new assessment from the Forest Service Southern Research Station. Federal spending for suppression is projected to more than double. These projections should inform regional and national fire management priorities.

Without fire, forests in the southeastern U.S. typically grow until the canopy closes with a dense understory. These forests store more carbon than managed pine forests, but they are also at much greater risk of releasing all that carbon in a stand-replacing wildfire. When considering carbon emissions from wildfire, prescribed fire is the ideal land management practice with respect to net ecosystem carbon balance.

A new book synthesizes fire ecology in U.S. forests to aid in their sustainable management under climate change. Forest Service scientists partnered with natural resource professionals and academic colleagues to compile this “state of the knowledge” book on the past, present, and future of fire ecology and management in U.S. forests.

Finding a use for damaged timber after a wind event helps landowners recover revenue and prepares sites for forest management. Declining timber quality — often determined by time or visual indicators — limits how much timber can be salvaged. Acoustics may provide better, field-based measurements to help managers find the right wood for the right markets.

Through economic downturns and global pandemics, people have desired barrel-aged distilled spirits. Our nation’s forest inventory has aided the cooperage industry, which makes barrel staves and headers from white oak trees.

Humans fundamentally impact the natural environment by building houses, roads, and other developments on land that was previously forested or farmed. Land development rates across the U.S. declined remarkably from 2000 to 2015. The research team explored this decline and found that higher gas prices have influenced the shift towards denser development.

Strategic planning is crucial for confronting the ongoing wildfire crisis, and carefully planned and excecuted prescribed fire is a key management tool in this effort. A collaborative initiative between partner organizations and multiple branches of the Forest Service — Southern Research Station scientists, National Forest System managers, and experts in the Southern Region— will give planners and practitioners landscape-level information for investing in prescribed fire programs and choosing where these programs can most help.

Forest management practices require data and knowledge about local or site-specific conditions. Fifteen years of local watershed hydrology and water quality data from the piedmont of North Carolina were used in the 2022 revised NC Forest Service Forestry Best Management Practices manual, the Upper Neuse River Basin Association watershed modeling project to preserve water quality, and the Wake County, NC Water Partnership's Green Stormwater Infrastructure program.

Genetic diversity helps species adapt and stay resilient to environmental stress and change. But which native tree species may be at risk of losing genetic variation? Researchers from the Forest Service and North Carolina State University explored this issue by combining national forest inventory data with genetic seed transfer zones.

Precise mapping of invasive spongy moth defoliation yields rich insight into the vulnerability of eastern forests and the effectiveness of costly treatments.

Forests face increasing stress from invasive pests, pathogens, and climate change. Forest resilience mainly depends on the health of foundational tree species. Improving the genetics of foundational species is becoming increasingly important and will depend on innovative applications of new technologies to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of tree improvement.

Tornado alley and Dixie alley are tornado-prone areas in the southern U.S. Tornados can be destructive and even deadly. Less deadly winds can still cause damage, particularly to managed pine stands. A new analysis of wind damage risk in forests can be used by land managers. The analysis provides a regional snapshot of overall risk and management implications. These implications may be updated as the climate continues to warm, particularly if damaging winds increase in frequency and severity.

Landscapes with diverse fire histories host a high diversity of bees and butterflies, according to a recent study by researchers from the Southern Research Station. The study took place in fire-maintained pine forests in Florida, and the results show that pollinators benefit from increased fire heterogeneity in managed forests.

Laurel wilt, a tree disease, rapidly kills sassafras and other trees in the Laurel family. It will likely severly impact sassafras trees in the Appalachian Mountains and the Piedmont, suggests a recent collaborative 3-year monitoring project. The study partners included the Forest Service and 8 state forestry agencies.

Crayfishes augment stream ecosystems. However, many crayfish species are threatened or endangered. Dams are among the greatest threats to crayfishes, and a new study shows that large dams may harm hundreds of crayfish species over thousands of stream miles.

Drones may safely ignite prescribed fire and meet burning standards needed for restoration, according to a recent study from the Forest Service. Drones may help ensure safe and frequent prescribed burn ignitions by reducing crew fatigue, migitating concerns over escaped fire, and preventing other hazards.