Leaves of Change Bulletins

Issue : 22   Jan 04, 2017

How Do Changing Landscapes Affect Human Risk to West Nile Virus?

Urbanization is transforming the South. And as forests and farms are converted to urban land uses, there are environmental consequences—reduced water quality, invasive species, and loss of habitat for native wildlife and plant species. The changes also have implications for disease vectors, such as birds and insects that can carry West Nile Virus (WNV), Lyme disease, and more recently, the Zika virus. One group of researchers has been looking at the connection between a wide ranging but integrated group of factors in the transmission of WNV—the loss of forest cover, increases in impervious surface, reduced water quality, socioeconomics, and other factors—that may play a role in supporting the bird and mosquito populations that are key in the spread of WNV. view bulletin...

Issue : 20   Feb 10, 2016

Project Attempts to Stem the Tide of African-American Land Loss through Active Forest Management

In this issue of Leaves of Change, we describe a research study conducted in association with community-based projects in three southern states that are a part of the Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention Program (a collaborative effort between the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, the USDA Forest Service, and the Natural Resource Conservation Service). This study is helping to improve our understanding of African American land ownership and African American participation in sustainable forestry. view bulletin...

Issue : 19   Aug 20, 2015

Linkages between Forest Cover, Community Vitality, and Human Health in Atlanta

Proctor Creek snakes through downtown Atlanta and eventually works its way to the Chattahoochee River. Along the way it passes through both middle and lower income neighborhoods, including some of the most economically depressed areas of the city with high rates of poverty and crime. The waterway is plagued with illegal dumping, pollution, erosion, and high bacteria levels from regular stormwater flooding and sewage overflows. In 2013, Proctor Creek was named one of eleven Urban Waters Federal Partnership Projects, a project that aims to tackle the country’s most polluted city waters and reconnect communities with their waterways. The partnership works to improve coordination and focus among federal agencies on problems in the watershed, as well as promote community-led efforts at economic, social, and ecological revitalization. As a part of the partnership, SRS-4952 is conducting three interconnected studies that will provide valuable information on the links between urban greenspace, ecosystem services, environmental justice, and human health. This issue of Leaves of Change focuses on these three studies and Kids in the Woods outreach activities. view bulletin...

Issue : 17   Oct 15, 2014

Perceptions and Attitudes Toward Climate Change in the Southeast

A recent SRS-4952 research project published in the book, International Perspectives on Climate Change, focused on how people’s views of climate change are influenced by factors such as political and religious affiliation, race and ethnicity, economic status, environmental context, media exposure, and sense of community and place. The project broke from the broad-scale surveys that dominate most descriptions of attitudes towards climate change by using qualitative methods, interviews and focus groups, to explore the beliefs of specific communities in detail. view bulletin...

Issue : 15   Nov 29, 2013

Double Jeopardy: Mapping Social Vulnerability and Climate Change in Georgia

In this issue of Leaves of Change you will learn about a recent study in Georgia that addressed two key questions: Will the physical effects of climate change be more apparent in some areas? Will certain populations and communities be affected more than others? You will also learn about the Centers’ recent training and outreach activities, recommended resources, and upcoming events related to urban and interface forestry. view bulletin...

Issue : 13   Nov 29, 2012

iTree and Air Pollution in DeSoto County, Mississippi

Across the South, rapid urbanization is transforming previously rural areas and creating new environmental challenges. Desoto County sits in the northwestern corner of Mississippi, across the state line from the city of Memphis. Since 1970, the county has experienced an increase in population of 430 percent, growing from 36,000 people in 1970 to 159,000 in 2010. Along with the population growth, urban development, roads, and traffic have increased tremendously and introduced serious air and water quality problems to the traditionally agricultural county. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has included Desoto County with Memphis in an ozone “non-attainment” area, meaning that ozone emissions are above allowable limits set by federal regulation. Ground level ozone, the main ingredient in smog, can trigger asthma attacks and causes lung damage. The ruling will likely mean that the state will have to take expensive actions to reduce pollution emissions from cars and commercial/industrial sources. One group, led by the county extension director, Joy Anderson, is hoping that the urban tree canopy can play a part in the solution, and return Desoto County to attainment status. Working with Eric Kuehler, technology transfer specialist for Urban Forestry South, Desoto County conducted a series of iTree analyses including iTree Eco, Canopy and Vue. view bulletin...

Issue : 11   Mar 01, 2012

Ecological, Sociocultural, and Economic Effects of Urbanization

Wayne Zipperer, a research forester within SRS-4952: Integrating Human and Natural Systems, is working with colleagues from the Center for Forest Sustainability at Auburn University to study how urban development drives change. The team is looking at a set of questions, which include the following: How has urbanization altered forested landscapes? What are the effects of urban development on water quality and aquatic resources? How does urbanization affect the culture or sense of place of a community? In this issue we focus on some of the key findings from this collaborative study. view bulletin...

Issue : 9   Jun 02, 2011

Cultural Issues in Forest Management

Extension programs and forest management assistance plans have traditionally had difficulty reaching most forest landowners. In many cases, the same group of engaged and motivated landowners show up for all extension and outreach events and meetings. Minority forest landowners and forest landowners with limited resources have been especially underserved by extension programs and forest management assistance plans. Recent changes in forest ownership—including smaller tracts of forest land, urban and exurban development, and declines in the proportion of farmers among forest landowners—have made it even more difficult to reach forest landowners. However, social science research can help us increase our understanding of the diverse values and practices of forest landowners, ultimately helping us to improve our ability to engage and communicate with a wider audience. In this issue, we highlight a research project headed by John Schelhas (SRS-4952 natural resource sociologist) that is helping to describe social networks among African American forest landowners as well as forest and land values and identities, forest practices, and forest histories. The findings of this project are helping to illuminate a crucial disconnect in forestry and extension efforts, and have subsequently led to outreach efforts designed specifically to connect with underserved landowner groups. view bulletin...

Issue : 7   Sep 15, 2010

Outdoor Recreation in the South

This issue of Leaves of Change focuses on outdoor recreation in the South, specifically focusing on the economic benefits that recreational trails can bring to communities. Michael Bowker, one of our research social scientists, has been studying the role of trail tourism in sparking economic life into rural areas in the South. In the case of the Virginia Creeper Trail, a railroad line built to haul harvested timber has been converted into a widely popular biking trail that has helped to revitalize communities who have suffered from economic shifts in the region. view bulletin...

Issue : 5   Aug 24, 2009

WUI Professional Development for the South

Natural resource agencies are being called upon to provide solutions to increasingly complex challenges at the wildland-urban interface (WUI). Communities are growing rapidly, landowners’ management goals often conflict, residents may not understand the benefits of resource management, and the resulting risks to environmental quality and human quality of life are becoming more apparent. These changes call for natural resource professionals to learn new skills and techniques. This issue of Leaves of Change focuses on the Changing Roles: WUI Professional Development Program that was developed to address the critical need for professional development related to wildland-urban interface issues in the South. view bulletin...

Issue : 3   May 19, 2008

Minimizing the Impacts of Catastrophic Events

In this issue we highlight many of the activities that the Forest Service and partners in the Southern Region are undertaking to help make communities safer and minimize the impact of natural disasters on multiple fronts, through research, science delivery, training, and practical applications. view bulletin...

Issue : 1   Aug 13, 2007

Centers for Urban and Interface Forestry

The Centers for Urban and Interface Forestry (CUIF) is the result of an integration of two existing centers, formerly know as the Southern Center for Urban Forestry Research and Information in Athens, Georgia, and the Southern Center for Wildland-Urban Interface Research and Information in Gainesville, Florida. This integration combines expertise in urban forestry and wildland-urban interface (WUI) issues for the southern region and nationwide. CUIF is part of the Southern Research Station research work unit SRS-4952: Integrating Human and Natural Systems in Urban and Urbanizing Environments. The urban forestry component of CUIF is now called Urban Forestry South and the WUI component is InterfaceSouth. view bulletin...