| Abstract: |
As populations expand in the South, human influences on southern forests are increasing. Natural resource professionals currently have limited skills, information, and tools necessary to address the challenges of managing resources in the wildland-urban interface. Local policymakers, planners, and homeowners need scientific information packaged in user-friendly, easily accessible formats for informed decisionmaking. The Southern Research Station and the Southern Region of the USDA Forest Service, in cooperation with the Southern Group of State Foresters, conducted an assessment to identify and better understand factors driving social and ecological changes within the wildland-urban interface, as well as the consequences of such changes. The Assessment considers a geographical area that includes 13 southern States from Virginia to Texas. The primary contributors to this Assessment are recognized authorities from Federal agencies and university faculties. Before compiling the Assessment, the Assessment team held 12 focus groups in 6 southern communities that are experiencing rapid growth. The groups helped identify important issues and needs common to the wildland-urban interface and validated the overall findings of the Assessment. |
