Utilizing a Landscape Scale Model of Forest Disturbance and Succession For Forest Decision-Making in the Southern Appalachians

The management of public forested lands is a difficult and time-consuming endeavor. Forest resource managers often make decisions at fine spatial and temporal scales. While this is useful, it is equally important to understand and make decisions regarding landscape level phenomena at broad temporal scales. Key questions managers should be asking such as “how will vegetation respond to disturbances at large spatial extents?” and “how will forest landscape pattern affect successional dynamics?” are often overshadowed due to the time and cost involved at conducting research across broad spatial scales. Answering these requires a synthesis of scientific knowledge about landscape components and species life cycle processes integrated into a cost-effective and time efficient system that is useful to resource managers.