Videos
Data Needs Assessment Foundational Research for Appalachian Region
The Data Needs Assessment research project was undertaken to review a variety of resources on conservation planning - such as datasets and tools - and provide packages of products, data, and identified gaps to improve conservation planning in the Appalachian Region. A suite of core conservation planning products and data from principal investigators at Clemson University are found below. These products and information generated from this foundational assessment were incorporated into the Interactive Conservation Planning and Design effort and in the drafting of the regional conservation plan for the Cooperative.
Data Needs Assessment Foundational Research
The Data Needs Assessment research project was undertaken to review a variety of resources on conservation planning - such as datasets and tools - and provide packages of products, data, and identified gaps to improve conservation planning in the Appalachian LCC. A suite of core conservation planning products and data from principal investigators at Clemson University are found below. These products and information generated from this foundational assessment were incorporated into the Interactive Conservation Planning and Design effort and in the drafting of the regional conservation plan for the Cooperative.
LANDFIRE Data Applications for Research in Fire Ecology, Forest Mgmt in California
Brandon Collins presents the second in a series of webinars that LANDFIRE co-hosts with the California Fire Science Consortium. Collins is a USFS Research Forester based in Davis, CA, whose interests involve characterizing effects of fire and fuels treatments on forests at both the stand and landscape levels. He says, "My research intends to provide meaningful information to managers interested in improving forest resiliency and incorporating more natural fire-vegetation dynamics across landscapes."
Protecting the Tennessee River Gorge
A video documenting why the Tennessee River Gorge Trust's work is necessary.
Conserving Imperiled Aquatic Species in the UTRB
A team of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service scientists, with assistance from U.S. Geological Survey, have developed a collaborative conservation strategy examining cost-effective approaches for efforts to conserve and manage 36 imperiled freshwater fish and mussel species in the 22,360 square-mile Upper Tennessee River Basin.
Video Presentation: Interactive Conservation Planning & Design
This video presentation from Paul Leonard of the Appalachian LCC and Clemson University walks through the development of a regional conservation plan for the Cooperative using an interactive and iterative spatial prioritization framework. Using available data and modeling approaches, researchers from Clemson University developed a suite of conservation planning models that include site selection, ecological threat assessments, and broad ranging habitat and ecological connectivity analyses. The research team worked closely with steering committee-organized technical teams from each major region in our LCC to help guide the iterative feedback loops which informed the conservation design. The research team is now working on the second phase of this conservation planning and design modeling that will integrate aquatic and cultural resource components into the design work.
Environmental Educator Broadcast: Landscape Conservation Cooperatives
On August 26th, Appalachian LCC Coordinator Jean Brennan, National LCC Coordinator Elsa Haubold, and National LCC Communication Coordinator Laura McClean participated in a live broadcast that provided an update on the work of Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) to environmental educators.
Environmental Flows from Water Withdrawals in the Marcellus Shale Region
The rivers and streams of the Central Appalachians are home to more than 200 species of fish and other aquatic life. They also provide a reliable source of drinking water, recreational opportunities and associated economic benefits to people living in large cities and surrounding communities. Stream Impacts from Water Withdrawals in the Marcellus Shale Region
Assessing Vulnerability of Species and Habitats to Large-scale Impacts: CCVA
New vulnerability assessments for 41 species and 3 habitats in the Appalachians are now available. The conservation community can view and search each of these assessments by relative raking or vulnerability scores, conservation status ranks, state and subregion of assessment, and higher taxonomy. In addition, principle investigators NaturServe compiled the results of 700 species assessments previously completed by other researchers as well as assessments on several habitats.
Classification and Mapping of Cave and Karst Resources
Cave and karst systems are unique environments that occur throughout the Appalachians. They provide habitat for a diverse array of species and are an important source of domestic water supply for Appalachian communities. However, a lack of classification and mapping information on these ecosystems creates a significant barrier to conservation.
Riparian Restoration Decision Support Tool
An innovative riparian planting and restoration decision support tool is now available to the conservation community. This user-friendly tool allows managers and decision-makers to rapidly identify and prioritize areas along the banks of rivers, streams, and lakes for restoration, making these ecosystems more resilient to disturbance and future changes in climate. It will also help the conservation community invest limited conservation dollars wisely, helping to deliver sustainable resources.
Marxan Good Practices Handbook
Overview of Marxan software and good use recommendations for its use in conservation planning and design.
2015 Annual Report
Since we began, the Appalachian LCC has worked to define data and conservation science needs, invest in gathering foundational data and priority research, and build a coordinated network for those investments to pay off. Many of our funded research projects are now beginning to deliver important science information and tools to support landscape conservation for the valued natural and cultural resources in the Appalachians.
Appalachian LCC 2014 Annual Report
The Appalachian LCC has worked to define data and conservation science needs, invest in gathering foundational data and priority research, and build a coordinated network for those investments to pay off. Many of our funded research projects are now beginning to deliver important science information and tools to support landscape conservation for the valued natural and cultural resources in the Appalachians. This report highlights the many achievements of our partnership in these areas.
Notes/Summary from May 1, 2015 Core Team Meeting
Notes/Summary from May 1, 2015 Core Team Meeting
Announcing the January 2015 Decision Analysis for Climate Change Online Course (ALC 3196)
Have you always wanted to know how to address climate change related concerns and uncertainties using decision analysis? Do you have a small to moderate scale climate change problem you are working on and wondered if decision analysis can help you solve that problem? We have the class for you!
Distribution and characterization of in‐channel large wood in relation to geomorphic patterns on a low‐gradient river
A 177 river km georeferenced aerial survey of in‐channel large wood (LW) on the lower Roanoke River, NC was conducted to determine LW dynamics and distributions on an eastern USA low‐gradient large river. Results indicate a system with approximately 75% of the LW available for transport either as detached individual LW or as LW in log jams. There were approximately 55 individual LW per river km and another 59 pieces in log jams per river km. Individual LW is a product of bank erosion (73% is produced through erosion) and is isolated on the mid and upper banks at low flow. This LW does not appear to be important for either aquatic habitat or as a human risk. Log jams rest near or at water level making them a factor in bank complexity in an otherwise homogenous fine‐grained channel. A segmentation test was performed using LW frequency by river km to detect breaks in longitudinal distribution and to define homogeneous reaches of LW frequency. Homogeneous reaches were then analyzed to determine their relationship to bank height, channel width/depth, sinuosity, and gradient. Results show that log jams are a product of LW transport and occur more frequently in areas with high snag concentrations, low to intermediate bank heights, high sinuosity, high local LW recruitment rates, and narrow channel widths. The largest concentration of log jams (21.5 log jams/km) occurs in an actively eroding reach. Log jam concentrations downstream of this reach are lower due to a loss of river competency as the channel reaches sea level and the concurrent development of unvegetated mudflats separating the active channel from the floodplain forest. Substantial LW transport occurs on this low‐gradient, dam‐regulated large river; this study, paired with future research on transport mechanisms should provide resource managers and policymakers with options to better manage aquatic habitat while mitigating possible negative impacts to human interests
Adaptation: Planning for Climate Change and Its Effects on Federal Lands
National forest managers are charged with tackling the effects of climate change on the natural resources under their care. The Forest Service National Roadmap for Responding to Climate Change and the Climate Change Performance Scorecard require managers to make significant progress in addressing climate change by 2015. To help land managers meet this challenge, Forest Service scientists conducted three case studies on national forests and adjacent national parks and documented a wide range of scientific issues and solutions. They summarized the scientific foundation for climate change adaptation and made the information accessible to land managers by creating a climate change adaptation guidebookand web portal. Case study teams discovered that collaboration among scientists and land managers is crucial to adaptation planning, as are management plans targeted to the particular ecosystem conditions and management priorities of each region. Many current management practices are consistent with climate change adaptation goals. Because timely implementation is critical, strategies are in development at the national level to speed the implementation of science-based climate change adaptation processes in national forests throughout the country.
