Abstract

Longleaf Pine Condition Assessment for the NF's in Alabama
Track: Forestry and Wildlife Management
Authors: Stanley Glover, Thomas Tenyah

This paper relates to a project to assess Longleaf Pine Condition on the National Forests in Alabama. Due to the number of acres to assess and the availability of personnel, GIS was used as the primary analysis tool in this assessment. GIS data used in this analysis are: Stands (vegetation), Prescribe Fire History, Soils, and Midstory Treatment areas. This assessment categorized the exiting and restorable longleaf forest ecosystems at the ground, midstory, and overstory stages. The final output resulted into 27 management classes by acre with supporting spatial locations. The limitations associated with this project are directly related to the availability and completeness of GIS data. However, the local team determined that the current data was appropriate for the initial analysis and through the development of a spatial model, the future analyses would improve as the availability and completeness of data improve.