In the News

Dr. Ge Sun and colleagues--including lead author L. Adrian Bruijnzeel--discussed water, forests, and livelihoods in rural Nepal in a popular science forum. Their story in Eos, the science digest published by the American Geophysical Union, relates local and national efforts towards water sustainability in recent decades, including the complex implications of rapid reforestation. Their story summarizes findings from a symposium held in Nepal to advance research and education. Dr. Sun also led publication of the symposium's proceedings. 

"In September 2023, an international symposium was held in Pokhara, Nepal, to review past and present connections among water, forests, and rural livelihoods in the Lesser Himalaya and to shed light on the specific challenge of declining spring water supplies. The meeting brought together experts—mostly from Nepal, with others from China, India, the Netherlands, and the United States—in forest hydrology and ecology, water resources management, community forest management, socioeconomic dynamics, and climate change. Representatives of international institutions (e.g., the United Nations Environment Programme and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development), national and provincial government officials, and regional journalists also attended. Among the meeting’s outcomes, the group identified key knowledge gaps with respect to forest-water-livelihood relationships in the Lesser Himalaya, as well as steps to fill these gaps."

Read the full story at EOS: Forests, Water, and Livelihoods in the Lesser Himalaya

Read the Proceedings of the International Symposium on the Forests-Water-Livelihood Nexus in the Lesser Himalaya

Late last year, the South experienced an extremely hot and sudden drought. When temperatures are high and moisture is low, trees become vulnerable quickly. Across southwest Mississippi and eastern Louisiana, approximately 12 million pine trees began dying, and by early winter, 83,000 acres of pines had died. That estimate was derived with HiForm, a Southern Research Station tool developed by Threat Center scientists Steve Norman and Bill Christie. The use of HiForm mapping products by state forestry agencies to assess the damage to pine forests is highlighted in a new SRS news feature. “HiForm is revolutionizing the way we monitor forests,” says Norman. “These technologies let us track forest health throughout the year and capture sudden disturbances in near-real-time.”

Read the News Feature.

View an online map of recent pine mortality in Mississippi. 

A Mississippi news story in The Daily Leader (Brookhaven, MS) reported on a collaboration between Threat Center scientists and the Mississippi Forestry Commission, bringing Threat Center science to bear on a pressing problem. Historic drought conditions in southeastern and central Mississippi have created conditions favorable for outbreak of pine beetle infestations, leading to widespread pine tree mortality. To respond effectively, managers need timely information about where the impacted areas are--whether on private or public lands. Threat Center researchers Steve Norman and Bill Christie worked with the Forestry Commission to deliver a highly accurate and detailed map of likely pine mortality associated with the recent drought and insect outbreaks. This research relies on remote sensing based techniques developed by the HiForm (High-resolution Forest Mapping) project.

Read the Daily Reader's news story.

View the online map of recent pine mortality in Mississippi.

Visit the HiForm website for details about the mapping effort and other projects.

Southeast Climate Hub expands outreach efforts

The USDA Southeast Climate Hub develops and delivers science-based information for southern resource managers. In fall of 2023, the Hub shared resilience strategies with agricultural producers and others who attended the Virginia State Fair, the North Carolina State Fair, and the Rocky Mount Forest Landowner Conference.

These outreach opportunities introduced agricultural producers, forest landowners, and families to resources for managing land for resilience to climate variability, and helped Hub researchers better understand the needs of communities across the Southeast.

At the two fairs, Hub scientists interacted with over 4,000 people including 140 farmers, 86 foresters, and 39 ranchers. Much of the audience was also made up of young children, students, educators, gardeners, and other public service providers. The Forest Landowner Conference in Rocky Mount, North Carolina was also a successful outreach and networking event, where the Hub connected with over 100 forest landowners, graduate students, and representatives from state and federal agencies and universities.

Read the CompassLive story here.

Visit the website of the Southeast Climate Hub.

The silent invasion: Nonnative trees threaten American forests

CompassLive recently covered Threat Center research on a quiet yet profound ecological shift taking place in U.S. Forests. Nonnative invasive tree species are gaining a foothold in forest ecosystems, competing with native trees for resources, sunlight, and space. A recent study conducted by Threat Center researchers Kevin Potter, Kurt Riitters, and Qinfeng Guo reveals the extent and potential consequences of this invasion.

“Our strategy was to identify the nonnative tree species that are successfully reproducing across wide areas in the woods. That’s because those species are more likely to degrade the ecosystem services of our native forests,” Potter explained. 

Read recent coverage of this research in CompassLive.

Read the Research Highlight.

Read the scientific publication.