Southern Research Station's network of Experimental Forests gets a new addition
The Southern Research Station maintains 19 Experimental Forests across the South, providing unique opportunities for Forest Service scientists and partners to conduct experimental studies designed to assist land managers with practical questions. But the Southern US includes incredible forest type diversity, and having experimental forests in the different ecological landscapes of the southeast is essential. In 2020, The Southern Research Station and the North Carolina State University College of Natural Resources signed an agreement adding NC State’s Hill Demonstration Forest to the Experimental Forest Network. Hill Forest, more than 2,600 acres of varied forest types in the Carolina Slate Belt, will be the first cooperating experimental forest in the network. Experimental Forest co-lead Stephanie Laseter, and EFETAC scientist and Experimental Forest co-lead Johnny Boggs, helped lead the effort to create the agreement.
Hill Forests' status as a cooperating experimental forest preserves its current ownership and management while recognizing its vital contributions to the USFS Network. For twelve years, USFS and NC State scientists have conducted forest management experiments and collected hydrology data on the Forest to better understand forest and water processes in the Piedmont region. The new agreement creates additional research opportunities and helps to create a more cohesive Network. Read more in CompassLive...
