3/19/02

Elizabeth Lanier, 334/887-1847

AU CENTER STUDYING IMPACTS OF URBANIZATION ON FOREST SUSTAINABILITY

AUBURN -- Researchers in Auburn University's Center for Forest Sustainability are studying the effects of population growth and urban development on the sustainability of forest resources -- a key environmental issue of the millennium.

One of AU's Peaks of Excellence, CFS incorporates research expertise in forestry and wildlife, economics, agronomy, anthropology, biological sciences, business, and geography.

As pressures from expanding populations rise, forest sustainability represents meeting needs of the present generation without compromising needs of future generations, says Graeme Lockaby, CFS director.

Continued population growth and urban expansion are increasing consumer demand for forest resources. Parts of the Southeast, such as the areas surrounding the cities of Atlanta and Birmingham, Ala., are among the most rapidly developing in the United States.

According to a 2001 U.S. Forest Service study, the dominant threat to southern forests is land development caused from rapid population growth in this region. The report predicts that by 2020, urban area in the Southeast will have grown to 55 million acres from the current level of 20 million.

"This level of urban development is likely to remain an irresistible force", says Lockaby, who is also a professor of forestry at AU. "Therefore, it is imperative that we understand the nature of it so that we can adapt and maintain our quality of life."

"This project will employ an integrated approach to simultaneously assess both socioeconomic and ecological impacts of land development across forested landscapes in the Southeastern United States," says Daowei Zhang, CFS economics expert and AU associate professor. "This approach, which has not previously been applied in the Southeast, will enable a much more comprehensive understanding of these issues to be attained than has previously occurred."

The study will examine the sustainable components of biodiversity, water quality, and economics on landscapes in three Georgia counties (Muscogee, Harris, and Meriwether), which include metropolitan areas of Columbus, one of the most rapidly developing areas in this region.

"Specifically, we hope to determine how encroaching development impacts forest-based economics, spatial patterns of biodiversity, and water quality, and how rapidly these factors degrade along the urban - rural interface," Zhang says

"Our ultimate goal for this study is to better understand the manner in which urbanization affects our forests so that we can learn how to maintain forest attributes as Southeastern populations continue to rise." Lockaby added. "This issue is vital to society because our quality of life is dependent on the welfare of our forests."

mar02:AU-forests

CONTACT: Lockaby, 334/844.1012.