12/4/02
Elizabeth Lanier, 334/887-1847
AU CENTER STUDYING URBANIZATION EFFECTS ON GEORGIA COUNTIES
AUBURN -- Researchers in Auburn University's Center for Forest Sustainability are studying the effects of urbanization and population growth on forest sustainability in three West Georgia counties.
The study is examining the sustainable components of biodiversity, water quality, community sociology, and economics on landscapes in Harris, Meriwether and Muscogee counties.
It includes the rapidly growing metropolitan areas of northeast Columbus, Ga.
Despite its rural history, parts of the Southeast, particularly the Georgia Piedmont, are among the most rapidly developing in the United States. Continued population growth and urban expansion are increasing consumer demand for forest resources.
According to a 2001 U.S. Forest Service study, the dominant threat to Southern forests is land development caused by rapid population growth in the region. The report predicts that by 2020, urban area in the Southeast will have grown to 55 million acres from the current level of about 20 million.
The goal of AU's research in the West Georgia Project is to understand the influences of expanding human populations on the quality of life that are forest resource-based. In addition, the researchers hope to be able to predict the impacts of future population and urban development.
"Our intentions are to better understand the complex influences on forested landscapes brought about by urban and exurban expansion," says Graeme Lockaby, CFS director and AU professor. "We hope to develop a predictive ability in order to anticipate impact of various development scenarios."
For the West Georgia Project, AU scientists are using a research approach not previously applied in the Southeast.
"Past efforts to understand urbanization impacts have tried to isolate and study single factors," says Daowei Zhang, CFS economics expert and AU associate professor. "This project will use an integrated approach to simultaneously assess both socioeconomic and ecological impacts of land development across forested landscapes which will provide a much more comprehensive understanding of urbanization as a force in landscape evolution."
Two important forest ecosystem elements of interest are water quality and biodiversity, the latter focusing on bird populations, fish and aquatic insects. Healthy populations of diverse species are widely considered crucial to natural resource sustainability, said Zhang.
To study water quality, AU researchers are taking periodic water samples during the year from about 24 large watersheds within the study area. Biodiversity samples are taken seasonally. Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing technology are also used to determine land uses and cover. In addition to ecological research, scientists are also studying the socioeconomic effects of urban development on forest sustainability.
"Most environmental problems are created by the choices that people make, but we have always insisted on solving the problems by looking only for technological solutions." says CFS social forester and AU assistant professor Josh McDaniel. "Urbanization is not just a change in the landscape from rural to urban -- it is a change in values, culture, language, and perception.
"Hopefully, the West Georgia Project will offer both sociological and biological insight into the impact of urbanization on forest resources and, ultimately, provide solutions which will allow us to maintain, or even improve, our quality of life in the future."
Lockaby said project participants are interested in local perceptions of the issues and invite input on the project. In addition, project results will be made available to residents through a community education component and will be provided to city, county, or state managers for potential use in decision-making processes.
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CONTACT: Lockaby, 334/844-1054.