Ecology and Management of a Forested Landscape: Fifty Years on the Savannah River Site - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1597260118 ISBN 13: 9781597260114

Publisher: Island Press, 2005

Synopsis

Can land degraded by centuries of agriculture be restored to something approaching its original productivity and diversity? This book tells the story of fifty years of restoration and management of the forested landscape of the Savannah River Site, a 310-square-mile tract of land in the coastal plain of South Carolina that has been closed to the public for more than five decades.
Ecology and Management of a Forested Landscape presents for the first time a complete synthesis and summary of information on the Savannah River Site, providing a detailed portrait of the plant and animal populations and communities on the site and the effects on them of fifty years of management practices. Contributors offer thirty-two chapters that describe the site's history, land management, physical environment, plant and animal communities, endangered species, and game species. Extensively illustrated with photos, maps, charts, and tables, the book provides a comprehensive overview of the forest management practices that can support long-term forest recovery and restoration of native habitats. It represents for natural resource managers a detailed case study in long-term land management, and provides scientists with an in-depth analysis of the natural history and physical and biological characteristics of a southeastern forested landscape.

About this title

About the Author:

John C. Kilgo is research wildlife biologist, USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station, Center for Forested Wetlands Research. He is stationed at the Savannah River Site.

John I. Blake is assistant manager for research at USDA Forest Service-Savannah River.

Review:

"The Savannah River Site is a priceless model of ecological recovery and restoration. It provides hard evidence of how a mutualistic relationship between humankind and natural systems might develop. This book's clearly stated goals and objectives are admirably supported by data that cover large temporal and spatial spans. --John Cairns Jr.

"The history of ecological research at the Savannah River Site is testimony to the power of long-term studies, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the application of basic science to land management challenges. This volume wonderfully documents that history and provides comprehensive review of our current understanding of the dynamics and functioning of this diverse landscape." --Norman L. Christensen Jr.

"Ecology and Management of a Forested Landscape is a unique chronicle of the successful ecological rehabilitation and restoration of a degraded, formerly agriculture-dominated system, starting with research and moving through adaptive natural resource management. With a case-study approach containing applications and concepts extending beyond the southeastern United States, this book is invaluable to all ecologists - from the academic to the practicing land manager." --W. Mark Ford

About this edition

• Publisher: Island Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1597260118
• ISBN 13: 9781597260114
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 479
• Editor: Kilgo John, Blake John I.