Comments Received at Webinar 1
The table below captures the comments collected during the
input phase of the first
webinar, April 8th.
Comments are grouped by major forces of change.
| Comments | |
|---|---|
Social/Economic/Institutional |
|
| additional primary factor should be a combined national Renewable Fuels Standard and Renewable Portfolio Standards--national policy that may put focus on the south | |
Land Uses |
|
| Are there trends in conservation easements that are being considered? | |
| Dr. Pergams, U of Illinois, use of national parks and other parks, finding a serious downturn in use of parks, kids in the future may not back environmental projects as much, and may not have an interest in the land - kids don't go outside any more | |
| hunting licenses are trending downward | |
| I'm concerned about future large scale changes from forestry to agricultural production for biofuels. I'm pleased to hear that you are getting input on this topic and will be addressing it. | |
| short rotation crops, an increasing intensity of management for a woody crop market, potential 7-10 yr rotation of improved crops for woody biomass feedstock, changing marginal forested lands into woody croplands | |
| taxes in the South are still relatively so people can actually enjoy their land | |
| what is the relationship between state tax policy and land use change? | |
Biological |
|
| Biological and Physical factor interaction: climate change may influence where species will grow with changes in precipitation patterns | |
| Exclusion of low intensity fires over time increases the probability in intensive fires | |
| Maintaining frequent, low intensity prescribed burns in longleaf and other pine systems - the ability to continue doing so and the impact of that, as much a social factor | |
Physical |
|
| Could be important if the laws changed, so water left unused becomes somebody else's property | |
| Groundwater recharge rates for increasing populations, and other demands on that | |
| Maps that show sea level rise, that whole displacement of communities and how that might affect the forests, huge implications in some states | |
| Water rights issues | |
Forest Management/Markets |
|
| How have past silvicultural decisions set the current forest up for changing markets? | |
| international markets serve as a demand factor as well as competition, such as wood pellets that both compete with chip markets in the South but add export potential | |
| Markets: in addition to ATV additional technology such as geocaching...adventure vacations | |
| New Markets: beyond bioenergy could also include chemical feedstocks that replace fossil fuels | |
| People may not be planting trees as back when the markets for sawtimber were stronger | |
| People more interested in ATV riding, these don't mind paying for the opportunity to ride on private land, in contrast with hikers, bikers | |
| Trails in the woods seem to be more walked on now that there are more people in the community, so use of the woods is going up | |
Southern Forest Futures Project
SFFP
Forestry Sciences Laboratory
3041 Cornwallis Road
RTP, NC 27709
(919) 549-4011