Afforestation of agricultural lands in the lower Mississippi Alluvial valley: the state of our understanding
Abstract
The Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV) was originally forested with approximately 8.5 million ha of bottomland hardwood forests. During the past 200 years, all but approximately 2.5 million ha of these forests have been cleared and converted primarily to agriculture. However, afforestation efforts have increased steadily during the past 20 years, as values of these ecosystems have been recognized. This paper provides an historical account of bottomland hardwood forest losses and presents a review of afforestation options, opportunities, and challenges in the LMAV