Sustainability and productivity of southern pine ecosystems: A thematic framework for integrating research and building partnerships
Abstract
In 1997, the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station (SRS) published a Strategic Plan that formed a framework for addressing the Sustainability of Southern Forest Ecosystems. Six crosscutting themes were identified to facilitate research integration and partnership building among the widely dispersed SRS research work units. The Sustainability and Productivity of Southern Pine Ecosystems theme outlined in this paper, allows us to identify critical issues, information gaps, and research needs for ecologically sound, economically viable, and socially acceptable management of the southern pine and pine-hardwood ecosystems.