ABSTRACT
Threats to Southern Forests ........................................................................................................... 453 Wildfires .................................................................................................................................... 453
Key Findings ........................................................................................................................ 453 Management Options ........................................................................................................... 453
Insects, Diseases, and Invasives ................................................................................................ 453 Key Findings ........................................................................................................................ 453 Management Options ........................................................................................................... 454
Values of Southern Forest .............................................................................................................. 454 Forest Productivity and Carbon Sequestration .......................................................................... 454
Key Findings ........................................................................................................................ 454 Management Options ........................................................................................................... 455
Water Resources ........................................................................................................................ 455 Key Findings ........................................................................................................................ 455 Management Options ........................................................................................................... 455
Plant Species and Habitat .......................................................................................................... 456 Key Findings ........................................................................................................................ 456 Management Options ........................................................................................................... 456
Wildlife Species and Habitats ................................................................................................... 457 Key Findings ........................................................................................................................ 457 Management Options ........................................................................................................... 458
Recreation ................................................................................................................................. 459 Key Findings ........................................................................................................................ 459 Management Options ........................................................................................................... 459
Interactions among Management Options ..................................................................................... 459 References ...................................................................................................................................... 462
Clear examples include the use of prescribed fire and tree breeding for insect and disease resistance. Despite this history and decades of practical experience, the rapid pace and magnitude of climate change may exceed the inherent resistance and resiliency of forest ecosystems and pose new management challenges that go beyond current knowledge and experience. Among those challenges will be identifying areas where forests are most vulnerable, determining where the effects of change could be the greatest and the most detrimental, and developing and implementing management activities to increase resilience and resistance or to facilitate a transition to a new condition (Millar et al. 2007).
