Ecological Site concepts originated on western rangelands but have been extended to forestland and can be applied to all lands. Development of Ecological Site Descriptions on forestland has been limited, especially east of the Mississippi River. The diversity of plant communities, topography and soils in the eastern US makes ESDs especially challenging but also potentially useful. Lack of familiarity with ESD concepts by most resource professionals in the east has also slowed progress. Recent NRCS staffing of Ecological Site Inventory specialists in Eastern states has resulted in renewed interest in forestland ESDs and an increased awareness of the ecological site concepts by both NRCS and partners. Technical Teams to support ESD development have formed in several states. The current state and potential for growth of ecological site concepts in the largely tree-covered eastern US will be described in this presentation. Examples of recent ESD development will be presented.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.