Sandy’s impact on forests – Next Stewardship Roundtable meeting 1/14/2013
Jonathan Woods, Denville, NJ after Superstorm Sandy.
Superstorm Sandy changed many forests throughout New Jersey. The way these forests recover can provide insight into how forests regrow given the unique conservation threats we face; how will overabundant white-tailed deer, non-native invasive species, air pollution deposition, and climate change affect forest regeneration? Answering these questions will be critical if we are to move forward in a thoughtful and scientific way with active management of our natural resources.
Blowdown from Superstorm Sandy at India Brook Park, Mendham, NJ
The focus of the next Stewardship Roundtable meeting will be to discuss these issues and determine what we may be able to do to monitor forest recovery after Sandy. Given this unprecedented opportunity, what questions can we begin to answer? With limited stewardship resources, can we develop a monitoring program that answers our questions and is low cost and consistent across sites?
The meeting will be on Monday, January 14 2013 from 10AM to 12:30AM at NJ Audubon’s Scherman-Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary. We will first meet indoors to broadly discuss this topic and then we will visit a nearby blowdown.
Jon and others, Does anyone have even a rough or fake agenda so I can attempt to attend this meeting? I work in a new world order and it is tough to get out of the office but I think this storm gives us a fabulous opportunity for forest recovery research. Thanks. Ron Farr
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Ron,
Here is a proposed draft agenda. Anyone else can feel free to add to it.
10:00 Welcome and Introductions – Mike Anderson NJAS
10:10 Open discussion about latest stewardship issues not relating to superstorm Sandy: techniques/current programs/funding/training opportunities etc…
10:30 Discussion about impact of superstorm Sandy on forests
– Cultural impacts – trails and other park facilities – how will people
– Ecological impacts – What we know, what we don’t know, and what we don’t know we don’t know
– Monitoring forest recovery – Can we devise a corridnated approach to monitoring and use this opportunity to gain knowledge about ecosystem processes in New Jersey?
11:30 Short drive to Chestnut Avenue blowdown to discuss impacts and monitoring in the field (dress appropriately)
12:30 Adjurn