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Section 1: Biodiversity and Conservation Challenges Across the Appalachian Region

Previous Habitat Assessments within the Appalachian LCC: This spreadsheet provides the results of habitat assessments from five previous research projects. These include two projects in the Central Appalachian and Cumberland - Southern Appalachian portion of the LCC; habitat assessments completed in the North Carolina portion of the Cumberland - Southern Appalachian subregion; habitat assessments in the northeastern portion of the Central Appalachian subregion; and a draft assessment for a habitat in the Interior Low Plateau.

Southern Interior Low Plateau Dry Mesic Oak Forest: This habitat of upland hardwood-dominated forests occurs in the Interior Low Plateau region of the southeastern United States along ridgetops and slopes of various aspects. The floristic expression of different stands included in this habitat varies considerably with aspect and soil type. Included here are a variety of associations ranging along a moisture gradient from submesic to drier ones. The submesic to dry-mesic expressions tend to be found on midslopes with northerly to easterly aspects, and the drier ones on southerly to westerly aspects and on broad ridges. Parent material can range from calcareous to acidic with very shallow, well- to excessively well-drained soils in the drier expressions and moderately well-drained soils in the submesic to dry-mesic ones. The canopy closure of this system ranges from closed to somewhat open in the drier examples. Historically, these examples may have been more open under conditions of more frequent fire.

Central Interior Highlands Calcareous Glade and Barrens: This habitat is found primarily in the Interior Highlands of the Ozark, Ouachita, and Interior Low Plateau regions with scattered occurrences in northern Missouri. It occurs along moderate to steep slopes and steep valleys on primarily southerly to westerly facing slopes. Limestone and/or dolomite bedrock typify this system with shallow, moderately to well-drained soils interspersed with rocks. These soils often dry out during the summer and autumn, and then become saturated during the winter and spring. Fire is the primary natural dynamic, and prescribed fires help manage this system by restricting woody growth and maintaining the more open glade structure.

Where the Not-So-Mighty Chestnut Still Grows: A recent study by U.S. Forest Service, university, and state agency researchers provides baseline information on contemporary populations of American chestnut needed to support restoration of the tree to the forests it once dominated.

watson, brian

Literature Cited: Literature cited list for the Imperiled Aquatic Species Conservation Strategy for the Upper Tennessee River Basin and associated references.

Reports and Reference Materials: This folder includes reports (published, unpublished,and draft format) as well as data spreadsheets relevant to conservation within the Upper Tennessee River Basin.

Maps and Graphics: Maps in draft format for use in reports and presentations.

Communications: This is the folder area for the communications workgroup to upload draft products, meeting notes, and other outreach materials.

UTRB Imperiled Aquatic Species Conservation Strategy Presentaion - Schulz 2015: Powerpoint presentation of an overiew of the Imperiled Aquatic Species Strategy for the Upper Tennessee River Basin presented by Cindy Schulz on January 30, 2015.

UTRB Imperiled Aquatic Species Conservation Strategy [Slides]: The full set of Power Point briefing slides on the Conservation Strategy - prepared as a resource to the Development Team's use in outreach and briefings. (ver_2015-01-13_jb). Note hidden slides appear with the (H) on the slide.

UTRB Imperiled Aquatic Species Conservation Strategy [2015 presentation]: pdf copy of the UTRB Imperiled Aquatic Species Conservation Strategy briefing slides for team discussion on proposal to use UTRB strategy as the foundation upon which to pursue a landscape conservation design (LCD) project within the AppLCC. (2 slides/page). Note the slides with the (H) indicate those that are Hidden and not actually presented. (These are provided as background resources to the speaker.)

UTRB Imperiled Species Conservation Strategy [Presentation]: Imperiled Aquatic Species Conservation Strategy for the Upper Tennessee River Basin presentation of slide pdf.

Using a structured decision making process for strategic conservation of imperiled aquatic species in the Upper Tennessee River Basin: Development of strategic conservation of imperiled species faces several large challenges, including uncertainty in species response to management actions, budgetary constraints that limit options, and issues with scaling expected conservation benefits from local to landscape levels and from single to multiple species. We used a structured decision making process and a multi-scale approach to identify a cost-effective conservation strategy for the imperiled aquatic species in the Upper Tennessee River Basin (UTRB), which face a variety of threats. The UTRB, which encompasses a landscape of 22,360 square miles primarily in Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, harbors one of the most globally diverse assemblages of freshwater fishes and mussels occurring at temperate latitudes. In developing the strategy, we sought to identify which management actions to emphasize to best achieve recovery of imperiled aquatic species, given costs and uncertainty in management effectiveness. The strategy was developed for conservation implementation over a 20-year period, with periodic review and revision. In this presentation, we describe the ecological significance of the UTRB, the planning process, and the resulting strategy. A strategic emphasis on population management emerged as the optimal approach for achieving conservation of imperiled aquatic species in the UTRB, which aligns well with the goals of existing plans for conserving and recovering imperiled fishes and mussels in the UTRB. The structured planning process and resulting conservation strategy dovetail with the landscape approach to conservation embodied in the USFWS’s strategic habitat conservation approach and network of Landscape Conservation Cooperatives. The recorded webinar is also available for viewing at the following link: http://www.fws.gov/northeast/science/seminars/July2015.html.