In 2011, the Southern Forest Futures Project identified drought, degraded water quality and other water stress as a major threat to southeastern forests and human communities. There is little doubt that in order to manage this threat, the forestry and natural resources community must work cooperatively and communicate effectively with the water resources community. SREF, in partnership with the USFS Southern Research Station (SRS), work together to bridge the information and communications gap that currently exists between the forestry and water resources communities. In the late Fall of 2011, the SRS contracted with SREF to explore several research questions including:
- How are water resource communities organized?
- How are decisions made within the water resources community?
- Are there established major communication channels within the community, primed for transferring information?
The project included a survey of water resource professionals within the Atlanta Metro Region and detailed input from over 100 of these professionals. We found that many of these professionals are members of organizations that provide continuing education services and regular communications of information. SREF has developed a set of draft guidelines and strategies for the SRS to engage key organizations and professionals within the water resources community. The office of the Southern Regional Extension Forester is optimistic that these findings and recommendations will increase the recognition of the US Forest Service, and specifically, the importance of the findings of the Forest Futures Project among the water professionals across the South.
For more information on this project, please contact Bill Hubbard at whubbard@sref.info.
