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Fred Cubbage

We examined the decision making context, decision making process, and management planning associated with the restoration of open pine ecosystems in the Southeast. To better understand the planning practice associated with this system, we assessed the quality of 35 management plans from federal, state, and nongovernmental agencies. We found that newer plans scored higher than older plans, suggesting agencies may be learning to develop better plans over time and indicating older plans should be prioritized for revision. Plans from federal and state agencies scored higher than plans from nongovernmental agencies, reflecting differences in agency missions and resources. The fact base scored high across most plans,...
We aimed to gain a better understanding of the management decision context, planning practice and the role and quality of management plans, and decision making processes across the Southeast. To do so, we conducted interviews with decision makers, and developed a questionnaire on the decision making process and climate change perceptions that may be deployed in the future. The results of this project will provide insights for the conservation of open pine systems and other related high priority conservation contexts that the Southeast Climate Science Center and Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy team hope to explore in future efforts.
Longleaf pine (LLP, Pinus palustris) has been reduced to 3–5% of its original range, but may be particularly resilient to conditions associated with climate change including drought, severe storms, and increased prevalence of pests. Despite the critical role of LLP in building climate resilient ecosystems, little is known about how landscape managers in the region have considered climate change in planning efforts. We gathered 83 publicly accessible natural resource management plans from the southeastern United States that included management of LLP ecosystems between 1999 and 2016. We used document analysis to identify how plans addressed climate change threats on LLP, considered climate change in identification...
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