Urban and Community Forestry Grant Program 2022-2023 funds

Through the Urban and Community Forestry Program, SCFC provides financial assistance for urban and community forestry projects to local governments and organized groups living and working within established developing and populated areas. This PowerPoint presentation explains the program and how to apply for funds

On the use of parataxonomy in biodiversity monitoring: a case study on wild flora

International audienceMonitoring programs that assess species-richness and turnover are now regarded as essential to document biodiversity loss worldwide. Implementation of such programs is impeded by a general decrease in the number of skilled naturalists. Here we studied how morphotypes, instead of species, might be used by unskilled participants (referred to as “volunteers”) to survey common plant communities. Our main questions were: (1) Can morphotypes be used as a robust estimator of species-richness (alpha-diversity) and assemblage turnover (Beta-diversity)? and (2) What is the robustness (reproducibility and repeatability) of such methods? Double inventories were performed on 150 plots in arable Weld margins, one by a non-expert using morphotypes, the other by a taxonomist using species. To test the robustness of morphotype identiWcation among participants, 20 additional plots were surveyed by eight volunteers using the same protocol. We showed that (1) the number of morphotypes identiWed by unskilled volunteers in a plot was always strongly correlated with species-richness. (2) Morphotypes were sensitive to diVerences among habitats but were less accurate than species to detect these diVerences. (3) Morphotype identiWcation varied signiWcantly within and between volunteers. Due to this lack of repeatability and reproducibility, parataxonomy cannot be considered a good surrogate for taxonomy. Nevertheless, assuming that morphotypes are identiWed with standardized methods, and that results are used only to evaluate gross species-richness but not species turnover, parataxonomy might be a valuable tool for rapid biodiversity assessment of common wild flora

Utilizing Natural Green Infrastructure for Resilient Landscapes [Video]

This video provides an overview of green infrastructure with examples from Hampton Roads. The recorded webinar by Karen Firehock (Green Infrastructure Center and the University of Virginia) was presented to the Hampton Roads chapter of the American Society for Public Administration (https://aspahr.org/) on October 21, 2021

Forest connectivity in the developing landscape : a design guide for conservation developments

This guide provides the reasons, steps, processes and marketing tools for conservation subdivision design. It builds on other works on this topic by incorporating modern tools of Geographic Information Systems analysis, habitat modeling, and best design practices for maximizing forest conservation and connectivity. It also takes a strong conservation approach to this design by focusing, not just on the notion of ‘open space’, which could be a lawn or a plaza, but rather on conserving habitat and restoring it where it has been impaired. Two case studies of real sites were designed in tandem with this guide’s writing, one in North Carolina and one in South Carolina. Referring to both studies, this guide takes the reader step-by-step through the design process and the challenges posed by implementing ideal design principles in the real world--with all the inherent site and policy constraints they typically encounter

A guide to urban forest plans

This guide was written to assist local governments and tree advocacy groups in understanding what to request and what should be expected when undertaking a planning process for their urban forest. While this guide was written for South Carolina, it can be applied universally. This guide came about following GIC’s review of 100 cities and towns in South Carolina and research into other management plans from multiple U.S. cities. Before embarking on an urban forestry plan, reference this guide to determine the type of plan to pursue and the steps to get there

Urban and Community Forestry Grant Program 2023-2024 funds

Through the Urban and Community Forestry Program, SCFC provides financial assistance for urban and community forestry projects to local governments and organized groups living and working within established developing and populated areas. This PowerPoint presentation explains the program and how to apply for funds

Effects of Urban Sprawl on Riparian Vegetation: Is Compact or Dispersed Urbanization Better for Biodiversity?

Compact urbanization is the main strategy for sustainable urban development. However, it is yet unclear whether compact urban forms are ecologically more favourable than dispersed ones. In this paper, we studied the effects of urban sprawl on the riparian vegetation condition in one of the most degraded watersheds in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area, Argentina. We conducted random sampling of the riparian vegetation at sites along streams in the basin and assessed urban indicators at the reach and sub-watershed scales for each of those sites in a geographic information system: urban area, impervious surface, population density and two landscape metrics of dispersion. The indicators assessed explained a high proportion of the variability of the vegetation response variables, thereby confirming the importance of urban sprawl pressure in shaping riparian communities in fluvial ecosystems. Dispersed urbanization had more positive than negative effects on the vegetation in the study area. Riverbanks associated with dispersed urbanization had more plant species, including exotics, when urban sprawl was assessed at the local scale. At the sub-watershed scale, dispersed urbanized areas were richer in native plants and most of the functional groups, and poorer in exotic species. The model of the compact city, including bio-corridors along watercourses, has been proposed for the Buenos Aires conurbation process for the next decades. Our results showed that the quality of existing river corridors across the compact matrix was not desirable and best practices for redesigning a more sustainable landscape structure are necessary, including the restoration of habitats for wetland species.Fil: Guida Johnson, Bárbara. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; ArgentinaFil: Faggi, Ana Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”; Argentina. Universidad de Flores; ArgentinaFil: Zuleta, Gustavo Adolfo. Universidad Maimónides. Área de Investigaciones Biomédicas y Biotecnológicas. Centro de Estudios Biomédicos, Biotecnológicos, Ambientales y de Diagnóstico; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin