FEMC Regional Project
Forest regeneration data collection guide and data inventory
Overview:
Forest regeneration represents a persistent concern among land managers, forest health professionals and researchers, the timber industry, and others. As climate change shifts suitable ranges for key northeastern tree species, overpopulation of deer increases browse pressure on seedlings, invasive plants limit understory establishment, and invasive pests and pathogens stress existing young trees, regeneration in many of the region’s forests is in decline. FEMC is supporting efforts to address this critical concern in a two-part project:
Part 1: FEMC will facilitate state-led efforts to create a standardized method and data collection sheet for regeneration monitoring in northeastern forests. We will work with state collaborators to develop the methodology, vet it with forest inventory experts from state and federal agencies, and support training to incorporate this approach into forest inventory and monitoring programs regionally. The data collection sheet will be oriented toward long-term and agency-based monitoring professionals, but may be of interest to researchers and planners as well.
Part 2: FEMC will lead an analysis of the current understanding of forest regeneration in the Northeast. This includes an inventory of sources that include data on regeneration that we will aggregate with data from FEMC’s long-term forest monitoring efforts and other CFIs. Outputs will include an analysis of the distribution of regeneration data to help inform future monitoring efforts as well as regional – ecoregional analyses of regeneration patterns and trends across the landscape.
Outputs from this project will include:
- Standard regeneration inventory methods and data collection guide
- Webinar or training on the standardized regeneration inventory guide
- Inventory of regeneration data available from across the region
- Analysis of trends and patterns across species at ecoregional levels
Project Quick Facts
Start Date:
March 2025
Anticipated End Date:
February 2026