Fact Sheets

Fact Sheet: Ecosystem Benefits and Risks

Fact Sheet: Assessing Future Energy

Assessing Future Energy Development Across the Appalachian Region

Tennessee River Basin Network (TRB) Fact Sheet

TRB Fact Sheet

Landscape Dynamics Assessment Tool (LanDAT) Fact Sheet

Landscape Dynamics Assessment Tool (LanDAT) LanDAT delivers monitoring information in a way that helps users interpret landscape-change and resilience

NatureScape Fact Sheet

Landscape Conservation Design and On-Line Conservation Planning Tool

CCVA Fact Sheets: Forested Stream and / or Seepage

Forested Stream and/or Seepage Forested stream environments are typically found in the buffer zones between forested land and stream banks, often known as riparian zones. Stream headwaters and seepage areas occur where ground water percolates to the surface through muck, mossy rock, and nettles. It can also be found under rocks, among gravel, or cobble where water has begun to percolate in areas near open water. Breeding grounds are commonly found beneath mosses growing on rocks, on logs, or soil surfaces in these types of seepage areas. Predicted climate change will largely impact changes in temperature and moisture availability in forested stream and/or seepage systems, likely having a cascading effect on a species habitat and increasing stress to many of these species. The Appalachian LCC funded NatureServe to conduct vulnerability assessments on a suite of plants, animals, and habitats within the Appalachians. These assessments can be used as an early warning system to alert resource managers about changing conditions.

CCVA Fact Sheet: Open Woodlands

Open Woodlands Used generally to describe low density forests, open woodland ecosystems contain widely spaced trees whose crowns do not touch, causing for an open canopy, insignificant midstory canopy layer, sparse understory and where groundcover is the most obvious feature of the landscape dominated by diverse flora (grasses, forbes, sedges). Open Woodlands provide habitat for a diverse mix of wildlife species, several of which are of conservation concern, such as Red Headed Woodpecker, Prairie Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Northern Bobwhite and Eastern Red Bat. Predicted climate change will largely impact changes in temperature and moisture availability in open woodlands systems, likely having a cascading effect on a species habitat and increasing stress to many of these species. The Appalachian LCC funded NatureServe to conduct vulnerability assessments on a suite of plants, animals, and habitats within the Appalachians. These assessments can be used as an early warning system to alert resource managers about changing conditions.

CCVA Fact Sheet: Forest and Woodlands

Forest/Woodland habitats describe large areas primarily dominated by trees, with moderate ground coverage, such as grasses and shrubs. Density, tree height, and land use may all vary, though woodland is typically used to describe lower density forests. A forest may have an open canopy, but a woodland must have an open canopy with enough sunlight to reach the ground and limited shade. Predicted climate change will largely impact changes in temperature and moisture availability in forest/ woodlands systems, likely having a cascading effect on a species habitat and increasing stress to many of these species. The Appalachian LCC funded NatureServe to conduct vulnerability assessments on a suite of plants, animals, and habitats within the Appalachians. These assessments can be used as an early warning system to alert resource managers about changing conditions.

CCVA Fact Sheet: Meadows and Marshlands

Meadows are open grasslands where grass and other non-woody plants are the primary vegetation. With no tree coverage, meadows are typically open, sunny areas that attract flora and fauna that require both ample space and sunlight. These conditions allow for the growth of many wildflowers and are typically important ecosystems for pollinating insects. Marshlands are like meadows in that they typically have no tree coverage and host primarily grasses and woody plants. However, a defining characteristic of marshlands is their wetland features. Predicted climate change will largely impact changes in temperature and moisture availability in meadows and marshlands systems, likely having a cascading effect on a species habitat and increasing stress to many of these species. The Appalachian LCC funded NatureServe to conduct vulnerability assessments on a suite of plants, animals, and habitats within the Appalachians. These assessments can be used as an early warning system to alert resource managers about changing conditions.

CCVA Fact Sheet Meadows

CCVA Meadow

Issue - Climate Impacts

The Southeastern United States and U.S. Caribbean is highly vulnerable to a variety of climatic factors and extreme weather events, including heavy downpours, floods, and droughts, all of which can influence water resources in this region. Over the last 30 years, the Southeast has been affected by more billion-dollar weather-related disasters than any other region, with coastal states experiencing more hurricanes, and inland states experiencing ice storms and tornadoes. Decision makers are faced with the challenge of developing and implementing management options to help people prepare for, respond to, and recover from the unavoidable effects of climate change (also known as adaptation). EcoAdapt is pleased to announce the release of The State of Climate Adaptation in Water Resources Management: Southeastern United States and U.S. Caribbean. This synthesis report provides: A summary of key regional climate change impacts and discussion on how the aforementioned issues combine to influence water supply, demand and use, quality, and delivery; The results of a survey sent to federal, tribal, state, and other practitioners to identify challenges, needs, and opportunities for climate-informed water resources management; Examples of adaptation initiatives from the region, focusing on activities in the natural and built environments as they relate to water resources; Eighteen full-length case studies, detailing how adaptation is taking shape; and A guide to the current suite of tools available to support adaptation action in water resources management, planning, and conservation. The synthesis report, case studies, and tools guide provide useful information on climate change adaptation in the Southeastern United States and U.S. Caribbean for both novice and experienced practitioners within or beyond the region’s borders to apply to their own work. Readers can learn about different types of adaptation strategies, find real-world examples of how others in similar disciplines or regions are incorporating climate change into their work, and locate the people and tools needed to help move their adaptation efforts forward. Funding for this project was provided by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Curtis & Edith Munson Foundation, and the Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKE). To learn more about the State of Adaptation Program and this project, visit www.EcoAdapt.org/programs or contact Rachel M. Gregg at Rachel@EcoAdapt.org. To join the CAKE community and learn more about climate adaptation, visit www.CAKEx.org.