The Green Infrastructure Center (GIC) and the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) released a joint study of the benefits and threats facing Virginia’s coastal forests,“Resilient Coastal Forests of Virginia, Overcoming Challenges and Implementing Strategies for a Better Future.” Funded by the USDA Forest Service’s Southern Region, the GIC and VDOF assisted coastal counties and cities with mapping their coastal forests, modeling benefits and evaluating threats they face along with strategies to mitigate or reverse impacts.
The study looks at threats facing forests in an area that includes six of Virginia’s coastal counties,six towns and two cities. Urban, suburban and rural trees and forests are susceptible to climate damage and were modeled alike. Threats examined include large wildfires, climate change, storms, pests and disease, and land conversion to development or utility-scale solar. [Read more…] about Resilient Coastal Forests, Virginia Report