White oak forest restoration opportunity landscapes

This spatial data product was developed to help identify landscape-scale opportunities for restoring white oak forests and woodlands. The model estimates restoration potential within 1,000-hectare (2,471 acre) units, for all forested landscapes across the range of white oak. Each landscape unit is attributed with several indices describing white oak forest condition and expected benefits of active management. Active management is essential for restoration and includes a sustained prescribed fire program and thinning or harvest of competitor species. The model uses relationships between white oak distribution and abundance, landscape suitability, competitor tree species abundances, and disease risk to assess the potential for active management to result in effective restoration. This product was developed by researchers at the USDA Forest Service Research and Development Southern Research Station. The product was developed in collaboration with Forest Service Regions 8 and 9 and is part of a long-term collaboration called the Southern Region Fire Adaptation project.