Programming supports a comprehensive network of cooperative study units to facilitate cooperative research, technical assistance, education, and training to inform science-based management of the…

Programming supports a comprehensive network of cooperative study units to facilitate cooperative research, technical assistance, education, and training to inform science-based management of the national park system. The study units facilitate multi-disciplinary science and integrated information products across multiple geographic regions of the national park system. This project s results will help allocate resources among park forest management priorities and preserve key natural resources within eight national parks in appalachia. Park forests serve key functions, including recreational opportunities, enhancing visitor experiences that sustain local economies through tourism, stabilizing soils, promoting watershed health, and providing wildlife habitat. Forest health information generated by this project is communicated to federal, state, and local nonprofit land managers through online interactive dashboards, virtual presentations, resource briefs, web articles, and publicly available data.beneficiaries include state and local governments, federally recognized indian tribal governments, public private nonprofit organizations, nonprofit institutions of higher education, and the general public).