Project Profile: Managing Resilient Eastern Forests

Monitoring for invasive species and other indicators of ecological health of Northeastern forests.

NPS

Inflation Reduction Act
Restoration | FY24-29 $12,655,026

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
Federal Lands Contracts | FY23-25 $2,768,900

Additional
This nationwide Inflation Reduction Act project to manage invasive plants includes $529,278 that will be used to work in eastern forests during FY24-26.

Other funding comes from:
NPS Servicewide Combined Call for FY25 | $232,000
NPS Northeast Region FY24-26 | $596,107

Summary The National Park Service (NPS) will improve the ecological health and resilience of eastern forests in 39 parks using an array of management techniques. The NPS has selected forest ecosystems of high ecological and cultural value across multiple parks from Virginia to Maine that are at greatest risk of forest loss due to chronic and interacting stressors. Management tools will include removing non-native invasive plants, managing deer populations, native tree planting, endangered species protection, and studying light gap dynamics, all with a focus on making the forests more resilient to climate change.

Why? Forests perform essential ecosystem services, provide critical food and habitat for both common and federally endangered species such as northern long-eared bats, and contribute to the well-being of local communities. Ecosystem services include storing carbon, preventing floods, and reducing the effects of climate change. Forests also provide social and economic benefits.
Eastern forests recently lost nearly all ash trees, a significant component of these forests, due to the emerald ash borer. The rapid destruction of ash and other tree species impacted by forest pests underscores the urgency of building resilient forests that can withstand future stressors and to respond to the long-term challenges posed by climate change.

What else? Access to green spaces positively impacts a person’s quality of life. This project helps address disruptions to natural forest regeneration that have led to cascading disturbances, now magnified by climate change, that leave forests with diminished capacity for recovery. The best management practices developed through this project will be transferable to other parks and conservation organizations to help them achieve their forest management objectives.
This project addresses a crucial need in eastern national parks to support important forest resources today and ensure they persist for future generations.

This project combines the following component projects:

• Treat Invasive Plants and Promote Regeneration of Climate-Resilient Tree Species in Eastern Forests
• Manage Overbrowsing to Promote Climate-Resilient Tree Species Regeneration in Northeastern Forests
• Control Invasive Species in order to Prevent Catastrophic Forest Loss in Northeastern Parks
• Forest Health in the National Capital Region
• Restore Healthy Forest Ecosystems in Appalachia
• Manage Forest Invasive Species in Appalachia

About the Inflation Reduction Act

The Inflation Reduction Act provides the National Park Service with an historic opportunity to address critical ecosystem resilience, restoration, and environmental planning needs. Projects funded in national parks represent broad-scale and impactful resource investments across every corner of out nation—from Alaska to Florida to Maine.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – Ecosystem Restoration

This project was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – Ecosystem Restoration, signed on November 15, 2021. It is a historic investment in the restoration and protection of the environment.