Are we building our way to ruin?

Posted on October 15, 2013 by

The Housing Bomb: Why Our Addiction to Houses Is Destroying the Environment and Threatening Our Society

NC State’s Nils Peterson explores the environmental and societal impact of the modern subdivision.

Are we building our way to ruin? That’s the premise of a provocatively titled new book released this month: The Housing Bomb: Why Our Addiction to Houses Is Destroying the Environment and Threatening Our Society.

Lead author Dr. Nils Peterson, associate professor of fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology in NC State’s College of Natural Resources, focuses his research on the intersections between human and natural systems, including the modern subdivision.

For an insider’s look at The Housing Bomb, check out this interview with Dr. Peterson in The Abstract.

Study Shows S.C. Forest Industry Positioned for Growth

Posted on September 10, 2013 by

The forestry industry in South Carolina is positioned for significant growth in the decades ahead, according to a study conducted by nationally prominent forestry expert Dr. Robert Abt of North Carolina State University.

The goal of the new study was to develop overall wood supply projections for the entire state of South Carolina that would help identify opportunities to meet the goals of the 20/15 Project – a cooperative venture among the Forestry Commission, the SC Forestry Association and partners. The project is designed to grow the state’s forest industry to $20 billion in annual economic impact by the year 2015.

Commissioned in August 2012, the study took nine months to complete and will be formally presented in depth to the forestry community by its author, Dr. Abt, at the SC Forestry Association annual meeting in October.

A noted specialist in regional timber markets and natural resource management, Dr. Abt teaches and conducts research at NC State’s College of Natural Resources. He received his BS from Georgia Tech, MS from the University of Tennessee and Ph.D. from the University of California-Berkeley.

Read the complete article in The Times and Democrat

Researchers Map Where Tree Species Survive and Thrive under Climate Change

Posted on August 9, 2013 by

Kevin Potter,
NC State University

Trees have existed on Earth for nearly 400 million years, and today about 100,000 species populate the planet. Increasingly, trees are placed at risk by climate change, which spurs heat waves, droughts, fires and infestations. Plants cannot easily adapt to quickly changing conditions or migrate as habitable lands shrink owing to expansion of cities and croplands.

Projecting the future of forests requires knowing what tree species exist where, and under what environmental conditions they can survive and even thrive.

Kevin Potter, research assistant professor in NC State University’s Department of Forestry & Environmental Resources, is part of a team mapping trees in the contiguous United States. The research results will aid in management of the nation’s forest resources, particularly tree species that are rare or economically important.

Read the complete article in the ORNL Review>>

Trust Thy Neighbor

Posted on August 8, 2013 by

During times of community change, familiar sources of information feel more trustworthy

Increases in population size may lead to a breakdown in social trust, according to Jordan Smith a professor in North Carolina State University’s Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management.

As local populations grow, local elected officials and national news media become less trusted, compared with friends and family, local churches and civic institutions. This ‘trust deficit’ has implications for long-term environmental and community planning.

Kays’ Bird Migration Research Featured on UntamedScience.com

Posted on July 23, 2013 by

The GPS units allow researchers to track not only the start and ending locations, but all the points along the migration path.

Wildlife researcher, Roland Kays’ is part of a team of biologists featured recently in a video on UntamedScience.com.

The video, shot at the Pine Island Sanctuary and Audubon Center in Corolla, NC, highlights bird migration research methods.

From UntamedScience.com:
“Everyone knows that birds migrate north in the spring and south in the fall. It seems like common knowledge now but how do we know that? Truth is, we know it because scientists have been studying migration. Yet, it’s not as simple as it might seem.

In the past, migration studies have either been a result of seeing birds show up in new areas, or putting little tags on a bird’s foot and finding it later in other places. But now, we have the ability to put satellite tags on migrating birds.

In this weekly, we follow a small group of biologists to see what it’s really like to study a problem like this in the field.”

Watch the video