Mapping and modeling ecological conditions of longleaf pine habitats in the Apalachicola National Forest

Abstract

We developed a historical natural community map and a spatially explicit ecological condition model (ECM) to evaluate conditions of the Apalachicola National Forest's longleaf pine habitats. We identified and mapped historical vegetation patterns across the forest and then compared current vegetation structure derived from LiDAR and field surveys to desired conditions for the respective habitat types. In the first example of how these tools may be applied, we show how the natural communities map improved our understanding of wet savanna distribution and how the ECM then revealed opportunities and challenges for managing this unique habitat. In the second example, we show that the ECM scores were closely aligned with red-cockaded woodpecker habitat selection at three nested spatial scales relevant for that species' ecology. Both of these analyses demonstrate how historical data and ecological condition assessments improve our understanding of resource patterns and may inform possible management actions.