Ecological Modeling for Resource Management

This book was developed from a workshop on the "Effective Use of Ecological Modeling in Management," held in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, on October 23-26, 2000. The workshop was sponsored by the Department of Defense's (DoD's) Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), the Army Research Of?ce, and the Engineering Research and Development Center of the Corps of Engineers as well as by the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service. It was hosted by the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The organizing committee for the workshop included senior s- entists from ORNL,the USDA Forest Service,and the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACE). The members of the steering committee were John Barko,Paul Bradford,Bill Goran,Jeff Holland,Russell Harmon,and Mike Vasievich. They helped guide the workshop to a useful product by sugge- ing topics, speakers, and participants. Workshop attendees included senior ecological modelers within the Forest Service,DoD,other federal and state agencies, universities, and the private sector together with ecologic- resource managers in the Forest Service, DoD, and other government and nongovernment agencies and organizations. The book never could have come to fruition without the dedicated efforts of Fred O'Hara in editing each of the chapters and making sure that the text was complete and accurate and that standard methods of expression and design were used in the text, references, tables, and ?gures. His careful attention to the details and to effective communication is appreciated. Many people helped in bringing the book to completion.

Table of Contents:
Opportunities for Using Ecological Models for Resource Management.- Examples of Using Ecological Models for Resource Management.- Modeling for Endangered-Species Recovery: Gray Wolves in the Western Great Lakes Region.- Modeling Fish Entrainment and Impingement Impacts: Bridging Science and Policy.- Large-Scale Regional Assessments: Lessons Learned from the Southern Appalachian Assessment.- Key Issues.- Overcoming Barriers to the Use of Models in Environmental Decision Making.- Barriers to the Use of Ecological Models in Decision Making.- Network Theory: An Evolving Approach to Landscape Conservation.- Evolving Approaches and Technologies to Enhance the Role of Ecological Modeling in Decision Making.- Data and Information Issues in Modeling for Resource Management Decision Making: Communication Is the Key.- Effective Ecological Modeling for Use in Management Decisions: Data Issues.- Effective Use of Ecological Modeling in Management: The Toolkit Concept.- Role of Computational Toolkits in Environmental Management.- Science and Management Investments Needed to Enhance the Use of Ecological Modeling in Decision Making.- Educational Investments in Environmental Science and Management.- Finale.- What in the World Is Worth Fighting for? Using Models for Environmental Security.- New Directions in Ecological Modeling for Resource Management.