Changing Roles - Emerging Issues: Green Infrastructure

When:

Sep 20, 2010 12:00 pm US/Eastern

Length: 01:00   (hh:mm)

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Author(s)/Presenter(s):

• Karen Firehock, Executive Director, Green Infrastructure Center

At the wildland urban interface, both people and wildlife are at risk -- people risk losing lives and property from wildfire while wildlife lose habitat as development encroaches into areas that were once rural or undeveloped. This risk is expected to increase as land development continues into previously undeveloped landscapes. Forest fragmentation from land development is one of the top threats facing the Southern Region and the rate of fragmentation is increasing. Sprawl-patterned development is putting increased pressure on natural systems that we rely on for clean water, air quality and wildlife habitat.

This webinar session will:
• describe the reasons, processes, and approaches for identifying and
evaluating a community’s natural resource assets and how to conserve
them.
• demonstrate why a green infrastructure planning approach is a useful way to
conserve critical natural assets while channeling growth and development to
more appropriate areas.
• describe the role played by local governments and county foresters in natural
resource assessment and stewardship.
• suggest how to apply natural resource asset maps within a locality's existing
land planning tools and regulations to conserve key forest resources in
developing landscapes.