Enhancing Ny Woodland Value and Sustainability

RREA at Cornell has sufficient staff and resources to focus on four primary issues: forest stewardship, wildlife resources, food safety and security, and invasive species.I. RREA Goal: Enhance resource management on working forests.Issue: Forest Stewardship.Forest Stewardship Objectives:(1) Increase awareness among woodland owners for management practices that support healthy and productive working forests.(2) Increase knowledge of owners for decision making related to increased production and profitability in conjunction with sustaining or restoring forest health.Issue: Forest Wildlife Resources.Wildlife Objectives:(1) Increase owner and manager knowledge of the impacts of deer on forest health.(2) Increase owner and manager knowledge of strategies that reduce the impacts of deer on the regeneration of hardwood forests.(3) Provide landowners and managers with information and tools regarding trade-offs associated with managing for different species and outcomes.Issue: Food Production,
Safety, and Security. Forest-based Food Objectives:(1) Increase woodland owner awareness for opportunities to utilize existing forest land for food production.(2) Increase the profitability of existing producers through more efficient production systems, value-added products, and improved marketing.(3) Develop educational materials that help woodland owners gain the confidence necessary to initiate a forest-based food system.II. RREA Goal: Ensuring Healthy Ecosystems.Issue: Invasive and interfering species.Invasive and Interfering Species Objectives: (1) Increase owner and manager awareness for and knowledge of management strategies, and corresponding consequences, to control invasive and interfering species. (2) Build upon partnerships with other organizations who are involved with private land management for the control of invasive and interfering species.