Computational and Technological Challenges Facing Urban Forestry

	CCT Colloquium Series
	Computational and Technological Challenges Facing Urban Forestry
	Kamran Abdollahi
	Professor and Department Head, Urban Forestry Program at Southern University
	Johnston Hall 338 May 26, 2006 - 03:00 pm
Abstract: In recent years, we have seen a great deal of expansion in our knowledge of forest ecosystems and the underlying management dimensions that support decision-making in this context. Urban Forestry, much like other natural resource management disciplines, is faced with the challenge of integrating information from many different perspectives often with limited understanding of the basic principles of the multitude of specialized fields from which they are generated. This problem is only exacerbated when reviewing management options with diverse stakeholders such as statutory decision makers and the general public. In addition, extreme ecological and climatic events add to the complexity of the urban ecosystem management. New computational and technological advances can aid in mitigating these difficulties of communication and understanding urban forest ecosystem complexity. Methods of modeling and visualizing forest ecosystem data hold promise in clarifying complex spatial and temporal relationships, for experts and lay people alike. This presentation reviews issues of complexity raised by today's demand for sustainable urban forest management, and the potential of new technologies and computational techniques to address these issues, drawing on past and current research in urban forest ecosystem management and larger stressors/issues (climate change, flooding, drought, etc) exerting pressure on the fragile urban ecosystems of the gulf coastal areas.

Speaker's Bio: Dr. Kamran K. Abdollahi is a Professor and Department Head for the Urban Forestry Program at SU.in Baton Rouge, LA. Dr. Abdollahi is recognized as one of the pioneer urban forestry faculty in the U.S. He has been instrumental in the establishment of the first urban forestry B.S. degree granting program in the nation. He has served as an advisor to the United States Secretary of Agriculture on the National Urban Forestry Advisory Council (NUCFAC). He is currently serving as an executive board member of the National Association of State Colleges and Land-Grant Universities, Ecology section. Dr. Abdollahi has provided leadership in Urban Forestry for the Society of American foresters (SAF) by serving as Chair-elect and Chair for more than 6 years. He has served as co-director for the Gulf Coast Regional Climate Change Assessment Program and published several books on the subject. Dr. Abdollahi

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