In many regions of the United States, agroforestry has become an important land use alternative. In the South, silvopasture, which combines spatial and temporal growth of timber and livestock, is the most common form of agroforestry. An economic analysis was undertaken to demonstrate the monetary and wildlife benefits that can be accrued from a silvopastoral system in the southern United States. Wildlife-related activities as well as annual and periodic cash flows from timber and livestock sales were included in the analysis. Land expectation value (LEV), equivalent annual income (EAI), and rate of return (ROR) were compared for a silvopastoral system and four traditional southern monocultural systems. The profitability of silvopastoral systems is comparable to other land use systems. Silvopasture further provides opportunities for incorporating wildlife-related activities through hunting leases and possesses both quality and quantity of wildlife habitat not available in other systems. On average, the inclusion of hunting leases increases LEVs from 3.1 to 30.6% per acre over a range of lease and interest rates. Finally, results of this and other studies suggest that silvopasture is an environmentally and economically feasible alternative to traditional land uses. South.J. Appl. For. 26(3):159–164.
There is a need to determine levels of knowledge about and participation in urban and community forestry programs by local elected officials and other community planners. This project's goals were to identify the past and current involvement and future interest levels among Mississippi's small to large communities for urban forestry programs and assistance. A mail survey was sent to 296 Mississippi, U.S., communities. There were 159 surveys returned for a response rate of 53.7%. In general, the survey sample of Mississippi's communities indicated that a sizable number of officials have little or no awareness or interest in urban and community forestry. Among the Mississippi communities that wanted to establish urban and community forestry programs, most cited a lack of funding as the reason for not initiating projects or sustaining existing programs. Greater effort in disseminating information on funding opportunities is necessary, given that most Mississippi communities were aware of only a few national programs. Participation in statewide or local programs was minimal. Without good information and reliable funding, communities are limited in undertaking systematic planning and associated programs for tree resources in their community. In addition, effectively delivering information to communities to broaden public appreciation of urban forest resources is critical.
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