A Community-Based Regional Plan for Managing Threatened and Endangered Species on Military Installations in the Southeastern United States

The conservation and management of threatened and endangered species (TES) and their habitats are major issues on Department of Defense (DoD) installations throughout the United States. The development of TES management plans and implementation of management practices have traditionally been conducted on a species-by-species basis. However, within DoD there has been a recent shift toward ecosystem-based management, and emphasis is being placed on managing lands for multiple species rather than single species of interest. This study represents an attempt to develop a regionalized, community-based approach to TES management that is compatible with the military mission and ecosystem-based management guidelines. The southeastern United States was selected for development of a prototype plan because the region contains a large number of installations, many of which manage their resources for a variety of sensitive species. This report represents a synthesis of information provided in detail in Plant Community Management Plans, Faunal Species Profiles, and other documents prepared for the study. These documents should be used collectively to identify and understand the characteristics, quality indicators, functions, land uses, and potential impacts associated with communities that support a diversity of TES in the Southeast. Topics summarized in this report, include characterization of selected plant communities, discussion of TES components, and management considerations (e.g., forestry practices, fire management, land-use conversion, hydrology management, erosion and sedimentation control, wildlife management, and control of nuisance species). It is hoped that this information will provide the basis for preparation of installation TES community management plans in the Southeast, and that it will serve as a template for TES management programs in other regions.