Division of Life Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Rutgers University and Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2023 Aug 3;86(15):501-517. doi: 10.1080/15287394.2023.2223231. Epub 2023 Jun 19.
Pressure from expanding populations has resulted in a need for protection, reclamation, and restoration of damaged land to productive, beneficial health uses. The objective of this investigation was to 1) compare land cover on the Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) with the surrounding region, 2) select an indicator to evaluate ORR's protection of ecological resources, and 3) develop and implement a method to compare the amount of the indicator on ORR with the regions using National Land Cover Database (NLCD). Data demonstrated that ORR has a higher % of forests (deciduous, coniferous, mixed) than the 10 km and 30 km areas surrounding ORR, suggesting that obligations are being met to protect the ecology and environment. The findings also indicate that the interior forest at ORR is fragmented more than is the interior forest in the 30 km buffer zone, suggesting a need for DOE and managers of other lands to take into consideration the importance of intact interior forest when developing land or planning roads. The study describes the basis for specific ecological parameters such as interior forest that are important to consider when planning and executing remediation, restoration, and other management actions.
人口增长带来的压力使得保护、开垦和恢复受损土地以使其恢复生产和有益健康的用途变得十分必要。本研究的目的是：1）对比美国能源部橡树岭保护区（ORR）与周边地区的土地覆盖情况，2）选择一个指标来评估 ORR 对生态资源的保护情况，3）开发并实施一种方法，以便将 ORR 上该指标的数量与使用国家土地覆盖数据库（NLCD）的区域进行比较。研究数据表明，ORR 的森林（落叶林、针叶林、混交林）比例高于 ORR 周边 10km 和 30km 区域，这表明其履行了保护生态和环境的义务。研究结果还表明，ORR 内部森林比 30km 缓冲区的内部森林破碎化程度更高，这表明美国能源部和其他土地管理者在进行土地开发或道路规划时，需要考虑到完整内部森林的重要性。本研究描述了特定生态参数（如内部森林）的基础，这些参数在规划和执行补救、恢复和其他管理行动时是需要考虑的。
