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Ecosystem services could be the tool to improve the link between the site managers on the one hand, and businesses, policy makers, governments (at different levels), and citizens on the other. This could increase the appreciation of, and understanding for nature and its conservation, and if wanted even help generate some additional funding

Drivers of species productivity and ecosystem function are of great ecological significance. In fire-prone ecosystems, dispersion patterns of important pollinator species are driven by the various fire events over space and time. However, different species have varying responses to fire intensity and frequency. Here, we assess how time since last fire influences abundance, composition, and dispersion patterns of flowering plants and anthophiles in a highly fire-prone landscape. We classified study area into age since last fire, which were <1 yr (short-term burned), 2–3 yr (medium-term burned), and 9–10 yr (long-term burned). We collected insect anthophiles using yellow, blue, and white pan traps at sites established in each post-fire class. We also estimated flower abundance at each study site. Overall, anthophile abundance was highest in medium-term burned, while lowest in short-term burned sites. Also, flower abundance was highest at medium-term burned and lowest in long-term burned sites. Species composition of flowering plants and anthophiles, especially bees and flies, differed significantly across post-fire class. Overall, flower abundance had a significant positive effect on bee abundance. Of all the taxa, bees were the only group that showed dispersion patterns reflecting those of flower abundance. Other factors, especially requirements for other resources such as logs, drive the distribution of other anthophile taxa, especially flies. We conclude that fire drives the distribution patterns of bees through its direct effect on flower abundance and composition in a fire-prone landscape. While high frequency of short-term fire may reduce flower abundance, flower-rich areas with moderate time since fire may increase diversity of anthophiles in this fire-prone landscape

Southern forests provide a variety of critical ecosystem services, from purification of water and air to recreational opportunities for millions of people. Because many of these services are public goods with no observable market value, they are not fully accounted for in land use and policy decisions. There have been several efforts to remedy this by estimating the total value of forests in different States, with each effort including different bundles of ecosystem services and using different valuation methodologies. In this guide, we propose a more consistent and theoretically sound approach to 1) quantifying annual flows of ecosystem services, 2) developing a spatial catalog of the marginal values of changes in those flows, and 3) accountingfor the total value of ecosystem services lost or gained as a result of changes in forest ecosystems. Four chapters—on cultural services, watershed services, air quality and carbon, and provisioning of non-timber forest products—provide guidance on best practices for quantifying and estimating the values of these services as provided by forests. Expert panels were convened to write each chapter. The guide as a whole was developed with input from the Southern Group of State Foresters and stakeholder meetings held in 2014 and 2015.