Alabama Forest Owner's Guide
to Information Resources

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Introduction

Understanding
Information

Sources of
Publications

Woodlots/Small
Forests

Forest
Resources

Plants and
Animals

Planning the
Resource

Management for
Trees

Management for
Wildlife

Management for
Alternative Uses

Business
Information

Forest Industry

Environmental
Protection

Forestry Law

Reference
Sources

Special Methods
and Practices

Background
Information

Current
Periodicals

Programs for
Landowners

Guide and
Publication Lists

Conclusion

Most forestry research is conducted by scientists working for universities or government agencies. At the national level, the United States Forest Service is a leader in forestry research. In addition to its offices in Washington, D.C., the Forest Service operates various regional centers, including one in Atlanta. Another major government research center, the U.S.D.A. Southern Research Station, is located in Asheville, North Carolina.

In Alabama, Auburn University maintains an active research program through its School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System, with offices at Auburn, prepares educational materials for the general public. The Alabama Forestry Commission and other state agencies, together with private industry and professional organizations, also contribute significant new information.

Landowners need real answers to real questions. The research that addresses these practical questions is characterized as "applied research." With these real answers, foresters and others can bring immediate but lasting improvements to forest resources.

New knowledge in forestry comes from both laboratory research and field studies/trials. Results from this kind of work are presented at professional meetings or published in technical reports, books, periodicals, or conference proceedings.

Finding useful and reliable forestry information is not difficult. Individuals with experience in the field are a valuable direct resource for landowners. For those who wish to obtain information independently, a search usually begins with tools such as indexes and library catalogs.

• Ask a question
• Interpret the question in terms of one or more concepts
• Decide on keywords which relate to each concept
• Search indexes/catalogs using the keywords

AGRICOLA, the primary index for locating information in forestry and allied fields, is a free resource available on the Internet. Published by the National Agricultural Library, AGRICOLA is an electronic database that lists and indexes thousands of publications, with emphasis on journal articles.

WorldCat is another index of forestry and other natural resources materials. Although primarily used for finding books in library collections throughout the U.S., this database also includes documents of agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. WorldCat is available to all Alabama residents through the Alabama Virtual Library (AVL). To access WorldCat, login to AVL, choose FirstSearch by OCLC, and then select WorldCat. The database is ready for searching. Alabama Virtual Library Cards are available from public libraries throughout the state.

The collections of public, college, and university libraries in Alabama and adjacent states are also rich sources for books and technical reports. Because library catalogs include only locally owned materials, not the universe of material that is available, it is necessary to search more than one library catalog to obtain comprehensive results. Many Alabama libraries have online catalogs to facilitate searching.

In the southeast, the libraries of Auburn University, Mississippi State University, and the University of Georgia all maintain large forestry collections. These collections, which are listed individually in each library's catalog, are open to the general public.

Web sites on the Internet are another good source of information. Many forestry reports are only a few pages long and can be easily viewed on a computer monitor or downloaded to a local printer for reading at a later time. Librarians often use Google.com, a popular search engine, to search the Internet.

Those who do not have Internet access at home can use the Internet connections available through public, college, or university libraries. For example, at the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library in Huntsville or the University Libraries at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, anyone can use the Internet to search the Alabama Virtual Library or the library catalog of the University of Georgia.