Who Uses LANDIS-II?

LANDIS models were originally developed to examine interactions between succession and fire. Over time, the number of processes and their interactions has expanded to include harvesting, wind events (i.e., blowdowns), climate change, insects, and more.

LANDIS was initially used to address purely research questions and many people continue to use LANDIS-II for research purposes. Recent research has emphasized the landscape dynamics of ecosystem processes (e.g., growth and decomposition), interactions between climate change and landscape processes, the effect of disturbances on carbon cycling, the interaction between land use change and succession, and many others.

In addition, LANDIS-II is now increasingly used to address specific management questions. Managers frequently want to estimate how a specific management action will affect successional dynamics, wildlife habitat, or the persistence of rare or declining species. Ongoing development at the USDA Forest Service will adapt LANDIS-II for Decision Support Systems.