The Southern Appalachian Assessment is not the first major assessment of the region's environmental health. And we hope it will not be the last. As in 1901 when the first assessment was completed, this report shows where improvements can be made. But unlike the situation at the turn of the century, conditions are much better today. Now, the Southern Appalachian region is regarded as a valuable asset that can supply the people of the United States with high quality places to live, to play, and to produce essential commodities.
Maintaining these qualities will require good management and careful stewardships combining the efforts of both public and private landowners. The Southern Appalachian Assessment can facilitate good management and planning. It should also serve as a basis for continuing study. The assessment presented in this set of documents is a beginning, not the end, of a process. A significant archive of data has been assembled that we hope will form the basis for additional study, for research, for environmental education, and for local planning.
While completing the assessment, many limitations in the existing data were identified. We hope these limitations will be given serious consideration as programs of research and monitoring are planned. But above all, the assessment is intended as the basis for dialogue among those interested in the welfare of the Southern Appalachian region.