A new U.S. Geological Survey report is available that describes a working prototype decision support system (DSS) developed in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the Yazoo Backwater Area, Mississippi, to help planners and managers prioritize, plan, conduct, and optimize forested wetland restoration activities. Forested wetlands provide habitat for wildlife, water-quality benefits, flood storage, and many other ecologic and environmental benefits.

"This new system can be used to provide needed assistance to people who have to make important decisions about where and how wetland restoration activities or mitigation efforts are conducted," said Dr. O'Hara, the senior author of the new report. The author continued, "Losses in wetland areas have been extensive over the years and various public and private efforts to restore wetlands on the landscape can benefit from using computer-based decision support tools. These tools can help decision makers define areas where wetlands can be most effectively restored and wetland functions most effectively replaced."

The report, "A Decision Support System for Prioritizing Forested Wetland Restoration in the Yazoo Backwater Area, Mississippi" by Charles G. O’Hara, Angela A. Davis, and Barbara A. Kleiss, is released as U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 00-4199. The report is available for inspection at 308 South Airport Road, Pearl, Mississippi 39208-6649.