Forest Sciences Commons^™

A Gis Model For Apiary Site Selection Based On Proximity To Nectar Sources Utilized In Varietal Honey Production On Former Mine Sites In Appalachia, Douglass W. Potter

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

Beekeepers in Appalachia market varietal honeys derived from particular species of deciduous trees; however, finding places in a mountainous landscape to locate new beeyards is difficult. Site selection is hindered by the high up-front costs of negotiating access to remote areas with limited knowledge of the available forage. Remotely sensed data and species distribution modeling (SDM) of trees important to beekeepers could aid in locating apiary sites at the landscape scale. The objectives of this study are i) using publicly available forest inventory data, to model the spatial distribution of three native tree species that are important to honey producers …