Linking Lands and Communities
in the Land-of-Sky Region


    
Creating a framework for conservation and development that    
respects community values and natural systems

    Green Infrastructure: Our Natural Life Support System
    When you think of the word, "infrastructure", what comes to mind?  Roads, water and sewer lines, telephone
    lines, schools or water treatment plants, perhaps?  We often think of these types of infrastructure as bray
    infrastructure" or "built infrastructure".   By definition, infrastructure refers to "the basic, underlying framework
    or features of a system or organization;  the fundamental facilities and systems serving a country, city, or
    area". Built infrastructure is developed as systems created to support the many needs of growing communities.
    .
    When we talk about green infrastructure,we are referring to the underlying framework of natural systems that
    serve a country, city, or area. Our green infrastructure is an interconnected network of natural lands and other
    open spaces, including forests, streams and rivers, meadows, farmlands, wetlands, ridge tops, bogs, caves
    that provide key services to our communities.  These services included clean air and water, food and fibers,
    wood products,  recreation opportunities, and many others. Healthy natural systems provide wildlife habitat for
    critters, soils and micro-climates for plants to survive, and ensure important ecological functions that sustains
    interdependent web that supports all living things.   

    A green infrastructure network includes:
  •  Natural areas and green spaces, including forests, streams, lakes, meadows, balds, bogs, and wetlands
          that provide habitat for wildlife and sustain ecological processes.
  •  Recreation lands, including trails, parks, and rivers
  •  Agricultural Lands, including farms and forests
  •  Cultural Sites, including historic sites and other sites important in preserving our region’s heritage

    A System of Hubs, Links, and Sites
    A Green infrastructure network can be envisioned as a system of hubs, links and sites.

  • Hubs are large blocks of unfragmented natural systems that anchor green infrastructure networks.
         Hubs provides space for native plants and animal communities and an origin or destination for wildlife,
         people and ecological processes moving through the system. Examples of hubs in our region include:
         Pisgah National Forests, DuPont State Forest, Gorges State Park.

  • Links are the linear corridors that connect the hubs and tie the system together.                         
         These linkages are critical to maintaining vital ecological processes and maintaining the health and
         biodiversity of wildlife populations; Linkages are often river corridors, greenways, or trail systems
         which may also provide recreation value for residents and visitors. Examples of potential linkages in our
         region include: the French Broad River, Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Appalachian Trail.

  • Sites are smaller areas of green space that contribute ecological and social values to the region's
          communities..  Sites may or may not be attached to the network formed by the hubs and links, and
          may include community parks, recreation areas, and cultural sites. Examples of sites in our region may
          inlcude Jackson Park in Hendersonville, Azalea Park or Carrier Park in Asheville, or the Carl Sandburg
          House (National Historic Park) in Flat Rock.
339 New Leicester Hwy. Asheville, NC 28806
ph: (828) 251-6622     fax: (828) 251-6353
A Project of Land-of-Sky Regional Council

Interested in learning
more about Green
infrastructure planning?

Check out these
upcoming training
courses offered by The
Conservation Fund

A Strategic Approach to
Conservation Planning
Using the Green
Infrastructure Approach

Planning for Climate
Change Using the Green
Infrastructure Approach

GIS Tools for Strategic
Conservation Planning