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Toward Understanding The Economic And Ecological Outcomes Of Selection Silviculture On A Northern Hardwood Forest, Katherine Ann Sinacore

Master's Theses and Capstones

Single-tree selection (STS) and small-group selection (SGS) silviculture are widely used in the northeastern United States, but questions remain regarding the economic and ecological outcomes of these systems. To assess harvest treatment effects on northern hardwood forests, we examined an unmanaged stand (UNM) and STS and SGS managed stands within the Bartlett Experimental Forest of New Hampshire. For an economic perspective, grade and standing tree values were our metrics to evaluate changes in timber quality. After 60 years of management, the percentage of higher graded trees increased slightly for both the SGS and STS managed stands. However, current data suggests …

The Individual Tree And Forest Stand Level Impacts Of Winter Moth Defoliation In Eastern Massachusetts, Usa, Michael J. Simmons

Master's Theses and Capstones

Winter moth is a non-native invasive defoliator in New England. This thesis related host tree radial growth of individual trees in eastern Massachusetts to winter moth defoliation intensity using tree core analysis. Further, tree core analysis was used to identify winter moth defoliation events in several forest stands in eastern Massachusetts and these events were used to relate winter moth to stand level tree mortality and understory woody plant density. Quercus radial growth from 2005-2010 was negatively related to winter moth defoliation. In addition, Quercus mortality in mixed -- Quercus and Quercus - P. strobus forests in eastern Massachusetts was …

Balancing Ecological And Economic Values In Northern Hardwood Stands: What Are The Trade-Offs?, Daniel Woock Kilham

Master's Theses and Capstones

New England has 32 million acres of forested land, 27.5 million acres are private and 13.5 million of those private forests are family owned. Two of the main landowner objectives of privately owned forests in New England are generating income and promoting biodiversity and nature. Objectives were to develop a rapid ecological assessment method to aid management of private forests and to determine any trade-offs between economic and ecological values. We measured economic and ecological values in our study site in New Hampshire, and simulated four harvest treatments to determine the effects of different silvicultural approaches. Ecological values were measured …

Evaluating Airborne Laser Data On Steeply Sloping Terrain, Bob Champoux

Master's Theses and Capstones

Accuracy of Airborne Laser Terrain Mapping (ALTM) elevations is not well known on steeply sloping terrain. A unique method was used whereby, the planimetric location of ALTM ground strikes were located in the field and reference elevations measured at these points. Survey-grade Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and rigorous techniques accurately established vertical heights to 0.010 meters, Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE). Sampled slopes range from 0.5 degrees to 50.6 degrees. A positive quadratic relationship exists between slope and vertical error. Error is negligible on slopes less than twenty degrees. Incidence angle, footprint size, and elevation spread from the upper …

Effects Of Whole-Tree Harvesting On Site Productivity And Species Composition Of A Northern Hardwood Forest, Gabriel Ethan Roxby

Master's Theses and Capstones

Whole-tree harvesting is widely used in the northeastern United States to supply biomass energy plants with fuel, but questions remain regarding its long-term sustainability. To assess its effects on the northern hardwood forests that make up a significant portion of northern New England, we conducted two regeneration surveys in 2010 and 2011 covering thirty-three small clearcuts. We measured whole-tree (WTH) and conventionally harvested (CH) sites in New Hampshire and Maine, and compared the productivity and species composition of the 10-14 year old regeneration. No significant difference was observed in height, diameter or calculated biomass of stems > 2m in height. Despite …

An Empirical Study Of Image Processing Methods For Land Cover Classification And Forest Cover Change Detection In Northeastern Oregon's Timber Resource-Dependent Communities (1986-2011), Michael James Campbell

Master's Theses and Capstones

A study was performed to evaluate remote sensing methods for classifying land cover and land cover change throughout a two-county area in Northeastern Oregon (1986-2011). In the past three decades, this region has seen significant changes in forest management -- changes that can be readily identified from the synoptic perspective. This study employs an accuracy assessment-based empirical approach to test a number of advanced digital image processing techniques that have recently emerged in the field of remote sensing. The accuracies are assessed using traditional and area-based error matrices. It was determined that, for single-time land cover classification, Bayes pixel-based classification …

An Investigation Of Two Methods For Assessing The Vertical Structure Of Forest Stands, Daniel S. Maynard

Master's Theses and Capstones

In this study we investigate the limitations of two methods for assessing forest structure: vertical point sampling with a camera and laser point quadrat sampling. Vertical point sampling with a camera is a method by which the height squared per unit area of a forest can be quickly estimated. First, we derive the bias incurred for failing to adjust for slope when implementing this sampling method, and we show that slope can generally be ignored as long as the majority of sample points occur on slopes less than 35 degrees. In the second part of this study we outline the …

Throughfall Chemistry In Deciduous And Coniferous Forest Stands At Thompson Farm, New Hampshire, Musa Dinc

Master's Theses and Capstones

In this study, I compare the chemical composition of throughfall in deciduous and coniferous forest stands to the chemistry of wet deposition. The study was conducted at Thompson Farm, Durham NH, which is owned and managed by the University of New Hampshire. Thompson Farm (43.11N, 70.95W) is at an altitude of 23 m and about 24 km from the Gulf of Maine. Throughfall samples were obtained from two forest stands using wet-dry Aerochem Metrics 301 collectors and rainfall samples were collected in a wet-only precipitation collector (N-CON Atmospheric Deposition Samples Model 00-120) from 14 April 2009 to 14 November 2009.The …

Assessing Relationships Of Moose Populations, Winter Ticks, And Forest Regeneration In Northern New Hampshire, Daniel Henry Bergeron

Master's Theses and Capstones

This study examined relationships among winter ticks, weather, and the nutritional and reproductive status of moose, and the impact of moose on regeneration of commercial forests in northern New Hampshire. Three methods were evaluated to assess their usefulness as indices of relative winter tick abundance, and predictors of tick epizootics: tick counts on harvested moose and roadside, spring hair-loss surveys were considered time and cost effective to index winter tick abundance. Physical characteristics of harvested moose (1988--2009) indicated ovulation rates (∼20%), and mean body weight (<200 kg) of yearlings declined since 1988; because adult body weight and ovulation rates remained stable, habitat quality was unlikely related. Winter tick epizootics are likely influenced by abnormal large scale weather events, as evident in the widespread die-off in 2002 associated with warm snowless conditions into mid-December 2001 that extended tick transmission to moose. Spring and fall weather should be monitored for unusual conditions causing high tick abundance and tick loads, particularly warm and snowless conditions in April and December. Mean stocking rate of all age classes of commercial tree species was above the threshold in all regions (49--87%); forest regeneration was not considered a regional problem at any moose density.

Interrelations Among Leaf And Canopy Nitrogen, Optical And Structural Traits, Franklin Brown Sullivan

Master's Theses and Capstones

A correlation between canopy nitrogen and albedo has been observed across a wide range of forest types. Determining the nature and mechanisms behind the relationship would help to understand the role of nitrogen in the climate system and better understand forest-climate interactions. The purpose of this study was to examine sources of variation in leaf and canopy optical traits with respect to variation in nitrogen concentrations at both scales.

We found that %N was significantly correlated with leaf and canopy albedo and that both %N and albedo were strongly correlated with forest composition. Many canopy structural traits were found to …

Saprotrophic Fungi As A Mechanism For Vertical Nitrogen Transport In A Chronically Fertilized Northern Hardwood Forest, Katharine M. Burnham

Master's Theses and Capstones

Decay studies often observe that plant litter increases in the amount of nitrogen within the first year of decomposition, yet sources are uncertain. The Harvard Forest Chronic Nitrogen Amendment Experiment, Petersham, MA, was utilized to quantify vertical N translocation from soil up into decomposing litter and determine if long-term, chronic N application has affected this process. Litter bags were designed to facilitate or restrict fungal hyphal connectivity between the soil-litter interface and placed in control, low N+S and high N plots. After five or 12 months, a 15N-(NH 4)2SO4 solution was horizontally injected into organic soil beneath bags. 15N enrichment …

A Feasibility Study: Forest Carbon Stocks And Stock Change Of The White Mountain National Forest, Erica Jane Cate

Master's Theses and Capstones

Interest has heightened for forest managers to account for the impacts of management activities on forest carbon sequestration. This study was designed to assess the feasibility of developing estimates of WMNF forest carbon based on the available information. The yield curves, inventory data and resulting carbon projections were dependent on a number of assumptions and subject to various sources of error and bias. Thus, they should not be relied on as definitive estimates and forecasts, or used as a basis for policy recommendations. Under the specific approaches used in this study, forest carbon stocks appear to be accumulating in the …

Evaluation Of Post Harvest Conditions Contributing To Attacks By The Red Turpentine Beetle, Dendroctonus Valens Leconte At The Massabesic Experimental Forest In Southern Maine, Garret D. Dubois

Master's Theses and Capstones

Silvicultural management of Pinus strobus L. runs the risk of damaging residual trees and can increase the probability of attack from damaging insects, including the common bark beetle Dendroctonus valens Le Conte. Considered a secondary pest, it is possible that D. valens is capable of economic impacts such as the downgrading of logs and lumber due to defect and blue-stain. To assess post harvest conditions that contribute to the probability and severity of D. valens attacks in Pinus strobus, stand and tree characteristics were sampled in four silvicultural treatments and one control site in southern Maine. Results showed that clearcuts …

Effects Of Forested Buffers And Wetland Characteristics On Vernal Pool Macroinvertebrate Assemblages, Joanne Evelyn Theriault

Master's Theses and Capstones

From 2005-2007, I sampled macroinvertebrates at 10 vernal pools to determine the effects of forested buffer treatments (30-m or 100-m). I grouped taxa into three subgroups: taxa enumerated and identified to genus (Trichopterans, Anisopterans, Coleopterans, and Hemipterans); taxa identified to family and documented as present or absent; and predatory taxa (enumerated and identified to genus). I measured hydroperiod, surface area, pH, conductivity, substrate cover, canopy cover, and annual and seasonal variability and used Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMS) to examine effects on composition. Finally, I analyzed NMS scores using Linear Mixed Models. Buffer treatments explained a significant amount of variation in …

Sampling And Classification Of Tree Holes Within A Northeast Temperate Forest System, Colleen M. Didas

Master's Theses and Capstones

Tree holes are water filled depressions on trees and harbor macroinvertebrate communities; they often serve as microcosms in studies of population dynamics, competition, and fungal decay of leaf litter. Quantification of tree hole prevalence and incidence in forest stands is lacking in the current literature. This study examined factors influencing tree hole occurrence and the types and formations of tree holes in northeastern forest stands. Modeling was used to correct for non-detection and estimate the abundance of tree holes on a per-hectare basis. Mixed-effects logistic regression was used to predict tree hole occurrence. Tree species, stand basal area, and diameter …

Using Icesat's Geoscience Laser Altimeter System To Assess Large Scale Forest Disturbance Caused By Hurricane Katrina, Katelyn A. Dolan

Master's Theses and Capstones

We assessed the use of GLAS data as a tool to quantify large-scale forest damage. GLAS data for the year prior to and following Hurricane Katrina were compared to wind speed, forest cover, and MODIS NPV maps to analyze senor sampling, and changes in mean canopy height. We detected significant losses in mean canopy height post-Katrina that increased with wind intensity, from ∼.5m in forests hit by tropical storm winds to ∼4m in forests experiencing category two force winds. Season of data acquisition was shown to influence calculations of mean canopy height. There was insufficient sampling to adequately detect changes …

The Effect Of Plant-Soil Feedback And Competition On The Invasion Of New Hampshire Thickets By Non-Native Shrubs, Kristina Vagos

Master's Theses and Capstones

Early-successional habitat is disappearing throughout the northeastern United States. Much of the remaining habitat is being invaded by non-native invasive shrubs suspected of altering native shrubland quality. To assess whether soil feedback and competition facilitate invasion, three native and three invasive shrub species were used in two greenhouse experiments. Soil feedback was examined by growing each species in soil cultured by the same species and those cultured by other species, in both tilled and non-tilled soil. Soil microbial communities were assessed using PLFA. Soil feedback effects were species specific and likely do not facilitate invasion. Additionally, cultured soil communities were …

Orientation Of Vernal Pool Amphibians In An Industrial Forest Landscape, Emma Carcagno

Master's Theses and Capstones

Understanding the movement patterns of vernal pool amphibians is a critical aspect of effective conservation and land management. I used clearcutting to manipulate buffer widths at 11 vernal pools within an industrial forest landscape located in Maine. Forested buffers were either 30m or 100m wide, surrounded by 100m wide clearcut. Each pool was encircled with a drift fence and pitfall traps. I captured wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus ) and spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) as they entered and exited pools and documented orientation across three years. Orientation at all pools for both species was non-uniform, differed among pools, between species, and …

An Assessment Of Stress In Acer Saccharum As A Possible Response To Climate Change, Martha Carlson

Master's Theses and Capstones

Climate change is projected to extirpate Acer saccharum throughout its range in the United States. The current investigation evaluates the potential of spectral indices of foliar reflectance, measures of leaf area and bud quality, and historic trends in sap sugar and wood increments for detecting stress in sugar maple.

Thirty trees were examined in 10 plots on 5 sugar bushes in or near the Bearcamp Valley, New Hampshire, over the course of the 2008 growing season. The study found water stress in 100% of trees; reduced chlorophyll content in 60%; early abscission of leaves in 80%; reduced growing season in …

Extrapolating Hyperspectral Anthocyanin Indices To Multispectral Satellite Sensors---Applications To Fall Foliage In New England, Erica Lindgren

Master's Theses and Capstones

Anthocyanin, thought to be a universal indicator of plant stress, is a red pigment found in many plant species and can seen in New England autumns. Detecting its presence is useful for ecosystem analysis and monitoring changes during autumn senescence. Currently fall foliage is subjectively measured; creation of a satellite-based anthocyanin index will provide an objective measurement and enhance understanding of the distribution of plant stress and senescence over large areas. Anthocyanin indices were tested hyperspectrally in a laboratory setting, then indices were simulated for Hyperion, MERIS, MODIS, and Landsat TM/ETM+ to see which most accurately represents changes in anthocyanin …

Conflict Resolution And Community Support For Conservation In The Northern Forest: A Comparative Case Study From Maine, Morgan A. Cottle

Master's Theses and Capstones

Rapid land ownership changes in the Northern Forest have spurred development as well as conservation. Local people have experienced differing degrees of participation in land use decisions. I compared two conservation projects from Maine to assess the policy processes, and local attitudes about the conservation project and land use. One was a top-down approach, the second a grassroots, private effort by local citizens to conserve forest land. I gathered my data via in person interviews, mail surveys, and analysis of legislative testimony.

My findings indicate that early local involvement leads to less conflict and greater acceptance of the project. Important …

Evaluating Scale To Achieve Optimal Image Classification Accuracy In New Hampshire Forests, Brianna L. Heath

Master's Theses and Capstones

New England forest complexity creates obstacles for land cover classification using satellite imagery. New methodologies such as object-oriented image analysis exhibit potential to improve classification. Although these methods have proven more accurate than traditional methods, it has been unclear what resolution yields the most accurate classification. As high resolution imagery increases classification difficulty and lower resolutions may not provide sufficiently detailed maps, this study explored the use of object-oriented classification to classify several resolutions of satellite imagery (Landsat TM, SPOT, IKONOS) at various spatial scales.

Although Landsat TM imagery yielded the highest accuracy, all classification results were unacceptable for practical …

The Effects Of Using Prescribed Fire Or Mowing To Maintain Early Successional Wildlife Habitat, Kathleen M. Barrett

Master's Theses and Capstones

This study involves a comparison and results between prescribed burns and mowing in order to maintain openings in early successional stages at Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Newington, NH. The prescribed fire was conducted by a US Fish and Wildlife fire crew on 19 September 2001. The mowing was completed during the third week of October 2001 by staff and volunteers.

Special attention was given to non-native invasive species, with some species tending to increase with a fall burn. The mowed study sites did not seem to have a significant increase in growth or spread of invasive species.

Evaluation And Improvement Of Model Algorithms For Predicting Belowground Carbon Allocation In Forests, Kathryn A. Berger

Master's Theses and Capstones

Rapidly rising concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2) influence forest productivity by stimulating plant growth. It can also modify carbon partitioning patterns, altering the global carbon cycle. Nitrogen and carbon cycles are tightly linked; with changes in nitrogen availability affecting ecosystem carbon allocation by shifting carbon to roots for nitrogen uptake. This paper discusses a modification to the PnET-CN model (Aber et al. 1997) developed to shift plant carbon allocation belowground in response to nitrogen limitation. According to functional equilibrium models of plant carbon allocation, a nitrogen control mechanism alters belowground carbon estimates by increasing carbon allocation to fine …

Recovery Policy, The Endangered Species Act And The Yellowstone Grizzly Bear (Ursus Arctos Horribilis): A Case Study Analysis Of The Role And Function Of Environmental Organizations, Rachel A. Platt

Master's Theses and Capstones

This Thesis explores the question, "what are the politics of de-listing an endangered species?" The Yellowstone grizzly de-listing process offered environmental organizations a platform to provide the general public with a genuine opportunity to engage with the comments and positions, to the federal government. It contends that a symbolic consensus has been constructed about the American West, Yellowstone National Park and the grizzly bear and these constructed were strong enough to generate the majority of edited responses to the Fish and Wildlife Service during the de-listing process. This thesis looks at the manner in which environmental organizations employ this natural …

Field Efficiency And Bias Of Several Methods For Downed Wood And Snag Inventory In Western North American Forests, Robert Scott Kenning

Master's Theses and Capstones

Coarse woody debris (CWD)---downed forest wood and snags---has been afforded increasing attention in the past decade as studies illuminate the role of dead wood in the study of global carbon cycling, wildlife, forest fire, and soil ecology. Accordingly, the need for efficient sampling methods of CWD has grown. This study compares the field efficiency and bias of seven traditional and novel sampling techniques. Methods were tested in 14 forest stands across 3 broad study regions---alpine and ponderosa forests in Colorado and coastal rainforest in British Columbia.

For sampling downed wood volume, perpendicular distance sampling (PDS) proves to be the most …

Impact Of Predation And Hunting On Eastern Cottontail Rabbits At Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts, Kelly M. Boland

Master's Theses and Capstones

In areas that experience environmental seasonality, wildlife populations may undergo annual declines until the capacity of the environment is reached. The degree to which hunting may influence these populations depends on whether hunting mortality is additional to natural mortality (additive) or if natural mortality decreases as hunting increases (hunting is a compensatory mortality). To comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, Cape Cod National Seashore (CCNS) initiated an examination of the current rabbit hunting program in 2004. Because of the lack of current information of rabbit hunting within CCNS, the primary objective of this study was to …

Status, Distribution And Broad Scale Habitat Features Associated With Remnant Populations Of New England Cottontails (Sylvilagus Transitionalis ), Jeffrey P. Tash

Master's Theses and Capstones

Since 1960 the range occupied by New England cottontails (NEC, Sylvilagus transitionalis) in the northeastern United States has declined dramatically. Populations in some regions are known to be vulnerable to extirpation, but little was known about the status of populations in most areas. A range-wide survey of NEC was conducted from 2000 to 2004 to determine the current distribution and status of remnant populations. Because NEC are sympatric with eastern cottontails (Sylvilagus floridanus) and snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) throughout much of their historic range, identity of resident lagomorphs was based on DNA either extracted from tissue of live-captures or from …

High Frequency Measurements Of Soil Carbon Dioxide Flux At Harvard Forest, Stephen C. Phillips

Master's Theses and Capstones

Soil carbon dioxide flux was measured by automatic chambers at Harvard Forest over a four-year period, 2003-2006. The autochambers were installed along a moisture gradient from upland to wetland soils. In 2003, fluxes from the upland and mid-slope chambers exceeded the fluxes from the wetland margin. In 2004-2006, the mid-slope fluxes were significantly larger than both the upland and wetland margin chambers. The differences in flux between chamber location were most pronounced in the late summer and early fall. Residuals from a non-linear temperature regression exhibit a distinct seasonal pattern in 2003, 2004, and 2006, but not in 2005. On …

Patterns Of Aboveground Biomass Accumulation In A Northern Hardwood Forest, John Ballard Richardson

Master's Theses and Capstones

In order to better understand the role that forest ecosystems play in the global carbon budget, it is necessary to understand the dynamics of biomass accumulation and change arising from anthropogenic and natural disturbances. Presented here are the results of study across a broad spatial (1050ha) and temporal (>70 years) scale for the Bartlett Experimental Forest, a northern temperate hardwood forest, located in the white Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire, USA.

Permanent plot forest inventory data converted to biomass were analyzed using a mixed linear model to determine the influence of local environmental variables on aboveground biomass accumulation through …