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A Comparison Of The Ecological Integrity Of Headwater Streams Draining Harvested And Un-Harvested Watersheds In The Western Mountains Of Maine, U.S.A., Darlene Siegel Dec 2003

A Comparison Of The Ecological Integrity Of Headwater Streams Draining Harvested And Un-Harvested Watersheds In The Western Mountains Of Maine, U.S.A., Darlene Siegel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of four headwater streams draining forested watersheds were compared to determine the effectiveness of Riparian Management Zones (RMZs) in protecting aquatic ecological integrity from the effects of forest harvesting. Two of the watersheds were harvested with a 30% sheltenvood cut and a 75 foot buffer was left adjacent to the streams. The other two watersheds were un-harvested and were used as reference conditions for comparison with the harvested watersheds. General environmental conditions in these four headwater streams during the study period were characterized as follows. Each stream was located within a mixed- wood forest dominated …


Tb187: Forest Vegetation Monitoring In Acadia National Park, J. D. Eckhoff, G. B. Wiersma, J. A. Elvir Aug 2003

Tb187: Forest Vegetation Monitoring In Acadia National Park, J. D. Eckhoff, G. B. Wiersma, J. A. Elvir

Technical Bulletins

The goal of this report is to present the results of the vegetation component of the PRIMENet study at Acadia. The results include a classification of vegetation types and their locations within Cadillac Brook and Hadlock Brook watersheds; a synthesis of the primary and meta tree, sapling, and seedling data from the two study watersheds; and foliar chemical analyses using Acer rubrum and Picea rubens from Cadillac Brook and Hadlock Brook watersheds. This report provides the baseline information for long-term forest vegetation monitoring in the deciduous and coniferous forests in Cadillac Brook and Hadlock Brook watersheds. Ongoing interest and studies …


Effects Of Precommercial Thinning On Snowshoe Hares, Small Mammals, And Forest Structure In Northern Maine, Jessica A. Homyack May 2003

Effects Of Precommercial Thinning On Snowshoe Hares, Small Mammals, And Forest Structure In Northern Maine, Jessica A. Homyack

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The extent of precommercial thinning (PCT) to manipulate stand density in overstocked, regenerating stands and to accelerate growth, yield, and the rate of development of crop trees has been increasing within the Acadian forest of northeastern North America. Although the silvicultural responses of crop trees to thinning are well studied, few studies have evaluated the effects of PCT on forest-dependent wildlife and their habitat. I investigated the effects of PCT and stand succession on snowshoe hares, small mammals, and forest structure on 38 stands (25 treated with PCT, 13 unthinned stands) from 1 to 16 years post-treatment within 7 townships …


Effects Of Small-Gap Timber Harvests On Songbird Community Composition And Site-Fidelity, Mitschka John Hartley May 2003

Effects Of Small-Gap Timber Harvests On Songbird Community Composition And Site-Fidelity, Mitschka John Hartley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I investigated effects of small-gap timber harvests on bird communities at nine sites (10 ha each) within the Penobscot Experimental Forest (PEF), grouped into three replicated "blocks" (three sites each). Blocks were randomly treated with three treatments: 10% harvest, 20% harvest, and no harvest (i.e., control). I examined how treatments affected breeding songbird abundance, richness, and site-fidelity over four consecutive summers, including 1-3 years before and after each site was harvested. Ability to detect treatment effects was limited by the small number of replicates, but power analyses indicated that given the experimental design and observed variability, there was a high …


The Short And Long-Term Effects Of Herbicide Application In Maine Clearcuts On Ant Communities (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Kerry Frances Lough May 2003

The Short And Long-Term Effects Of Herbicide Application In Maine Clearcuts On Ant Communities (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Kerry Frances Lough

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The short and long-term effects of glyphosate application on the diversity and abundance of ants in Maine clearcuts was assessed in a two-year study. Glyphosate is applied to release coniferous trees from suppression by competition with deciduous vegetation after a forest is clearcut. Previous research indicates glyphosate has limited immediate and long-term effects on non-target fauna, though specific species can be affected. Limited research on the effects of herbicides on insects indicates some initial decrease in insect populations. Beneficial insects, such as pollinators and predators, positively influence the forest ecosystem, but little research has examined the effects of herbicide application …


Effect Of Stand Density On Behavior Of Leaf Area Prediction Models For Eastern White Pine (Pinus Strobus L.) In Maine, Micah D. Pace Jan 2003

Effect Of Stand Density On Behavior Of Leaf Area Prediction Models For Eastern White Pine (Pinus Strobus L.) In Maine, Micah D. Pace

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is little debate within the forest science community that leaf area (LA, the surface area of live foliage) or leaf area index (LAI, the total surface area of live foliage per unit of ground area) are important variables, central to enhancing the understanding of forest growth and many forest ecosystem processes. The ability to accurately measure LA1 has become a research priority and has resulted in various methods of estimation for a variety of species and regions. In this study LA estimation models for Pinus strobus L. were developed, tested, and compared across a wide range of densities for …