Life Sciences Commons^™

Remotely Sensed Data To Map Forest Age Class By Cover Type In East Texas, Daniel Unger, I-Kuai Hung, Jeffrey M. Williams, James Kroll, Dean W. Coble, Jason Grogan

Faculty Publications

• Remote sensing in conjunction with ground truthing, can accurately quantify forest composition and age distributions in East Texas.
• Method uses standardized and readily available data available to the general public.
• Method was shown to be effective in terms of time and cost.

Multi-Source Image Classification, Hillary Tribby, James Kroll, Daniel Unger, I-Kuai Hung, Hans Michael Williams

Faculty Presentations

Since multi-source image classifications have the ability to exceed single source processes, such as traditional unsupervised classification methods, this paper will present the integration of four types of data: Lidar, elevation, multispectral and thermal. Using multi-source data and maximum likelihood classification methodology, as well as all possible permutations of data types, this paper will discuss ways to increase accuracy assessments of forested areas in east Texas and find the best combination of data sources.

The Financially Optimal Loblolly Pine Planting Density And Management Regime For Nonindustrial Private Forestland In East Texas, Ching Hsun Huang, Gary D. Kronrad

Faculty Publications

Economic analyses were conducted to investigate the effects of initial planting density on the profitability of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) on nonindustrial private forestland (NIPF) in East Texas. Five planting densities of 870, 725, 620, 540, and 484 trees per acre (tpa) representing spacings of 510, 610, 710, 810, and 910 ft, respectively, were investigated. Land expectation values were used to determine the financially optimal thinning and final harvesting schedules (including rotation length and the timing, frequency, and intensity of thinning). Five site indices (50 –90), six real alternative rates of return (ARR) (2.5–15.0%), and three thinning options (0, …

Fine-Scale Genetic Structure And Social Organization In Female White-Tailed Deer, Christopher E. Comer, John Kilgo, Gino D'Angelo, Travis Glenn, Karl Miller

Faculty Publications

Social behavior of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) can have important management implications.

The formation of matrilineal social groups among female deer has been documented and management strategies have been proposed based on this well-developed social structure. Using radiocollared (n = 17) and hunter or vehicle- killed (n = 21) does, we examined spatial and genetic structure in white-tailed deer on a 7,000-ha portion of the

Savannah River Site in the upper Coastal Plain of South Carolina, USA. We used 14 microsatellite DNA loci to calculate pairwise relatedness among individual deer and to assign doe pairs to …

Effects Of Fertilization And Herbicides On Growth Of Young Loblolly Pine And Infestations Of Nantucket Pine Tip Moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), David L. Kulhavy

Faculty Publications

A 2-year-old pine plantation was selected to receive treatments of fertilizers and herbicides to evaluate effects on Nantucket pine tip moth infestations and the tree growthparameters of height, diameter and volume increment. Nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers, and hexazinone and sulfometuron methyl herbicides were used in creating six treatments: (i) control; (ii) phosphorus; (iii) nitrogen and phosphorus; (iv) phosphorus and herbicide; (v) nitrogen, phosphorus and herbicide; and (vi) herbicide. Treatments were applied in 1987 and 1988. In 1987, trees treated with nitrogen, phosphorus and herbicide had significantly greater height, diameter and volume growth than trees not receiving fertilizer treatments, but did …

Shorebird Habitat Use And Nest-Site Selection In The Playa Lakes Region, Warren C. Conway, Loren M. Smith, James D. Ray

Faculty Publications

Wetlands in the Playa Lakes Region (PLR) provide important habitats for wintering waterfowl, cranes, and both migrant and breeding shorebirds. Playa Lakes Region wetlands experience naturally fluctuating hydroperiods but are exposed to anthropogenic stresses, which are exacerbated during summer and may influence PLR wetland occupancy and selection by breeding shorebirds. We examined wetland-scale habitat use and nest-site selection of the 4 dominant shorebirds (American avocets [Recurvirostra americana], black-necked stilts [Himantopus mexicanus], killdeer [Charadrius vociferus], snowy plovers [C. alexandrinus]) nesting in playas, saline lakes, and in both created and riparian wetlands in the …

Issrm 2005, Arthur Temple College Of Forestry And Agriculture, Stephen F. Austin State University

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Issrm 2005 Article 2, Arthur Temple College Of Forestry And Agriculture. Stephen F. Austin State University

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Survey Of Backcountry Campers In Yellowstone National Park. Characteristics And Management Preferences (Abstract), Michael Legg, Pat Stephens Williams, Scott Oosterhous, Ray Darville

Faculty Publications

The identification of the complexities of the sociological dynamics of visitors and visitor use in our national parks has been a challenge to the field of human dimensions for the past thirty years. We continue to gather data through a variety of techniques and attempt to make sense of those complexities to help guide current and future management practices . . .

Wood Furniture Components: Implementation Of Flow-Line Technology Based On Lean Manufacturing Concepts, W. D. Motsenbocker, P. H. Steele, S. L. Hunter, Steven H. Bullard, A. Schuler

Faculty Publications

This case study is #3 in a series of studies that relate specifically to the development and application of lean manufacturing techniques for the furniture and wood component supplying industries. Case study #3 is an example of how productivity can be increased in a furniture manufacturing organization by using flow-line technology.

This case study provides information about lean manufacturing and how a lean manufacturing system can be implemented, followed by a detailed case study of a wood component manufacturing company’s adoption of a new flow-line technology based on lean manufacturing concepts.

Silvicultural Best Management Practice Compliance Monitoring Programs In The Southern United States, Amanda L. Husak, Stephen C. Grado, Steven H. Bullard, Steverson O. Moffat

Faculty Publications

Passage of the Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1972 prompted states to invest significant resources to develop programs to control nonpoint source (NPS) pollution from forestry and other activities. Forestry-related agencies and organizations have since developed silvicultural best management practice (BMP) guidelines to reduce NPS pollution, maintain stream integrity, and meet state water quality standards. To determine the effectiveness and implementation level of best management practices (BMP) on public and private forestland, states further developed and implemented their BMP compliance monitoring programs. This study documents the similarities and differences in efforts, methods, resources, and expenditures among BMP compliance monitoring programs …

Using Gis For Selecting Trees For Thinning, I-Kuai Hung, Benjamin C. Mcnally, Kenneth W. Farrish, Brian P. Oswald

Faculty Presentations

Thinning removes trees within a stand to regulate the level of site occupancy and subsequent stand development. Before thinning is applied, foresters determine the amount of residual growing stock, the spatial distribution of the residual trees, and the criteria used to select trees to cut. In this study, a portion of a loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantation was surveyed through a complete tree tally with the coordinates of each individual tree recorded. The dataset was then processed in a GIS program composed in Arc Marco Language (AML) applying a moving circular quadrat system superimposed over the study area. In each …

Allometry, Sexual Size Dimorphism, And Niche Partitioning In The Mediterranean Gecko (Hemidactylus Turcicus), James B. Johnson, Lance D. Mcbrayer, Daniel Saenz

Faculty Publications

Hemidactylus tucrius is a small gekkonid lizard native to the Middle East and Asia that is known to exhibit sexual dimorphism in head size. Several potential explanations exist for the evolution and maintenance of sexual dimorphism in lizards. We tested 2 of these competing hypotheses concerning diet partitioning and differential growth. We found no differences in Average meal size (volume) or in any single dimension of prey size for similarly sized males and females. allometric patterns of increases in head size also were measured in males and females. We found that males exhibited a mixture of isometric and positively allometric …