Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 3 of 3
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Forest Development And Regeneration Dynamics In The Context Of Global Change And Associated Adaptation Strategies, Peter Clark
Forest Development And Regeneration Dynamics In The Context Of Global Change And Associated Adaptation Strategies, Peter Clark
Graduate College Dissertations and Theses
Over the past century, forested ecosystems in northeastern North America have undergone significant changes characterized by the recovery from intensive land use and impacts from the introduction of invasive insects and disease. These changes, coupled with emerging threats posed by a changing climate present challenges to the maintenance and conservation of biodiversity, ecological functions, and delivery of critical forest ecosystem services. While management strategies to increase forest resilience and mitigate impacts from climate change have been broadly proposed, there are nascent empirical evaluations of their effectiveness. To address this uncertainty, this dissertation couples field manipulations with long-term measurements to examine …
Informing Adaptation Strategies For Northeastern Pitch Pine Barrens In The Context Of Mesophication And Southern Pine Beetle Impacts, Elizabeth-Ann Jamison
Informing Adaptation Strategies For Northeastern Pitch Pine Barrens In The Context Of Mesophication And Southern Pine Beetle Impacts, Elizabeth-Ann Jamison
Graduate College Dissertations and Theses
Forest pests, the most significant agent of disturbance in forested ecosystems of North America, are highly sensitive to climate change. Southern pine beetle (SPB) is a highly destructive pine forest pest that is expanding its historic range in the southeastern US to affect the globally rare northeastern pitch pine barrens as winter temperatures warm. By generating high levels of mortality in canopy pitch pine, SPB is accelerating the ongoing conversion of fire-dependent pine barrens to mesophilic forests. We aimed to support the adaptive management of pine barrens ecosystems in the context of these two threats by (1) assessing stand conditions …
The Impacts Of Asian Longhorned Beetle On Forests In Southern New England, Olivia Fay Box
The Impacts Of Asian Longhorned Beetle On Forests In Southern New England, Olivia Fay Box
Graduate College Dissertations and Theses
Over the past several decades, the United States has been experiencing an influx of nonnative pests due to increased globalization, and many of these pests have the potential to permanently alter the composition, structure, and function of forests. Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) is an invasive pest that came into Worcester county, MA in 2008, where the first instance of this species invading both urban and natural forested areas was documented. Within the quarantine area for this novel invasion, 30,000 trees were removed over the course of 10 years as part of management efforts focused on harvesting all host species, primarily …