Life Sciences Commons^™

Land Use Change And Forest Management Effects On Soil Carbon Stocks In The Northeast U.S., Lucas E. Nave, Kendall Delyser, Grant M. Domke, Scott M. Holub, Maria K. Janowiak, Adrienne B. Keller, Matthew P. Peters, Kevin A. Solarik, Brian F. Walters, Christopher W. Swanston

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

Background: In most regions and ecosystems, soils are the largest terrestrial carbon pool. Their potential vulnerability to climate and land use change, management, and other drivers, along with soils’ ability to mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration, makes them important to carbon balance and management. To date, most studies of soil carbon management have been based at either large or site-specific scales, resulting in either broad generalizations or narrow conclusions, respectively. Advancing the science and practice of soil carbon management requires scientific progress at intermediate scales. Here, we conducted the fifth in a series of ecoregional assessments of the effects …

Forest Development Over A Twenty-Year Chronosequence Of Reforested Urban Sites, Kenton L. Sena, Zachary J. Hackworth, John M. Lhotka

Lewis Honors College Faculty Publications

Urbanization causes a variety of negative ecological impacts, impairing forests, streams, and other ecosystems. While urban forests are the subject of increasing research attention, planted urban forests are less well-understood than remnant forests; however, these systems may be distinct in terms of ecosystem structure and function. The current study investigates a chronosequence of reforested urban sites in Lexington, KY, USA, with a focus on overstory and understory woody plant community characteristics. Monitoring plots were established in each of the 20 sites; tree height, dbh, and species were surveyed for the overstory, and species and height were surveyed for the understory. …

Individual Tree And Stand-Level Carbon And Nutrient Contents Across One Rotation Of Loblolly Pine Plantations On A Reclaimed Surface Mine, Hannah Z. Angel, Jeremy S. Priest, Jeremy P. Stovall, Brian P. Oswald, Hans M. Williams

Faculty Publications

While reclaimed loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations in east Texas, USA have demonstrated similar aboveground productivity levels relative to unmined forests, there is interest in assessing carbon (C) and nutrients in aboveground components of reclaimed trees. Numerous studies have previously documented aboveground biomass, C, and nutrient contents in loblolly pine plantations; however, similar data have not been collected on mined lands. We investigated C, N, P, K, Ca, and Mg aboveground contents for first-rotation loblolly pine growing on reclaimed mined lands in the Gulf Coastal Plain over a 32-year chronosequence and correlated elemental rates to stand age, stem …

Spoil Type Influences Soil Genesis And Forest Development On An Appalachian Surface Coal Mine Ten Years After Placement, Kenton L. Sena, Carmen T. Agouridis, Jarrod Miller, Christopher D. Barton

Lewis Honors College Faculty Publications

Surface mining for coal (or other mineral resources) is a major driver of land-use change around the world and especially in the Appalachian region of the United States. Intentional and well-informed reclamation of surface-mined land is critical for the restoration of healthy ecosystems on these disturbed sites. In Appalachia, the pre-mining land cover is predominately mixed hardwood forest, with rich species diversity. In recent years, Appalachian mine reforestation has become an issue of concern, prompting the development of the Forestry Reclamation Approach, a series of mine reforestation recommendations. One of these recommendations is to use the best available soil substitute; …

Establishing Pine Monocultures And Mixed Pine-Hardwood Stands On Reclaimed Surface Mined Land In Eastern Kentucky: Implications For Forest Resilience In A Changing Climate, Geoffrey Bell, Kenton L. Sena, Christopher D. Barton, Michael French

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Surface mining and mine reclamation practices have caused significant forest loss and forest fragmentation in Appalachia. Shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) is threatened by a variety of stresses, including diseases, pests, poor management, altered fire regimes, and climate change, and the species is the subject of a widescale restoration effort. Surface mines may present opportunity for shortleaf pine restoration; however, the survival and growth of shortleaf pine on these harsh sites has not been critically evaluated. This paper presents first-year survival and growth of native shortleaf pine planted on a reclaimed surface mine, compared to non-native loblolly pine ( …

Information Technology Approaches To Forest Management, Mary Snow, Richard Snow

Publications

The majority of the world’s forests occur where there is a dry season long enough to affect a seasonal change in the forest community. The seasonal forest may include evergreen, semi-deciduous, deciduous trees, or some combination of these. Local differences in soil or other site characteristics often determine which community persists. Since the seasonal forests exist where there is seasonal precipitation, the character of the forest is closely associated with the length of the rainy season. As the length of the rainy season decreases, the density of the canopy decreases. If the global climate system warms and prolonged drought gives …

Conservation And Restoration Of Pine Forest Genetic Resources In México, C. Sáenz-Romero, Amy E. Snively, R. Lindig-Cisneros

Student Published Works

Deforestation rates in México are about 670,000 ha/year. This threatens the richness of forest genetic resources in México, causing the disappearance of locally adapted populations and rare and endangered pine species. México is one of the six megadiverse countries in the world, with half of the world’s Pinus species. Pinus is one of the most economically and ecologically important forest genera in México. We suggest that delineation of seed zones and the establishment of a network of Forest Genetic Resource Conservation Units (FGRCUs), linked with forest management and ecological restoration programs will protect this valuable resource. We estimate that FGRCUs …

Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Eastern White Pine Regeneration In The Northwestern Ohio Oak Stand, Scott R. Abella, Neil W. Macdonald

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Publications

Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.) was often associated with oaks (Quercus spp.) on upland sites in presettlement forests of the upper Great Lakes region, but widespread logging and subsequent fires in the late 1800s converted these upland sites to fire-tolerant oak forests. Although white pine regeneration is occurring in these second-growth oak forests, white pine regeneration patterns in oak forests of the Great Lakes region are not well documented. We examined white pine regeneration in the southern Great Lakes region in an oak stand within the Oak Openings region of northwestern Ohio, where white pine plantations established in the …

Management Of Droughty Site: Typic Quartzipsamments, Ecological Considerations, David Kulhavy, W. G. Ross, L. Allen Smith, R. R. Cahal

Faculty Publications

Pine plantations on Typic Quartzipsamments in East Texas are difficult to establish. Forest management options following clearcutting are limited. A 12 year regeneration study of the growth and survival of loblolly, Pinus faeda, L. shortleaf, P. echinata Mill., slash, f. elliofii Engelm and longleaf pines P. pa/u&is Mill. was conducted to determine optimum tree species and treatments for reforestation. With successful regeneration also comes insects and pathogens. Impacts of the Nantucket pine tip moth, Rhyacionia frusfrana, (Comstock) and the Texas leaf-cutting ant, Affa texana, (Buckley) will be discussed in the context of droughty site management.

Stories From The Frontlines: How Nfma Developed And Key Players, Robert E. Wolf

The National Forest Management Act in a Changing Society, 1976-1996: How Well Has It Worked in the Past 20 Years?: Will It Work in the 21st Century? (September 16-18)

15 pages.

Pneumatic Metering Of Hardwood Tree Seeds, Larry G. Wells, T. W. Richards, Timothy D. Smith, George B. Day

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

A commercial, no-till row planter was extensively modified for use in direct seeding of hardwood tree species in surface mine reclamation. A pneumatic seed metering system was designed, fabricated, and mounted on the planter frame.

The metering device was tested under laboratory conditions which simulated varying terrain slope and field speed with seeds of various hardwood tree species. Metering efficiencies of 97% were achieved for pin oak seeds at 3.2 km/hr (2.0 m/h) and 50% slope. For red oak, 97% efficiency was achieved for 50% slope at 4.0 km/h (2.5 mph). Unsatisfactory metering was noted during tests of larger seeds, …

Reforestation Timing Influences After-Tax Present Value Of Costs, Steven H. Bullard

Faculty Publications

Public Law 96-451 provides federal income tax incentives for reforestation. Taxpayers are allowed an investment tax credit in the year reforestation costs are incurred and deductions of one-fourteenth of reforestation costs on their first tax return, one-seventh on each of their next six tax returns, and one-fourteenth on their eighth tax return. The amount amortized is 95 percent of costs if a 10-percent tax credit is claimed or 100 percent of costs if an 8- percent credit is chosen. The credit and deductions can be applied for up to $10,000 of reforestation costs each year.

What Is Your “Effective” Rate Of Reforestation Cost?, Steven H. Bullard, Thomas J. Straka

Faculty Publications

If you are considering a reforestation investment, you should be concerned with its effective cost; ,that is, the cost of reforestation after considering interest arid timing of the tax savings and cost-share payments. Effective regeneration costs depend on your interest rate, marginal tax rate, and whether or not you receive assistance from a state or federal cost-share program.