Life Sciences Commons^™

Effect Of Resin And Wax Ratio On Osb Properties, Trairat Neimsuwan

Masters Theses

Oriented Strandboard (OSB) was made for construction purpose. Mat structure especially resin and wax ratio had an influence on major panel properties such as bending strength properties, stiffness properties, internal bonding, water absorption, thickness swell and so on. Thickness swell was an important property of OSB for using in construction and outdoor facilities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of resin and wax ratio on OSB properties and rapidly predict OSB properties using near infrared spectroscopy. The laboratory OSB panels were fabricated as a multiple layer (three layers) mat structure including, orientation, resin types (phenol formaldehyde …

Assessing Capacity For Collaborative Land Management In A Western Tennessee Community, Leslie Ann Horner

Masters Theses

Human and natural alterations resulting in sedimentation, flooding, and hardwood tree mortality in western Tennessee’s Hatchie River watershed represent a landscape-level natural resource problem. Flooding and tree mortality have significant negative economic impacts on the residents of the watershed’s communities. Efforts to address these ecological problems will need to be conducted at a landscape level, across various boundaries, involving multiple private landowners. In order to succeed in a cross-boundary restoration approach, the needs of the people and the ecosystem must be addressed. Collaboration in natural resource management has emerged as one tool for discovering and maintaining a balance between community …

Prescribed Burning In Tennessee: Importance And Barriers, Goals, And Information Needs Of Private, State, And Federal Managers, Brian T. Hemel

Masters Theses

Early in the 20^th century, intense and severe wildfires were frequent due to abundant fuels generated by logging and the presence of anthropogenic ignition sources in close proximity to these fuels. As timber was depleted, this period of lumbering ceased and the realization that vast tracts of cutover land had to be reforested and protected led to the inception of fire suppression organizations and techniques. The fire exclusion that occurred over much of the 20^th century due to organized fire suppression efforts has led to two sets of problems: the buildup of fuels and the decline of fire-adapted …

A Survey Of Visitors To Mt. Leconte In The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Amy Lynn Mathis

Masters Theses

This study focuses on the behaviors, attitudes, perceptions and preferences of visitors to Mt. LeConte in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Mt. LeConte (elevation 6,593 ft.) is a popular tourist destination year-round. In addition to the trails that access the summit, there is a backcountry shelter and a rustic lodge, built in 1926, for overnight guests. The upcoming expiration of the Concession Contract for Mt. LeConte Lodge makes it necessary to conduct an Environmental Assessment. This project serves the dual objectives of providing data needed for the Environmental Assessment (EA) and meeting the General Management Plan requirement to monitor …

Establishment Of Upland And Bottomland Hardwood Agroforestry Plantations In Tennessee And Mississippi, David Michael Casey

Masters Theses

The feasibility of alley cropping as a means of afforestation was studied across seven different study sites in western Tennessee and northern Mississippi. Seeds were collected from 11 oak (Quercus spp) species and black walnut (Jug/ans nigra L.) trees in the region and grown under nursery protocols that are designed to produce seedlings of optimal size in one year. Seedlings were lifted by genetic family after one year and initial seedling measurements were recorded. Four bottomland studies and three upland studies were then sorted into an incomplete block design with multiple species and families within each block. …

Assessment Of Bat Mortality And Activity At Buffalo Mountain Windfarm, Eastern Tennessee, Jenny K. Fiedler

Masters Theses

Wind power has grown rapidly as an alternative energy source over the last decade. Although overall environmental impacts are relatively low, impacts to bats have yet to be fully assessed. Recent studies at other windfarms suggest regional variation in mortality rates and species affected. This study took place at Tennessee Valley Authority’s Buffalo Mountain Windfarm (BMW) in eastern Tennessee, currently the only commercial windfarm in the southeastern United States. Study objectives were to establish patterns of bat mortality and activity at BMW, and determine if and how they were related.

Mortality monitoring consisted of regular carcass searches conducted since BMW …

Maximizing Northern Red Oak (Quercus Rubra) Seedling Growth To Sustain Oak-Dominated Ecosystems In East Tennessee, Brian Andrwe Barwatt

Masters Theses

The success of northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) in the oak-hickory forest type and its growth and development into the overstory is of great concern due to the value of this species as a source of forest products and mast for wildlife. There is a general consensus that rapid oak seedling height growth occurs above certain threshold levels of light, soil moisture, and nutrients. If these specific levels and the relative importance of competition between northern red oak (NRO) seedlings and other individual plant species can be determined, then the implementation of more precise management practices that promote …

Remote Sensing Of Sagebrush Community Structural Patterns Across Scales, Lisa A. Langs

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Throughout the Intermountain West there has been a substantial reduction in both the quantity and quality of sagebrush ecosystems. To assist current range management objectives, numerous efforts have been made to classify and map sagebrush communities using remotely sensed data. However, the amount of detail provided by these broad-scale mapping projects is often limited. This research evaluated the ability of a suite of airborne and satellite imagery to detect sagebrush community structural attributes, specifically percent canopy cover, live cover, density, size-vigor, and spatial arrangement of shrubs. Field data was collected at Camp Williams National Guard Training Facility near Bluffdale, Utah, …

Greenstrip Establishment And Management In The Intermountain West, Brenda Kristine Younkin-Kury

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Greenstrips were established at two sites in Utah to determine if seeded, grazed cool-season, perennial grasses would change fire behavior characteristics in areas currently dominated by Bromus tectorum. Frequency data were collected for both grazed and ungrazed seeded species and resident weed species. Moderate spring grazing did not negatively impact the establishment of seeded species at Camp Williams. Grazing at Promontory Point decreased Agropyron desertorum frequency and increased the frequency of Pascopyrum smithii. Biomass data collected for grazed and ungrazed treatments in both years indicated that moderate spring or winter grazing the first two years of establishment did …

Cougar Exploitation Levels In Utah: Implications For Demographic Structure, Metapopulation Dynamics, And Population Recovery, David C. Stoner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Presently, eleven western states and two Canadian provinces utilize sport hunting as the primary mechanism for managing cougar (Puma concolor) populations. However, the impacts of sustained harvest on population dynamics and demographic structure arc not well understood. Additionally, the lack of cost-effective enumeration techniques and strongly conflicting societal values complicate effective management of this species. Given these concerns, the primary goals of this study were (I) to determine the effects of sustained harvest on cougar populations, and (2) estimate the level and extent of cougar harvest statewide.

I monitored cougar populations on Monroe Mountain in south-central Utah, and …

Quantifying Losses Of Understory Forage In Aspen Stands On The Dixie And Fishlake National Forests, Barton R. Stam

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The West has lost up to 60% of its historic aspen stands over the last century, probably as a result of the successional tendency of aspen to be replaced by coniferous species in the absence of periodic fires. One of several major impacts of this change is the loss of understory forage as conifer canopy cover increases. I measured understory biomass in aspen stands ranging from 0% to 81 % absolute conifer cover in the canopy and found that understory production declines exponentially as conifers replace aspen. I also did an economic analysis to determine the value of the forage …

Crop Tree Management In West Tennessee: A Traditional Financial Analysis, Scott Lorenz Twillmann

Masters Theses

Crop tree management was designed to fulfill a combination of goals such as wildlife, aesthetics, and timber management. This silviculture method was designed for small woodlots with high value species and can be easily understood by non-industrial private landowners. It focuses on selecting and releasing trees that will yield multiple benefits to the landowner.

The purpose of this study was to determine if crop tree management on an upland oak site in west Tennessee was a financially attractive option for individual landowners. The primary objective of this study was to determine the profitability of crop tree management by examining different …

Snow Avalanche Disturbance In Intermountain Spruce-Fir Forests And Implications For The Spruce Bark Beetle (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), Elizabeth G. Hebertson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Spruce beetle outbreaks are the primary biotic disturbance affecting forests in the Intermountain spruce-fir zone. Major snow avalanches can produce large quantities of host material for spruce beetle colonization; however, few studies have examined the influence of avalanche disturbance on outbreak initiation. The purpose of my research was to investigate potential relationships between these two disturbance agents. In the first study, I used dendro-ecological analyses to date major avalanche years on the Wasatch Plateau in south-central Utah, and then determined what climate factors were associated with avalanche occurrence. The results indicated that mean January snowfall was significantly related to the …

Determining Differences In Quality Between The Gravure And Flexographic Process On Films, Pete Welther

Paper Engineering Senior Theses

Quality is the goal of every printing company. Every day printing companies spend money trying to find ways to improve the quality of their product. Type of paper, ink, and even the types of printing processes are all characteristics looked at when determining the quality of a printed product.

In today's printing industry, there are two printing processes that have arguably jumped to the front in terms of the highest quality printing ability. The flexographic process and the gravure process have both risen to meet the standards of high quality. The gravure process has always been at the top. For …

Strengthening Of Corrugated Boards By Chemical Impregnation, Rajesh Premnarayansingh

Masters Theses

Linerboards are used for making corrugated boards. The paperboards can be strengthened by adding strength additives at the wet-end of the paper machine and also by sizing them. Impregnation is another effective approach of strengthening the paperboards, mostly offline. The aim of the thesis is to evaluate the performance of the modified Dixon coater and check the operating conditions with various chemicals used for impregnating 42 lb/1000 sq.ft grammage linerboard.

The major conclusions of the research were that the edge compression strength increases markedly validating the usage of impregnation for linerboards. Also, the stiffness of linerboard increases and the voids …

Aesthetic Values Of Five Primary Wood Transporting Methods Common To Northern New England, Michael C. Eckley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Throughout northern New England and across the country, increasing populations and the exurbanization of rural forested landscapes have had a tremendous impact on forest management. As forested areas become more populated, society has become more exposed to the sights and sounds associated with different forest operations. As a result, aesthetics are increasingly driving public reaction to and concern about forestry practices, especially timber harvesting. How people perceive forestry harvesting can be significant in defining the future of forest management, particularly in more populated woodlands. The objective of this study was to better understanding public values as they relate to timber …

Development And Light Response Of Leaves Of Metasequoia And Close Relatives, Xiaochun Li

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Metasequoia glyptostroboides is a useful nearest living relative (NLR) of the Eocene fossil Metasequoia. Research on modern Metasequoia might give us some clues about its fossil counterpart. During this study the leaf anatomy of Metasequoia, Glyptostrobus, Sequoia and Taxodium was investigated with light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Metasequoia exhibits several characteristics of typical sciaphilic plants, such as slightly arched outer cell walls in the adaxial epidermal cells, strongly arched outer cell walls in the abaxial epidermal cells, mesophyll composed of spongy cells, chloroplasts with well-developed grana not only in mesophyll cells but in both the adaxial and abaxial epidermis. …

Leaf Area Index - Relative Density Relationships In Even-Aged Abies Balsamea - Picea Rubens Stands In Maine, Robert Justin Derose

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Relationships between leaf area index (LAI) and relative density (RD) were examined in even-aged stands of Abies balsunzen (L.) Mill. and Piceu rubens Sarg. Twelve sites distributed across the Acadian forest in Maine were used to test conformance to three hypothesized models of LA1 over RD: A) constantly increasing LA1 over increasing RD, B) constant LA1 with increasing RD, or C) decreasing LA1 with increasing RD. Multivariate ordination suggested young, precommercially thinned (PCT), high-siteindex (SI) A. balsamea stands should be analyzed separate from older, unspaced (NOPCT), lower-site P. rubens stands. All-sided A. balsamea LAIs ranged from 6.2 - 14.8 over …

Openness In The Face Of Systemic Constraints On Science, Public Participation, And The Western Australian Regional Forest Agreement, Martin Brueckner

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The aim of this thesis is to explore the role of science and public participation in environmental policy-making processes in Australia. To this end, I analyse the Western Australian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) process, a recent Australian Federal Government initiative designed to resolve a longstanding dispute over native forest use and management. Theoretically underpinned by an open systems approach, the thesis employs a case study method for the analysis of the RFA process, using data from three distinct sources; interviews, RFA-related literature, and media content. The analysis of the RFA occurs against the historical background to this policy process and …

Growth Trends And Water Use Efficiency Of Pinus Pinaster Ait. In Response To Historical Climate And Groundwater Trends On The Gnangara Mound, Western Australia, Lindsay Bourke

Theses : Honours

In Western Australia, groundwater accounts for about 57% of Perth's water supply. The majority of this is from the Gnangara Mound, the largest superficial aquifer on the Swan Coastal Plain. Prior to the mid 1970's groundwater of the superficial aquifer reached a semi-steady state, however since this period levels have been steadily falling. This decline coincides with a dramatic change in Perth's climate, groundwater abstraction and maturation of pine plantations. The influence of pine plantations upon groundwater recharge is well understood, however there is paucity of information about groundwater use, in particular whether pines directly access shallow groundwater resources. This …

Environmental Correlates And Associations Of Tuart (Eucalyptus Gomphocephala) Decline, Todd A. Edwards

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Tuart (Eucalyptus gomphocephala DC.) is an ecologically and culturally important tree species that grows across a narrow 400 km long coastal belt, from the Sabrina River south of Perth, to Jurien Bay in the north. Unfortunately, Tuart is also a species under considerable threat due to clearing, lack of recruitment and canopy decline. Canopy decline is of particular concern, being increasingly reported throughout the Tuart distribution. Despite this, previous studies of Tuart have generally been limited to localised canopy decline events. This two-phased study firstly involved an assessment of Tuart canopy condition at 46 sites across the species distribution. At …