Life Sciences Commons^™

Pando's Pulse: Vital Signs Signal Need For Course Correction At World-Renowned Aspen Forest, Paul C. Rogers

Aspen Bibliography

Upland aspen (Populus spp.) forests contribute significantly to biodiversity in their circumboreal role as keystone species. As aspen ecosystems flourish or diminish, myriad dependent species follow suit. The 43-hectare Pando aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) clone in Utah, USA, is thought to be the largest living organism on earth, but is faltering due to chronic herbivory. Long-term resilience in aspen communities, including Pando, rests on successful recruitment of vegetative suckers that are nutritiously desirable to browsing ungulates. Here, I evaluate aspen reproduction alongside numerous vital indicators of Pando's status in the first trend assessment of this embattled iconic forest. …

Monitoring Whitebark Pine Stand Health In The Central Washington Cascades, Nancy H. Parra, Teresa J. Lorenz, Taza D. Schaming, Alison Scoville

Student Published Works

Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) plays a vital role in colonizing newly disturbed areas, providing shade for other tree species to germinate, and supplying food for a variety of birds and mammals, such as Clark’s Nutcrackers (Nucifraga columbiana) and grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis). Decline of whitebark pine populations has been attributed to several factors, including white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola), mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) outbreaks, and fire exclusion. In 2009, the U.S. Forest Service began to install permanent plots in whitebark pine stands in Washington and Oregon as …

Just Cut It Out, Jack Barbosa, Ashley Curcio, Emiliana Martinez-Nobrega, Matthew Robledo

Student Work

Why should we care about trees? Social, Economic, and Environmental benefits.

Payment For Ecosystem Services: Rewarding The Landowner Who Conserves The Public Good, Steven H. Bullard, Sarah Fuller

Faculty Publications

It has been said that money doesn’t grow on trees, but any forest landowner or manager will tell you that’s not exactly true— especially when observing a harvesting operation or managing dues from your hunting lease. While timber production and recreation are the most frequently monetized services provided by forests, what about the other goods and services they provide on a continuing basis? Are you or other forest landowners in your area being monetarily rewarded for soil stability, flood control, water filtration, air quality, and the other critical services—known as ecosystem services—provided by forests?

Taking It To The Road: Utah Biochar Workshops Increase Knowledge And Lead To Behavior Change, Megan Dettenmaier, Lauren Dupey, Darren Mcavoy

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes attitude and behavior changes that have resulted from attending the statewide biochar workshop program. By administering surveys 6 to 8 months following workshops, authors learned that attendees were making biochar and biochar kilns, and that attitudes about biochar remained positive.

Data Archive: Using A Coproduction Approach To Map Future Forest Retention Likelihood In The Southeastern United States, Rachel E. Greene, Kristine O. Evans, Michael T. Gray, D. Todd Jones-Farrand, William G. Wathen

College of Forest Resources Publications and Scholarship

Supporting data for publication titled: Using a Coproduction Approach to Map Future Forest Retention Likelihood in the Southeastern United States;

Journal of Forestry, 2020, 28–43 doi:10.1093/jofore/fvz063

Data For Tree Mortality Calibration Of Satellite And Lidar-Derived Fire Severity Estimates, N. Macriss, T. J. Furniss, S.M.A. Jeronimo, E. L. Crowley, O. W. Germain, S. Germain, V. R. Kane, A. J. Larson, J. A. Lutz

Browse all Datasets

The 55 JFSP plots were established to capture forest types, fire histories, and severity levels beyond those found within the YFPD. The plots were square 50 m × 50 m plots established in Pinus ponderosa, Pinus jeffreyi, and Abies concolor – Pinus lambertiana forest types between 1,431 m and 2,250 m elevation. Plots were installed post-fire based on a randomly chosen locations stratified by burn severity levels as calculated from the differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR). For details on site selection see Furniss et al. (in review). In the field, plots were located using a handheld GPS and …

Assessment Of The Ponderosa Woodlands In Nebraska's Wildcat Hills: Implications For Juniperus Encroachment And Management, Allie Victoria Schiltmeyer

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) is a dominant tree species across western North America. Its eastern distribution includes three populations in western Nebraska. This study assesses the distribution, structure and age of ponderosa pine woodlands in one of those regions, the Wildcat Hills. The Wildcat Hills have escaped severe wildfires seen in recent decades in other ponderosa pine regions. Nevertheless, the Wildcat Hills woodlands face multiple threats including climate change, wildfire, drought, pine beetles, and invasive species. Key to these threats is the stand structure of pine woodlands, which have increased in density across much of ponderosa pine’s range. …

Integrating Drone Technology With Gps Data Collection To Enhance Forestry Students Interactive Hands-On Field Experiences, Daniel Unger, I-Kuai Hung, Yanli Zhang, David Kulhavy

Faculty Publications

Undergraduate students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Forestry (BSF) at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) within the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture (ATCOFA) attend an intensive 6-week hands-on instruction in applied field methods. The second week of field station is focused on land measurement activities to introduce students to practical, hands-on, and technology based ways to survey forest boundaries. On Monday of the second week students are introduced to the concepts of how to use a handheld compass to navigate from point to point, use a consumer-grade handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) unit for collecting the …

Impacts Of Plant Community Changes On Soil Carbon Contents In Northeastern Illinois, Xiaoyong Chen, Karen D'Arcy

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

Land-cover changes not only affect regional climates through alteration in surface energy and water balance, but also affect key ecological processes, such as carbon (C) cycling and sequestration in plant ecosystems. The object of this study was to investigate the effects of land-cover changes on the distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) contents under four plant community types (deciduous forests, pine forests, mixed pine-deciduous forests, and prairies) in northeastern Illinois, USA. Soil samples were collected from incremental soil depths (0–10, 10–20, 20–30, and 30–50 cm) under the studied plant communities. The results showed that SOC concentration decreased with increases of …

Nonnative Forest Insects And Pathogens In The United States: Impacts And Policy Options, Gary M. Lovett, Marissa Weiss, Andrew M. Liebhold, Thomas P. Holmes, Brian Leung, Kathy F. Lambert, David A. Orwig, Faith T. Campbell, Jonathan Rosenthal, Deborah G. Mccullough, Radka Wildova, Matthew P. Ayres

Dartmouth Scholarship

We review and synthesize information on invasions of nonnative forest insects and diseases in the United States, including their ecological and economic impacts, pathways of arrival, distribution within the United States, and policy options for reducing future invasions. Nonnative insects have accumulated in United States forests at a rate of ~2.5 per yr over the last 150 yr. Currently the two major pathways of introduction are importation of live plants and wood packing material such as pallets and crates. Introduced insects and diseases occur in forests and cities throughout the United States, and the problem is particularly severe in the …

Gibsonville Healthy Forest Restoration Project: Silviculture Report, Dan Roskopf

Aspen Bibliography

The Forest Service proposes to reduce the risk of wildfire, to protect, restore, and enhance forest ecosystem components (i.e., streams, meadows, aspen areas) in the vicinity of Gibsonville, California. A combination of hazard tree removal, forest health, and fuels reduction treatments are proposed on 1,200 acres of Forest Service system lands. These actions are proposed to be implemented on the Feather River Ranger District of the Plumas National Forest.

Fire Severity Controlled Susceptibility To A 1940s Spruce Beetle Outbreak In Colorado, Usa, Dominik Kulakowski, Thomas T. Veblen, Peter Beb

Geography

The frequency, magnitude, and size of forest disturbances are increasing globally. Much recent research has focused on how the occurrence of one disturbance may affect susceptibility to subsequent disturbances. While much has been learned about such linked disturbances, the strength of the interactions is likely to be contingent on the severity of disturbances as well as climatic conditions, both of which can affect disturbance intensity and tree resistance to disturbances. Subalpine forests in western Colorado were affected by extensive and severe wildfires in the late 19th century and an extensive and severe outbreak of spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis) in the …

Negative Feedbacks On Bark Beetle Outbreaks: Widespread And Severe Spruce Beetle Infestation Restricts Subsequent Infestation, Sarah J. Hart, Thomas T. Veblen, Nathan Mietkiewicz, Dominik Kulakowski

Geography

Understanding disturbance interactions and their ecological consequences remains a major challenge for research on the response of forests to a changing climate. When, where, and how one disturbance may alter the severity, extent, or occurrence probability of a subsequent disturbance is encapsulated by the concept of linked disturbances. Here, we evaluated 1) how climate and forest habitat variables, including disturbance history, interact to drive 2000s spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis) infestation of Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) across the Southern Rocky Mountains; and 2) how previous spruce beetle infestation affects subsequent infestation across the Flat Tops Wilderness in northwestern Colorado, which experienced …

Validating One-On-One Gps Instruction Methodology For Natural Resource Area Assessments Using Forestry Undergraduate Students, Daniel R. Unger

Faculty Publications

Undergraduate students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Forestry (BSF) at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) attend an intensive 6-week residential hands-on instruction in applied field methods. The intensive 6-week instruction includes learning how to use the Global Positioning System (GPS) with a Garmin eTrex HCx GPS unit to accurately calculate area. Students were instructed how to assess the accuracy of their GPS collected waypoints by calculating the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) comparing their GPS collected area measurements with instructor on-screen digitized area. Student’s average area RMSE between digitized and GPS derived area was 0.015 hectares, whereas instructor’s …

Changing Forest Water Yields In Response To Climate Warming: Results From Long-Term Experimental Watershed Sites Across North America, Irena F. Creed, Adam T. Spargo, Julia A. Jones, Jim M. Buttle, Mary B. Adams, Fred D. Beall, Eric G. Booth, John L. Campbell, Dave Clow, Kelly Elder, Mark B. Green, Nancy B. Grimm, Chelcy Miniat, Patricia Ramlal, Amartya Saha, Stephen Sebestyen, Dave Spittlehouse, Shannon Sterling, Mark W. Williams, Rita Wrinkler, Huaxia Yao

USDA Forest Service / UNL Faculty Publications

Climate warming is projected to affect forest water yields but the effects are expected to vary. We investigated how forest type and age affect water yield resilience to climate warming. To answer this question, we examined the variability in historical water yields at long-term experimental catchments across Canada and the United States over 5-year cool and warm periods. Using the theoretical framework of the Budyko curve, we calculated the effects of climate warming on the annual partitioning of precipitation (P) into evapotranspiration (ET) and water yield. Deviation (d) was defined as a catchment’s change in actual ET divided by P …

Accuracy Assessment Of Perimeter And Area Calculations Using Consumer-Grade Gps Units In Southern Forests, Daniel Unger, I-Kuai Hung, Yanli Zhang, Jeffrey Parker, David Kulhavy, Dean W. Coble

Faculty Publications

Field foresters have long required a method of accurate measurement of perimeter and area during forest management activities. Perimeter and area assessments that can be derived from individual waypoints collected via global positioning system (GPS) units can be an expensive endeavor. A question of concern for practicing foresters is as the cost of GPS units increase does the accuracy of waypoints and any derived perimeter and area assessments also increase? This research evaluated whether the dynamic collection of waypoints using consumer-grade GPS units ranging from $50 to $700 provide a sufficient level of accuracy for the calculation of perimeter and …

Thermogravimetric Analysis Of Forest Understory Grasses, Thomas Elder, John S. Kush, Sharon M. Hermann

USDA Forest Service / UNL Faculty Publications

Forest understory grasses are of significance in the initiation, establishment and maintenance of fire, whether used as a management tool or when occurring as wildfire. The fundamental thermal properties of such grasses are critical to their behavior in fire situations and have been investigated in the current work by the application of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). TGA was performed in nitrogen and air, over a range of heating rates, allowing for the determination of activation energies and temperatures associated with the degradation of hemicelluloses and cellulose. Of particular interest is the behavior of Imperata cylindrica (cogongrass) an invasive species in the …

Seeing The Forest For The Trees: Managing Social Conflict And Forest Restoration, Steven E. Daniels, Jens Emborg, Greg B. Walker

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

This paper examines the role that social conflict is likely to play in forest restoration projects. A definition of conflict as “perceived goal interference among interdependent parties” serves as a point of departure for the discussion, and the nature of forest restoration conflict is systematically examined by focusing on each aspect of the definition: perceptions, goal interference, the parties, and their interdependence. Agencies undertaking restoration projects are encouraged to adopt a discourse orientation, wherein they recognize that 1) their public involvement efforts are creating a discourse that can incorporate a wide array of values and voices and 2) groups may …

Forest Structure And Aboveground Biomass In The Southwestern United States From Modis And Misr, Mark Chopping, Crystal B. Schaaf, Feng Zhao, Zhuosen Wang, Anne Nolin, Gretchen G. Moisen, John V. Martonchik, Michael Bull

USDA Forest Service / UNL Faculty Publications

Red band bidirectional reflectance factor data from the NASA MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) acquired over the southwestern United States were interpreted through a simple geometric–optical (GO) canopy reflectance model to provide maps of fractional crown cover (dimensionless), mean canopy height (m), and aboveground woody biomass (Mg ha⁻¹) on a 250 m grid. Model adjustment was performed after dynamic injection of a background contribution predicted via the kernel weights of a bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) model. Accuracy was assessed with respect to similar maps obtained with data from the NASA Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) and to contemporaneous …

Sp570 Drought-Tolerant Trees, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

Late-season droughts are common in southeastern landscapes. Many trees are stressed by prolonged periods of hot, dry weather. Selecting trees that use water efficiently without the need for frequent watering or irrigation is one way to make your landscape more resistant to droughts. With impending water shortages in many urban areas leading to prohibitions of irrigation or watering, planting trees that are more tolerant to drought conditions is the best long-term solution to a healthier, low-maintenance landscape.

W179 Wood Products Information - Moisture Content Of 'Seasoned' Firewood, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

The most important property of good firewood is moisture content. Firewood should be fully seasoned (to below 20 percent moisture content) before being burned. Because it can be difficult to ensure that purchased firewood is properly seasoned, the best approach is to buy and stack firewood well before it is needed. There is no danger in over-seasoning wood – drier is better.

W158 Wood Products Information - A Test Of Water-Repellent Coatings For Wood, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

Water-repellent coatings slow the uptake of liquid water and are used to improve the appearance and longevity of exterior wood surfaces. By reducing the periodic wetting of wood, water-repellent coatings can reduce the swell-and-shrink cycles that contribute to the checking and weathering of exposed wood such as decking boards.

Many different water-repellents, varying widely in price, are available from a number of manufacturers. A test conducted at the University of Tennessee Forest Products Center compared some of these products.

W020 Developing A Target Market For Hardwood Lumber: Results Of A Woodworker Survey, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

Understanding the preferences and buying habits of potential buyers is essential in the development and evaluation of markets for value-added wood product enterprises. Surveying various woodworkers to determine their lumber usage, buying preferences, preferred delivery method and most effective methods of communication can help enhance the effectiveness of marketing plans of lumber producers and lumber sellers. Survey participants were identified through a variety of sources, including woodworker guilds, associations and related organizations in the Southeast.

Sp547 Common Tree Borers In Tennessee, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

Many types of insect and mite pests can attack trees in home landscapes. Although feeding damage from most of these pests is aesthetically displeasing, it does not cause severe damage to the tree. Even after total defoliation by caterpillars, most trees will put out a new flush of foliage. Several consecutive years or more of defoliation are needed to cause a serious decline or death of most trees. Also, defoliation late in the growing season is much less detrimental to tree health than that occurring in spring or early summer.

Conversely, some pests can routinely cause significant damage and even …

Sp482 The Southern Pine Beetle, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

The Southern Pine Beetle (SPB) inhabits Tennessee forests, and as forest landowners, we should be prepared to deal with the insect. Each year SPB causes thousands of dollars worth of damage to stands of Southern yellow pines, e.g., Loblolly, shortleaf and Virginia pines. Landowners living near or on their property can reduce losses to SPB by knowing the symptoms of a SPB attack, what to do about it and how to prevent it.

Sp290-Y Greenstriped Mapleworm, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

The greenstriped mapleworm Dryocampa rubicunda (F.) is found throughout most of the eastern United States. This insect pest prefers maples; however, it has been reported feeding on various oaks and boxelder.

Sp290-U Nantucket Pine Tip Moth, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

The Nantucket pine tip moth, Rhyacionia frustrana (Comstock), is a pest of pines in the Eastern, Central and Southern states. Host trees attacked include Scotch, Austrian, Virginia, red, loblolly and shortleaf pines. Longleaf, slash and eastern white pines are rarely attacked.

During recent years, the Nantucket pine tip moth has become an increasingly destructive and abundant pest because of the increase in acreage of pine plantations and seed orchards. Larvae of this moth kill and deform shoots of infested trees. This damage results in a reduction in height, forking or crooking of main stems and, occasionally, death of the tree. …

Pb1772 A Hardwood Log Grading Handbook, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

A good understanding of log valuation will help landowners, loggers, log buyers and saw millers agree on the fair value for a load of logs. This handbook briefly summarizes common log grading rules for hardwoods. Basic concepts in log scaling, lumber grading and log bucking optimization are also discussed because each of these topics relates to log grading.

W227 Tree Growth Characteristics, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

Trees are fascinating. The largest of all woody plants, they have well-defined stems that support a crown of leaves. The growth form varies by species and can be categorized. This publication has been created to provide professional foresters, arborists, students, Extension personnel, advanced homeowners and others a general understanding of how trees grow. Specifics will include primary vs. secondary growth, allocation of photosynthate, shoot growth patterns and crown shape.