Life Sciences Commons^™

Phenology Of Asian Longhorned Beetle (Anoplophora Glabripennis, Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) In South Carolina, U.S.A., Lena Schmitt

All Theses

A new population of the Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis Motschulsky, hereafter ALB), an invasive species in the United States since 1996, was discovered in Charleston County, South Carolina in 2020. This population is the furthest south ALB has been found in North America and provides an opportunity to examine the phenology of this beetle in a novel climate. I collected 1009 eggs, larvae, pupae, and adult beetles from the federal quarantine zone in South Carolina and used larval head capsule widths to determine the rate of development and voltinism of ALB in South Carolina’s coastal climate. With this …

The Percentage Of Trees Bearing Cones As A Predictor For Annual Longleaf Pine Cone Production, Thomas Patterson

Faculty Publications

The U.S. Forest Service has monitored longleaf pine cone production at sites throughout the southeastern United States for over 60 years. Data from the multi-decadal surveys have supported our understanding of the variability of stand-level cone production as it relates to environmental and ecological processes, and more broadly, how longleaf pine operates as a masting species. Cones from longleaf pine are counted each spring using visual surveys that follow a standard protocol. Rapid mast assessments have been proposed in the literature as an alternative to traditional methods, yet these approaches have not been examined for longleaf pine. In this study, …

Modeling And Forecasting The Influence Of Current And Future Climate On Eastern North American Spruce-Fir (Picea-Abies) Forests, Caitlin Andrews

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The spruce-fir (Picea-Abies) forest type of the Acadian Region is at risk of disappearing from the United States and parts of Canada due to climate change and associated impacts. Managing for the ecosystem services provided by this forest type requires accurate forecasting of forest metrics across this broad international region in the face of the expected redistribution of tree species. This analysis linked species specific data with climate and topographic variables using the nonparametric random forest algorithm, to generate models that accurately predicted changes in species distribution due to climate change. A comprehensive dataset, consisting of 10,493,619 observations …

Nondestructive Determination Of Spruce Lumber Wood Density Using Drilling Resistance (Resistograph) Method, Bi̇lgi̇n İçel, Gürcan Güler

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

The use of Resistograph for the purpose of nondestructive evaluation of certain properties of standing trees and wooden materials has increased in recent years. The resistance to penetration of a fine drill bit is measured and recorded by the device. A number of properties of the wood can be assessed by the amplitude values obtained from the Resistograph. The aim of this study was to assess the utility of the IML-Resistograph F 500 as a nondestructive tool for estimating spruce wood density using the amplitude data generated and the application of statistical modeling. Wood density data were determined using a …

Robust Modeling And Predictions Of Greenhouse Gas Fluxes From Forest And Wetland Ecosystems, Khandker S. Ishtiaq

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The land-atmospheric exchanges of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) are major drivers of global warming and climatic changes. The greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes indicate the dynamics and potential storage of carbon in terrestrial and wetland ecosystems. Appropriate modeling and prediction tools can provide a quantitative understanding and valuable insights into the ecosystem carbon dynamics, while aiding the development of engineering and management strategies to limit emissions of GHGs and enhance carbon sequestration. This dissertation focuses on the development of data-analytics tools and engineering models by employing a range of empirical and semi-mechanistic approaches to robustly …

Application Of An Imputation Method For Geospatial Inventory Of Forest Structural Attributes Across Multiple Spatial Scales In The Lake States, U.S.A., Ram K. Deo

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Credible spatial information characterizing the structure and site quality of forests is critical to sustainable forest management and planning, especially given the increasing demands and threats to forest products and services. Forest managers and planners are required to evaluate forest conditions over a broad range of scales, contingent on operational or reporting requirements. Traditionally, forest inventory estimates are generated via a design-based approach that involves generalizing sample plot measurements to characterize an unknown population across a larger area of interest. However, field plot measurements are costly and as a consequence spatial coverage is limited. Remote sensing technologies have shown remarkable …

Modeling Thinning In East Texas Loblolly And Slash Pine Plantations, Dean W. Coble

Faculty Publications

A new thinning model was proposed for loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and slash pine (P. elliottii Engelm.) plantations in east Texas. The new model follows the index of suppression methodology introduced by Pienaar (1979). It was implemented in a new whole stand growth model for loblolly and slash pine plantations in east Texas (Coble 2009). The new thinning model performed similarly to existing Pienaar-type models for east Texas and the Southeastern United States across a range of site quality. The predicted basal area development consistently approached the unthinned counterpart, which is consistent with results from other studies. The new …

Physicochemical And Rheological Characteristics Of Alcohol Free Probiotic Boza Produced Using Lactobacillus Casei Shirota: Estimation Of Apparent Viscosity Of Boza Using Non-Linear Modeling Techniques, İsmet Öztürk, Safa Karaman, Fati̇h Törnük, Osman Sağdiç

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

The effects of fermentation with 2 different starter culture mixtures composed of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on some physicochemical, microbiological, sensorial, and rheological characteristics of boza, a traditional fermented Turkish beverage, during storage for 10 days at 8 ^°C were investigated. Lb. casei Shirota adapted in boza well and provided the boza with a probiotic property. At the beginning of storage, the Lb. casei Shirota count of boza was 6.83 log cfu mL^{-1}, while total LAB counts were 8.01 and 8.11 log cfu mL-1 for S1 and S2 samples, respectively. A decrease in pH values was observed when the counts …

Global Effects Of Climate Change On Wildfire: Causal Relationships Of Fire, The Natural Environment And Human Activities, Lindon N. Pronto

Lindon N Pronto

Climate change and human activity is significantly impacting the frequency and severity of wildfires across the globe. Although climate change and human population are the overarching factors affecting wildfires in the current dialogue, the issues are more complex and often not fully understood. These issues range from global temperature increases and severe drought cycles to the relatively new phenomenon of the wildland urban interface (WUI). This is the area where structures are integrated with or immediately surrounded by areas of moderate to high fire risk and are directly linked to fuel types and topographic features. Because climate change is such …

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 …

Parametric Modeling Of Root Length Density And Root Water Uptake In Unsaturated Soil, Sina Besharat, Amir Hossein Nazemi, Ali Ashraf Sadraddini

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

The problem of water movement through the root zone has attracted increasing interest during the last few decades. In this research, the spatial and temporal pattern of root water uptake in wetted soil was studied in the root zone of a 6-year-old apple tree. An important part of the root water uptake model is root length density, which was measured by sampling soil cores in one quarter of the root zone. The exponential model better described the observed apple root distribution. The measured data were compared against the outputs of the root density distribution model. A normalized root length density …

Slides: Groundwater Declines, Climate Change And Approaches To Adaptation, Katharine Jacobs

Western Water Law, Policy and Management: Ripples, Currents, and New Channels for Inquiry (Martz Summer Conference, June 3-5)

Presenter: Katharine Jacobs, Director of the Arizona Water Institute, University of Arizona

37 slides

Structure And Development Of Pitch Canker Infected Monterey Pine Stands At Año Nuevo, California, Douglas D. Piirto, Sauli Valkonen

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

The sustainability of indigenous Monterey pine (Pinus radiata D. Don)at Ano Nuevo stands in the central coast of California was examined. The foremost management objective in these stands is to establish and maintain stand structures that ensure a sustainable presence of the species in terms of uneven-aged management. The major threats are the proliferation of shade-tolerant tree species and the pitch canker ( Fusarium circinatum) disease. The study was based on data from 17 systematically placed sample plots, measured once, in one stand with a very high degree of variation in stand structure and species composition. The results …

Comparison Of Erosion And Runoff Predicted By Wepp And Agnps Models Using A Geographic Information System, Hali̇l Kirnak

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

The Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model and the Agricultural Non-Point-Source Pollution Model (AGNPS) were used in conjunction with a geographic information system (GIS) database to predict runoff and sediment discharges for Rock Creek watershed, an agricultural watershed in Ohio, USA. Observed and predicted values were compared for selected storm events in 1988 and 1990. The statistical evaluation of the WEPP and AGNPS models showed that WEPP predicted average runoff, peak runoff and sediment yield better than AGNPS. WEPP and AGNPS overpredicted peak runoff rates compared to observed data by 15.5% and 26.5%, respectively. The t-test showed that there was …

Water Diffusion Coefficients Of Selected Legumes Grown In Turkey As Affected By Temperature And Variety, Ferda Seyhan Gürtaş, M. Mehmet Ak, E. Özgül Evranuz

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

The kinetics of water absorption by chickpeas (Koçbaşı, Kuşbaşı), lentils (green Pul) and beans (Battal, Dermason, Horoz, Şeker) grown in Turkey were studied by a gravimetric method during soaking at 15, 25 and 40ºC to determine moisture diffusivity of these selected legumes. The water diffusion coefficients of the legumes were in the range 9.71x10^{-11} - 5.98x10^{-10} m^2/s for the chickpeas, 3.53x10^{-10} - 1.33x10^{-9} m^2/s for the lentils and 4.35x10^{-11} - 3.79x10^{-9} m^2/s for the beans. An Arrhenius-type equation described the strong temperature effect on the diffusion coefficient with activation energies of 48.6-49.8 kJ/g-mol for chickpeas, 39.7 kJ/g-mol for lentils, and …

Combinatorial Optimization In Forest Ecosystem Management Modeling, Emi̇n Zeki̇ Başkent

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Modeling forest management activities has been tackled by scientists over the last two decades. Both simulation and optimization techniques have been used in solving forest management planning problems. With the introduction of ecosystems management that focuses on the sustainable production and maintenance of ecological, social and economical values, neither approach provided a credible solution technique to help design the complex structure of forest management activities. Alternative to these, is a group of meta-heuristic or combinatorial optimization techniques which have just gained the attention of forest modelers. In this paper, an attempt is made to introduce the concept of combinatorial optimization, …

Nfma In Relation To Stewardship, Science, Community And Culture: Some Points Of View From The Alaska Region, Phil Janik, Neil Hagadorn, Rai Behnert

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)

10 pages.