Forest Sciences Commons^™

Restoration Of A Wet Longleaf Pine (Pinus Palustris) Savanna In Southeast Louisiana: Burning Toward Reference Conditions, Alex K. Entrup

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This study quantifies the changes in vegetation composition and structure of a fire-excluded Pinus palustris (longleaf pine) wetland savanna restoration site in southeastern in comparison to a proximate contemporary reference site. The restoration site was invaded by hardwood species and off-site pines, and never underwent extensive soil disturbance. The restoration treatments involved logging across portions of the site and the reintroduction of fire across the entire site. All species present in 10m² quadrats were recorded prior to treatment and throughout the 17 year study at reference and treatment sites. The community composition of both logged and unlogged sites converged …

Southeastern Monochamus And Their Interactions With Healthy Shortleaf Pine Trees And Associated Ips Grandicollis Bark Beetles, Matthew Walker Ethington

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Insects in the genus Monochamus are medium to large-sized, wood-boring beetles whose primary hosts in the Northern Hemisphere are pine trees. These beetles interact with both conifer hosts and associated insects throughout their life history. Past research has demonstrated that Monochamus are saprophagic, but recent findings show that they may colonize healthy pine trees. To determine if southeastern Monochamus could colonize healthy pines, adult Monochamus were attracted to healthy shortleaf pine trees from May to September, 2014, using host volatiles, Ips bark beetle kairomones, and congeneric pheromones. Subsequent development of oviposited eggs from 18 host trees was monitored. The results …

Demography And Disease Of The Rare Shrub Buckleya Distichophylla (Santalaceae) In Northeastern Tennessee, William Seth Ratliff

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Piratebush (Buckleya distichophylla (Nutt.) Torr.) is a rare, hemiparasitic shrub with the only extant populations in western North Carolina, northeastern Tennessee, and southwestern Virginia. The preferred natural hosts of piratebush, Carolina and eastern hemlocks, have seen sharp declines over the last decade due to the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid. Virginia pine, another important host of piratebush, is also susceptible to disease, specifically Cronartium appalachianum, a rust fungus for which piratebush is the secondary host. This study described and analyzed current demographic parameters of three Tennessee piratebush populations. Additionally, spatial patterns of disease and demographic characters were analyzed. These …

Density-Dependent Survival In The Larval Stage Of An Invasive Insect: Dispersal Vs. Predation, Adam A. Pepi

Masters Theses

1. The success of invasive species is often thought to be due to release from natural enemies. This hypothesis relies on the assumption that species are regulated by top-down forces in their native range and implies that species are likely to be regulated by bottom-up forces in the invasive range. Neither of these assumptions has been consistently supported with insects, a group which include many highly destructive invasive pest species.

2. Winter moth (Operophtera brumata) is an invasive defoliator in North America that appears to be regulated by mortality in the larval stage in its invasive range. To …

Individual Tree Measurements From Three-Dimensional Point Clouds, Elias Ayrey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study develops and tests novel methodologies for measuring the attributes of individual trees from three-dimensional point clouds generated from an aerial platform. Recently, advancements in technology have allowed for the acquisition of very high resolution three-dimensional point clouds that can be used to map the forest in a virtual environment. These point clouds can be interpreted to produce valuable forest attributes across entire landscapes with minimal field labor, which can then aid forest managers in their planning and decision making.

Biometrics derived from point clouds are often generated on a plot level, with estimates spanning many meters (rather than …

Population Dynamics And Ecophysiology Of Fraser Fir (Abies Fraseri) In The High Elevation Forests In The Southern Appalachian Mountains, Steven Douglas Kaylor

Doctoral Dissertations

Dominated by the endemic Fraser fir (Abies fraseri), the high-elevation forests of the Southern Appalachians are one of the most endangered ecosystems in the United States, and the future of these forests remains uncertain. Fraser fir is showing signs of decline in health and increased mortality throughout its range, possibly due to multiple environmental stresses.

Using twenty years of forest monitoring data, this dissertation documents change in forest structure and species composition in high-elevation red spruce-Fraser fir forests in southern Appalachia and generates predictions of future forest change. Additionally, it quantifies physiological measures of carbon fixation, storage and …

Habitat Use By Spruce Grouse In A Fragmented System, Laurel A. Hill

All NMU Master's Theses

The spruce grouse is a boreal obligate species that has been protected in Michigan since 1915 (Ammann 1963). Despite protection, the status of spruce grouse is uncertain in Michigan and other parts of the Midwest, and there have been few attempts at large-scale surveys or monitoring (Williamson et al. 2008). I studied a population of spruce grouse near the southern edge of their range on the Yellow Dog Plains in Marquette County, Michigan.

I investigated fecal pellet counts as a possible method to assess spruce grouse presence and habitat use. My results validated the use of fecal pellet occurrence as …

Is Chir Pine Displacing Banj Oak In The Central Himalaya? Socioeconomic Implications For Local People And The Conservation Of Oak Forest Biodiversity, Ankush Nautiyal

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Various studies have suggested that chir pine (Pinus roxburghii) is replacing banj oak (Quercus leucotrichophora) in the Central Himalaya. Five sites with three different types of forests (banj oak, chir pine and mixed oak-pine) were sampled to compare the diversity of their vegetation and to assess the impact of this ongoing conversion on biodiversity. Soil samples collected from oak and pine forests were analyzed and compared. In addition, dendrochronology was used to obtain age estimates of chir pine and to understand the growth response of this species to precipitation. Also, samples of ectomycorrhizal fungi were collected in the form of …

Experimental Greenhouse And Field Trials On American Ginseng, Panax Quinquefolium: Implications For Restoration In Appalachia, Emily Thyroff

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Panax quinquefolium, American ginseng, is one of the more valuable non-timber forest products, NTFPs, providing economic, cultural, and ecological ecosystem services in forests. Although ginseng has a broad distribution range, it is not abundant anywhere due to overharvesting and deer browse. This study included experimental field and greenhouse trials to determine optimal growing conditions given inconsistencies regarding aspect and soil. Three soil series and two aspects (represented by soil moisture in the greenhouse) were manipulated in a factorial design. We hypothesized that there would be significant differences in ginseng performance (germination, survival, leaf area, and height) due to soil and …

Fishing For A Sustainable Future: Aquaponics As A Method Of Food Production, Richard Ramsundar

Student Theses 2015-Present

This thesis compares and explains the advantages aquaponics farming has over modern industrial intensive farming. Through a comparison natural capital usage, conservation, recycling and cost, the thesis advocates for the expansion of aquaponics usage in urban settings. The thesis also explains the history of intensive farming and aquaponics in America, the science of how aquaponics operates, the economic and environmental costs of modern intensive farming versus aquaponics farming, and the social implications of aquaponics. Lastly, I propose a policy that reallocates farm subsidies by modifying the Farm Bill. Then I propose policies that support creating a new standard of farm …

Exploration Of Spatial And Temporal Changes In Trophic Status Of Lakes In The Northern Temporal Forest Biome Using Remote Sensing, Aleksey Paltsev

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

There is a critical need for detailed surveys of lakes covering large spatial (>100 km²) and temporal scales (decades) to determine if there is an increase in the magnitude and frequency of phytoplankton blooms. Remote sensing was used to: (1) develop a regression model that relates chlorophyll a (chl-a) as a proxy of lake phytoplankton biomass to Landsat TM and ETM+ optical reflectance (r²=0.85, p

Animal Habitat Utilization And The Impacts Of Small-Scale Disturbances On Vegetation Within Larch Forests In Northeastern Siberia, Aaron Phillip White

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Boreal forests support a variety of animals distributed across a matrix of habitat patches including forests of different ages and stand densities. These forests occur at high latitudes where cold and moist conditions favor ground layer dominance by mosses and slow decomposition rates, resulting in a thick soil organic layer (SOL) comprised primarily of decomposing mosses and roots. However, limited information is available on how animal use varies across habitat types in northeastern Siberia. Boreal forests of this region are unique because they are comprised of a single deciduous conifer, Cajander larch (Larix cajanderi). These forests also occur on a …

The Effect Of Thermoregulation And Roads On The Movements And Habitat Selection Of Moose In Massachusetts, David W. Wattles

Doctoral Dissertations

Massachusetts, U.S.A. is located along the southern boundary of the geographic range of moose (Alces alces) in North America. This is an atypical environment for moose, because of its extremely high levels of human development and high year-round temperatures, which are possibly at the limits of moose physiological tolerances. I investigated the role of these two factors on moose movements and habitat selection to determine how human development of the landscape and temperature influence moose occupation of this extreme environment. In addition, the response of moose to these factors provides insights into the influence of development and temperature …

Effects Of Excess Nitrogen Deposition On Rubus Spp. (Raspberry) Within A Central Appalachian Hardwood Forest, Jake H. Billmyer

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This thesis contributes to on-going research at Marshall University on effects of excess nitrogen (N) deposition on hardwood forests. Excess N can decrease plant biodiversity and enhance loss of nutrients (e.g., Ca⁺⁺). Preliminary results have suggested that excess N has increased cover of Rubus (blackberry) in the herbaceous layer. The purpose of this study was to quantify the response of Rubus to the N treatment, relating Rubus cover to species richness and using foliar analysis to examine effects on nutrient availability. It is expected that increased Rubus will decrease biodiversity by eliminating N-efficient species, and that added N …

Efficacy Of Dormant Season Herbicide Application On Control Of Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera Japonica) For Habitat Restoration In Kentucky, Jason L. Weese

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

Kentucky’s disappearing native grassland communities provide habitat for native flora and fauna. A study was conducted to compare the efficacy of herbicides in control of the invasive Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) applied at times when most native species are dormant. Six herbicide mixtures (glyphosate, glyphosate + imazapyr, glyphosate + imazapic, imazapyr, triclopyr + difluphenzopyr, and metsulfuron + difluphenzopyr) were applied in three seasons to assess the effect of application timing of each mixture on honeysuckle control. Herbicides were applied with a CO² pressurized sprayer at three sites in a randomized complete block design. Pretreatment sampling indicated that …

Effects Of Prescribed Fire On Upland Plant Biodiversity And Abundance In Northeast Florida, Peter D. Maholland

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Terrestrial ecosystems in the southeastern United States have evolved with fire as a common disturbance and as a result many natural communities require the presence of fire to persist over time. Human development precludes natural fires from occurring within these communities; however, prescribed fire is considered to be a critical tool in the effort to restore fire-dependent ecosystems after decades of fire exclusion. Direct effects of fire on individual floral and faunal species as well as benefits to biodiversity at the landscape (gamma diversity) level have largely been supported in previous research. However, information on the effects of natural and …

The Impact Of Forest Successional Status On Community Structure Of Neotropical Cerambycid Beetles, Lin Li

Dissertations and Theses

Due to anthropogenic activities, tropical rain forests face many challenges in sustaining biodiversity and maintaining global climates. This project examines how forest successional status affects community composition of saproxylic cerambycids, which, as early colonists of moribund trees, have an important role in nutrient cycling. In the lowland rain forest of Costa Rica, thirty-nine trees in five plant families (Fabaceae, Lecythidaceae, Malvaceae, Moraceae, and Sapotaceae) were sampled in a mosaic of old growth and secondary forest. They yielded 3545 cerambycid individuals in 49 species. Species richness was almost identical in old growth and secondary forest; but abundance was higher in old-growth. …

Nonstructural Carbohydrate Concentrations Of Pine Trees As A Function Of Evolutionary History, Joshua T. Mims

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) can supply substrate during periods when current photosynthate is unavailable or inadequate to meet metabolic demands. I hypothesized that natural selection has favored higher nonstructural carbohydrate concentrations ([NSC]) in species that have an evolutionary history of frequent disturbance and tested this using three southern pine species that have evolved under a continuum of disturbance frequencies (evolutionary history of fire ~ longleaf > slash > loblolly). Stem and root samples were collected from 12 similar-sized individual trees of each species during time periods that reflect the annual minimum and maximum [NSC]. A modified colorimetric method was performed on the samples …

Physiological Variation Of Garry Oak (Quercus Garryana) Seedlings To Drought Stress, Matthew A. Merz

All Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine physiological differences in drought response among Garry oak (Quercus garryana Douglas ex Hook. [Fagaceae]) seedlings that grow in distinct populations in Washington state, in order to aid in restoration efforts by informing growers of the potential differences between the acorn collection sites. Acorns from six Washington populations east of the Cascades, as well as one population from Whidbey Island, were collected and grown in containers under controlled conditions. The plants were assessed with and without moderate and severe drought stress induced by withholding water. The most extreme differences in photosynthetic characteristics …

Decadal Scale Responses Of Soil And Ecosystem Processes To Forest Restoration In Rocky Mountain Conifer Forests, Peter Ganzlin

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Decades of fire suppression have left much of the forest in the intermountain western United States exceedingly dense, and forest restoration techniques – including thinning and prescribed fire – are increasingly being used in an attempt to mitigate the potentially disastrous effects of severe wildfire, to enhance tree growth and regeneration, and to stimulate soil nutrient cycling. While many of the short-term effects of forest restoration have been established, the long-term effects on soil biogeochemical and ecosystem processes are largely unknown. In this thesis I present two manuscripts documenting and synthesizing these long-term impacts. The first chapter focuses on the …