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Articles 1 - 7 of 7

Full-Text Articles in Forest Sciences

Losses Of Mineral Soil Carbon Largely Offset Biomass Accumulation Fifteen Years After Whole-Tree Harvest In A Northern Hardwood Forest, Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur, Steven P. Hamburg, Chris E. Johnson, Jonathan Sanderman May 2019

Losses Of Mineral Soil Carbon Largely Offset Biomass Accumulation Fifteen Years After Whole-Tree Harvest In A Northern Hardwood Forest, Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur, Steven P. Hamburg, Chris E. Johnson, Jonathan Sanderman

Earth Systems Research Center

Changes in soil carbon stocks following forest harvest can be an important component of ecosystem and landscape-scale C budgets in systems managed for bioenergy or carbon-trading markets. However, these changes are characterized less often and with less certainty than easier-to-measure aboveground stocks. We sampled soils prior to the whole-tree harvest of Watershed 5 at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in 1983, and again in years 3, 8, and 15 following harvest. The repeated measures of total soil C in this stand show no net change in the O horizon over 15 years, though mixing with the mineral soil reduced observed …


Resin Flow In Loblolly And Shortleaf Pines Used By Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers, David L. Kulhavy, W G. Ross, J H. Sun, Daniel Unger, I-Kuai Hung, Richard N. Conner Jan 2019

Resin Flow In Loblolly And Shortleaf Pines Used By Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers, David L. Kulhavy, W G. Ross, J H. Sun, Daniel Unger, I-Kuai Hung, Richard N. Conner

Faculty Publications

We measured resin flow in loblolly (Pinus taeda L.) and shortleaf (Pinus echinata Mill.) pines in stands used by red-cockaded woodpecker, Picoides borealis (Vieillot), in the Angelina and Davy Crockett National Forests in eastern Texas. We also measured resin flow in a mature loblolly pine stand not used by the woodpeckers. Resin flow varied by study area, species, and stand position. In woodpecker stands, pines experiencing low levels of competition seemed better able to tolerate the continual resin drainage associated with red-cockaded woodpecker resin well pecking. In the Angelina National Forest, all new cavity trees excavated during the study were …


Estimating The Present Value Of Carbon Sequestration In U.S. Forests, 2015–2050, For Evaluating Federal Climate Change Mitigation Policies, Robert T. Haight, Randall Bluffstone, Jeffrey D. Kline, John D. Coulston, David N. Wear, Kate Zook Jan 2019

Estimating The Present Value Of Carbon Sequestration In U.S. Forests, 2015–2050, For Evaluating Federal Climate Change Mitigation Policies, Robert T. Haight, Randall Bluffstone, Jeffrey D. Kline, John D. Coulston, David N. Wear, Kate Zook

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

We demonstrate an application evaluating carbon sequestration benefits from federal policy alternatives. Using detailed forest inventory data, we projected carbon sequestration outcomes in the coterminous 48 states for a baseline scenario and three policy scenarios through 2050. Alternatives included (1) reducing deforestation from development, (2) afforestation in the eastern United States and reforestation in the western United States, and (3) reducing stand-replacing wildfires. We used social cost of carbon estimates to evaluate the present value of carbon sequestration benefits gained with each policy. Results suggest that afforestation and reforestation would provide the greatest marginal increase in carbon benefit, far exceeding …


Influence Of Climate Change And Prescribed Fire On Habitat Suitability And Abundance Of The High-Elevation Endemic Cow Knob Salamander (Plethodon Punctatus), Carl David Jacobsen Jan 2019

Influence Of Climate Change And Prescribed Fire On Habitat Suitability And Abundance Of The High-Elevation Endemic Cow Knob Salamander (Plethodon Punctatus), Carl David Jacobsen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Amphibians are facing global declines due to climate change, loss and degradation of habitat, invasive species, and disease. The Appalachian region of the eastern USA is a global biodiversity hotspot for salamanders, which are considered keystone species that influence nutrient dynamics in terrestrial and aquatic food webs. There are high rates of salamander endemism in the Appalachian region, with many species restricted to isolated, high elevation areas. The Cow Knob Salamander (Plethodon punctatus) is one such species. It is only found at elevations >675 m (most populations are above 900 m) on Shenandoah Mountain, North Mountain, and Nathaniel …


Northern Hardwood Silviculture: Preferences Among Family Forest Owners In The Western Upper Peninsula Of Michigan, Alexander C. Helman Jan 2019

Northern Hardwood Silviculture: Preferences Among Family Forest Owners In The Western Upper Peninsula Of Michigan, Alexander C. Helman

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

In the northern hardwood forests of the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan, single-tree selection is the most commonly used silvicultural system. This system provides both a sustained yield of timber and attempts to emulate the windfall disturbance regime that determines the uneven aged structure of northern hardwood forests. However, with concerns about tree species diversity loss and a lack of early successional forests, even-aged regeneration methods are likely to become an increasingly crucial tool in the toolbox for managing northern hardwood forests of the Lake States. The forests of the Western Upper Peninsula are comprised of a mosaic of ownerships, …


Reexamining The Utility Of Existing Climate Adaptation Frameworks Through Application On A Northern Forest, Alexander Rice Jan 2019

Reexamining The Utility Of Existing Climate Adaptation Frameworks Through Application On A Northern Forest, Alexander Rice

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

A review of the literature reveals the strengths and limitations of various climate adaptation frameworks and illuminates a general path by which a type of adaptation can be achieved. A number of useful frameworks exist but the number of independent case studies demonstrating the adaptation process in a detailed manner is much more limited. Additionally, components of the various adaptation processes can often seem vague and concepts such as adaptability ill-defined. For land managers approaching climate adaptation independently can be difficult, particularly in the areas of goal creation and vulnerability assessment. Within frameworks where user-defined adaptation goals dictate whether or …


Aspect Influence On Productivity When Applying The Deferment Harvest Method In Mixed-Oak Hardwood Forests In West Virginia, Breanne Held Jan 2019

Aspect Influence On Productivity When Applying The Deferment Harvest Method In Mixed-Oak Hardwood Forests In West Virginia, Breanne Held

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The deferment harvest method is a new forest management treatment in central Appalachian hardwood forests. It is intended to primarily improve aesthetics by leaving select residual trees in the forest stand beyond the establishment of the regeneration cohort. However, there are concerns with residual tree quality due to the development of epicormic branches and if the presence of forest canopy influences the species composition and development of the regeneration. Topographic aspect can influence differences in productivity in both the residual and regeneration cohorts. This study examined if residual tree quality for timber value and a desirable species composition of the …