Forest Sciences Commons^™

Growing Southern Appalachian Forests For Both Timber And Carbon Storage Value: Is There A Trade-Off?, Jareth B. Beeler

Masters Theses

The emerging voluntary forest carbon storage market poses implications for landowners and stakeholders interested in utilizing land for both timber harvest revenue and carbon storage payments. Forest carbon credit agreements are often (deferred or limited harvest) scenarios where payment for carbon storage is accrued in the forest over an interval and harvest restrictions are removed after the interval. Over this interval however, the change in value of timber is a concern; the volatility and complex biological relationships of the forest ecosystem as well as economic uncertainty provide the possibility that the timber included in the deferred harvest might devalue over …

Exploring Soil Microbial Dynamics In Southern Appalachian Forests: A Systems Biology Approach To Prescribed Fire Impacts, Saad Abd Ar Rafie

Doctoral Dissertations

Prescribed fires in Southern Appalachian forests are vital in ecosystem management and wildfire risk mitigation. However, understanding the intricate dynamics between these fires, soil microbial communities, and overall ecosystem health remains challenging. This dissertation addresses this knowledge gap by exploring selected aspects of this complex relationship across three interconnected chapters.

The first chapter investigates the immediate effects of prescribed fires on soil microbial communities. It reveals subtle shifts in porewater chemistry and significant increases in microbial species richness. These findings offer valuable insights into the interplay between soil properties and microbial responses during the early stages following a prescribed fire. …

Variability In Microclimate And Carbon Dynamics In Hardwood Forests Managed With The Irregular Shelterwood Reproduction Method, Melody June Mount

Masters Theses

How do forest edges compare to intact interior forests in terms of carbon dynamics, and how is the microclimate altered through the creation of forest edges? Woody plants and trees can act as a carbon sink by using live and dead tissue to store varying amounts of carbon. However, factors such as age, species, respiration rates, and death alter the amount of carbon sequestered by the forest (Gorte, 2009). Additionally, widespread forest fragmentation has resulted in 20% of forests worldwide being located within 100 meters (m) of a forest edge (Haddad et al., 2015). Despite this fragmentation, current carbon models …