Forest Sciences Commons^™

A Geographic Information System Assessment Method For Fire Management: Identifying Fire Danger Areas, Richard D. Stratton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In partnership with the USDA Forest Service and the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands, a geographic information system (GIS) was used to create a wildland fire assessment methodology. GIS layers (or themes) include topography, infrastructure, vegetation, climate, "sensitive" natural values, and fire history. Two phases of assessment are presented: a preliminary analysis designed for planning use at the landscape level, and a detailed analysis for site-specific use.

Results of the phase 1 assessment are density grids delineating areas of high fire occurrence and suggesting to managers where a phase 2 assessment is needed. By using the environmental, …

Development And Validation Of Forest Habitat Models In The Uinta Mountains, Utah, Tracey S. Frescino

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A significant question currently facing environmental managers is how to accurately and efficiently quantify forest diversity and resources. Numerous studies have demonstrated the use of modern spatial analytical tools, such as geographical information systems (GIS), remote sensing devices, and statistical models for predicting the distribution of dominant vegetation cover types. This study examines the ability of generalized additive models (GAMs) to delineate structural diversity in forested ecosystems (specifically the Uinta Mountain Range in Utah) using GIS tools and satellite spectral data, and analyzes the effect of including different forms of satellite data in model construction (i.e., Landsat thematic mapper (TM), …

An Investigation Of Crystalline Intensity Of The Wood Of Poplar Clones Grown In Jiangsu Province, China, Bernard R. Parresol, Fuliang Cao

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Fuels Inventory And Appraisal In Intermountain Quaking Aspen (Populus Tremuloides) Communities, Janet A. Beales

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Field research was conducted in quaking aspen, Populus tremuloides Michx., communities. Fifty-one plots were established in seven major locations in the Bear River Range of northern Utah. The locations inventoried were divided into two age classes: young aspen (under 70 yr) and old aspen (over 70 yr). Custom fuel models were developed for each age class and the data were analyzed for relationships between fuel loads and other measurable factors, including: basal area, average diameter at breast height (d.b.h.), fuel depth, litter loads, tree regeneration, shrub loads, herbaceous loads, slope, tree height, aspect, percent aspen in the plot, grazing intensity, …

Relationship Between Teton Science School Programs And Teachers' Ability To Teach About The Environment, Jennifer A. Levy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis presents an analysis of 1996/97 survey research data regarding the relationship between three types of Teton Science School (TSS) programs and classroom teachers ' ability to teach about the environment. Based on observations by resident instructors and faculty at TSS, three research questions were developed. The primary objective of the research questions was to consider the relationship between TSS residential education programs and participating teachers' ability to teach about the environment.

Analyses are based on comparing descriptive statistics of teachers who have participated in one of the three types of TSS programs or a combination of the three …

Aspen Regeneration And Response To Fire In The Intermountain West, Kelly J. Mccloskey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The history of Populus tremuloides regeneration in the Intermountain West, particularly western Wyoming, is one of prolific vegetative reproduction following wildland fire. The reproductive physiology of aspen and its disturbance-response characteristics are explored through a review of previous studies. The combination of fire suppression and increased herbivory on aspen by wild and domestic ungulates is likely facilitating conifer invasion of areas historically dominated by aspen as has been observed in parts of Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado over the past 100 years. A case study of the regenerative response of aspen to wildland fire in western Wyoming demonstrates how physiology, life …

Grassroots Of The Desert: An Analysis Of The Roles Of The Utah Wilderness Association And The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance In The Debate Over Wilderness Designation Of Bureau Of Land Management Lands In Southern Utah, Amy E. Brennan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The battle over federal Wilderness designation of Bureau of Land Management lands in southern Utah has entered its third decade. Throughout this lengthy debate numerous stakeholders have maintained involvement, including members of Utah's conservation community. Two of the most prominent wilderness advocacy groups in Utah are notable not only for their sustained involvement with the issue, but also for their divergent positions on how to resolve this public land dispute. This research examines those two organizations, the Utah Wilderness Association and the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, through an analysis of their respective structural, organizational, philosophical, and tactical perspectives.

Ultimately, the …

A New Forest Floor Corer For Rapid Sampling, Minimal Disturbance And Adequate Precision, Ian A. Nalder, Ross W. Wein

Aspen Bibliography

We describe an effective and inexpensive device for sampling forest floors. It is based on a rechargeable, battery-powered drill that drives a sharpened steel coring tube. The corer is simple to fabricate, is lightweight (3.5 kg) and can be used easily by one person to obtain intact, natural volume cores of the forest floor. It has been used extensively to obtain samples in 114 boreal forest stands of western Canada. We found that coefficients of variation were typically 30% for forest floor organic matter and bulk density, and tended to be higher in Pinus banksiana stands than in Picea glauca …

Formation Of Lichen Flora On Pioneer Substrates (Erratic Blocks, The Aspen Bark And Straw Thatches), Ludwik Lipnicki

Aspen Bibliography

The thesis is based on the research results of the lichen flora formation on the substrates: the surface of erratic blocks, aspen barks and straw thatches. Subjection of the species composition to the changes of conditions of the closest environment (mainly the substrate) was analysed. The relationships between the kind of substrate and its permanence, and some features (e.g. morphological features) of pioneering lichens were examined; the intensification of those features and degrees of species pioneering were also distinguished.

Logging In Alaska's Boreal Forest: Creation Of Grasslands Or Enhancement Of Moose Habitat, William B. Collins, Charles C. Schwartz

Aspen Bibliography

Timber harvest in Alaska’s boreal forest can greatly enhance or severely reduce moose (Alces alces) habitat quality, depending on forest management objectives, timing and methods of harvest, and post-logging site preparation. Overstory removal associated with timely exposure of mineral soil favors establishment of early successional hardwoods important as moose browse. A combination of clear-cutting and soil scarification on mesic sites mimics fire, windfall, and fluvial erosion, important natural forces that drive regeneration of the boreal forest. When cut during dormancy, aspen (Populus tremuloides) and balsam poplar (P. balsamifera) Regenerate prolifically by root and stump …

Environmental Conditions And Aspen Regeneration Failure, W.R. Jacobi, E.F. Kelly, C.A. Troendle, P.A. Angwin, C.A. Wettstein

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.