Forest Sciences Commons^™

Potential Economic Impacts Of Allocating More Land For Bioenergy Biomass Production In Virginia, Thomas O. Ochuodho, Janaki R. R. Alavalapati, Pankaj Lal, Domena A. Agyeman, Bernabas Wolde, Pralhad Burli

Pankaj Lal

The growing attention to renewable energy and rural development has created greater demand for production of biomass feedstock for bioenergy. However, forest growth rates and the amount of land in most existing forests may not be sufficient to sustainably supply the forest biomass required to support existing forest products industries and the expanding bioenergy industry. Additionally, concerns about agricultural land use competition have dampened expansion of biomass production on agricultural land base. One of the ways to meet the growing forest biomass feedstock demand for bioenergy production is by allocating currently marginal non-forested land for growing bioenergy feedstocks. In Virginia, …

Decadal Effects Of Thinning On Understory Light Environments And Plant Community Structure In A Subtropical Forest, Ho-Chen Tsai, Jyh-Min Chiang, Ryan Mcewan, Teng-Chiu Lin

Ryan McEwan

Canopy-opening disturbance such as thinning has immediate and substantive effects on understory microclimate and therefore the establishment and growth of understory plants. A large number of studies have reported the effects of thinning on tree growth, but few studies have examined long-term effects of thinning on understory light environments and species and functional diversity of understory plants. Even less is known whether the change in understory plant community structure observed following canopy disturbance is short-lived and would diminish as the canopy closes or a long lasting due to legacy effects. We examined the effects of an experimental removal of 25% …

Regional Forest Types - Tropical Dry Forests, Skip Van Bloem, Ariel E. Lugo, Peter G. Murphy

Skip Van Bloem

Tropical dry forests occur in nearly every tropical country. This forest type provides critical habitat for large mammals and migratory birds, and patches of dry forest can support a high proportion of endemic plant and animal species, as well as being highly valued for agricultural and production forestry uses. Consequently, conservation and understanding of these forests need emphasis, yet conservationists and scientists still frequently overlook this ecosystem.

The Influence Of Hurricane Winds On Caribbean Dry Forest Structure And Nutrient Pools, Skip Van Bloem, Ariel E. Lugo, Rebecca Ostertag, Maria Rivera Costa, Ivelisse Ruiz Bernard, Sandra Molina Colón, Miguel Canals Mora

Skip Van Bloem

In 1998, we measured the effects of Hurricane Georges after it passed over long‐term research sites in Puerto Rican dry forest. Our primary objectives were to quantify hurricane effects on forest structure, to compare effects in a large tract of forest versus a series of nearby forest fragments, to evaluate short‐term response to hurricane disturbance in terms of mortality and sprouting, and to assess the ability of hurricanes to maintain forest structure. We sampled damage from 33 plots (1.3 ha) across a 3000‐ha tract of forest as well as in 19 fragments. For stems with 2.5‐cm minimum diameter, 1004 stems/ha …

Structural Response Of Caribbean Dry Forests To Hurricane Winds: A Case Study From Guanica Forest, Puerto Rico, Skip Van Bloem, Ariel E. Lugo, Peter G. Murphy

Skip Van Bloem

Tropical dry forests in the Caribbean have an uniquely short, shrubby structure with a high proportion of multiple-stemmed trees compared to dry forests elsewhere in the Neotropics. Previous studies have shown that this structure can arise without the loss of main stems from cutting, grazing, or other human intervention. The Caribbean has a high frequency of hurricanes, so wind may also influence forest stature. Furthermore, these forests also tend to grow on soils with low amounts of available phosphorus, which may also influence structure. The objective of this study was to assess the role of high winds in structuring dry …

An Analysis Of Arthropod Interceptions By Aphis-Ppq And Customs And Border Protection In Puerto Rico, David A. Jenkins, Russell F. Mizell, Skip Van Bloem, Stefanie Whitmire, Leyinska Wiscovitch, Crystal Zaleski, Ricardo Goenaga

Skip Van Bloem

USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service Plant Protection and Quarantine (APHIS-PPQ) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspect traffic entering the United States for arthropods posing a threat to national agriculture or ecosystems. We analyzed interceptions made by these agencies in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands between October 2006 and December 2009 for patterns with regard to the frequency of interceptions, origins of interceptions, and the taxa intercepted. 6,952 arthropods were intercepted in freight or luggage entering Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands from foreign countries and 9,840 arthropods were intercepted from freight or luggage leaving Puerto …

Forest Fragments As Barriers To Fruit Fly Dispersal: Anastrepha (Diptera: Tephritidae) Populations In Orchards And Adjacent Forest Fragments In Puerto Rico, David A. Jenkins, Paul E. Kendra, Skip Van Bloem, Stefanie Whitmire, Russ Mizell Iii, Ricardo Goenaga

Skip Van Bloem

McPhail-type traps baited with ammonium acetate and putrescine were used to monitor populations of Anastrepha obliqua (Macquart) and Anastrepha suspensa(Loew) in two orchards with hosts of these flies (mango, Mangifera indica L., and carambola, Averrhoa carambola L.), as well as in forest fragments bordering these orchards. Contour maps were constructed to measure population distributions in and around orchards. Our results indicate that Anastrephapopulations are focused around host fruit in both space and time, that traps do not draw fruit flies away from hosts, even when placed within 15 m of the host, and that lures continue to function …

Will Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests Be Sensitive Or Resistant To Future Changes In Rainfall Regimes?, Kara Allen, Juan Manuel Dupuy, Maria G. Gei, Catherine Hulshof, David Medvigy, Camila Pizano, Christina M. Smith, Annette Trierweiler, Skip J. Van Bloem, Bonnie G. Waring, Xiangtao Xu, Jennifer S. Powers

Skip Van Bloem

Seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTF) are located in regions with alternating wet and dry seasons, with dry seasons that last several months or more. By the end of the 21st century, climate models predict substantial changes in rainfall regimes across these regions, but little is known about how individuals, species, and communities in SDTF will cope with the hotter, drier conditions predicted by climate models. In this review, we explore different rainfall scenarios that may result in ecological drought in SDTF through the lens of two alternative hypotheses: 1) these forests will be sensitive to drought because they are already …

Forecasting Effects Of Sea‐Level Rise And Windstorms On Coastal And Inland Ecosystems, Charles S. Hopkinson, Ariel E. Lugo, Merryl Alber, Alan P. Covich, Skip J. Van Bloem

Skip Van Bloem

We identify a continental‐scale network of sites to evaluate how two aspects of climate change – sea‐level rise and intensification of windstorms – will influence the structure, function, and capacity of coastal and inland forest ecosystems to deliver ecosystem services (eg carbon sequestration, storm protection, pollution control, habitat support, food). The network consists of coastal wetland and inland forest sites across the US and is representative of continental‐level gradients of precipitation, temperature, vegetation, frequency of occurrence of major windstorms, value of insured properties, tidal range, watershed land use, and sediment availability. The network would provide real‐time measurements of the characteristics …

Shifts In Biomass And Productivity For A Subtropical Dry Forest In Response To Simulated Elevated Hurricane Disturbances, Jennifer A. Holm, Skip J. Van Bloem, Guy R. Larocque, Herman H. Shugart

Skip Van Bloem

Caribbean tropical forests are subject to hurricane disturbances of great variability. In addition to natural storm incongruity, climate change can alter storm formation, duration, frequency, and intensity. This model-based investigation assessed the impacts of multiple storms of different intensities and occurrence frequencies on the long-term dynamics of subtropical dry forests in Puerto Rico. Using the previously validated individual-based gap model ZELIG-TROP, we developed a new hurricane damage routine and parameterized it with site- and species-specific hurricane effects. A baseline case with the reconstructed historical hurricane regime represented the control condition. Ten treatment cases, reflecting plausible shifts in hurricane regimes, manipulated …

Multi-Temporal Unmixing Analysis Of Hyperion Images Over The Guanica Dry Forest, Maria C. Torres-Madronero, Miguel Velez-Reyes, Skip J. Van Bloem, Jesus D. Chinea

Skip Van Bloem

This paper presents a methodology to analyze time-series data from Hyperion to study seasonal vegetation dynamics on the Guánica Dry Forest in Puerto Rico. Unmixing analysis is performed over ten near-cloud-free Hyperion images collected in different months in 2008. Abundance maps and endmembers estimated from the unmixing procedure are used to analyze the seasonal changes in the forest. Results from the analysis are compared with published knowledge of the Guanica Forest phenology.

Impact Of Substrate And Process On The Electrical Performance Of Screen-Printed Nickel Electrodes: Fundamental Mechanism Of Ink Film Roughness, Bilge N. Altay, Jerome Jourdan, Vikram S. Turkani, Hervé Dietsch, Dinesh Maddipatla, Alexandra Pekarovicova, Paul D. Fleming, Massood Atashbar

Bilge Nazli Altay

Silviculture Of Central And Southern Rocky Mountain Forests : A Summary Of The Status Of Our Knowledge By Timber Types, Robert R. Alexander

Robert Alexander

No abstract provided.

Forest Vegetation Of The Routt National Forest In Northwestern Colorado: A Habitat Type Classification, George R. Hoffman, Robert R. Alexander

Robert Alexander

No abstract provided.

Uncertainty Assessment In Biomass Estimation, Isaac Lisle

Isaac Lisle

The Subject Librarian Newsletter, Biology, Fall 2016, Sandy Avila

Sandy Avila

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Environmental Filtering In Structuring Appalachian Tree Communities: Topographic Influences On Functional Diversity Are Mediated Through Soil Characteristics, Julia I. Chapman, Ryan W. Mcewan

Ryan McEwan

Identifying the drivers of community assembly has long been a central goal in ecology, and the development of functional diversity indices has provided a new way of detecting the influence of environmental gradients on biotic communities. For an old-growth Appalachian forest, we used path analysis to understand how patterns of tree functional diversity relate to topography and soil gradients and to determine whether topographic effects are mediated through soil chemistry. All of our path models supported the idea of environmental filtering: stressful areas (high elevation, low soil moisture, low soil nutrients) were occupied by communities of low functional diversity, which …

The New Environmental Law: Forest Certification, Errol E. Meidinger

Errol Meidinger

This paper argues that the rapidly expanding practice of forest certification, together with similar developments in other sectors, is creating a new template for environmental law. Nongovernmental organizations and some industry actors are establishing binding regulatory standards, systems for monitoring compliance, sanctions for non-compliance, and, when things work well, methods for assessment and revision. It locates these developments as a part of “phase 3” of environmental law, which also involves a proliferation of other initiatives beyond traditional regulation. Finally, it offers a preliminary discussion of the efficacy, adaptability, coherence, and legitimacy of the emergent system.

The Fundamentals Of Forest Certification, Errol Meidinger, Christopher Elliott, Gerhard Oesten

Errol Meidinger

Published in Social and Political Dimensions of Forest Certification, Errol Meidinger, Christopher Elliott & Gerhard Oesten, eds.

Forest Certification As A Global Civil Society Regulatory Institution, Errol E. Meidinger

Errol Meidinger

Published in Social and Political Dimensions of Forest Certification, Errol Meidinger, Christopher Elliott & Gerhard Oesten, eds.

Forest Certification As Environmental Law Making By Global Civil Society, Errol E. Meidinger

Errol Meidinger

Published in Social and Political Dimensions of Forest Certification, Errol Meidinger, Christopher Elliott & Gerhard Oesten, eds.

Use Of Nanoparticle Binders For Paper Coatings: A Review, Bilge N. Altay

Bilge Nazli Altay

Assisted Tree Migration In North America: Policy Legacies, Enhanced Forest Policy Integration, And Climate Change Adaptation, Adam Wellstead, Michael Howlett

Adam Wellstead

The weight of much expert forest management opinion is that issues such as climate change can be effectively addressed only if forest policy-making moves from a purely sectoral focus and undergoes a shift to a more integrated multi-issue, multi-sector policy-making process. This is because credible adaptation policies in the sector require greatly enhanced multi-sectoral policy integration if they are to succeed. But this requirement may be beyond the capacity of many countries to deliver. This article explores the integration challenges faced by forest policy-making in Canada and the United States and uses the case of Assisted Tree Migration (ATM) to …

Prototype For Monitoring And Forecasting Fall Foliage Coloration In Real Time From Satellite Data, Xiaoyang Zhang, Mitchell D. Goldberg, Yunyue Yu

Xiaoyang Zhang

While determining vegetation phenology from the time series of historical satellite data has been widely investigated throughout the last decade, little effort has been devoted to real-time monitoring and short-term forecasting. The latter is more important for numerical weather modeling, ecosystem forecasting, forest and crop management, and health risk warning. In this study we developed a prototype approach for the real-time monitoring and short-term forecasting of fall foliage status (including low coloration, moderate coloration, near-peak coloration, peak coloration, and post-peak coloration) using temporal satellite observations. The algorithm combined the climatology of vegetation phenology and temporally available satellite observations to establish …

Probing The Past 30-Year Phenology Trend Of Us Deciduous Forests, X. Yue, N. Unger, Xiaoyang Zhang, C.S. Vogel

Xiaoyang Zhang

Phenology is experiencing dramatic changes over deciduous forests in the USA. Estimates of trends in phenology on the continental scale are uncertain, however, with studies failing to agree on both the magnitude and spatial distribution of trends in spring and autumn. This is due to the sparsity of in situ records, uncertainties associated with remote sensing data, and the regional focus of many studies. It has been suggested that reported trends are a result of recent temperature changes, though multiple processes are thought to be involved and the nature of the temperature forcing remains unknown. To date, no study has …

The Green Legacy Project: Evaluating Campus Tree Benefits, Joy Fritschle, Gary Coutu, Joan Welch, Gerard Hertel

Gary Coutu

No abstract provided.

Utilization Of Woody Browse By White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) In Valley Forge National Park, Joanne T. Pomerantz, Joan M. Welch

Joan Welch

No abstract provided.

Invasive And Native Plant Response To Fire In A Pennsylvania Piedmont Woodland, Joan M. Welch

Joan Welch

No abstract provided.

Analisis De La Fragmentacion De Los Espacios Naturales En El Sector Sur Del Area Urbana De Girona, Josep Pinta, Josep Vila, Joan M. Welch

Joan Welch

No abstract provided.

Deer Browse In The Interior Forest Of Warwick County Park, Jacquelyn Arnold, Joan M. Welch

Joan Welch

No abstract provided.