Forest Sciences Commons^™

Tree Localization In A Plantation Using Ultra Wideband Signals, Akshat Verma

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Dynamic Thermal Properties Estimation Using Sensitivity Coefficients For Rapid Heating Process, Anbuhkani Muniandy, Patnarin Benyathiar, Dharmendra K. Mishra, Ferhan Ozadali

Department of Food Science Faculty Publications

Thermal conductivity determination of food at temperatures > 100 °C still remains a challenge. The objective of this study was to determine the temperature-dependent thermal conductivity of food using rapid heating (TPCell). The experiments were designed based on scaled sensitivity coefficient (SSC), and the estimated thermal conductivity of potato puree was compared between the constant temperature heating at 121.10 °C (R12B10T1) and the rapid heating (R22B10T1). Temperature-dependent thermal conductivity models along with a constant conductivity were used for estimation. R22B10T1 experiment using the k model provided reliable measurements as compared to R12B10T1 with thermal conductivity values from 0.463 ± 0.011 W …

Internet Of Things For Sustainable Forestry, Abdul Salam

Faculty Publications

Forests and grasslands play an important role in water and air purification, prevention of the soil erosion, and in provision of habitat to wildlife. Internet of Things has a tremendous potential to play a vital role in the forest ecosystem management and stability. The conservation of species and habitats, timber production, prevention of forest soil degradation, forest fire prediction, mitigation, and control can be attained through forest management using Internet of Things. The use and adoption of IoT in forest ecosystem management is challenging due to many factors. Vast geographical areas and limited resources in terms of budget and equipment …

Photogrammetric Measurement Of Hardwood Species At A Stand Level Using Rgb Images From Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Uav), Aishwarya Chandrasekaran

Purdue GIS Day

Nowadays, for many remote sensing applications, drones are employed for gathering data, as it provides low cost image acquisition with minimal human intervention. Drone remote sensing has an extensive use in forestry for maintaining inventories, mapping canopy structure and monitoring forest fires. Maintaining a Forest inventory database is a crucial task as it is the only means of keeping a record of the trees. This study aims to explore UAV based image acquisition (consumer-grade sensor) and analysis for forest studies using structure from motion technique.The main objective is to derive a methodology for computing tree parameters such as tree height, …

Improving Access To Clean Water Through Service Learning, Rachel E. Gehr, Tolu Odimayomi, Carolina Tornesi Mackinnon

Engagement & Service-Learning Summit

No abstract provided.

Roadside Integrated Vegetation Management Bmps: Right Tool For The Right Job, Cheryl Daniels, Davey Resource Group, Inc.

Purdue Road School

Based on a 3-year ODOT IVM research project, lessons learned and techniques for innovative and adaptive IVM for diverse midwestern landscapes will be presented that can increase Indiana DOTs’ efficiency and cost-effectiveness and simultaneously improve worker safety, foster safe highway use, improve roadside aesthetics, and promote environmental stewardship.

Utilizing Gis To Locate Endangered Gravel Hill Prairies Of The Wabash River Valley, Ryan W.R. Schroeder

Engagement & Service-Learning Summit

The Gravel Hill Prairies (GHP’s) of the Wabash River Valley are an endangered ecosystem in the state of Indiana and provide optimal growing conditions for a number of state endangered plants. Currently only four remnants are known to exist near Lafayette, IN, found by a previous study conducted in 1980 by Post, Bacone, and Aldrich (Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science, 1984, vol. 94: 457-464). These unique ecosystems have been found to occur almost exclusively on soils classified as Rodman Gravelly Loams and Strawn-Rodman complexes which occur predominantly along the outwash terraces of the Wabash River and its tributaries. …

Improving And Elucidating Factors Regulating Black Walnut (Juglans Nigra L.) Clonal Propagation, Micah E. Stevens

Open Access Dissertations

Black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) is a fine hardwood tree species native to the central hardwood region of the United States. High-quality black walnut timber is highly desirable. Traded in both regional and global markets, it has been used for veneer, and the manufacture of high-end products such as cabinets, furniture, and gunstocks. As a result of its high economic value, black walnut has been commercially cultivated for many years, and breeding programs have generated superior timber genotypes with improved marketable traits. Once elite genotypes were developed, it was quickly recognized that black walnut was recalcitrant to clonal propagation …

Agricultural Trade Publications And The 2012 Midwestern U.S. Drought: A Missed Opportunity For Climate Risk Communication, Sarah P. Church, Tonya Haigh, Melissa Widhalm, Silvestre Garcia De Jalon, Nicholas Babin, Stuart Carlton, Michael Dunn, Katie Fagan, Cody L. Knutson, Linda Stalker Prokopy

Department of Forestry & Natural Resources Faculty Publications

The Midwestern United States experienced a devastating drought in 2012, leading to reduced corn and soybean yields and increased instances of pests and disease. Climate change induced weather variability and extremes are expected to increase in the future, and have and will continue to impact the agricultural sector. This study investigated how agricultural trade publications portrayed the 2012 U.S. Midwestern drought, whether climate change was associated with drought, and whether these publications laid out transformative adaptation measures farmers could undertake in order to increase their adaptive capacity for future climate uncertainty. We performed a content analysis of 1000 media reports …

Useful To Usable: Developing Usable Climate Science For Agriculture, Linda S. Prokopy, J Stuart Carlton, Tonya Haigh, Maria Carmen Lemos, Amber Saylor Mase, Melissa Widhalm

Department of Forestry & Natural Resources Faculty Publications

The Useful to Usable (U2U) project was a six-year research and extension project funded by the United States Department of Agriculture to provide both useful and usable climate information for the agricultural (corn) sector in the Midwestern United States. The project adopted an extensive co-production of knowledge and decision-making approach that involved intense iteration with potential end-users, including farmers and a variety of pro- fessional agricultural advisors, through focus groups and surveys, feedback at outreach events, and frequent informal interactions to develop both decision support tools and delivery mechanisms that met stakeholder needs. This overview paper for this special issue …

An Assessment Of The Competitive Ability Of Oak Species In The Central Hardwood Region Using Both Pre-Harvest Treatment Data And Stem Analysis Techniques, Robert William Edward Quackenbush

Open Access Theses

The density of advance regeneration of oak species has been in decline across the Central Hardwood Region (CHR) for the past 50 years. This phenomenon has been accredited to many different factors, ranging from predation and browse by wildlife, to human induced changes in the environment which include massive clearcutting, land use change from forest to agriculture, and suppression of fires which played an intricate role in the development of oak systems across the CHR. The objectives of this research project were to compare densities of oak advance regeneration across two different environmental gradients within the CHR, in particular the …

Hands Of The Future, Inc; Junior Nature Club; Living Schoolyards, Zonda K. Bryant

Purdue P-12 Networking Summit & Poster Session

Programs to connect children to nature

Effects Of Lake Erie Hypoxia On Fish Habitat Quality And Yellow Perch Behavior And Physiology, Leah Zoe Almeida

Open Access Theses

Hypoxia is a concern in freshwater, marine, and estuarine systems worldwide including in Lake Erie, North America. Hypoxia may develop more frequently and for a longer duration as a result of excess nutrient loading from human sources, therefore, the incidence of hypoxic areas has increased with human population increases and intensive land-use practices. The effects of hypoxia on fish and other aquatic organisms have been well-studied, but most research examines the negative aspects of hypoxia development on habitats and the effect of severe hypoxia on individuals. In this study we focused on less studied and more subtle effects of hypoxia, …

The Photosynthetic Response Of Northern Red Oak (Quercus Rubra L.) And American Chestnut (Castanea Dentata (Marsh.) Borkh) Under Varying Light Intensity And Weed Competition, Pedro Vitor P. Pereira, Jennifer M. Lesko, Douglass F. Jacobs Dr.

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Although widely distributed across Indiana and the United States Midwest, conifer plantations consist largely of non-native species that are of no value to the state’s forest products industry. This project’s goal is to develop science-based protocols and specific silvicultural prescriptions for successfully converting conifer plantations to higher value native hardwoods. Quantifying photosynthesis rate in a plant is an important tool to help us discern the best methods for implementing conifer conversion. Seedlings from two different native species, northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) and American chestnut (Castanea dentata (Marsh.) Borkh), were distributed among three different silvicultural …

Use Of Plastic Bottles As An Alternative Container Type For Propagation Of Forest Tree Seedlings In Restoration Programs, Safiullah Khurram

Open Access Theses

Deforestation and forest degradation is a global issue, especially in poor and developing regions of the world. In order to combat deforestation it is critical to enhance the productivity of forest restoration operations, which often involve planting of nursery-grown forest tree seedlings. Production of low quality stock types with deformed and spiraled root systems is a significant issue hindering successful restoration programs. Polybags (i.e., small plastic bags) are a common container type for seedling propagation in developing countries. However, polybags produce seedlings with spiraled and deformed root systems that reduce outplanting survival and performance. Use of discarded plastic water bottles …

Subsidizing Carbon Sequestration Via Forestry In Maryland: A Cost-Benefit Assessment, Rachel C. Hettich

Open Access Theses

Carbon sequestration by forestry is one way to mitigate climate change, and policy incentives are in place to encourage private investment in forestry. State and federal forestry cost-share programs subsidize the establishment of trees and the improvement of existing forested land. The objective of this research was to determine the effectiveness of such programs in Maryland and to compare the monetized benefits from permanently sequestered carbon with the current subsidies. To meet this objective, private and social cost-benefit analyses were conducted for three forestry investment scenarios in Maryland that coincide with the main cost-share programs available there. Sensitivity analysis considered …

Ancient Humans Influenced The Current Spatial Genetic Structure Of Common Walnut Populations In Asia, Paola Pollegioni, Keith E. Woeste, Francesca Chiocchini, Stefano Del Lungo, Irene Olimpieri, Virginia Tortolano, Jo R. Clark, Gabriel E. Hemery, Sergio P. Mapelli, Maria Emilia Malvolti

Department of Forestry & Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Common walnut (Juglans regia L) is an economically important species cultivated worldwide for its wood and nuts. It is generally accepted that J. regia survived and grew spontaneously in almost completely isolated stands in its Asian native range after the Last Glacial Maximum. Despite its natural geographic isolation, J. regia evolved over many centuries under the influence of human management and exploitation. We evaluated the hypothesis that the current distribution of natural genetic resources of common walnut in Asia is, at least in part, the product of ancient anthropogenic dispersal, human cultural interactions, and afforestation. Genetic analysis combined with ethno-linguistic …

Assessing The Permeability Of Landscape Features To Animal Movement: Using Genetic Structure To Infer Functional Connectivity, Sarah J. Anderson, Elizabeth M. Kierepka, Robert K. Swihart, Emily K. Latch

Department of Forestry & Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Human-altered environments often challenge native species with a complex spatial distribution of resources. Hostile landscape features can inhibit animal movement (i.e., genetic exchange), while other landscape attributes facilitate gene flow. The genetic attributes of organisms inhabiting such complex environments can reveal the legacy of their movements through the landscape. Thus, by evaluating landscape attributes within the context of genetic connectivity of organisms within the landscape, we can elucidate how a species has coped with the enhanced complexity of human altered environments. In this research, we utilized genetic data from eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus ) in conjunction with spatially explicit habitat …

Suitability Of Blue Ash (Fraxinus Quadrangulata) And Green Ash (F. Pennsylvanica) To Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus Planipennis) And Its Larval Parasitoid Tetrastichus Planipennisi., Donnie "L. " Peterson

Open Access Theses

Emerald ash borer (EAB) (Agrilus planipennis ) is a primary pest that has killed tens of millions of North American ash (Fraxinus spp.) trees. The larval parasitoid Tetrastichus planipennisi was introduced from China as part of a classical biological control program for long-term EAB management. The high mortality rates of ash trees greatly reduce the number of EAB hosts and may make it difficult for parasitoids to persist. However, blue ash ( F. quadrangulata ) is relatively resistant and appears to be able to survive EAB infestation. If natural enemies can attack EAB in infested blue ash they …

Vegetation And Soil Characteristics Of Pine Plantations And Naturally Regenerated Hardwood Forests On The Hoosier National Forest, Patrick James Duffy

Open Access Theses

During the 1930s there was widespread erosion on farmland and subsequent land abandonment. As a result, Pinus strobus L. (white pine), P. resinosa Aiton (red pine), and P. echinata Mill. (shortleaf pine) were planted in the Midwest to prevent erosion and rehabilitate sites. These species were selected due to their wide availability at the time. Currently, it is the goal of the U.S. Forest Service to provide a more natural and sustainable landscape, in part by removing these non-native Pinus stands and by replacing them with native hardwood species. The ultimate success of hardwood restoration depends, in part, on the …

Effects Of Biomass Harvest On Eastern Red-Backed Salamanders, Patrick J. Ruhl

Open Access Theses

In a typical forest harvest, the volume of coarse woody debris (CWD) increases from nonmerchantable material (i.e., tree-tops, limbs, and small-diameter trees) left on the forest floor. Biomass harvesting removes much of this material for bioenergy production. When removed, ecosystem services associated with CWD, such as seedbed substrate, nutrient cycling, and essential wildlife habitat, is reduced. Woodland salamanders have strict microhabitat and soil moisture requirements that make them especially sensitive to timber harvest practices, particularly those that remove CWD, a primary habitat for the group.

I monitored the abundance of Eastern red-backed salamanders ( Plethodon cinereus ) in response to …

Seedling Uptake And Fate Of Soil-Applied Capsaicin, A Potential Browse Deterrent, Carmen K. Dobbs, Joshua L Sloan, Douglass F. Jacobs

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Seedling damage due to browse constitutes a major challenge to afforestation and reforestation efforts in the Central Hardwood Forest region of the USA. Many efforts have been made to deter herbivores, but the costs, implementation methods, and relative ineffectiveness of existing mitigation options often preclude operational implementation. An alternate means of deterring wildlife browse is capsaicin, a hot pepper concentrate, which has been reported to decrease herbivory of tree seedlings and is available in a controlled-release form designed to act systemically following application to the soil and subsequent plant uptake. However, the degree to which seedlings are capable of absorbing …

Development Of Transgenic North American White Ash (Fraxinus Americana) Expressing A Bacillus Thuringiensis Protein For Management Of The Emerald Ash Borer, Eric A. Dean, Paula M. Pijut Phd., Micah E. Stevens

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

White ash (WA), Fraxinus americana, is an integral part of the hardwood forest ecosystem. Economically, WA provides wood for important products such as baseball bats, tool handles, and hardwood flooring. Ecologically WA provides cover and mast to support wildlife. The emerald ash borer (EAB) is a significant threat to all ash species because of a lack of native resistance in North American ash trees, its rapid spread, and the ineffectiveness and expense of control measures. EAB is a non-native beetle that consumes tree vascular tissue while in the larval stage. The development of an Agrobacterium-mediated transformation protocol may …

Surveys Of Southern Flying Squirrel Activity Following Timber Harvest In Southern Indiana, Joseph W. Eisinger, Elizabeth A. Flaherty, Stephanie E. Trapp

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Southern flying squirrels (Glaucomys volans) are gliding small mammals that are ecologically important seed dispersers and prey species across their wide range, which extends from southern Canada to Central America. Because of their reliance on forest structure for efficient movement and on forest composition for hard mast production to provide winter food items, habitat use by G. volans may be impacted by timber harvest. Responses of G. volans to timber harvests remains understudied throughout their range, and studies are especially lacking within the Central Hardwoods Region that includes Indiana. Our study in the Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment (HEE) in southern Indiana …

Fact Or Fiction: Random Mating In Field Populations Of Western Corn Rootworm (Diabrotica Virgifera Virgifera Leconte) Emerging On Bt And Refuge Corn Plants, Steven Joel Smith

Open Access Theses

The western corn rootworm, or WCR, (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte) is the most significant pest of field corn (Zea mays) in the United States, and has recently expanded its range into Europe. Since 2004, hybrid corn containing Bt toxins targeting the corn rootworm complex have been heavily adopted and are now the primary control measure for this pest in North American corn production. ^ The evolution of resistance is an ongoing concern, and to ensure Bt products will retain their usefulness, insect resistance management (IRM) tactics using various refuge structures have been adopted. One of the key …

Furniture Design And Product Development Principles Considering End-Of-Life Options And Design For Environment Strategies, Mesut Uysal

Open Access Theses

During last decades, environmental issues come into prominence and some governmental or organizational regulations are legislated to reduce environmental impacts of products within their life cycle. At the same time, costumers consider not only price, quality, branding, uniqueness, availability but also environmental impact, safety, and overall sustainability of products they select. Therefore, producers are addressing environmental impact of products they are producing and also making changes to their production process. This project is addressing End-of-Life (EoL) Options of wooden furniture. ^ Although wood is eco-friendly and natural material, its technological process, use and disposal might have ecological problem and challenge. …

Naturalized Offspring From An 85-Year-Old Chinese Chestnut (Castanea Mollissima) Planting: Stand Dynamics And Genetic Relationships, Amy Christel Miller

Open Access Theses

Chestnuts, members of the genus Castanea , family Fagaceae, are valuable worldwide, and all species have noteworthy ecological, economic, and cultural importance in their native ranges. Historically, American chestnut (Castanea dentata (Marshall) Borkh.) was an abundant tree species in eastern North America until its decimation in the early 20 th century by chestnut blight, caused by the fungus Cryphonectria parasitica . To regain the benefits of this prized species in North America, efforts are ongoing to produce and introduce blight-resistant hybrids of C. dentata and the blight-resistant Chinese chestnut ( C. mollissima Blume). It is important that the C. …

Deforestation Of Cloud Forest In The Central Highlands Of Guatemala: Soil Erosion And Sustainability Implications For Q'Eqchi' Maya Communities, Ian Christopher Pope

Open Access Theses

Understanding the nexus between deforestation, food production, land degradation, and culture contributes knowledge that is useful for development practitioners working to enhance conservation and food security. Documenting deforestation and soil erosion in the Sierra Yalijux and Sierra Sacranix in the Central Highlands of Guatemala adds new knowledge about the rates and dynamics of deforestation and land degradation in areas with unique and sensitive cloud forest ecosystems. It also suggests possible areas of emphasis for efforts targeted at combining cloud forest conservation with sustainability for indigenous Q'eqchi' communities. In addition, this work contributes to a small but growing body of literature …

Ecological Interactions Affecting American Chestnut Restoration And Allegheny Woodrat Conservation In Indiana, Rita Michelle Blythe

Open Access Theses

The Allegheny woodrat (Neotoma magister ) is a small rodent native to rocky habitats surrounded by deciduous forests in the eastern United States. Woodrats have recently experienced a severe range-wide decline and are a species of conservation concern throughout their range. In Indiana, the persistence of woodrat populations is threatened by a loss of genetic diversity, so captive propagation was initiated to ameliorate the immediate threat of inbreeding depression and improve local genetic diversity. However, achieving the objectives of captive propagation ultimately depends on the ability of captive-reared individuals to survive in the wild until they can contribute reproductively …

Parent Tree Selection And Evaluation Of Frost Resistance, Wood Quality, And Seed Relatedness Of Acacia Koa., Oriana Rueda Krauss

Open Access Theses

This project represents an important effort to develop an improvement program for a valuable native hardwood tree species in Hawai'i, Acacia koa. The ultimate goal of the tree improvement program is to provide improved stock of A. koa through classical breeding, focusing mainly on stem form. In addition, wood quality assessment on young A. koa trees is important to try to develop markets for pre-commercial thinning. This project also clarifies some of the trends related to frost resistance fluctuations over the different seasons in Hawai'i. The main questions that were addressed are: Which are the best families to maintain in …