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Full-Text Articles in Forest Sciences
Responses To Prescribed Fire At Big Thicket National Preserve, Texas, Usa, B. P. Oswald, D. M. Boensch, H. M. Williams, I-Kuai Hung
Responses To Prescribed Fire At Big Thicket National Preserve, Texas, Usa, B. P. Oswald, D. M. Boensch, H. M. Williams, I-Kuai Hung
Faculty Publications
US Federal land managers have utilized hand ignited prescribed fire at Big Thicket National Preserve in efforts to restore the structure and diversity of the longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) forest. A fire ecology study was initiated by Rice University in the early 1990’s and the National Park Service has continued monitoring the plots. Ordination was applied to species abundance data to examine changes in vegetation communities from a variety of prescribed fire treatments and controls. The vegetation data was separated by size class to include overstory, small tree, large sapling and seedling data. Across the size classes and treatments, the …
Loblolly Pine Growth Patterns On Reclaimed Mineland: Allometry, Biomass, And Volume, Jeremy Priest, Jeremy Stovall, Dean Coble, Brian Oswald, Hans Williams
Loblolly Pine Growth Patterns On Reclaimed Mineland: Allometry, Biomass, And Volume, Jeremy Priest, Jeremy Stovall, Dean Coble, Brian Oswald, Hans Williams
Faculty Publications
Surface lignite coal mines in east Texas are commonly reforested using loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) following mining and reclamation activities. Due to the nature of such an extreme disturbance, altered growth patterns, growth rates, and productivity could be expected. We destructively sampled above- and belowground tissue to develop prediction equations specific to these sites. These prediction equations differed statistically from those found in the literature regarding unmined land. At the stand level, biomass and volume productivity appeared similar with young stands on reclaimed mineland performing slightly poorer than similarly managed unmined sites. Allometric partitioning of above- and belowground biomass …
Using Gis-Based, Regional Extent Habitat Suitability Modeling To Identify Conservation Priority Areas: A Case Study Of The Louisiana Black Bear In East Texas, Christopher E. Comer, I-Kuai Hung, Gary Calkins, Dan J. Kaminski, Nathan Garner
Using Gis-Based, Regional Extent Habitat Suitability Modeling To Identify Conservation Priority Areas: A Case Study Of The Louisiana Black Bear In East Texas, Christopher E. Comer, I-Kuai Hung, Gary Calkins, Dan J. Kaminski, Nathan Garner
Faculty Publications
State and federal recovery plans mandate that priority areas for future population expansion be identified within the historical range of the Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolus). Despite the presence of potentially suitable habitat in east Texas and expanding populations in adjacent states, quantitative estimates of regional habitat suitability do not exist. We developed a regional extent habitat suitability index (HSI) model in a geographic information system (GIS) to evaluate year-round habitat requirements for black bears in the 43,530-km2 south black bear recovery zone in southeastern Texas. We measured hard and soft mast production, understory vegetation density, and tree den …
Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Cavity Tree Damage By Hurricane Rita: An Evaluation Of Contributing Factors, Ben Bainbridge, Kristen A. Baum, Daniel Saenz, Cory K. Adams
Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Cavity Tree Damage By Hurricane Rita: An Evaluation Of Contributing Factors, Ben Bainbridge, Kristen A. Baum, Daniel Saenz, Cory K. Adams
Faculty Publications
Picoides borealis (Red-cockaded Woodpecker) is an endangered species inhabiting pine savannas of the southeastern United States. Because the intensity of hurricanes striking the southeastern United States is likely to increase as global temperatures rise, it is important to identify factors contributing to hurricane damage to Red-cockaded Woodpecker cavity-trees. Our objectives were to examine the effects of landscape-level factors on wind damage to cavity-trees and assess the relative risk of wind damage for different tree species and trees with different types of cavities. We evaluated wind damage to cavity-trees from Hurricane Rita on the Angelina, Sabine, and Davy Crockett national forests …
Invertebrate Biomass And Richness In Various Food Plot Types In East Texas, Charles W. Anderson, R. Montague Whiting Jr., Donald R. Dietz, Richard M. Capps
Invertebrate Biomass And Richness In Various Food Plot Types In East Texas, Charles W. Anderson, R. Montague Whiting Jr., Donald R. Dietz, Richard M. Capps
Faculty Publications
As northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) chicks are dependent on invertebrates for food, land managers often use spring/summer food plots to meet these needs. We examined invertebrate production in native vegetation and 6 different food plot types (i.e., fallow disking only; fallow disking and fertilizing; or disking, fertilizing, and planting a single species [browntop millet, iron and clay peas, or sorghum] or a multi-species mix [browntop millet, catjang peas, iron and clay peas, Japanese millet, and pearl millet]) in the Pineywoods of east Texas. Invertebrates were collected weekly during the summers of 1997 and 1999 and for 5 weekly sampling periods …
Estimating Bobcat Abundance In East Texas Using Infrared-Triggered Cameras, Matthew E. Symmank, Christopher E. Comer, James C. Kroll
Estimating Bobcat Abundance In East Texas Using Infrared-Triggered Cameras, Matthew E. Symmank, Christopher E. Comer, James C. Kroll
Faculty Publications
Reliable population estimation techniques for cryptic forest predators generally are lacking. Development of an efficient and reliable technique to estimate predator abundance directly would be a valuable tool for wildlife managers concerned with predator management. We evaluated the potential for camera survey techniques to provide abundance estimates for bobcats (Lynx rufus) in southeastern forest habitats. We also determined our ability to capture other forest carnivores photographically using these techniques. We used TrailMaster 1500 active infrared-triggered cameras to estimate abundance on a 1318-ha private land holding in eastern Texas. Camera stations were located along roads and wildlife travel corridors …