Digital Commons Network^™

Using Lidar To Link Forest Canopy Structure With Bat Activity And Insect Occurrence: Preliminary Findings, Luke E. Dodd, Nicholas S. Skowronski, Matthew B. Dickinson, Michael J. Lacki, Lynne K. Rieske

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

Bats are an imperiled, yet ecologically-important group of vertebrate predators. Our ongoing research focuses on testing hypotheses about the relationships between the effects of fire on canopy structure and insect prey availability, and how these factors relate to use of foraging space by bats during the pre- and post-hibernation periods at Mammoth Cave National Park (MCNP). LiDAR-derived data (October 2010) were intersected with spatially explicit sampling of bat and insect populations (2010-2011) in order to characterize relationships between canopy structure, insect abundance, and bat activity. A canonical correspondence analysis for bat data suggested that forest canopy structure has a strong …

Factors Influencing The Current And Historical Invasion Trends In The Connecticut College Arboretum, Lillian Fayerweather

Botany Honors Papers

Invasive species present a growing risk to native ecosystems. It would be impossible to eliminate them, but by learning where they are more likely to occur it may be possible to concentrate resources on removal and management in the most at risk areas. A number of site characteristics may influence invasive species presence and invasion trends. In order to determine what factors affect species presence and historical invasion trends, I utilized data from decennial surveys conducted in the Bolleswood Natural Area of the Connecticut College Arboretum in New London, Connecticut. In 1952, 4 transects were established across the area, composed …

Fire And Fish Dynamics In A Changing Climate: Broad- And Local-Scale Effects Of Fire-Induced Water Temperature Changes On Native And Nonnative Fish Communities, Michael K. Young, Lisa Eby, Lisa Holsinger, Daniel J. Isaak, Robert E. Keane

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Fire is a key natural disturbance that affects the distribution and abundance of native fishes in the Rocky Mountain West. In the absence of migratory individuals from undisturbed portions of a watershed, persistence of native fish populations depends on the conditions of the post-fire stream environment. Stream temperatures typically warm after fire, and remain elevated until riparian vegetation recovers. An additional threat to native species is that nonnative fishes have invaded many waters, and these species tolerate or prefer warmer water temperatures. Thus, forecasting the long-term effects of fire on native fish populations requires an understanding of fire dynamics (size, …

Naturalization Of Sequoiadendron Giganteum (Cupressaceae) In Montane Southern California, Rudolf Schmid, Mena Schmid

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

After the August 1974 fire in the upper Hall Canyon area on the southwestern flank of Black Mountain in the northwestern San Jacinto Mountains, Riverside County, California, the United States Forest Service revegetated the burn in the mixed-conifer forest with the Sierra Nevada endemic Sequoiadendron giganteum (Cupressaceae). On 1 May 2009 a GPS census starting at the head of Hall Canyon revealed both in the canyon and upslope beyond it at least 157 individuals in the vicinity of the Black Mountain Trail, plus an outlier 450 m distant near the summit. This species alien to southern California is regenerating prolifically …

Ecological Studies Of Wolves On Isle Royale, 2011-2012, John A. Vucetich, Rolf O. Peterson

Ecological Studies of Wolves on Isle Royale

Annual Report 2011-2012

Nest Success And Hatchling Survival Of American Alligators Within Inland Wetlands Of East Texas, Warren C. Conway, Gary Calkins, David Saalfeld

Faculty Publications

Because of liberalization of American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) harvest management in Texas, estimates of nest success and hatchling survival for inland populations are essential for long-term, sustainable population and harvest management. To date, few studies have examined American alligator nest success and hatchling survival. We initiated a 3-year study from 2006 to 2008 to document alligator nest success and hatchling survival within several wetlands in east Texas. From June 2006 to August 2008, we located 30 nests from 3 wetlands within east Texas, where overall nest success was 44.2% (95% CI=25.1– 63.1%), irrespective of year. Nest circumference and day during …

Wildfire Regime Shifts In Temperate Forest Ecosystems: International Symposium In New Zealand, Tomas Veblen, Alan Tepley, Andres Holz

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

This project consisted of organizing and executing a one-day symposium on “Wildfire Regime Shifts in Temperate Forest Ecosystems” in conjunction with the triennial meeting of the Southern Connection Congress. The VIIth Southern Connection Congress drew together more than 350 environmental scientists and resource managers for its triennial meeting in Dunedin, New Zealand from January 25 to 30, 2013. The Southern Connection Congress (SCC) is a meeting of interdisciplinary researchers and natural resource managers who are interested in the biota and ecosystems of the temperate latitudes of the southern hemisphere. Attendees are from a wide range of research and professional disciplines …

A National Study Of The Consequences Of Fire And Fire Surrogate Treatments, Phil Weatherspoon, Jim Agee, Phil Aune, Jim Baldwin, Jamie Barbour, Frank Beall, Julio Betancourt, Ralph Boerner, Matt Busse, Carl Edminster, Gary Fiddler, Carl Fiedler, Sally Haase, Kathy Harchsen, Mick Harrington, Ron Hodgson, Sue Husari, Jon Keeley, Mike Landram, Bill Laudenslayer, Jim Mciver, Dan Neary, Bill Otrosina, Roger Ottmar, Martin Ritchie, Kevin Ryan, Patrick Shea, Carl Skinner, Scott Stephens, Nate Stephensen, Elaine Kennedy Sutherland, Bob Vihanek, Dale Wade, Tom Waldrop, Dan Yaussy, Andy Youngblood, Steve Zack

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Many U.S. forests, especially those with historically short-interval, low- to moderate-severity fire regimes, are too dense and have excessive quantities of fuels. Widespread treatments are needed to restore ecological integrity and reduce the high risk of destructive, uncharacteristically severe fires in these forests. Among possible treatments, however, the appropriate balance among cuttings, mechanical fuel treatments, and prescribed fire is often unclear. For improved decisionmaking, resource managers need much better information about the consequences of alternative management practices involving fire and mechanicaVmanual "fire surrogates." Long-term, interdisciplinary research thus should be initiated to quantify the consequences and tradeoffs of alternative fire and …

Widespread Triploidy In Western North American Aspen (Populus Tremuloides), Karen E. Mock, Colin M. Callahan, M. Nurul Islam-Faridi, John D. Shaw, Hardeep S. Rai, Stewart C. Sanderson, Carol A. Rowe, Ronald J. Ryel, Michael D. Madritch, Richard S. Gardner, Paul G. Wolf

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Canopy And Cultural Treatments On Fine Fuel Production, Fire Behavior, And Short-Term Fire Effects In Loblolly Pine (>I/I< L.) Stands Being Restored To Longleaf Pine (>I/I< Mill.), Carsyn Tennant

All Theses

Across the southeastern United States, anthropogenic factors such as land conversion and fire suppression have resulted in the prevalence of loblolly pine in areas historically occupied by longleaf pine. Compared to longleaf pine forests, loblolly stands often contain a substantial broad-leaved midstory and lack the ground layer that contributes fuels essential for the frequent, low intensity surface fire regime necessary to sustain the longleaf ecosystem. Currently, there is considerable interest in restoring longleaf pine habitats to areas occupied by loblolly pine. The retention of mature canopy trees is often necessary to maintain ecosystem function, to preserve habitat features, and to …

A Comparison Of Presettlement And Modern Forest Composition Along An Elevation Gradient In Central New Hampshire, Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur, Steven P. Hamburg, Charles V. Cogbill, Wendy Y. Sugimura

All Materials

Tree species composition is influenced not only by edaphic and climatic factors but also by natural and human-caused disturbances. To understand interactions among these influences, we compared forest species composition data from the time of European settlement with modern data. We derived elevation data for 2529 trees mapped by early land surveys (1770–1850) across a 1000 m elevation gradient in central New Hampshire and compared these with modern data (2004–2009) from the Forest Inventory and Analysis program (123 plots containing 2126 trees) and from permanent plots representing case studies of different land-use histories. Spruce and beech are much less abundant …

Molecular Identification Of Armillaria Gallica From The Niobrara Valley Preserve In Nebraska, Mee-Sook Kim, Ned B. Klopfenstein

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Armillaria isolates were collected from a unique forest ecosystem in the Niobrara Valley Preserve in Nebraska, USA, which comprises a glacial and early postglacial refugium in the central plains of North America. The isolates were collected from diverse forest trees representing a unique mixture of forest types. Combined methods of rDNA sequencing and flow cytometric measurements of nuclear DNA content determined that all Armillaria isolates collected from the site were A. gallica.

Fire Ecology And Management Of Non-Forested Ecosystems In Western North America. Final Report: Description Of Organizational Meetings And Development Of A Publication Plan, Matt Brooks

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

It has been almost 30 years since the last major book on the ecology and management of fire was published that contained extensive information from non-forested ecosystems across western North America (Wright and Bailey 1982). During subsequent years there have been notable books that have focused largely on forested ecosystems (e.g. Agee 1993), and there was one very recent book that addressed many important grassland, shrubland, woodland, and forest areas, but its geographic extent was confined to California (Sugihara et al. 2006). No single book has since matched the geographic scope associated with non-forested ecosystems in western North America as …

Fire Regimes Of Montane Grasslands Of The Valles Caldera National Preserve, New Mexico, Donald A. Falk, Craig D. Allen, Robert Parmenter, Thomas Swetnam, Clifford Dils

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Montane grasslands are an important ecosystem type in Southwestern landscapes, occurring from the forest borders of piñon-juniper woodland to high elevation subalpine and alpine ecosystems. Thus, they often represent a mosaic element embedded in the forest landscape matrix, playing key roles in processing water and nutrients, and providing habitat for unique suites of species, often at higher levels of diversity than those found in surrounding uplands. Soils, local temperature and moisture gradients, and disturbance all play roles in determining the distribution and extent of montane grasslands. Of these factors, fire plays the most dynamic role in regulating the location and …

Applications Of Airborne And Portable Lidar In The Structural Determination, Management, And Conservation Of Southeastern U.S. Pine Forests, Claudia De Mendonca Costa Synek Listopad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Active remote sensing techniques, such as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), have transformed the field of forestry and natural resource management in the last decade. Intensive assessments of forest resources and detailed structural assessments can now be accomplished faster and at multiple landscape scales. The ecological applications of having this valuable information at-hand are still only being developed. This work explores the use of two active remote sensing techniques, airborne and portable LiDAR for forestry applications in a rapidly changing landscape, Southeastern Coastal Pine woodlands. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of airborne and portable LiDAR, the tools used to extract …

Tracing The Source Of Groundwater For Three Different Coastal Peatlands Along Lake Superior, Margus Paesalu

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The goal of this project was to investigate the influence of a large inland lake on adjacent coastal freshwater peatlands. The specific aim was to determine the source of groundwater for three differently formed peatlands located on the southern shore of Lake Superior. The groundwater study was conducted at Bete Grise, a peatland complex in a dune-swale system; Pequaming, a peatland developed in the swale of a tombolo; and Lightfoot Bay, a peatland developed in a barrier beach wetland complex.

To determine the source of groundwater in the peatlands, transects of six groundwater monitoring wells were established at each study …

Heat Waves Measured With Modis Land Surface Temperature Data Predict Changes In Avian Community Structure, Thomas P. Albright, Anna M. Pidgeon, Chadwick D. Rittenhouse, Murray K. Clayton, Curtis H. Flather, Patrick D. Culbert, Volker C. Radeloff

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Heat waves are expected to become more frequent and severe as climate changes, with unknown consequences for biodiversity. We sought to identify ecologically-relevant broad-scale indicators of heat waves based on MODIS land surface temperature (LST) and interpolated air temperature data and assess their associations with avian community structure. Specifically, we asked which data source, time periods, and heat wave indices best predicted changes in avian abundance and species richness. Using mixed effects models, we analyzed associations between these indices and data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey in the central United States between 2000 and 2007 in four ecoregions …

Carrying Capacity For Species Richness As A Context For Conservation: A Case Study Of North American Breeding Birds, Andrew J. Hansen, Linda Bowers Phillips, Curtis H. Flather, Jim Robinson-Cox

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Aim To demonstrate that the concept of carrying capacity for species richness (S_K) is highly relevant to the conservation of biodiversity, and to estimate the spatial pattern of S_K for native landbirds as a basis for conservation planning.

Location North America.

Methods We evaluated the leading hypotheses on biophysical factors affecting species richness for Breeding Bird Survey routes from areas with little influence of human activities.We then derived a best model based on information theory, and used this model to extrapolate SK across North America based on the biophysical predictor variables. The predictor variables included the …

Coping With Forest Fragmentation: A Comparison Of Colobus Angolensis Palliatus Dietary Diversity And Behavioral Plasticity In The East Sagara Forest, Tanzania., Noah T. Dunham

Honors Projects

Habitat destruction and forest fragmentation are perhaps the largest threats to primate species around the world. While national parks, games reserves, and primate sanctuaries are instrumental in primate conservation, research suggests that some non-governmentally protected forest fragments may also serve as viable habitats for primates. Of course not all primates respond to fragmentation in the same way, but a species’ ability to survive in a fragment relates to 1) home range size 2) degree of frugivory 3) dietary flexibility and behavioral plasticity and 4) ability to utilize matrix habitats. Here I describe these variables in relation to black and white …

A Regional Guidebook For Applying The Hydrogeomorphic Approach To The Functional Assessment, Hans Michael Williams, Adam J. Miller, Rachel Mcnamee, Charles V. Klimas

eBooks

The Hydrogeomorphic (HGM) Approach is a method for developing and applying indices for the site-specific assessment of wetland functions. The HGM Approach was initially designed to be used in the context of the Clean Water Act Section 404 Regulatory Program permit review process to analyze project alternatives, minimize impacts, assess unavoidable impacts, determine mitigation requirements, and monitor the success of compensatory mitigation. However, a variety of other potential uses have been identified, including the design of wetland restoration projects, and management of wetlands.

The Mexican Spotted Owl Controversy: An Example Of The Esa’S Dominant Role In Federal Land Use Planning, Norman D. James

The Past, Present, and Future of Our Public Lands: Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Public Land Law Review Commission’s Report, One Third of the Nation’s Land (Martz Summer Conference, June 2-4)

19 pages, including illustrations and a map.

Includes footnotes.

Includes a 7 page publication by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southwest Region, titled: Changing Conditions in Southwestern Forests and Implications on Land Stewardship.

Terrestrial Ecosystem Classification In The Rocky Mountains, Northern Utah, Antonin Kusbach

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Currently, there is no comprehensive terrestrial ecosystem classification for the central Rocky Mountains of the United States. A comprehensive classification of terrestrial ecosystems in a mountainous study area in northern Utah was developed incorporating direct gradient analysis, spatial hierarchy theory, the zonal concept, and concepts of diagnostic species and fidelity, together with the biogeoclimatic ecosystem classification approach used in British Columbia, Canada.

This classification was derived from vegetation and environmental sampling of both forest and non-forest ecosystems. The SNOwpack TELemetry (SNOTEL) and The National Weather Service (NWS) Cooperative Observer Program (COOP) weather station network were used to approximate climate of …

Temperature Dependent Development Of The Egg-Larval Parasitoid Chelonus Oculator On The Factitious Host, Ephestia Cautella, Hi̇lal Tunca, Cem Özkan, Ahmet Neşet Kilinçer

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Development, fecundity, and longevity of the egg-larval parasitoid Chelonus oculator Panzer (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) were studied on the factitious host, Ephestia cautella (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) at 4 different temperatures (15 °C, 20 °C, 25 °C, and 30 °C). Developmental time from egg to adult was inversely related to temperature. Egg to adult development time ranged from 188 days at 15 °C to 28 days at 30 °C. Complete development required 489 degree-days with a developmental threshold of 12.5 °C. Adult male and female longevity ranged from 43 days at 20 °C to 17 days at 30 °C. Maximum production of offspring …

Blackbrush Shrublands: Fire Conditions And Solutions In The Mojave Desert, Lisa-Natalie Anjozian

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

While mature stands of blackbrush present an almost continuous cover that appears to suppress other species, this ecosystem supports a greater array of different plant species than was previously thought. Fire can completely remove blackbrush cover, but it also results in reduced numbers of other native species, and increased dominance of non-native species such as annual grasses that can promote recurrent fi re and alter the fi re regime. Where blackbrush shrublands historically experienced intense fi res with a long fi re return interval, the non-native fi ne fuels that are now prevalent in many stands promote a greater rate …

Little Umpqua Gentian And The Big Biscuit Fire, Lisa-Natalie Anjozian

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

Umpqua gentian is an imperiled plant of the gaps and forested places, growing from the central western Cascade Mountains of Oregon, south to the Klamath Mountains in northwestern California. Since 1993, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Forest Service have worked together on a conservation strategy for this rare species, with the goal of maintaining viable, stable populations of genetic diversity. On the Medford District of the BLM, three sites had been monitored each year since 1995. When the 2002 Biscuit Fire burned the area, scientists had no information on how burning would affect this species. The Biscuit …

The Effects Of Roads On Space Use And Movements Of Black Bears In Eastern Kentucky, Rebekah A. Jensen

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Kentucky, USA, is the site of recent natural recolonization by the American black bear (Ursus americanus); however, bears are rarely observed outside the Cumberland Mountains along the state‘s southeastern border. I examined the influence of roads in constraining the distribution of this population by altering animal space use and movement. I identified patterns of road avoidance and road crossing using data from Global Positioning System collars worn by 28 adult bears (16M, 12F), and described road mortality trends using 27 roadkill events. Bears avoided roads at the home range and landscape scale, primarily crossed low-traffic roads, and crossed …

Wavelet Analysis For Aboveground Biomass Estimate In Temperate Deciduous Forests, Xiaofang Wei

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The ever-increasing concentration of anthropogenic greenhouse gases (C02, CH4, and CFCs) has been identified as a likely (greater than 90% confidence) cause of the observed increase of global mean temperatures since the mid-20th century (IPCC, 2007). The effect of human-induced climate change could be unprecedented and far-reaching. Carbon sequestration into trees and forests is an effective and inexpensive way for mitigating the C02 level in the atmosphere. Hence, accurate measurement of biomass will be of great importance to global carbon cycle and climate change. This study performed a wavelet-based forest aboveground biomass estimation approach in a temperate deciduous forest, the …

Watershed Forest Management Information System (Wfmis), Yanli Zhang, P. K. Barten

Faculty Publications

Maintenance of a sustainable clean water supply is critical for our future. However, watershed degradation is a common phenomenon around the world that leads to poor water quality. In order to protect water resources, the Watershed Forest Management Information System (WFMIS), was developed as an extension of ArcGIS® and is described in this paper. There are three submodels to address nonpoint source pollution mitigation, road system management, and silvicultural operations, respectively. The Watershed Management Priority Indices (WMPI) is a zoning approach to prioritize critical areas for conservation and restoration management. It meets the critical need to spatially differentiate land cover …

Earth And Fire: Forests Rely On Healthy Soils For A Well-Rounded Diet, Elise Lequire

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

Historically, frequent low-intensity, dormant-season fire shaped the landscape across a variety of forests in the United States, from eastern hardwood and hardwood/conifer mixtures to western coniferous forests. Decades of fire exclusion have resulted in heavy fuel loads and increased threat of severe wildfire compared to historic conditions in most forest types and also resulted in changes in forest composition compared to historic conditions. The Fire and Fire Surrogates Study (FFS) is the first to apply a standard experimental design to compare thinning, thinning followed by prescribed fire, and prescribed fire alone across a wide spectrum of ecological and economic variables. …

Potential Site Productivity Influences The Rate Of Forest Structural Development, Andrew J. Larson, James A. Lutz, Rolf F. Gersonde, Jerry F. Franklin, Forest F. Hietpas

Forest Management Faculty Publications

Development and maintenance of structurally complex forests in landscapes formerly managed for timber production is an increasingly common management objective. It has been postulated that the rate of forest structural development increases with site productivity. We tested this hypothesis for Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) forests using a network of permanent study plots established following complete timber harvest of the original old-growth forests. Forest structural development was assessed by comparing empirical measures of live tree structure to published values for Douglas-fir forests spanning a range of ages and structural conditions. The rate of forest structural development—resilience—exhibited a positive relationship …