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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Economics And Operational Decision Constraints Of Small-Diameter Tree Harvesting, Libin Thaikkattil Louis
Economics And Operational Decision Constraints Of Small-Diameter Tree Harvesting, Libin Thaikkattil Louis
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Sustainably managed forests are crucial in balancing trade-off between various ecosystem functions and optimum product utilization. Improving the utilization of these renewable resources through diversified forest wood products faces various socio-economic, ecological, and cultural challenges. A major challenge faced by forest managers in the Northeastern United States is overstocked stands dominated by small-diameter trees (SDT). Major woody portion of the harvested residues is constituted by SDT and are typically of low value. Data from the national inventory indicates a high number of SDT in Northeastern forests such that the average size of all trees in the region is less than …
The Effects Of Prescribed Burning On Soil Water Infiltration Rates And Other Select Soil Physical And Chemical Properties In East Texas, Cassady Pennington Dunson, Brian P. Oswald, Kenneth Farrish, Tyson Hart
The Effects Of Prescribed Burning On Soil Water Infiltration Rates And Other Select Soil Physical And Chemical Properties In East Texas, Cassady Pennington Dunson, Brian P. Oswald, Kenneth Farrish, Tyson Hart
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This study focused on whether prescribed burning affects soil physical and chemical properties, especially water infiltration, in Western Gulf Coast forests. Soil water infiltration rates were measured 1) pre-burn (before the fire), 2) post-burn (one month after the fire), and 3) at vegetation green-up (three months after the fire). Soil samples were also collected to determine the effects of prescribed burning on soil pH, bulk density, particle density, pore space, soil strength, O-horizon weight and depth (organic matter), water stable aggregates, and soil fertility. This project was conducted on two different burn intervals. The National Forests and Grasslands of Texas …
Food-Web And Functional Trait Community Structure Of Predator Assemblages In Pine Forests Under Different Management Regimes, Connor Adams
Food-Web And Functional Trait Community Structure Of Predator Assemblages In Pine Forests Under Different Management Regimes, Connor Adams
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Anthropogenic activities can alter natural disturbance regimes in ecosystems, and thereby affect the structure and function of biological diversity. As many of the world’s ecosystems are degraded beyond natural recovery, well-defined restoration goals are necessary to maintain the ecological processes that provide valuable ecosystem services. Utilizing taxonomic, functional, and food-web approaches, I investigated the impacts of forest management practices in structuring predator communities in two pine forest systems of eastern Texas. The results of this study indicate that the increased frequency of forest management practices such as prescribed fires and thinning operations encourages predator diversity while increasing functional and trophic …