Life Sciences Commons^™

Tree Circumference Dynamics In Four Forests Characterized Using Automated Dendrometer Bands, Valentine Herrmann, Sean M. Mcmahon, Matteo Detto, James A. Lutz, Chia-Hao Chang-Yang, Kristina J. Anderson-Teixeira

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Stem diameter is one of the most commonly measured attributes of trees, forming the foundation of forest censuses and monitoring. Changes in tree stem circumference include both irreversible woody stem growth and reversible circumference changes related to water status, yet these fine-scale dynamics are rarely leveraged to understand forest ecophysiology and typically ignored in plot- or stand-scale estimates of tree growth and forest productivity. Here, we deployed automated dendrometer bands on 12–40 trees at four different forested sites—two temperate broadleaf deciduous, one temperate conifer, and one tropical broad-leaf semi-deciduous—to understand how tree circumference varies on time scales of hours to …

Forest Restoration Using Variable Density Thinning: Lessons From Douglas-Fir Stands In Western Oregon, Klaus J. Puettmann, Adrian Ares, Julia I. Burton, Erich Kyle Dodson

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

A large research effort was initiated in the 1990s in western United States and Canada to investigate how the development of old-growth structures can be accelerated in young even-aged stands that regenerated following clearcut harvests, while also providing income and ecosystem services. Large-scale experiments were established to compare effects of thinning arrangements (e.g., spatial variability) and residual densities (including leave islands and gaps of various sizes). Treatment effects were context dependent, varying with initial conditions and spatial and temporal scales of measurement. The general trends were highly predictable, but most responses were spatially variable. Thus, accounting for initial conditions at …

Shrub Consumption And Immediate Changes In Shrub Community And Spatial Patterns By Reintroduced Fire In Yosemite National Park, California, Usa; Supplemental Information, J. A. Lutz, T. J. Furniss, S. J. Germain, K. M. L. Becker, E. M. Blomdahl, S. A. Jeronimo, C. A. Cansler, J. A. Freund, M. E. Swanson, A. J. Larson

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Fire behavior in the Yosemite Forest Dynamics Plot during the Rim Fire as captured by the USFS Fire Behavior Assessment Team and reported in Ewell, C., D.F. Smith, M. Hilden, S. Greene, D. Coultrap, K. Robinson, N. Vaillant, A. Reiner, T. Norman. 2015. 2013 Rim Fire Stanislaus National Forest and Yosemite National Park Fire Behavior Assessment Team Summary Report. Each video was started based on a thermocouple trigger when the fire reached it.

Disease Introduction Is Associated With A Phase Transition In Bighorn Sheep Demographics, Kezia R. Manlove, E. Frances Cassirer, Paul C. Cross, Raina K. Plowright, Peter J. Hudson

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Ecological theory suggests that pathogens are capable of regulating or limiting host population dynamics, and this relationship has been empirically established in several settings. However, although studies of childhood diseases were integral to the development of disease ecology, few studies show population limitation by a disease affecting juveniles. Here, we present empirical evidence that disease in lambs constrains population growth in bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) based on 45 years of population‐level and 18 years of individual‐level monitoring across 12 populations. While populations generally increased (λ = 1.11) prior to disease introduction, most of these same populations experienced an abrupt change …

The Plight Of Aspen: Emerging As A Beneficiary Of Wolf Restoration On Yellowstone’S Northern Range, John Klaptosky

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

A Multiple‐Scale Assessment Of Long‐Term Aspen Persistence And Elevational Range Shifts In The Colorado Front Range, Mario Bretfeld, Scott B. Franklin, Robert K. Peet

Aspen Bibliography

Aspen forests and woodlands are some of the most species‐rich forest communities in the northern hemisphere. Changing climate, altered disturbance regimes, land use, and increased herbivore pressure threaten these forests both in Eurasia and North America. In addition, rapid mortality dubbed “Sudden Aspen Decline” is a concern for aspen's long‐term presence in the western United States, especially Colorado and Utah. Yet it is still unclear whether aspen is persistent or declining at the landscape scale. We assessed aspen persistence at different spatial scales in the Colorado Front Range by resampling 89 plots containing aspen from among 305 vegetation plots sampled …

Comparing Conventional And Noninvasive Monitoring Techniques For Assessing Cougar Population Size In The Southern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Peter D. Alexander

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Determining the abundance or density of wildlife populations is needed for informed decision-making by wildlife biologists. Cougars (Puma concolor), however, are a highly secretive species occurring at very low densities across the landscape, and thus their populations are difficult for biologists to accurately assess. The conventional, and most trusted, method entails physically trapping and radio-collaring as many cougars as possible in a population, and then performing a simple count to determine a minimum population size. While accurate, this method is prohibitively expensive, logistically challenging, and behaviorally disruptive to the study animal. Many noninvasive surveying techniques, such as camera …

“One Health” Or Three? Publication Silos Among The One Health Disciplines, Kezia R. Manlove, Josephine G. Walker, Meggan E. Craft, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Maxwell B. Joseph, Ryan S. Miller, Pauline Nol, Kelly A. Patyk, Daniel O'Brien, Daniel P. Walsh, Paul C. Cross

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

The One Health initiative is a global effort fostering interdisciplinary collaborations to address challenges in human, animal, and environmental health. While One Health has received considerable press, its benefits remain unclear because its effects have not been quantitatively described. We systematically surveyed the published literature and used social network analysis to measure interdisciplinarity in One Health studies constructing dynamic pathogen transmission models. The number of publications fulfilling our search criteria increased by 14.6% per year, which is faster than growth rates for life sciences as a whole and for most biology subdisciplines. Surveyed publications clustered into three communities: one used …

Gibsonville Healthy Forest Restoration Project: Silviculture Report, Dan Roskopf

Aspen Bibliography

The Forest Service proposes to reduce the risk of wildfire, to protect, restore, and enhance forest ecosystem components (i.e., streams, meadows, aspen areas) in the vicinity of Gibsonville, California. A combination of hazard tree removal, forest health, and fuels reduction treatments are proposed on 1,200 acres of Forest Service system lands. These actions are proposed to be implemented on the Feather River Ranger District of the Plumas National Forest.

High And Dry: Post-Fire Tree Seedlingestablishment In Subalpine Forestsdecreases With Post-Fire Drought Andlarge Stand-Replacing Burn Patches, Brian J. Harvey, Daniel C. Donato, Monica G. Turner

Aspen Bibliography

Aim: Climate warming and increased wildfire activity are hypothesized to catalyse biogeographical shifts, reducing the resilience of fire-prone forests world-wide. Two key mechanisms underpinning hypotheses are: (1) reduced seed availability in large stand-replacing burn patches, and (2) reduced seedling establishment/survival after post-fire drought. We tested for regional evidence consistent with these mechanisms in an extensive fire-prone forest biome by assessing post-fire tree seedling establishment, a key indicator of forest resilience.

Location: Subalpine forests, US Rocky Mountains.

Methods: We analysed post-fire tree seedling establishment from 184 field plots where stand-replacing forest fires were followed by varying post-fire climate conditions. Generalized linear …

Bigtooth And Quaking Aspen Propagation From Roots Versus Seed, Joseph M. Vande Hey

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.