Forest Sciences Commons^™

An Integrated Research Approach To The Development Of Fungal Isolates As Bioherbicides For The Control Of Woody Weeds, Patrick Mershon

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Prickly acacia (Acacia nilotica) is an invasive weed tree in Australia, ranked seventh on the list of Weeds of National Significance because of its aggressiveness and its economic and environmental impacts. The significant downsides to manual and chemical control of this species drove the search for a biological control mechanism. Surveying and sampling stands of A. nilotica naturally exhibiting disease symptoms yielded several native Australian fungi capable of pathogenesis in this species, which are currently under assessment as potential bioherbicides for this weed. Three field trials were established at the same site in order to further advance current …

Agroforestry And Smallholder Farmers: Climate Change Adaptation Through Sustainable Land Use, Colin Mccabe

Capstone Collection

Agriculture in the developing world will be extremely hard hit by climate change, and smallholder farmers in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are among the most vulnerable to its impacts. There is a range of agricultural adaptations to climate change, and each context demands a unique appraisal of impacts and adaptations based on specific geography, local climate variability and expected change, and social conditions. The term “climate-smart agriculture” (CSA) has come to embody a set of practices in crop and livestock cultivation that 1) reduce greenhouse gas emissions (climate change mitigation), 2) build resilience to the impacts of climate change for …

Too Much Weed: Invasive Species In Chitwan National Park, Laura Nelson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Invasive plant species threaten jungle eco-systems in Chitwan National Park. Mikania micrantha is the most destructive invasive plant in the park and has been named one of the world’s 100 worst invaders. It is an exceptionally fastgrowing and aggressive perennial plant that is quickly spreading throughout Chitwan and ousting native plant species that comprise the diets of rhinos and other important wildlife species. M. micrantha poses both immediate ecological concerns to wildlife and threatens rural subsistence farming populations by destroying cropland. In Nepal, no policy or program exists to contain invasive plant species, and large-scale management of M. micrantha is …

Traditional Plant Use Of The Raglay In Cãu Gãy Village, Núi Chúa National Park, Alex Greene

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Members of the Raglay community of Cãu Gãy Village were interviewed to determine the extent and nature of their traditional reliance on plants. This community, located in the buffer zone of Núi Chúa National Park, was found to utilize 64 plant species for a wide variety of uses. Botanical specimens and photographs were used to identify 42 plants to species level, 13 to genus level, and 6 to family level, while 3 remained unidentified. For each plant, the Raglay name, local Vietnamese name, use, specific application, and preparation were documented, as well as any details of ritual or commercial significance. …

Rural Tree Decline In Tasmania’S Midlands: Stand Structure, Substrate Geology, And Carbon Content Analysis, Claire Superak

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The once densely forested dry sclerophyll landscapes of the Midlands of Tasmania are now characterized by vast spans of agricultural pasture with intermittent dead and ailing eucalypt trees. This landscape changing phenomenon, rural tree dieback, has come into the focus of a collaborative research team at the University of Tasmania sponsored by the nonprofit organization, Greening Australia. Through the efforts of this team of scientists of diverse backgrounds, Greening Australia aims to create an ecologically viable reforestation plan for the Midlands.

I conducted a pilot study focusing on a 400 ha plot within the Dennistoun Farm property in Bothwell, Tasmania …

Guide Accreditation In The Wet Tropics World Heritage Area: A Study Of The Practices, Attitudes, And Concerns Of Small Tourism Operators, Nora Vogel

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study assessed the attitudes, practices, and needs of tour operators in the Wet Tropics World Heritage area with respect to the recruitment and training of tour guides. The results will be used to help determine the need and demand for an official Wet Tropics guide accreditation system, as well as the form that system should take. The study also served to add more contacts to the Wet Tropics Management Authority’s growing network of tour operators, tour groups, and research scientists. Tour operators’ guide training practices varied with their business type and resources; many of the smallest operators provided a …

Spiny Forest Heterogeneity: Implications For Regeneration And Its Detection, Catherine Reuter

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study sought to verify claims made in a recently published paper by Thomas Elmqvist that certain portions of Madagascar’s spiny forest are rapidly regenerating. The study took place in the forest around the village of Manavy located in Central Antandroy, where historical and current images of the land cover do not collaborate Elmqvist’s conclusions. Using maps derived from remote sensed images of the area, quadrats were established within Elmqvist’s ‘regenerating’ area. Within these sites detailed vegetative analyses of species composition and regenerative process were performed as well as qualitative assessment of disturbance level. The results of this study indicate …

Post-Fire Demography Of A Dry Eucalypt Forest In The Midlands, Tasmania: A Pilot Study, Christine Urbanowicz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

There have been many efforts to regenerate the threatened and declining dry eucalypt forests found within the Midlands of Tasmania. This pilot study was completed as part of a larger research project on eucalypt regeneration. Researchers need to know where recruits are most successful in order to appropriately place regeneration microsites. I have begun characterizing the baseline demography of a recently burnt remnant forest. I had two objectives: 1. to characterize the stand structure where recruits are successful, and 2. to describe where the recruits are within this structure. Data on location, size, and life history stage of trees were …

A Reassessment Of Avian Assemblages Along The Lakes Corridor In The Atherton Tablelands, North Queensland, Shaina N. Stewart

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Forest fragmentation is the process by which large areas of continuous forest are replaced by foreign ecosystems that restrict native growth to isolated patches. Biota remaining within these fragmented environments often suffer consequences that stem from reduced forest area. Wildlife corridors—linear patches of habitat that connect remnant fragments—have frequently been proposed to alleviate fragmentation effects by facilitating biotic movement between forest patches. Initiated in 1998, the Lakes Corridor on the Atherton Tablelands in North Queensland, Australia, connects the two formerly isolated sections of Crater Lakes National Park with the goal of promoting wildlife dispersal between them. This study monitored avian …

Community Forestry In Oaxaca: An Assessment Of The Level Of Autonomy In Forest Decision-Making And Its Environmental And Economic Importance, Peter Gill

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

No abstract provided.

Fire Making Fuel: How A Surface Fire In A Primary Forest Affected The Availability Of Potential Fuel One Year Later, Alex Leckie

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Fires affect millions of hectares of tropical forests around the world. These fires result in great environmental damage and economical losses. Many farmers are dependent on fire for managing their lands and many times their fires accidentally spread into forests via fuels on the forest floor. This study attempted to analyze and quantify the difference of potential fuel in a primary forest which burned one year before and an unburned part of the same forest at a primary forest fragment surrounded by farms and with a history of anthropogenic accidental fires burning it. This was done by making three sample …

Effectiveness Of Cane Toad Eradication Methods: Arakwal National Park, Matthew Miller

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The cane toad (Bufo marinus) is a pest throughout Australia. Not only is it poisonous to native predators, it also consumes or out competes native fauna. It has only recently entered into Northern New South Wales where the site for this study is located, at Arakwal National Park. This study aims to discover the most effective method of cane toad eradication in the National Park.

Over the course of 18 days, three traps were set and rotated between 9 different sites. Traps were set at sunset and cleared at sunrise. The three traps used were; (1) Pitfall style trap by …

Efectos De Las Plantaciones De Árboles Exóticos Y El Movimiento Mapuche, Shannon Ryan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This is a paper about my interpretations of the forest industry in the IX region of Chile and the effects it has as I saw and heard about them from the people I talked to. It is not an objective paper and my own perspective is evident throughout. What I think brings credibility to the paper is the fact that it reveals a reality that I experienced directly, in the communities and offices of the people who lives are effected by the plantations. I realize that a great deal of the paper sounds very sensationalized, but it is because I …