Forest 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 …

Adaptive Variation And Introgression Of A Constans-Like Gene In North American Red Oaks, Jennifer F. Lind-Riehl, Oliver Gailing

Michigan Tech Publications

Oaks provide a model system to study maintenance of species identity by divergent selection since they maintain morphological differences and ecological adaptations despite interspecific hybridization. The genome of closely related interfertile oak species was shown to be largely homogeneous, with a few genomic areas exhibiting high interspecific differentiation possibly as result of strong divergent selection. Previously, a genic microsatellite was identified as under strong divergent selection, being nearly fixed on alternative alleles in the two interfertile North American red oak species: Quercus rubra L. and Quercus ellipsoidalis E.J. Hill. Further genotyping in two other red oak species—Quercus velutina Lam. and …

The Influence Of The Invasive Chinese Tallow (Triadica Sebifera) Leaf Litter On Aquatic Chemistry And Microbial Community Composition, Raymond D. Montez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Global climate change and anthropogenic activity have facilitated the movement and invasive potential of nonnative plants in native environments. These invasions can have negative effects on ecosystem diversity and function. The nonnative and invasive plant, Chinese Tallow (Triadica sebifera), has already invaded much of the south eastern US where it is outcompeting native tree species and changing ecosystem diversity in a variety of habitats. Leaf litter from the Chinese tallow has been shown cause changes in dissolved oxygen and pH in the aquatic environment. Turbidity is also affected when Chinese tallow litter is present in water. A series of …

Evolutionary Heritage Influences Amazon Tree Ecology, Fernanda Coelho De Souza, Kyle G. Dexter, Oliver L. Phillips, Roel J. W. Brienen, Jerome Chave, David Galbraith, Gabriela Lopez Gonzalez, Abel Monteagudo M., R. Toby Pennington, Lourens Poorter, Miguel Alexiades, Esteban Alvarez Davila, Ana Andrade, Luiz E. O. C. Aragao, Alejandro Araujo-Murakami, Eric Arets, Gerardo A. Aymard C., Christopher Baraloto, Jorcely Barroso, Damien Bonal, Rene G. A. Boot, Jose Luis C. Camargo, James A. Comiskey, Fernando Cornejo Valverde, Plinio Barbosa De Camargo, Anthony Di Fiore, Fernando Elias, Terry L. Erwin, Ted R. Feldpausch, Leandro Ferreira, Nikolaos M. Fyllas, Manuel Gloor, Bruno Herault, Rafael Herrera, Niro Higuchi, Euridice N. Honorio Coronado, Timothy Killeen, William F. Laurance, Susan G. W. Laurance, Jon Lloyd, Thomas E. Lovejoy, Yadvinder Malhi, Leandro Maracahipes, Beatriz S. Marimon, Ben-Hur Marimon Jr., Casimiro Mendoza, Paulo S. Morandi, David Neill, Percy Nunez Vargas, Edmar A. Oliveira, Eddie Lenza, Walter Palacios, Maria C. Penuela-Mora, John J. Pipoly Iii, Nigel C. A. Pitman, Adriana Prieto, Carlos A. Quesada, Hirma Ramirez-Angulo, Agustin Rudas, Kalle Ruokolainen, Rafael P. Salomao, Marcos Silveira, Juliana Stropp, Hans Ter Steege, Raquel Thomas, Peter Van Der Hout, Geertje Van Der Heijden, Peter J. Van Der Meer, Rodolfo V. Vasquez, Simone A. Vieira, Emilio Vilanova, Vincent A. Vos, Ophelia Wang, Kenneth R. Young, Roderick J. Zagt

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Lineages tend to retain ecological characteristics of their ancestors through time. However, for some traits, selection during evolutionary history may have also played a role in determining trait values. To address the relative importance of these processes requires large-scale quantification of traits and evolutionary relationships among species. The Amazonian tree flora comprises a high diversity of angiosperm lineages and species with widely differing life-history characteristics, providing an excellent system to investigate the combined influences of evolutionary heritage and selection in determining trait variation. We used trait data related to the major axes of life-history variation among tropical trees (e.g. growth …

Predictive Modeling Of Black Spruce (Picea Mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) Wood Density Using Stand Structure Variables Derived From Airborne Lidar Data In Boreal Forests Of Ontario, Bharat Pokharel, Art Groot, Douglas G. Pitt, Murray Woods, Jeffery P. Dech

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Our objective was to model the average wood density in black spruce trees in representative stands across a boreal forest landscape based on relationships with predictor variables extracted from airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) point cloud data. Increment core samples were collected from dominant or co-dominant black spruce trees in a network of 400 m2 plots distributed among forest stands representing the full range of species composition and stand development across a 1,231,707 ha forest management unit in northeastern Ontario, Canada. Wood quality data were generated from optical microscopy, image analysis, X-ray densitometry and diffractometry as employed in SilviScan™. …

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 …

Bird Response To Land Use Change In Northern Argentina, David J. Flaspohler

TechTalks

Land use change is responsible for changes in wildlife populations including declines for many species. When one land cover type is converted into another for forestry, agriculture or pasture, some bird species are harmed while others may be favored. Understanding how biodiversity responds to land use change is essential to allowing us to anticipate and respond to management options and economic drivers of change. We studied the response of a diverse bird community in an historically grassland portion of northern Argentina, where eucalyptus plantations are expanding rapidly to support timber, pulp and incipient bioenergy industries. Plantations contained the fewest bird …

Effects Of Non-Consumptive Recreation And Environmental Factors On Arkansas State Park Biodiversity, Bennett P. Grooms

Theses and Dissertations from 2016

State parks serve a dual conservation role by offering protected habitat to many species while also promoting recreational use of natural resources. Non-consumptive recreation activities, however, have long-term negative effects on the behavior, physiology, and reproductive success of state park biotic communities. The purpose of my research was to investigate the possible synergistic effects of non-consumptive trail use, environmental factors, and trail design factors on avian, mesocarnivore, and woody vegetation communities in Arkansas state parks. During 18 May – 7 August 2015, I conducted avian point counts, trail user counts, set camera traps, and sampled vegetation at 227 points on …

Improving And Elucidating Factors Regulating Black Walnut (Juglans Nigra L.) Clonal Propagation, Micah E. Stevens

Open Access Dissertations

Black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) is a fine hardwood tree species native to the central hardwood region of the United States. High-quality black walnut timber is highly desirable. Traded in both regional and global markets, it has been used for veneer, and the manufacture of high-end products such as cabinets, furniture, and gunstocks. As a result of its high economic value, black walnut has been commercially cultivated for many years, and breeding programs have generated superior timber genotypes with improved marketable traits. Once elite genotypes were developed, it was quickly recognized that black walnut was recalcitrant to clonal propagation …

Plant Community Responses To The Removal Of Lonicera Maackii From An Urban Woodland Park., Elihu H. Levine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Impacts of Lonicera maackii on native forest communities have been widely researched, but long-term responses of plant communities to the removal of this exotic shrub have not been extensively evaluated. The Louisville Olmsted Parks Conservancy removes exotic shrubs and vines to restore ecological processes and native species in the woodlands of Cherokee Park. Paired-plots were established in 2008 to gather baseline herb, vine, tree, and shrub community data. Honeysuckle was removed from one plot of each pair in 2009 and community data were gathered again in 2013. Native herb cover and richness, vine cover, and tree sapling abundance increased where …

Crop Tree Enhancement Of Green Ash (Fraxinus Pennsylvanica) In A West Tennessee Hardwood Bottom, John Luke Bowers

Masters Theses

Crop tree enhancement is a forest management technique undertaken to maintain, enhance, and improve the species composition, growth rate, and stem quality of stands so that management objectives may be better and more quickly accomplished. In 1996, a crop tree enhancement study involving green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) in a 16-year-old, naturally regenerated, mixed-species, pole-sized, bottomland hardwood stand was initiated at Ames Plantation in West TN. Treatments included a crown-touching release, a crown-touching release plus one-time fertilizer application, and a control, applied in a randomized block design with five 25-crop tree repetitions of the three treatments. Initial crop tree …

Reintroducing Environmental Change Drivers In Biodiversity-Ecosystem Functioning Research., Frederik De Laender, Jason R. Rohr, Roman Ashauer, Donald J Baird, Uta Berger, Nico Eisenhauer, Volker Grimm, Udo Hommen, Lorraine Maltby, Carlos J Meliàn

Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

For the past 20 years, research on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (B-EF) has only implicitly considered the underlying role of environmental change. We illustrate that explicitly reintroducing environmental change drivers in B-EF research is needed to predict the functioning of ecosystems facing changes in biodiversity. Next we show how this reintroduction improves experimental control over community composition and structure, which helps to provide mechanistic insight on how multiple aspects of biodiversity relate to function and how biodiversity and function relate in food webs. We also highlight challenges for the proposed reintroduction and suggest analyses and experiments to better understand how …

Forest Ecosystems Of Temperate Climatic Regions: From Ancient Use To Climate Change, Frank S. Gilliam

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

Humans have long utilized resources from all forest biomes, but the most indelible anthropogenic signature has been the expanse of human populations in temperate forests. The purpose of this review is to bring into focus the diverse forests of the temperate region of the biosphere, including those of hardwood, conifer and mixed dominance, with a particular emphasis on crucial challenges for the future of these forested areas. Implicit in the term ‘temperate’ is that the predominant climate of these forest regions has distinct cyclic, seasonal changes involving periods of growth and dormancy. The specific temporal patterns of seasonal change, however, …

Effects Of Excess Nitrogen On Biogeochemistry Of A Temperate Hardwood Forest: Evidence Of Nutrient Redistribution By A Forest Understory Species, Frank S. Gilliam, Jake H. Billmyer, Christopher A. Walter, William T. Peterjohn

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

Excess nitrogen (N) in terrestrial ecosystems can arise from anthropogenically-increased atmospheric N deposition, a phenomenon common in eastern US forests. In spite of decreased N emissions over recent years, atmospheric concentrations of reactive N remain high in areas within this region. Excess N in forests has been shown to alter biogeochemical cycling of essential plant nutrients primarily via enhanced production and leaching of nitrate, which leads to loss of base cations from the soil. The purpose of our study was to investigate this phenomenon using a multifaceted approach to examine foliar nutrients of two herbaceous layer species in one N-treated …

Determining Public Perceptions Toward Wildland Fire In The Veluwe Region Of The Netherlands, Amy Brennan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Netherlands has been facing a growing threat of wildfires due to warmer

and drier weather patterns. The purpose of this study was to identify public

perceptions toward wildland fire in the forested Veluwe region of the country. The

Dutch have little experience with wildland fires or fire as a management tool. In a

collaborative effort between Stephen F. Austin State University and the Instituut

Fysieke Veiligheid, the Dutch public safety agency, a survey was distributed to

residents and visitors to the Veluwe to reveal and quantify public opinions and

perceptions regarding wildland fire and public expectations of government

agencies …

Modeling And Forecasting The Influence Of Current And Future Climate On Eastern North American Spruce-Fir (Picea-Abies) Forests, Caitlin Andrews

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The spruce-fir (Picea-Abies) forest type of the Acadian Region is at risk of disappearing from the United States and parts of Canada due to climate change and associated impacts. Managing for the ecosystem services provided by this forest type requires accurate forecasting of forest metrics across this broad international region in the face of the expected redistribution of tree species. This analysis linked species specific data with climate and topographic variables using the nonparametric random forest algorithm, to generate models that accurately predicted changes in species distribution due to climate change. A comprehensive dataset, consisting of 10,493,619 observations …

Old-Growth Characteristics Of Northern White-Cedar Stands, Nathan Wesely

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis; hereafter white-cedar) communities have received relatively little research attention, and managers lack the tools used in the management of other commercial tree species. This includes the recognition of old-growth characteristics and the differentiation between old-growth and partially harvested stands, particularly in the context of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC-US) certification. Specifically, there is very little information about characteristics that define old-growth white-cedar stands despite the species’ abundance and wide distribution. Regional indices for late-successional or old-growth stands (Whitman and Hagan, 2007) do not include white-cedar. Forests dominated by white-cedar represent a type that currently lacks …

Timber Talk, Vol. 54, No. 4, December 2016

Timber Talk: Nebraska Forest Industry Newsletter

In This Issue

Lumber Market Reports 1

Hardwood Lumber Prices 2

Note from the Editor - EAB Meeting Discussion 3

THE CHALLENGE - Using Forest Residues from Forest Operations 4

2016 Tax Tips Bulletin Available 4

Nebraska Forest Industry Spotlight 5

Alaska Airlines’ first flight with biofuel made from forest residuals 7

The Four “P’s” of Marketing Your Small Sawmill Business 7

Trading Post 8

Lignin Maximization: Analyzing The Impact Of Different Feedstocks And Feedstock Ratios Using Organosolv Fractionation, Marc Banholzer

Masters Theses

Over-exploitation of fossil fuels coupled with increasing pressure to reduce carbon emissions are prompting a transition from conventional petrochemical feedstocks to sustainable and renewable sourced carbon. The use of lignocellulosic biomass as a feedstock for integrated biorefining is of current high interest, as separation into its component parts affords process streams of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, each of which can serve as a starting point for the production of biobased chemicals and fuels. Given the large number of potential sources of lignocellulosic feedstocks, the biorefinery will need to adapt to the supplies available over a normal growing season. Of particular …

Leaf Miner's Leaves, Susan Hoenig

The STEAM Journal

For many years I have been collecting leaves and discovered a phenomena that I find truly fascinating on specific leaves called "leaf miner's leaves". The leaves are the dwellings of animals, various insects' architectural habitat. Leaf miner's leaves are a phenomena in nature in the plant kingdom where the larvae of various insects tunnel their way through a leaf eating its living tissue. The leaf miners create distinctive patterns on each leaf. The snake-like serpentine tunnels protect them from predators and plant defenses.

Vegetation Response To Canopy Disturbance And Season Of Burn During Oak Woodland And Savanna Restoration In Tennessee, Andrew Lee Vander Yacht, Seth A. Barrioz, Patrick D. Keyser, Craig A. Harper, David Buckley, David A. Buehler, Roger D. Applegate

UT Extension publication

The removal of fire’s influence on plant community succession has resulted in the near disappearance of oak woodlands and savannas from the Appalachian region. Negative trends in associated plant and wildlife species could be reversed if these communities are restored, but management has been limited by inadequate canopy disturbance, resprouting of woody plants, and a lack of empirical research. To address these issues, we evaluated herbaceous and woody vegetation response on the

Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee to 5 replicated treatments involving canopy reduction and fire-season combinations and unmanaged controls. All categories of woody vegetation except large saplings density, but resprouting …

The Subject Librarian Newsletter, Biology, Fall 2016, Sandy Avila

Libraries' Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Linking Hydraulic Traits To Tropical Forest Function In A Size-Structured And Trait-Driven Model (Tfs V.1-Hydro), Bradley O. Christoffersen, Manuel Gloor, Sophie Fauset, Nikolaos M. Fyllas, David R. Galbraith, Timothy R. Baker, Bart Kruij, Lucy Rowland, Rosie A. Fisher, Oliver J. Binks

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Forest ecosystem models based on heuristic water stress functions poorly predict tropical forest response to drought partly because they do not capture the diversity of hydraulic traits (including variation in tree size) observed in tropical forests. We developed a continuous porous media approach to modeling plant hydraulics in which all parameters of the constitutive equations are biologically interpretable and measurable plant hydraulic traits (e.g., turgor loss point πtlp, bulk elastic modulus ε, hydraulic capacitance Cft, xylem hydraulic conductivity ks,max, water potential at 50 % loss of conductivity for both xylem (P50,x) and stomata ( …

Predicting Post-Fire Change In West Virginia, Usa From Remotely-Sensed Data, Michael Strager P. Strager, Melissa Thomas-Van Gundy, Aaron E. Maxwell

Journal of Geospatial Applications in Natural Resources

Prescribed burning is used in West Virginia, USA to return the important disturbance process of fire to oak and oak-pine forests. Species composition and structure are often the main goals for re-establishing fire with less emphasis on fuel reduction or reducing catastrophic wildfire. In planning prescribed fires land managers could benefit from the ability to predict mortality to overstory trees. In this study, wildfires and prescribed fires in West Virginia were examined to determine if specific landscape and terrain characteristics were associated with patches of high/moderate post-fire change. Using the ensemble machine learning approach of Random Forest, we determined that …

Smokejumper Obituary: Smith, Frank J. (North Cascades 1948), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

The Forest Biomaterials Initiative At Michigan Tech And Across Michigan, Mark Rudnicki

TechTalks

The first statewide effort for a broad, cradle-to-cradle perspective of forest biomaterials originated at the MTU School of Forest Resources in 2012 and held a statewide meeting in Traverse City in 2013. The biomaterials initiative is currently a MTU university wide initiative, and is proceeding with development of educational and research programs that are envisioned to span most schools and colleges at MTU. Because of the work done in Traverse City and subsequent meetings, the Michigan Forest Biomaterials Institute (MiFBI) has evolved into an independent nonprofit with an expansive mission to enhance quality of life in Michigan by fostering sustainable …

Smokejumper Obituary: Tribe, Charles B. (Missoula 1956), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Improving Conservation Efforts Through A Better Understanding Of Forest Elephant Ecology, The Impacts Of Threats On Elephants And Freshwater Fisheries In Northern Congo, Roger Patrick Boundja

Doctoral Dissertations

IMPROVING CONSERVATION EFFORTS THROUGH A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF FOREST ELEPHANT ECOLOGY, THE IMPACTS OF THREATS ON ELEPHANTS AND FRESHWATER FISHERIES IN NORTHERN SEPTEMBER 2016 ROGER PATRICK BOUNDJA, B.Sc. FORESTRY, MARIEN NGOUABI UNIVERSITY, BRAZZAVILLE MSc. UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN PhD. UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Professor Curtice R. Griffin Catch data, including fish numbers, length-weight were collected during a multi-mesh Gillnet fisheries-independent survey in 2007-2008, and fisheries-dependent mixed gear surveys in 2009-2010 and 2015 across 400km stretch of the Sangha River located in the Sangha Tri-National. Overall, very high species richness (Chao 2 mean=250, SD=16.15) and diversity index (Simpson Inverse …

Smokejumper Obituary: Seim, Keith Douglas (Missoula 1966), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Historical Fire In Longleaf Pine (Pinus Palustris) Forests Of South Mississippi And Its Relation To Land Use And Climate, Charles Raymond White, Grant L. Harley

Faculty Publications

We characterized historical fire regimes in Pinus palustris (longleaf pine) forests of southern Mississippi with regard to global and regional coupled climate systems (e.g., El Niño–Southern Oscillation) and past human activity. The composite fire chronology spanned 1756–2013 with 132 individual scars representing 89 separate fire events. The mean fire interval was 2.9 yr, and mean intervals were significantly different between identified time periods (e.g., settlement period vs. management period). Evidence of biannual fire activity (up to three fires occurring within a 12‐ to 15‐month period) was found coeval with a peak in livestock grazing and logging from the 1850s through …