Forest Sciences Commons^™

Biomass Estimations Of Invasives Yaupon, Chinese Privet And Chinese Tallow In East Texas Hardwood And Pine Ecosystems, Mike Tiller, Brian P. Oswald, Alyx Frantzen, Warren Conway, I-Kuai Hung

Faculty Publications

Forest understory fuels can have profound effects on fire behavior and crown fire initiation. Accurate fire behavior prediction in understory fuels is an essential component for estimating fire intensity and severity during wildfire and prescribed fire events. This study focused on estimating temporal and seasonal changes in fuel loading parameters associated with the expansion of invasive yaupon (Ilex vomitoria), Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense), and Chinese tallow (Triadica sebifera) in East Texas pine and hardwood ecosystems. Fuel loading data of invasive species infested sites indicated significant increases in understory biomass when compared to 1988 estimates, suggesting a clear need to revise …

Initial Development Of Surface Fuel Models For The Netherlands, Brian P. Oswald, Nienke Brouwer, Ester Willemsen

Faculty Publications

Estimating the spread of wildland fire is growing concern in the Netherlands, where fire events at the wildland urban interface is a growing concern with a changing climate. A multi-year project was initiated in 2012 to obtain field-based fuel measurements to be used to estimate wildland fire spread for surface fire. The overall objective was to develop either custom fuel models or utilize existing Northern American fuel models to fuel conditions in some of the hazardous vegetation in the Netherlands. Over a four-year period, 96 plots were established, a wide variety of fuel parameters measured, and ANOVA (p ≤ 0.1) …

First Interspecific Genetic Linkage Map For Castanea Sativa X Castanea Crenata Revealed Qtls For Resistance To Phytophthora Cinnamomi, Carmen Santos, Charles Dana Nelson, Tetyana Zhebentyayeva, Helena Machado, José Gomes-Laranjo, Rita Lourenço Costa

Forest Health Research and Education Center Faculty Publications

The Japanese chestnut (Castanea crenata) carries resistance to Phytophthora cinnamomi, the destructive and widespread oomycete causing ink disease. The European chestnut (Castanea sativa), carrying little to no disease resistance, is currently threatened by the presence of the oomycete pathogen in forests, orchards and nurseries. Determining the genetic basis of P. cinnamomi resistance, for further selection of molecular markers and candidate genes, is a prominent issue for implementation of marker assisted selection in the breeding programs for resistance. In this study, the first interspecific genetic linkage map of C. sativa x C. crenata …

Urban Impacts To Forest Productivity, Soil Quality, And Canopy Structure In Forest Park, Portland, Oregon, Andrew David Addessi

Dissertations and Theses

Land use practices and exposure to low impact disturbances associated with an urban environment can alter forest structure and function. Past and ongoing research in Forest Park, a large urban forest in Portland, Oregon, suggests that mature mixed Douglas-fir (Psuedotsuga meziesii)-hardwood stands in the more urban end of the park lack a shade-tolerant conifer understory composed of the late successional conifer tree species, such western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) and western red-cedar (Thuja plicata). 5-year plot remeasurement data that characterizes productivity and mortality patterns did not show a strong relationship to urban proximity. Plot productivity …

Effects Of Salinity And Wet–Dry Treatments On C And N Dynamics In Coastal-Forested Wetland Soils: Implications Of Sea Level Rise, Xijun Liu, Alexander Ruecker, Bo Song, William H. Conner, Alex T. Chow

Publications

Forested wetlands dominated by baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) and water tupelo (Nyssa aquatica) are commonly found in coastal regions of the southeastern United States. Global climate change and in particular sea level rise will alter the frequency and magnitude of wet/dry periods and salinity levels in these ecosystems. Soil microcosm experiments were set up to identify the effects of water level variations (0.4–3.0 g-water g-soil−1) and salinity changes (0, 1 and 5 ppt of NaCl) on greenhouse gas emissions (CH4, CO2, and N2O) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) characteristics from forested wetland soils. Our results indicate that, the effect …

Timber Talk, Vol. 55, No. 3, September 2017

Timber Talk: Nebraska Forest Industry Newsletter

Lumber Market Reports: Northern, Southern, Appalachian

Hardwood Lumber Prices: Green, Kiln-Dried, Pallet Lumber, Ties (7x9)

Letter from the Editor: Governor’s “Red Tape Review” Offering opportunity for the Nebraska forest industry

Understanding Moisture Meters, By Brett Miller, National Hardwood Flooring Association - “Hardwood Floors” Magazine

Nebraska Forest Industry Spotlight: MTS Tree Service

Forestry Field Day Announcement: September 30, 2017 Horning State Farm - 2106 Horning Road Plattsmouth, Nebraska

Workshop Announcement: Forest Products Marketing, November 9, 2017 Buffalo County Extension Building Kearney, Nebraska

Trading Post

Timber Sales

Forest Densification Over 85 Years In A Sierra Nevada Mixed-Conifer Forest Decreases Conifer Regeneration And Limits Survival, Marissa A. Vossmer

Master's Theses

Forest densification in response to a century of fire suppression in Sierra Nevada mixed conifer forests has decreased conifer regeneration and survival. Increases in overstory biomass and decreases in canopy heterogeneity, along with decreases in shrub cover in the understory, has created unfavorable establishment site conditions for conifer species. Establishment site conditions are key in promoting germination and establishment of conifers seeds and in determining the survival of these seedlings into the overstory. These changes in establishment site suitability resulting from the removal of disturbance from these forests has decreased conifer regeneration and survival into other age classes. In Sierra …

Overview Of The Us Forest Service Programs And Opportunities For Partnership, Cultivating A Culture Of Success In Natural Resources: Moving Outreach Forward In Conversation, Tony Tooke

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

No abstract provided.

Landowners' Willingness To Supply Woody Biomass For Biofuel In West Alabama, Gilbert Adjoyi, Ellene Kebede

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

Abstract

The Concern for national energy security, rural development, and climate change has created a wider attention for biofuels from woody biomass in recent times. For instance, West Alabama is an area of interest for stakeholders regarding the production of woody biomass. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to examine landowners’ willingness to supply woody biomass for biofuel in West Alabama. A mail survey of randomly selected landowners was conducted in eight selected counties. The results indicated that the average forestland owner is male, between ages of 40 and 57, with an average of 27 years of land …

Tropical Cyclones Disrupt The Relationship Between Tree Height And Species Diversity: Comment, Teng-Chiu Lin, Lixin Wang, Chengyang Zheng, Ryan W. Mcewan, Chung-Te Chang, Jyh-Min Chiang, Chung-Hao Chi

Biology Faculty Publications

In a recent report on the patterns of tree species richness in eastern and western North America, Marks et al. (2016) claimed to have identified an operational indicator of environmental harshness (maximum tree height) and concluded that environmental stressors that limit tree height also act as ecological filters on species richness. Marks et al. (2017) attributed the positive association between species richness and maximum tree height to both the direct effects of environmental harshness on species richness and the indirect effects of environmental harshness on species richness as mediated by maximum tree height.

This finding overlooked the fact that many …

Walking As Ontological Shifter: Thoughts In The Key Of Life, Bibi (Silvina) Calderaro

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

With walking as ontological shifter I pursue an alternative to the dominant modernist episteme that offers either/or onto-epistemologies of opposition and their reifying engagements. I propose this type of walking is an intentional turning towards a set of radical positions that, as integrative aesthetic and therapeutic practice, brings multiplicity and synchronicity to experience and being in an expanded sociality. This practice facilitates the conditions of possibility for recurring points of contact between the interiority perceived as ‘body’ and the exteriority perceived as ‘world.’ While making evident the self’s at once incoherence with it-self, it opens to a space beyond the …

Assessing Alternative Silvicultural Prescriptions For Mid-Rotation, Unthinned, Spruce-Fir Stands In Maine, Patrick Hiesl, Mindy S. Crandall, Aaron R. Weiskittel, Anil R. Kizha

Publications

Determining the optimal timing and type of entry in mid-rotation, unthinned stands can be complicated by a variety of economic and biological factors. In this analysis, long-term data from the Commercial Thinning Research Network was used to project spruce-fir (Picea spp.—Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) stand growth on six different sites across Maine following six alternative thinning treatments (33% and 50% relative density removal paired with low, crown, and dominant thinning methods). Results showed that the low-thinning treatment performed best in terms of maximum net present value, stand age at time of maximum net present value, and average merchantable …

Assessing The Vegetative Diversity Of An East Texas Golf Course Using Principles Of Landscape Ecology, Brian P. Oswald, Penny G. Lanham, Hans M. Williams, David Kulhavy

Faculty Publications

The objectives of this study was to determine the vegetative diversity and the effects of the edge between fairways (introduced patches) and out-of-bounds areas (remnant patches) to determine if such management activities influence plant diversity. This study was conducted at the Pineywoods Country Club in the Pineywoods Region of East Texas near Nacogdoches, TX, USA by assessing the spatial distribution of these matrices and patches and their influence on edge effect composition and structure in the matrix; and, if species diversity and composition differed between these edges and interior of the matrices. Nested plots were placed along transects and canopy …

Reconstruction Of Piñon-Juniper Forest Structure To Examine Historic Wildlife Habitat Characteristics In The Davis Mountains, Usa, Brian P. Oswald, John R. Lanham, James C. Kroll, Mohammed M. Bataineh, Yanli Zhang

Faculty Publications

Changes in piñon-juniper (Pinus spp., Juniperus spp.) communities across the southwestern United States have often decreased ecological diversity of the understory and increases of exotic species. Reconstructing age and establishment patterns provides essential understanding to guide treatments and management for anthropogenically-altered forests. The goal of this study was to determine how patterns of piñon and juniper growth in the Davis Mountains, Texas, varied over time and how this pattern influenced wildlife habitat of several indicator species. Establishment patterns and basal area growth progression were identified, canopy cover estimates regressed from pre-developed canopy regression equations to re-construct historic forest stand …

Smokejumper Obituary: Pohowsky, Ian R. (Missoula 2011), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Smokejumper Obituary: Crowe, Robert A. "Bob" (Missoula 1946), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Response Of East Texas Mid-Rotation Loblolly Pine Plantations To Poultry Litter And Chemical Fertilizer Amendments, Brian P. Oswald, Micah-John Bieirle, Hans M. Williams, Kenneth W. Farrish, I-Kuai Hung

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Evaluating Mine Soil Prepared By Scraper Pans For Herbaceous Plants And Pine Seedlings At An East Texas Lignite Surface Mine, Hannah Z. Angel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since 1974, Luminant Mining Company, LLC (Luminant) has planted over 38.7 million trees on its reclaimed lignite surface mine operations in Texas. For decades, the use of improved reclamation techniques on Luminant’s mined lands have resulted in over 31,160 ha reclaimed to forests, wildlife habitat, and pastures with productivity levels similar to those found on unmined lands. The development of new reclamation methodologies offers opportunities to further improve productivity of planted trees at Luminant’s Martin Lake Oak Hill Mine in east Texas. The conventional haulback or ‘truck shovel’ reclamation method uses haul trucks for the selective transport and placement of …

Smokejumper Obituary: Gunther, Ronald E. (Idaho City 1954), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Smokejumper Obituary: Sweaney, James N. (Missoula 1967), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Ecological And Organic Life Safety Concerns Of Hfo-1234yf, Alberni V. Ruiz

STAR Program Research Presentations

While at NOAA my research was directed by the inquiry of whether or not HFO-1234yf, a new compound being introduced into coolant system and replacing greenhouse gases HFC, is harmful to organic life. Using the computer program Matlab I was able to develop figures that represented the concentration of HFO-1234yf (HFO) in 12 different tower locations throughout the country. Comparing and contrasting concentrations of this HFO compound at each site led me to the question the possible harmful side effects this compound could bring to organic life due to the fact that concentration levels are increasing, with one factor being …

Can Windbreaks Benefit Your Soil Health Management System?

Working Trees (USDA-NAC)

Yes, windbreaks can benefit your soil health management system.

Can Alley Cropping Support Soil Health?

Working Trees (USDA-NAC)

Can alley cropping support soil health?

Alley cropping, the planting of rows of trees and/or shrubs to create alleys within which agricultural or horticultural crops are produced, can improve soil health and provide other benefits.

Alley cropping is one of several soil health management practices designed to increase organic matter, infiltration rates, water holding capacity, soil biological diversity and, with these changes, enhance crop yields.

Quality And Yield Responses Of Seven Warm Season Forage Grasses To Partial Shading In A Simulated Silvopasture In East Texas, Jodi E. Hill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this project was to evaluate growth and nutritional characteristics of seven forages, including various warm season native grasses, grown under simulated partial shading (50%) typical of a loblolly pine silvopastoral system in East Texas. In order to meet the overall objective, slatted shade structures were constructed that simulated the quantity, quality, and overall light regime found beneath loblolly pine stands arranged for silvopasture. The forages selected for the study included ‘Tifton 9’ bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum), ‘Tifton 85’ bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon), ‘Alamo’ switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), ‘Kaw’ Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), ‘Americus’ …

Comparison Of Understory Chemical And Mechanical Treatments To Promote Regeneration Of Desirable Forestland Species, Rebecca Rachael Tyler

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Invasive woody plants and trees can have a negative impact on desired tree regeneration in the understory of forest stands, and forage density in grassland sites. An assessment of chemical and mechanical treatments on woody plants in the understory of forestland and in grassland is needed. Two experiments were set up in two forest stands and in two grassland/forest edge sites, with two treatment times during the growing season in the first year of the study. On the forestland sites, chemical and mechanical treatments were applied on undesired woody plants to see if they effect the regeneration of desired tree …

Forest Understory Trees Can Be Segmented Accurately Within Sufficiently Dense Airborne Laser Scanning Point Clouds, Hamid Hamraz, Marco A. Contreras, Jun Zhang

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Airborne laser scanning (LiDAR) point clouds over large forested areas can be processed to segment individual trees and subsequently extract tree-level information. Existing segmentation procedures typically detect more than 90% of overstory trees, yet they barely detect 60% of understory trees because of the occlusion effect of higher canopy layers. Although understory trees provide limited financial value, they are an essential component of ecosystem functioning by offering habitat for numerous wildlife species and influencing stand development. Here we model the occlusion effect in terms of point density. We estimate the fractions of points representing different canopy layers (one overstory and …

Forestgeo Dead Wood Census Protocol, David Janik, Kamil Kral, Dusan Adam, Tomas Vrska, J. A. Lutz

Browse all Datasets

After stems die, the wood persists in the ecosystem, either as standing deadwood or woody debris on the ground. Deadwood plays an important role in forest ecosystems, providing significantly different substrate, nutrient source, and microclimate to seedlings as well as habitat to vertebrates and invertebrates. Measurements of dead material on the forest floor can be used to more completely estimate biomass, carbon pools, and carbon fluxes. These methods continue the philosophy of the ForestGEO demography data by tracking the status of individual woody stems after mortality and thereby extending observations to the entire period each woody stem exists in the …

Uinta-Wasatch-Cache Rare Plants Species Inventory And Distribution Models, Thomas C. Edwards

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Consequences Of Severe Habitat Fragmentation On Density, Genetics, And Spatial Capture-Recapture Analysis Of A Small Bear Population, Sean Mccarthy Murphy, Ben C. Augustine, Wade Allen Ulrey, Joseph Maddox Guthrie, Brian K Scheick, J. Walter Mccown, John J. Cox

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Loss and fragmentation of natural habitats caused by human land uses have subdivided several formerly contiguous large carnivore populations into multiple small and often isolated subpopulations, which can reduce genetic variation and lead to precipitous population declines. Substantial habitat loss and fragmentation from urban development and agriculture expansion relegated the Highlands-Glades subpopulation (HGS) of Florida, USA, black bears (Ursus americanus floridanus) to prolonged isolation; increasing human land development is projected to cause ≥ 50% loss of remaining natural habitats occupied by the HGS in coming decades. We conducted a noninvasive genetic spatial capture-recapture study to quantitatively describe the …

Smokejumper Obituary: Anderson, Steven Rood (Missoula 1963), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.