Forest Sciences Commons^™

Modeling Reproduction Influencers Of An Endangered Oak, Camila Cortez

DePaul Discoveries

The endemic oak, Quercus brandegeei has been labeled as endangered by the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species due to its limited genetic diversity and lack of regeneration. The oak (Quercus) species is a keystone species in many parts of the world and has been facing various challenges to their survival (Westwood 2017) making efforts to support and protect endemic oaks all the more ecologically and socially imperative. There are challenges to identifying threats as there are many unknown characteristics of Q. brandegeei’s biology that are essential to carrying out conservation efforts. To develop a greater understanding of …

Determining The Novel Pathogen Neodothiora Populina As The Causal Agent Of The Aspen Running Canker Disease In Alaska, Loretta M. Winton, Gerard C. Adams, Roger W. Ruess

Aspen Bibliography

Neodothiora populina Crous, G.C. Adams & Winton was determined to be a new pathogen of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) growing in Alaska, based on completion of Koch’s Postulates in replicated forest and growth chamber inoculation trials. The pathogen is responsible for severe damage and widespread rapid mortality of sapling to mature aspen (≥ 80 years) in the boreal forests of interior Alaska, due to large diffuse annual (1–2 years) cankers. Isolation of the pathogen was challenging, and identification based on cultural characters was difficult. Fruiting bodies were not found on wild diseased trees, but erumpent pycnidia were found …

Incorporation Of Biochar To Improve Mechanical, Thermal And Electrical Properties Of Polymer Composites, Chinmoyee Das, Sandeep Tamrakar, Alper Kiziltas, Xinfeng Xie

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The strive for utilization of green fillers in polymer composite has increased focus on application of natural biomass-based fillers. Biochar has garnered a lot of attention as a filler material and has the potential to replace conventionally used inorganic mineral fillers. Biochar is a carbon rich product obtained from thermochemical conversion of biomass in nitrogen environment. In this review, current studies dealing with incorporation of biochar in polymer matrices as a reinforcement and conductive filler were addressed. Each study mentioned here is nuanced, while addressing the same goal of utilization of biochar as a filler. In this review paper, an …

Do Early-Successional Weeds Facilitate Or Compete With Seedlings In Forest Restoration? Disentangling Abiotic Versus Biotic Factors, Mylen Arias, Rupesh R. Kariyat, Kimberly Wahl-Villarreal, Stephany Mendez, Jesus Chavana, Bradley O. Christoffersen

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

1. Semi-arid forests need cost-effective restoration strategies to address their severe degradation. Tree shelters are often used to minimize abiotic and biotic stress during seedling establishment. We asked if early-successional weeds act as a natural shelter by facilitating native seedlings, contingent on abiotic and biotic stressors and seedling ecological strategy.

2. We conducted a manipulative weed exclusion experiment at a semi-arid site in South Texas targeted for large-scale forest restoration to discern the net effect of weeds on the growth and survival of target thornscrub tree and shrub seedlings. We assessed the roles of contrasting seedling ecological strategies (fast vs. slow growth …

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Hawai‘I Forest Review: Synthesizing The Ecology, Evolution, And Conservation Of A Model System, Kasey E. Barton, Andrea Westerband, Rebecca Ostertag, Elizabeth Stacy, Kawika Winter, Donald R. Drake, Lucas Berio Fortini, Creighton M. Litton, Susan Cordell, Paul Krushelnycky, Kapua Kawelo, Kealoha Feliciano, Gordon Bennett, Tiffany Knight

Life Sciences Faculty Research

As the most remote archipelago in the world, the Hawaiian Islands are home to a highly endemic and disharmonic biota that has fascinated biologists for centuries. Forests are the dominant terrestrial biome in Hawai‘i, spanning complex, heterogeneous climates across substrates that vary tremendously in age, soil structure, and nutrient availability. Species richness is low in Hawaiian forests compared to other tropical forests, as a consequence of dispersal limitation from continents and adaptive radiations in only some lineages, and forests are dominated by the widespread Metrosideros species complex. Low species richness provides a relatively tractable model system for studies of community …

Household Perceptions And Patterns Of Crop Loss By Wild Pigs In North India, Bivash Pandav, Lakshminarayanan Natarajan, Ankit Kumar, Ajay A. Desai, Banteibor Lyngkhoi

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Loss to cultivated crops by wild pigs (Sus scrofa) is widespread and can jeopardize low-income farmers. In India, although there is lot of political interest in the problem, efforts to understand the patterns, correlates, and underlying reasons for wild pig conflict continue to be minimal. We quantified loss of wheat (Triticum aestivum) to wild pigs and assessed the spatial patterns of damage in a forest settlement of Van Gujjar (Haridwar, India), which is a dairy-based pastoralist community. We chose a 4-km² cultivated area comprising 400 farmlands (each measuring 0.8 ha and belonging to a family) and …

Smokejumper Obituary: Pratt, Richard Emmett (North Cascades 1966), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Sullivan Trail Connector, Jim Speer

2021 Spring Reports (Sullivan)

The City of Sullivan has multiple plans for trail connectors throughout the city. ENVI460 students provided recommendations for a trail connector between the City of Sullivan and Sullivan County. This trail connector harnesses positives of both the city and county to increase use. Students also provided recommendations for multi-use options on the trail system.

Opportunities And Challenges In The Collection And Use Of Socio-Spatial Data In National Forest Planning, Diane Trechsel Besser

Dissertations and Theses

Understanding human-environment connections to places is an important component of land-use management. Tools for collecting geographically referenced public values-based data (defined as socio-spatial data) for use in natural resource planning have been reported in academic journals for decades. The utility of socio-spatial data is in making public values tangible and potentially actionable in land-use analyses and decision processes. However, there is a lack of comprehensive documentation on the ways in which socio-spatial data is perceived, collected, interpreted and applied at a practical level. A better understanding of these factors allows planners to mitigate barriers and leverage opportunities to more …

Economic Contribution Of The Agricultural Sector To The Arkansas Economy In 2019, Leah English, Jennie Popp, Wayne Miller

AAES Research Reports and Research Bulletins

Agriculture and associated agricultural activities are major contributors to the Arkansas economy. Agriculture is defined as the sum of agricultural production and processing activities, unless otherwise specified, and includes crop and animal production and processing, agricultural support industries, forestry and forest products, and textile goods. Agriculture contributes to the economy through direct agricultural production and value-added processing, leading to economic activity in other parts of the economy.

This report is the fourteenth in a series that examines agriculture’s economic contribution to the Arkansas economy. The total economic contribution of agriculture (direct, indirect, and induced effects) on value added, employment, and …

Soil Disturbance In Sierra Nevada Montane Meadow Following Lodgepole Pine Removal, Nicholas Cary

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Climate change and other anthropogenic stressors are driving conifer encroachment into meadow habitat. Encroachment, if ignored, can revert meadows back into dense forested habitat, negating meadow’s ecologic services (Durak et al. 2014). This research attempts to measure soil and stream habitat disturbances in Rock Creek meadow, located with Collins Pine Company land in Plumas County, California after clear-cut removal of encroaching lodgepole pine with mechanical machinery. Soil bulk density, ground cover transect data, and stream habitat conditions were monitored before (July 2019) and after (June 2021) restoration to measure changes in soil compaction, stream temperature, and surface disturbance (rutting/ tracks). …

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 …

An Analysis Of Loblolly Pine And Shortleaf Pine Hybridization Using Chromatography And Geographic Information Systems: A Case Study In East Texas, Gary White

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

East Texas forests contain three native pine species known to hybridize when site conditions are suitable. Due to increased gene flow from hybridization, quantifying hybridization spatially is a growing concern as southeastern United States pine forests are increasingly influenced by improved pine genetics and warmer, drier conditions from climate change. High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and spatial interpolation using Inverse Distance Weighted were conducted using terpenes extracted from needles of shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata), loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), and putative hybrid individuals sampled in Atlanta State Park, Tyler State Park, and Mission Tejas State Park ( …

Upscaling Tree Demography To Heterogenous Landscapes Using Models And Remote Sensing, Cristina Barber

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Tree demography is foundational to ecology and conservation, from mass tree die-offs to forest recovery. Plot-level studies of tree demography, including field measurements of tagged individuals, have been fundamental for developing ecological theory and forest management strategies. However, the limited spatial extent of field plots impedes generalizing plot-level models for spatial predictions across heterogeneous landscapes. Novel high-spatial resolution remote sensing imagery has opened the possibility for measuring tree demographic rates with continuous spatial coverage at landscape to regional extents. Remote sensing derived measurements could address pressing research questions, including disentangling causes of high variation in natural regeneration across secondary forest …

Community Structure And Dynamics Of Benthic Macroinvertebrates In A Recreated Headwater Stream System On A Valley Fill In A Retrofitted Watershed Located In The Appalachian Coalfields Of Southeastern Kentucky (U.S.A.), Steven W. Bailey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The extraction of coal from steep-gradient surface mining sites such as in the Appalachian Coalfields of the U.S. produces excess debris that is often placed in adjacent valleys resulting in the creation of valley fills. Not only are headwater streams buried in the process, but watershed functions are either destroyed outright, or become fragmented and disconnected from adjacent ecosystems resulting in adverse effects to downstream biological communities. In this dissertation, the dynamics of stream macroinvertebrate community structure, composition, diversity, and biotic integrity are assessed at a “proof of concept” stream system recreated on a retrofitted valley fill. For comparison, two …

Long-Term Hydrological Impacts Of Historical Logging On Recent Hydro-Geomorphic Conditions, Big Barren Creek Watershed, Mark Twain National Forest, Shoukat Ahmed

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Despite their important role of headwater watersheds as a buffer for upland soil and vegetation disturbances, there has been little research about the effects of historical logging practices on present-day watershed hydrology and channel form. Middle Big Barren Creek (MBBC) watershed (48 km2 ) drains Mark Twain National Forest in the Ozark Highlands and was heavily logged from 1880 to 1920, reducing native shortleaf pine forest by 90%. Additionally, the frequency of intense rainfall events has increased in the region over the past 30 years. In this study, field surveys and hydrologic/hydraulic modeling were used to evaluate the historical timber …

The Percentage Of Trees Bearing Cones As A Predictor For Annual Longleaf Pine Cone Production, Thomas Patterson

Faculty Publications

The U.S. Forest Service has monitored longleaf pine cone production at sites throughout the southeastern United States for over 60 years. Data from the multi-decadal surveys have supported our understanding of the variability of stand-level cone production as it relates to environmental and ecological processes, and more broadly, how longleaf pine operates as a masting species. Cones from longleaf pine are counted each spring using visual surveys that follow a standard protocol. Rapid mast assessments have been proposed in the literature as an alternative to traditional methods, yet these approaches have not been examined for longleaf pine. In this study, …

Degumming Of Hemp Fibers Using Combined Microwave Energy And Deep Eutectic Solvent, Bulbul Ahmed

LSU Master's Theses

Hemp is considered as one of the sustainable agricultural fiber materials. Degumming or surface modification of hemp bast is needed to produce single fibers for ensuing textile and industrial applications. The traditional degumming process necessitates a high amount of alkali, which causes detrimental environmental pollution. This study offers a new method to degum hemp fibers with reduced use of harmful alkali and precious water resources. In this work, hemp bast fibers were degummed by using combined microwave energy and deep eutectic solvent (DES). The properties of hemp fibers manufactured by this method were investigated and compared with the traditional alkali …

Intensive Hunting Pressure Changes Local Distribution Of Wild Boar, Jakub Drimaj, Jiří Kamler, Radim Plhal, Přemysl Janata, Zdeněk Adamec, Miloslav Homolka

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Wild boar (Sus scrofa) is now an important species of wild ungulates in Central Europe. Next to conflicts of wild boar with agriculture, the main threat of wild boar presence lies in the expansion of African swine fever across Europe. The regulation of the wild boar population is complicated by the high reproduction rate and intelligent behavior of the species, which limits hunting effectiveness. We analyzed the spatial behavior of wild boar in an environment with a lack of natural food resources. The study area consisted of a forest complex (1,283 ha) with 2 areas. In the “risk” …

Urban Forests And Their Potential To Combat Food Insecurity: Analyzing Street Trees In Baltimore, Md For Their Edibility, Victoria Bearden

Environment and Sustainability Summer Fellows

Food insecure environments, in which residents lack consistent access to nutritious food materials, can occur in urban settings. Literature on urban forests suggests that trees can provide a range of provisioning ecosystem services, including edible uses. We consider this to determine if street trees in Baltimore, Maryland have the potential to provide nutritious food materials to address food insecurity in Healthy Food Priority Areas (HFPA), designated by Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future.

Evaluation Of Damage To Forest Tree Plantations By Wild Boar In The Czech Republic, Vlastimil Skoták, Jakub Drimaj, Jiří Kamler

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Wild boar (Sus scrofa) populations in Central Europe have been growing long-term, and damages to crops and forests where boars damage freshly planted tree seedlings are growing too. In addition to having a significant economic impact, these damages worsen the prospect of successful restoration of bare land. This study presents an analysis of damage to tree seedling plantations caused by wild boar in the Czech Republic. We used data from an extensive questionnaire survey among forest owners, our own survey of the extent of damage in model areas, and experiments in locations with a large boar population. Damage …

What Is Biochar And How Is It Used?, Marion Murray

All Current Publications

Biochar is a charcoal-like product that contains no petroleum. It is made by heating biomass such as herbaceous or woody crop residues, non-salvageable timber, and slash, or animal manure, in a contained system. There are many potential uses for biochar including water treatment, land reclamation, and carbon sequestration. Biochar may also be used as a soil amendment for two purposes – to improve plant health and to store carbon.

Smokejumper Obituary: Gregory, John R. "Jack" (Missoula 1944), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Improved Forest Management As A Natural Climate Solution: A Review, Lilli Kaarakka, Meredith Cornett, Grant Domke, Todd A. Ontl, Laura E. Dee

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Natural climate solutions (NCS), a set of land management, conservation and restoration practices aimed at mitigating climate change, have been introduced as cost-effective strategies to increase carbon (C) sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems. Improved forest management (IFM) has been identified as one NCS for working forests with substantial climate change mitigation potential. However, there is a disconnect between the policy and carbon markets context and the scientific evidence for verifiable C benefits. Further, forest soil C—the largest forest C pool—has largely been excluded from current forest management guidelines and has not been included in the IFM discourse. Herein, we assess the …

Net Geochemical Release Of Base Cations From 25 Forested Watersheds In The Catskill Region Of New York, Sara C. Nieman, Chris E. Johnson

Civil and Environmental Engineering - All Scholarship

Chemical weathering of minerals is the principal mechanism by which base cations (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, K⁺, and Na⁺) are released and acidity is neutralized in soils, bedrock and drainage waters. Quantifying the release of base cations from watershed soils is therefore crucial for the calculation of “critical loads” of atmospheric acidity to forest ecosystems. We used a mass-balance approach to estimate the rate of release of base cations in 25 headwater catchments in the Catskill region of New York, an area historically subject to high inputs of acid deposition. In 2010-2013, total net …

Smokejumper Obituary: Skidmore, Robert Dean (Missoula 1950), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Smokejumper Obituary: Decker, Jay Emerson (North Cascades 1963), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Smokejumper Obituary: Parker, Dennis Ray (Missoula 1967), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Availability And Structure Of Coarse Woody Debris In Hemiboreal Mature To Old-Growth Aspen Stands And Its Implications For Forest Carbon Pool, Silva Šēnhofa, Guntars Šnepsts, Kārlis Bičkovskis, Ieva Jaunslaviete, Līga Liepa, Inga Straupe, Āris Jansons

Aspen Bibliography

European aspen deadwood is extensively studied as a habitat for saproxylic species, while less is known of its dynamics and role in carbon sequestration. We studied unmanaged mature (41–60 years), moderately overmature (61–80 years), overmature (81–100 years), and old-growth (101–140 years) and managed mature and moderately overmature aspen stands on fertile mineral soils. In unmanaged stands, marginal mean CWD volume was from 67.3 ± 12.1 m³ ha⁻¹ in moderately overmature to 92.4 ± 5.1 m³ ha⁻¹ in old-growth stands, with corresponding marginal mean CWD carbon pool 8.2 ± 1.6 t ha⁻¹ and 12.5 ± 0.7 …

Smokejumper Obituary: Fallini, Peter T. "Pete" (Idaho City 1964), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.