Other Forestry and Forest Sciences Commons^™

Assessment Of Control Charts For Evaluating Dynamic Accuracy Of Forest Growth Models, Richard Raymond Cristan

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if control charts are an effective tool to identify trends in forest growth and yield model accuracy. Accurate forest growth and yield models are important for projecting future forest composition. However, environmental factors have the potential to make forest growth models created from historic data inaccurate. Control charts in this study determine if forest growth predictions fall within confidence limits established for historic growth at a number of points in time. Two data sets were used in this study: the first was a Continuous Forest Inventory (CFI) from three tracts at the …

Land Use As It Relates To Land Slope, James D. Plourde, Bryan C. Pijanowski

GIS Day

The goal of this project is to analyze the relationship between the slope of land and agricultural land use. The output was analyzed to determine a threshold point at which agriculture practices drop off in relation to higher slope values. Slope of the land is important to agricultural practices because it impacts drainage and net crop primary production. Agricultural land was extracted from the 2001 National Land Cover Dataset using reclassification tools in ArcGIS 9.3. The slope of the contiguous United States was derived from the United States Geological Survey National Elevation Dataset by using the slope tool in the …

The Joint Fire Science Program’S First 10 Years, Gail Wells

Joint Fire Science Program Digests

Fire scientists and managers at the 4th International Fire Ecology and Management Congress offer their thoughts about the program’s accomplishments, challenges, and future direction

Microstegium Vimineum Spread Rate In Relation To Two Different Leaf Litter Disturbances And An Evaluation Of Aboveground Biomass Accumulation And Photosynthetic Efficiency In Response To Four Light Treatments, John Andrew Hull

Masters Theses

Microstegium vimineum is a non-native invasive plant species classified as an annual, shade-tolerant C4 grass. There is limited research regarding variables affecting the spread of M. vimineum. Two studies were conducted to investigate the spread of M. vimineum. A field study was undertaken in 2009 to determine how M. vimineum spreads in relation to litter disturbance. In 2010, a greenhouse study was conducted to determine the impact light has on M. vimineum aboveground biomass, height growth, and photosynthetic efficiency.

The field study consisted of three treatments, Undisturbed (Control), Stirring, and Removal of leaf litter, employed along the boundary of existing …

Parks, People And Pixels: Evaluating Landscape Effects Of An East African National Park On Its Surroundings, Jane Southworth, Joel N. Hartter, Michael W. Binford, Abraham Goldman, Colin A. Chapman, Lauren J. Chapman, Patrick Omeja, Elizabeth Binford

Geography

Landscapes surrounding protected areas, while still containing considerable biodiversity, have rapidly growing human populations and associated agricultural development in most of the developing world that tend to isolate them, potentially reducing their conservation value. Using field studies and multi-temporal Landsat imagery, we examine a forest park, Kibale National Park in western Uganda, its changes over time, and related land cover change in the surrounding landscape. We find Kibale has successfully defended its borders and prevents within-park deforestation and other land incursions, and has maintained tree cover throughout the time period of the study. Outside the park there was a significant …

Fire: Ecology & Prevention, Justin R. Frey

Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Penobscot Men, Michael Prokosch

Maine History

The Fowlers of Millinocket lie near the heart of Maine’s north woods story. Henry David Thoreau and Fannie Hardy Eckstorm saw the family’s wilderness existence as antithetical to the commercialization and industrialization of their times, but the Fowlers themselves adapted easily when water power, coal, and oil upended the woods economy around them. Their family history traces the energy revolutions that shaped the northern forest and our country. Mike Prokosch is an organizer, popular economics educator, and hiker who lives in Boston.

Project Report No. 67, A Whole-Stand Growth And Yield Model For Unmanaged Loblolly And Slash Pine Plantations In East Texas, Dean W. Coble, Micky G. Allen Ii, Jimmie L. Yeiser, I-Kuai Hung

Informal Project Reports

The amount of forestland in east Texas has been estimated at 11.8 million acres, with approximately 2.5 million acres classified as pine plantations. The majority of these plantations are owned by forest industry (71 percent), while non-industrial private forest landowners represent the next largest shareholder (23 percent). Pine plantations are typically managed to produce timber, so information is needed to make informed management decisions. Growth is one piece of information that managers often rely upon in their decision-making process.

The purpose of this paper is to develop an updated whole-stand growth and yield model for unmanaged loblolly and slash pine …

A Comparison Of Lidar Generated Channel Features With Ground-Surveyed Channel Features In The Little Creek Watershed, Ryan M. Hilburn

Master's Theses

Detecting change in stream channel features over time is important in understanding channel morphology and the effects of both natural and anthropogenic influences. Channel features historically, and now currently, are being measured using a variety of ground survey techniques. These surveys require substantial time commitments and funding to complete. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) is an airborne laser mapping technology that holds promise to provide an alternative to ground-based survey methods. For this study, ground surveys were used to verify the accuracy of data collected using airborne LiDAR. Fifty nine cross-sectional profiles were surveyed in the Little Creek watershed at …

Interview With Jeff Luebbers, Us Forest Service, 2010 (Audio), Jeff Luebbers

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Jeff Luebbers by Chelsea Saurman on May 13th, 2010.

The interview index is available for download.

The Effects Of Mercury Contamination On Tree, Fungal, And Soil Composition Along East Fork Poplar Creek, Anderson And Roane Counties, Tennessee, Sharon Jean-Philippe

Doctoral Dissertations

The Oak Ridge Reservation established under The Atomic Energy Commission was the site for uranium enrichment and the construction of the atomic bomb during the early 1950’s and 60’s. Unfortunately, large quantities of “heavy metals” such as mercury, uranium, technetium, plutonium and fission products that were produced were dumped into unlined landfills, settling ponds and surface streams. One such creek affected was East Fork Poplar Creek, whose head water begins at the Y-12 Facilities located on the Oak Ridge Reservation, and was once used as an industrial drainage ditch for runoff, which included mercury and other heavy metals.

The release …

Comparative Ecophysiology Of American Chestnut Under Different Planting Treatments On Reclaimed Mine Sites, Christopher Ryan Miller

Masters Theses

American chestnut was once an abundant species that dominated the Eastern U.S. deciduous forests. Although this species is currently functionally extinct due to the chestnut blight, researchers are working on blight-resistant hybrids in hopes of restoring the species. As one potential vector for chestnut reintroduction and dispersal, the reclamation of mine sites are being considered. Recent research has found that reforestation efforts on these reclaimed mine sites provide productive tree growth while also complying with mine-reclamation laws. Understanding how American chestnut performs physiologically on mine sites will aid in the restoration of this species and reclamation of mine sites.

The …

A Potential Plan Of Action For Emerald Ash Borer In Nebraska, Lee Wheeler

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Abstract Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis) (EAB) is an invasive insect pest. It feeds on the cambium tissues of ash tree species. It was first discovered in the United States in 2002 in Detroit, Michigan. Their effects on ash trees are deadly, and it is quickly spreading across the Midwest. Nebraska has not yet been invaded, but confirmed findings continue getting closer and closer. The major problem facing Nebraskans, with regards to EAB, is how to begin preparations to prevent a dramatic economic loss when an infestation does occur. So, to address this problem, I have conducted street and park …

Distribution Of Dioecious Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus Virginiana) Along An Environmental Gradient In Ogallala, Ne., Taylor Sloey

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to study the sex distribution and energy allocation of dioecious Eastern Red Cedars (Juniperus virginiana) along an environmental resource gradient. The trees surveyed were growing in a canyon located at the University of Nebraska’s Cedar Point Biological Research Station in Ogallala, Nebraska. Due to the geography of this canyon, environmental factors necessary for plant growth should vary depending on the tree’s location within the canyon. These factors include water availability, sun exposure, ground slope, and soil nitrogen content, all of which are necessary for carbon acquisition.

Juniperus virginiana is a dioecious conifer. Dioecious …

Effects Of Experimental Freezing On Soil Nitrogen Dynamics In Soils From A Net Nitrification Gradient In A Nitrogen-Saturated Hardwood Forest Ecosystem, Frank S. Gilliam, Adam Cook, Salina Lyter

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

This study examined effects of soil freezing on N dynamics in soil along an N processing gradient within a mixed hardwood dominated watershed at Fernow Experimental Forest, West Virginia. Sites were designated as LN (low rates of N processing), ML (moderately low), MH (moderately high), and HN (high). Soils underwent three 7-day freezing treatments (0, –20, or –80 °C) in the laboratory. Responses varied between temperature treatments and along the gradient. Initial effects differed among freezing treatments for net N mineralization, but not nitrification, in soils across the gradient, generally maintained at LN < ML ≤ MH < HN for all treatments. Net N mineralization potential was higher following freezing at –20 and –80 °C than control; all were higher than at 0 °C. Net nitrification potential exhibited similar patterns. LN was an exception, with net nitrification low regardless of treatment. Freezing response of N mineralization differed greatly from that of nitrification, suggesting that soil freezing may decouple two processes of the soil N cycle that are otherwise tightly linked at our site. Results also suggest that soil freezing at temperatures commonly experienced at this site can further increase net nitrification in soils already exhibiting high nitrification from N saturation.

Accuracy Of Forest Road And Stream Channel Characteristics Derived From Lidar In Forested Mountain Conditions, Russell Alan White

Master's Theses

Forest roads and stream channels are mapped using a variety of remote sensing and ground-based techniques. In densely forested areas, conventional remote sensing methods provide limited terrain information, while ground-based surveys can be time-consuming, difficult, and expensive. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) is an airborne remote sensing technology used to create high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) of the earth’s surface. This study tests the accuracy of forest road and stream channel features mapped using LiDAR in the steep, forested terrain of California’s Santa Cruz Mountains. A conventional total station survey was used to determine centerline position and elevations along a …

Mill Creek Management Plan, Joey A. Gentry

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

The goal of this study is to conduct a management plan for the Mill Creek property. This will be obtained through meeting the landowner objectives concerning: wildlife with habitat enhancements, recreation locations, and the forest growth potential pertaining to different areas of the property. This plan will also offer suggestions and guidelines to maximize the use of the property. Including a collection of flora, fauna, and health related issues in the appendices for identification. The site condition on the property is very poor, and as a result the growth rate for this area is slow. It is recommended that the …

Diameter Distribution Models: Loblolly Pine Plantations, Dean W. Coble

Data

A parameter recovery procedure for the Weibull distribution function based on four percentile equations was used to develop a new diameter distribution yield prediction model for unmanaged slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) plantations in east Texas. This new model was similar in structure to the model of Lee and Coble (2006) in their work with east Texas loblolly pine plantations. The new model was compared to the diameter distribution model of Lenhart (1988), which was developed for slash pine plantations in east Texas, as well as to two other models developed using iterative techniques suggested and inspired by Cao (2004). …

Site Index Equations, Dean W. Coble

Data

A generalized sigmoid growth function was used in this study to model site index for unmanaged or low-intensity managed loblolly pine (Pinus taeda, L.) and slash pine (Pinus elliottii, Engelm.) plantations in east Texas.

Whole-Stand Models: Loblolly And Slash Pine Plantations, Dean W. Coble

Data

A new compatible whole-stand growth and yield model to predict total tree cubic-foot volume per acre yield (outside and inside-bark) was developed for unmanaged loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) and slash pine (Pinus elliottii) plantations in east Texas. This model was compared to the non- compatible whole-stand model of Lenhart (1996) and the Lenhart (1996) model refit to current data. For the two species, all three models were evaluated with independent observed data. The model developed in this study out-performed both Lenhart models in prediction of future yield and basal area per acre for all age classes combined and by five-year …

Food, Nutrition, And Natural Resource Sciences In The Fy 2011 Budget. Chapter 27, American Assoc. For The Advancement Of Science Report Xxxv, William Fisher, Karl Glasener, Caron Gala Bijl, Mary Lee Watts, Lowell Randel, Steven H. Bullard, Jim Gulliford

Faculty Publications

Food, agricultural, nutrition, and natural resource sciences are poised to make major contributions to improve human health and protect our environment. With the launch of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIF A) in 2009, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said "the opportunity to truly transform a field of science happens at best once a generation." With the release of a report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization stating that food production will need to nearly double by 2050 to meet the demands of a world population totaling more than nine billion, this announcement is timely. The current …

Forest Resources Institute, Arthur Temple College Of Forestry And Agriculture

eBooks

No abstract provided.

5th Lone Star Regional Native Plant Conference, Jeff Adkins, David Creech, Greg Grant, Josephine Taylor

Lone Star Regional Native Plant Conference

No abstract provided.

2010 Western Mensurationists’ Conference, David Affleck, John Goodburn, Christopher Keyes, Renate Bush

JFSP Research Project Reports

The 2010 Western Mensurationists’ Conference in Missoula, MT, drew together forest scientists and land managers with primary expertise in the measurement and modeling of forest resources. The meeting provided an opportunity to focus the collective technical expertise of this group on crossdisciplinary conifer crown modeling issues that are of increasing importance to existing and emerging forest management strategies in western North America. Thus, a special invited session on conifer crown modeling results and opportunities was added to the conference agenda together with a participatory workshop on crown modeling needs and challenges. Funding was provided by the Joint Fire Science Program …

The Role Of Adaptive Capacity In Creating Fire-Adapted Human Communities, Pamela J. Jakes, Matthew S. Carroll, Travis B. Paveglio, Soren Newman

JFSP Research Project Reports

In this research we sought answers to the question: What are the social characteristics and conditions of human communities that promote adaptive capacity for wildfire? The Quadrennial Fire Review (USDA and USDI 2009) promotes a goal of “achieving fire-adapted communities” in the wildland urban interface (WUI), and identifies metrics for determining whether a community is fire-adapted. While these metrics address some of the biophysical conditions necessary for fire-adapted human communities, they offer little insight into the social elements that promote or sustain adaptive capacity. Adaptive capacity refers to the individual and collective resources, capabilities, and actions that alleviate the risk …

The Communicative Construction Of Safety In Wildland Firefighting, Jody Jahn, Linda Putnam, Anne Black

JFSP Research Project Reports

This document is a summary of a mixed methods dissertation that examined the communicative construction of safety in wildland firefighting. For the dissertation, I used a twostudy mixed methods approach, examining the communicative accomplishment of safety from two perspectives: high reliability organizing (Weick, Sutcliffe, & Obstfeld, 1999), and safety climate (Zohar, 1980). In Study One, 27 firefighters from two functionally similar wildland firefighting crews were interviewed about their crew-level interactions involved in implementing safety rules and firefighting tasks. These critical incident narratives (Flanagan, 1954; Gremler, 2004) were compared to extract workgroup level similarities and differences in interaction patterns relating to …

A Proposal To Improve Performance Of The Forest Vegetation Simulator - Fire And Fuels Extension, Dave C. Cawrse, Michael G. Van Dyke, Nicolas Nicholas L. Crookston, Donald Robinson, Sarah Beukema

JFSP Research Project Reports

The Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) and its associated Fire and Fuels Extension (FFE) have been used to provide information required by larger software systems like the Interagency Fuels Treatment - Decision Support System (IFT-DSS). Interacting with FVS in an automated fashion has been difficult, and simulations with very large numbers of stands, such as those necessary for landscape analyses for fire planning, could take a significant amount of time to process. This project was designed to: (A) develop a requirements document considering Service Oriented Architecture and how that may apply to FVS, and how FVS will be used interactively; (B) …

Assessment Of Canopy Fuel Loading Across A Heterogeneous Landscape Using Lidar, Kenneth L. Clark, Nicholas Skowronski, Michael Gallagher, Nicholas Carlo, Michael Farrell, Melanie R. Maghirang

JFSP Research Project Reports

Our research used light detection and ranging (LiDAR) systems coupled with sequential harvesting of Pitch pine (Pinus rigida Mill.) to quantify canopy fuels in three dimensions across a large, heterogeneous landscape impacted by multiple wildfires, prescribed burns and insect defoliation events. We used a three-tiered approach; 1) calibration of upward sensing profiling LiDAR data with sequential harvesting of 20 x 20 meter plots to quantify the mass of foliage, branches and stems in Pitch pine canopies in 1-meter height layers, 2) scaling results to the landscape scale using previously-published relationships between upward sensing and downward sensing scanning LiDAR systems in …

Annual Brome Biocontrol After Wildfire Using A Native Fungal Seed Pathogen, Susan E. Meyer, Phil S. Allen, Julie Beckstead, Michael Gregg, Heidi Newsome, Kathleen Harcksen, Gary Kidd, Glenn Paulsen, Karen Prentice, Dana Quinney, David Wilderman, Stephanie Carlson, Suzette Clement, Duane Smith, Thom Stewart, Katie Merrill, Keith Merrill, Kedra Foote, Stephen Harrison, Kelly Bergen, Brian Connelly, Trevor Davis, Sandra Dooley, Michael Huck, Laura Street, Lauren Miller

JFSP Research Project Reports

A major problem in post-fire restoration of semi-arid shrublands dominated by annual bromes is the presence of carryover seed banks that cannot be controlled using conventional methods. These seeds can provide significant competition for seeded species in the years following treatment. We investigated the feasibility of using a naturally occurring seed pathogen, the ascomycete Pyrenophora semeniperda, as a biocontrol organism for eliminating this carryover seed bank. We carried out the necessary technology development to create and apply field inoculum to cheatgrass- or red brome-infested areas (both burned and unburned) at six sites located in three states across two years of …

Changes In Vegetation And Fuels Due To The Warm Fire On The Kaibab National Forest, Melissa A. Mcmaster, Andrea Thode, Brian Brost, Matthew Williamsen, Ethan Aumack, Dave Mertz

JFSP Research Project Reports

Fire is a significant and essential disturbance in ponderosa pine ecosystems but the management and the re-introduction of fire across the landscape is a difficult task for land managers. In this study we worked with land managers, stakeholders and researchers to examine the effects of a large wildfire on the Kaibab Plateau in northern Arizona. We analyzed litter and duff depth, downed woody debris and understory vegetation responses to low and high burn severity and assessed the response of the understory vegetation to seeding with Lolium perenne ssp. multiflorum in high severity burn areas. To assist land managers in future …