Forest Sciences Commons^™

Considerations For The Use Of Mycorrhizal Fungi Inoculants In Coal Mine Reclamation And Reforestation In Appalachia: A Guide Of Best Practices And Management Recommendations, Cole Hansen Reistrup

Master's Projects and Capstones

Nearly all terrestrial plants form symbiotic relationships with mycorrhizal fungi. These beneficial soil microbes support plant health by increasing plants’ access to nutrients and water, protecting them from pathogens, improving soil properties, and more. A challenge to restoring forests on coal mined land in Appalachia is that mine soils are often degraded in a number of ways, including lacking mycorrhizal fungi, which makes mine soils difficult for trees to grow upon. Substantial improvements to coal mine reforestation success have been made since the development of the Forestry Reclamation Approach in 2005 that provides guidelines for how to create a suitable …

Willow Abundance And Condition Mapping In Rocky Mountain National Park, Eric M. Nielsen

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

Riparian and wetland willow species have undergone serious declines in Rocky Mountain National Park as a consequence of a variety of environmental changes and, most recently, damage resulting from moose overpopulation. To address concerns about the long-term status of willows in the park, we developed remote sensing-based raster maps of riparian and wetland willow species presence, canopy cover percentage, canopy height, and leaf area index. All outputs were produced at 3-meter resolution, and represent willows as they existed in 2021. The mapping was performed via random forests classification and regression models trained on several hundred vegetation plots from a variety …

Expanding The Market Of Biomaterials, Franklin Quin Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Biomaterials such as wood and bamboo are in high demand as a building material with the push for building with green technology. The wood product industry accounts for approximately 4% of the total U.S. manufacturing GDP (Gross Domestic Product), which is more than $100 billion. The industry supports over 752,000 full-time equivalent jobs, most of which are in rural areas where employment opportunities are limited. The estimated global market value of bamboo is estimated to be $60 billion annually. This research will explore the use of wood and bamboo in different end use products. The objectives of this research will …

The Response Of An Avian Community To Intercropping And Forest Management Practices In A Private Working Pine Forest, Rebecca Doyne Bracken

Theses and Dissertations

Within managed pine forest systems, a plethora of bird species exist throughout the lifecycle of a stand akin to what may be experienced through post-disturbance regeneration in a natural forest system. I sought to address how breeding avian communities shift across time in response to stand aging and forest management, evaluate species-specific responses to stand conditions, investigate the responses of at-risk avian species to forest management, and determine avian non-breeding, over-wintering presence in a managed loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) forest. I conducted breeding bird point count and vegetation surveys within five stands of privately owned and managed pine forest in …

Spatial Conservation Planning In The Southeastern United States: Alignments And Opportunities, Bradly Stewart Thornton

Theses and Dissertations

Conservation managers and planners need the ‘best available science’ to support robust and defensible decisions, ensuring that public resources are appropriately allocated. Spatial planning products and decision-support tools developed for this purpose should enable partner organizations to achieve focus, coordination, and increased effectiveness in their investments and actions. Whereas conservation partnerships have historically created distinct planning tools, there is increasing interest for improved coordination, communication, and unifying biological datasets to improve the cohesiveness of regional management activities. We sought to inform spatial conservation planning efforts in the southeastern United States through the development of species distribution models for focal avian …

Interactive Effects Of Bark Beetles, Ophiostomatoid Fungi, And Subterranean Termites On Wood Decomposition And The Biogeochemical Cycling Of Pine Forests, Kimberlyn Pace

Theses and Dissertations

A frequent source of pine tree mortality in recent years can be attributed to pine bark beetles and their vectored Ophiostomatoid fungi, an organism that has been observed to attract subterranean termites that preferentially recruit to this downed woody debris. This interaction may significantly modify biogeochemical fluxes in bark beetle mass mortality events, but studies are often limited to singular regions or single pine-dominated ecosystems. Two studies were designed to test the interactive effects of these associations on terrestrial biogeochemical cycles and decomposition processes, the first using replicated field trials in Mississippi, Arizona, and Honduras across two years and the …

Surface Modification Of Wood Using Nano-Sized Titania Particles Coated By Liquid-Precursor Flame Spray Pyrolysis, Ganesh Sedhain

Theses and Dissertations

Wood is a renewable resource and versatile material used in tasks ranging from tools and furniture to advanced engineering structures. Although wood is light, mechanically robust, environmentally friendly, and abundant, some inherent properties of wood, such as degradation due to moisture and UV radiation from sunlight, are less desirable for extended service life and dimensional stability. In this dissertation, a novel surface modification of wood is explored by depositing nano-sized titania particles on wood veneers and cross-laminated timber (CLT) blocks by liquid-precursor flame spray pyrolysis to confer reversible wettability switching and enhanced durability to UV irradiation. The reaction between a …

Toward The Adoption Of New Farming Systems Among Farmers: A Case Study Of Short Rotation Woody Crops In North Carolina, Omoyemeh J. Ile, Eli Typhina, Katie Brannum, Rajan Parajuli, Robert E. Bardon, John S. King

The Journal of Extension

This study explores the human dimensions of the broad-based adoption of Short Rotation Woody Crops (SRWCs) among farmers in North Carolina. We used an actor diagramming and tracing approach to explore factors influencing farmers’ adoption of SRWCs. Results suggest four factors strongly influence the adoption process: 1) market availability, 2) education awareness, 3) funding, and 4) social networking. Based on these results, we recommend that Extension professionals use the following education modules to prompt the adoption of SRWCs practices and potentially adopt other new farming practices: 1) ecological sustainability, 2) financial considerations, 3) harvesting, and 4) community building.

Educational Needs Of North Carolina Non-Industrial Private Forest Landowners And Barriers To Meeting These Needs, Robert E. Bardon, Kristin Peters, Rajan Parajuli, K.S.U. Jayaratne

The Journal of Extension

Forest landowners are an important target audience for many state Extension programs. Acknowledging the differences and associations between landownership values, characteristics, and educational preferences of forest landowners should lead to improvement of educational programs and ensuring that educational needs are being met. Through an internet-based survey of forest landowners four distinct landowner typologies were identified based on respondents’ reason for owning forestland. Results also identified the educational needs and barriers to meeting these needs for the landowners. Creating typologies based on attitudinal responses will allow for a more focused approach to developing educational products and services to meet landowner needs.

Advancing Agroecological Agroforestry: A Vermont Participatory Storytelling And Story Mapping Project, Sydney Blume

Food Systems Master's Project Reports

Agroforestry is the intentional integration of trees into agricultural landscapes. Advancing agroforestry has the potential to support just food system transition, but it must take direction from traditional approaches (culturally-embedded, millennia-old agroforestry practices in forest ecosystems) and agroecology (the movement, science, and practice for just and sustainable food and agricultural systems). An agroecological approach to agroforestry is essential to avoid agroforestry replicating the logics and harms of industrial agriculture and to encourage learning from traditional agroforestry practices, and likewise, traditional approaches to agroforestry can support a transformative agroecological transition through redesign of agroecosystems and shifting perspectives and ethics. This paper …

Interactive Map Code (R And Rstudio), Peter G. Butterfield

Data Files: White Oaks in Vinton Furnace Experimental Forest

Interactive map code puts data and coordinates into readable table format and creates data visualizations.

Economic Contribution Of The Agricultural Sector To The Arkansas Economy In 2021, Leah English, Jennie Popp

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 processing, leading to economic activity in other parts of the economy.

This report is the sixteenth 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 labor …

Environmental Factors Affecting Coleoptera Biomass In The Ozark Mountain Range In Arkansas, Hayley J. Springsteen

ATU Research Symposium

Abstract:

Terrestrial invertebrates including species of Coleoptera (beetles) play an important role in many ecosystem services including soil formation and fertility, pollination, decomposition and nutrient turnover, population regulation of other organisms through predation. Coleoptera are often vital in determining biodiversity and conservation techniques. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the knowledge of how environmental factors and different management practices are affecting Coleoptera populations and further assist ecologists in improving management techniques in the future. The insect data in this study was collected over the course of two weeks in the Arkansas portion of the Boston Mountain range. …

Balancing Interests In Forest Governance In Brazil And Indonesia, Annabel Mccormick Baldy

Environmental Studies Honors Papers

Forests play a major role in reducing levels of Greenhouse gasses which are a major contributor to global warming. Conversely, deforestation is a major contributor to climate change. This study examines the concept of good forest governance, dispelling notions that resource use needs to be a zero-sum game. Rather, it identifies local collective agreements as espoused by Elinor Ostrom in Governing the Commons as the best means of balancing the undeniable economic potential of converting forests to other uses (grazing, farming, and mining) with the more sustainable approach of protecting forests for their environmental benefit. For Ostrom, these collective agreements …

Water Table Height And Microtopography In Swamps Of Southeastern Michigan As Influences Of Black Ash Tree Establishment And Survival In The Presence Of Emerald Ash Borer, Samantha Chauvin

Honors College Theses

The detrimental impact of invasive species on native biota is a source for many studies spanning all kinds of biological systems. The introduction of emerald ash borer in southeastern Michigan in the early 2000's has decimated the region’s mature black ash tree population, but its regeneration, both asexual (sprouts) and sexual (seedlings) still occurs. The arrangement and features of the wetlands’ land surfaces may play a role in black ash establishment. Black ash is generally found on wet-mesic to wet soils, but rising water table levels due to climate change and overstory tree mortality in on these sites may inundate …

Demography Of Alligator Snapping Turtles (Macrochelys Temminckii) Across A Fishing Pressure Gradient, Luke Micek

Graduate Research Conference

Demographic data are necessary to predict population responses to environmental and anthropogenic stressors and inform conservation efforts for declining species (Weimerskirch 2018, J.Wildl. Manag.).

The western alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii; hereafter AST; Fig. 5) is the largest species of freshwater turtle in North America and is being considered for Federal listing as a Threatened Species under the Endangered Species Act (Federal Register 2021). Notably, there is a lack of demographic data of AST in Texas.

Passive fishing gear (i.e., trotlines) have been identified as a pervasive threat to AST populations, although this threat has yet to be quantified inTexas …

Contrasting Orthophotos By Height, Overlap, And Drone, Edward Ironsmith

Graduate Research Conference

Drones have recently become a mainstay for surveying and modeling of small areas of land in a cost-efficient manner. Yet there are many variables that affect the time, quality, and cost of capturing and generating such products. We look at several of these parameters and discuss the alternatives to minimize cost over a series of projects. The parameters in question include height, overlap, sensor resolution, processing time, drone costs, computer costs, processing costs, time in the field, storage, drone endurance and the likelihood of costly delays. A series of flights using different drones and flight parameters were then used to …

Remote Sensing In Mapping Biodiversity – A Case Study Of Epiphytic Lichen Communities, Ida Palmroos, Veera Norros, Sarita Keski-Saari, Janne Mäyrä, Topi Tanhuanpää, Sonja Kivinen, Juha Pykälä, Peter Kullberg, Timo Kumpula, Petteri Vihervaara

Aspen Bibliography

In boreal forests, European aspen (Populus tremula L.) is a keystone species that hosts a variety of accompanying species including epiphytic lichens. Forest management actions have led to a decrease in aspen abundance and subsequent loss of suitable habitats of epiphytic lichens. In this study, we evaluate the environmental responses of epiphytic lichen species richness and community composition on aspen, focusing on the potential of remote sensing by combined hyperspectral imaging and airborne laser scanning to identify suitable habitats for epiphytic lichens. We measured different substrate and habitat parameters in the field (e.g., aspen diameter and bark pH) …

Genetic Markers And Tree Properties Predicting Wood Biorefining Potential In Aspen (Populus Tremula) Bioenergy Feedstock, Sacha Escamez, Kathryn M. Robinson, Mikko Luomaranta, Madhavi Latha Gandla, Niklas Mähler, Zakiya Yassin, Thomas Grahn, Gerhard Scheepers, Lars-Göran Stener, Stefan Jansson, Leif J. Jönsson, Nathaniel R. Street, Hannele Tuominen

Aspen Bibliography

Background Wood represents the majority of the biomass on land and constitutes a renewable source of biofuels and other bioproducts. However, wood is recalcitrant to bioconversion, raising a need for feedstock improvement in production of, for instance, biofuels. We investigated the properties of wood that affect bioconversion, as well as the underlying genetics, to help identify superior tree feedstocks for biorefining.

Results We recorded 65 wood-related and growth traits in a population of 113 natural aspen genotypes from Sweden (https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.gtht76hrd). These traits included three growth and field performance traits, 20 traits for wood chemical composition, 17 traits for wood anatomy …

The Methylation Landscape Of Giga-Genome And The Epigenetic Timer Of Age In Chinese Pine, Jiang Li, Fangxu Han, Tongqi Yuan, Wei Li, Yue Li, Harry X. Wu, Hairong Wei, Shihui Niu

Michigan Tech Publications

Epigenetics has been revealed to play a crucial role in the long-term memory in plants. However, little is known about whether the epigenetic modifications occur with age progressively in conifers. Here, we present the single-base resolution DNA methylation landscapes of the 25-gigabase Chinese pine (Pinus tabuliformis) genome at different ages. The result shows that DNA methylation is closely coupled with the regulation of gene transcription. The age-dependent methylation profile with a linearly increasing trend is the most significant pattern of DMRs between ages. Two segments at the five-prime end of the first ultra-long intron in DAL1, a conservative age biomarker …