Green Connectivity In Metropolitan Jabodetabek: Climate Change And The Challenge Of Urban Forest, Safira Maharani Putri, Hendricus Andy Simarmata

CSID Journal of Infrastructure Development

Urban areas in Indonesia, particularly the Greater Jakarta metropolitan region (Jabodetabek), are increasingly experiencing the adverse effects of climate change, such as the Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomenon. Rapid urbanization has contributed significantly to rising greenhouse gas emissions and deteriorating environmental quality. Urban forests are one of the key solutions to mitigate these impacts; however, their spatial distribution in Jabodetabek remains suboptimal and poorly connected. This study uses NDVI as a proxy for urban forest density, where “urban forest” refers to vegetated areas within cities as defined by Presidential Regulation No. 60/2020. The research addresses the following question: How has …

Performance Enhancement For Rufa: Rapid Urban Forest Assessment, Nicholas Tan

Master's Theses

Urban forests are crucial to the livability and resilience of cities, offering critical ecosystem benefits such as air quality enhancement, temperature regulation, and biodiversity. Managing said urban forests is essential to ensure their sustainability and adaptability to rapidly changing environmental and climate conditions. The Rapid Urban Forest Assessment (RUFA) tool was developed to address the need for a standardized approach to evaluating and comparing urban and community forestry programs. By analyzing and aggregating tree-specific data across California, such as canopy cover, tree counts, and diversity scores, RUFA assigns a comprehensive urban forestry score for each city. This score allows for …

Mountain Communities During A Time Of War: A Case Study Of The Hutsul Region In The Carpathian Mountains Of Ukraine, Pavlo Rybaruk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the ethno-ecological technologies employed by the Hutsul people within the highland agrarian economy of the Carpathian Mountains. Over centuries, the Hutsuls have developed ethno-ecological technologies that maintain ecological integrity while supporting community livelihoods.

The study addresses three primary research questions: What are the most important ethno-ecological technologies of the Hutsul highland economy? How might these traditional ethno-ecological practices be applied to economic, agricultural, and tourism development in the Hutsul region? How might these traditional ethno-ecological practices be combined with contemporary approaches to encourage sustainable development in the region?

The research explores the devastating impact of the Russian …

Examining Private Landowner And Stakeholder Attitudes, Perceptions, And Knowledge Of Prescribed Fire In Louisiana, Chloe E. Crawford

LSU Master's Theses

Periodic fire was a primary driver of ecosystems across the Southeastern United States for millennia; however, fire suppression policies have become pervasive in the United States and led to increased fuel loads in forests as well as reduced biodiversity and reduced disease resilience. Prescribed fire presents a risk mitigation strategy and land management tool whereby practitioners can apply fire to the landscape in a controlled manner, thus reaping the benefits of fire while minimizing the risks associated with fire. Land in Louisiana is primarily privately managed and owned, so state-level conservation goals cannot be met without private landowner participation. As …

Analyzing Surface Spectral Signature Shifts In Fire-Affected Areas Of Elko County Nevada, Ibtihaj Ahmad, Haroon Stephen

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

This study investigates post-fire vegetation transitions and spectral responses in the Snowstorm Fire (2017) and South Sugarloaf Fire (2018) in Nevada using Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) surface reflectance imagery and unsupervised ISODATA classification. By comparing pre-fire and post-fire conditions, we have assessed changes in vegetation composition, spectral signatures, and the emergence of novel land cover types. The results revealed widespread conversion of shrubland and conifer-dominated systems to herbaceous cover with significant reductions in near-infrared reflectance and elevated shortwave infrared responses, indicative of vegetation loss and surface alteration. In the South Sugarloaf Fire, three new spectral classes emerged post-fire, …

A Multidecadal Analysis Of Groundwater Level And Streamflow Decline In Southern Forest Catchments, Western Australia, Richard J. George, Rose-Anne Bell, W. Lachlan Mccaw, Gregory Paul Raper

Natural Resources Research Articles

Previous analysis of hydrological data in the eucalypt dominated forests of Western Australia’s Darling Ranges show that reduced winter rainfall over the last 50 years has lowered groundwater levels and diminished streamflow by up to 70%. Consequently, climate-independent reverse osmosis seawater desalination and groundwater resources now supply Perth and nearby regional areas, as runoff from forested catchments is no longer sufficient or reliable. In the high rainfall (~1200 mm/yr) mixed forest areas dominated by Eucalyptus diversicolor (karri) and Eucalyptus marginata (jarrah) 200 km to the south of Perth (the ‘Southern Forest’), similar analysis of climate impacts on watertables has not …

Early Detection Of Oak Wilt Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Uav) & Computer Vision, Muttaki I. Bismoy

Masters Theses

Forests are critical ecosystems, delivering services such as biodiversity conservation, climate regulation, timber production, and recreation. However, they face increasing threats from pathogens like Bretziella fagacearum, which causes Oak Wilt, a lethal disease that disrupts water transport in oak trees, leading to canopy dieback and eventual death. Traditional detection methods rely on manual ground surveys, which are labor-intensive, time-consuming, and prone to error, particularly in early disease stages.

This research presents an automated, scalable, high-precision Oak Wilt detection system using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) combined with deep learning-based computer vision. Expanding on earlier work with a lightweight CNN achieving an …

Periodic Evaluations Indicate Increased Effectiveness Of Oregon Master Woodland Manager Volunteer Program, Alicia Christiansen, Lauren Grand, Norma Kline, Tiffany Hopkins

Journal of Extension

The Oregon State University Extension Service Master Woodland Manager (MWM) volunteer program trains landowners in core forestry and natural resource topics. Landowners participate in the MWM program to increase their forest management knowledge, improve their own management practices, and prepare them to volunteer in their community (Bowers, 2000). We surveyed MWM volunteers to understand the effectiveness of the program and what barriers exist to volunteering. Volunteers find the program to be increasingly adequate for personal management and answering questions, but time continues to be the biggest barrier for completing required volunteer hours.

Modeling Diameter Distribution Of Loblolly Pine Plantations In Response To Mid-Rotation Thinning Treatments And Assing The Economic Returns In Western Gulf Coastal Plain, Pragya Rijal, Yuhui Weng, Anusha Shrestha, Jason Grogan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The influence of thinning regimes incorporating row thinning on diameter distribution and timber product allocation is of considerable importance in the management of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantations within the Western Gulf Coastal Plain. This study utilized data from a thinning study plots established by the East Texas Pine Plantation Research Project across East Texas and Western Louisiana. A two-parameter Weibull distribution was used to model diameter distributions under varying thinning intensities, with parameter estimation conducted using both parameter prediction (PPM) and percentile-based (PRM) methods. The PRM approach demonstrated excellent model performance, with coefficients of determination (R²) ranging …

Restoration At The Intersection Of Science And Outreach-The Working Woods Learning Forest, Katharine L. Stuble, David J. Burke, Samuel C. Harbol, Chad Knisely, Jessica Miller Mecaskey, Alexa S. Wagner, Michael Watson, Kevin E. Mueller

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

Botanical gardens and arboreta have enormous (if often under-realized) potential to increase understanding of restoration as a predictive science while simultaneously serving as platforms promoting large-scale restoration by public and private stakeholders. Public gardens often have deep histories of both research and outreach and, increasingly, engagement in restoration efforts. As a team of researchers and practitioners, we share our experiences using a forest management manipulation at the Holden Arboretum for both research and outreach. Forest management is a key tool for enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem services in young forests. Known as the Working Woods Learning Forest, this restoration simultaneously serves …

Breeding Season Bird Use Of And Non-Native Plants Found In Food Plots In The Southern Appalachian Mountains, Nathan A. Klaus, Kirk Stodola

Georgia Journal of Science

Traditional agricultural style food plots, or wildlife openings, are widely used for wildlife management and hunting opportunities on public and private lands in the Southeastern United States. These habitats are often cited as beneficial for game and nongame wildlife, but there are few published studies examining nongame bird use of food plots in recent decades. Modern concerns about the ecological costs of food plots, particularly fragmentation and invasive non-native species, warrant a new examination of this practice. We conducted avian surveys during the breeding season of 2008 at 39 sites composed of three different treatments: traditional food plots, novel food …

The Effect Of An Invasive Species (Lantana Camara) And A Fast-Growing Herb (Acanthus Pubescens) On The Plant And Animal Communities In Kibale National Park, Uganda, Kathleen Bufka

Theses and Dissertations

Fast-growing plant species, like Lantana camara and Acanthus pubescens, could threaten biodiversity in Kibale National Park, Uganda. I surveyed plants and wildlife in areas where these plants were frequently encountered compared to those areas where they are infrequent. I found mixed results based on plant traits and the animals considered. My findings support management efforts on these two species to prevent forest degradation.

Stand Strucuture Of Planted Stands In Storm-Water Retention Basins, Jason Lanza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Trees assist in stormwater retention basin functionality as efficient sources of water removal, and determining stand structure and leaf area of forests can be a measure of their effectiveness. The structure of forest stands on these basins managed for runoff mitigation has received little attention. We investigated the structure and species composition/diversity (tree and herbaceous) of planted, managed stands and naturally regenerated stands on stormwater retention basins managed by Harris County Flood Control District in Harris County, Texas. We determined stand structure variables (trees per hectare, basal area per hectare, quadratic mean diameter, relative density, average tree height, and percent …

Ecological And Social Resilience In Wildfire-Prone Communities, Melissa Burnett

All Theses

Climate projections suggest extreme weather variability, introducing extremely wet years, followed by years with extreme drought. These weather conditions are creating fire weather conducive to increasing wildfires across the southeast over the next century, which can have extreme ecological consequences. The Appalachian Mountains historically had some of the highest fire frequencies in North America but have been subjected to decades of fire suppression and prevention policies, resulting in an environment subject to more high-severity wildfires. The fall of 2016 was one of the driest seasons on record in this region and resulted in intense and destructive fires in the southeastern …

Restoring A Longleaf Pine Savanna In The Wiregrass Gap: Community Responses To Post-Harvest Slash Manipulation, Eva Purcell

All Theses

Now reduced to just a fraction of their historical range, Longleaf pine savannas in the southeastern United States are home to a wide array of species, some of which are threatened or endemic. These characteristics have inspired widespread restoration initiatives in recent decades, accompanied by an expanding literature on how management techniques affect restoration outcomes. However, research is lacking in a unique region of longleaf pine’s range, where the dominant fire-carrying grasses are different: the Wiregrass Gap. This study investigated the effects of three different slash manipulation treatments on restoration outcomes of a Wiregrass Gap longleaf pine savanna. Specifically, we …

Assessment Of The State Forest Protection Management And Community Participation In The Central Highlands, Vietnam, Do Cao Phan, Tran Thi Lan

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

This study focuses on state forest protection management in Central Highlands Vietnam, particularly in the Krong Bong District, Dak Lak Province, examining the role of community participation. The Central Highlands, a region rich in biodiversity and ecological significance, is severely impacted by deforestation, illegal logging, and land-use changes. This study assesses the current state of forest governance and proposes sustainable development improvement strategies. The research employs a mixed-methods approach, integrating secondary data, such as government reports and forest management reports from Krong Bong District, Đak Lak Province, as well as previous studies, with primary data collected from surveys of 96 …

Integrating Belowground Recovery Into Tropical Forest Restoration Design And Monitoring, Lauren Toro, Leland K. Werden, Shalom D. Addo-Danso, Kelly M. Andersen, Sarah Batterman, Matilde M. Bragadini, Pooja Choksi, Rebecca J. Cole, Liza S. Comita, Daniela Cusack, Daisy H. Dent, Lee H. Dietterich, Joshua B. Fisher, Katrin Fleischer, Lucia Fuchslueger, Nohemi Huanca-Nunez, Janey R. Lienau, Lindsay A. Mcculloch, Ember M. Morrissey, Jennifer S. Powers, Mareli Sánchez-Juliá, Oscar Valverde-Barrantes, Anita Weissflog, Michelle Y. Wong

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

There is growing recognition that tropical forest restoration is key for sequestering carbon and enhancing ecosystem resilience. Soils, roots, and soil biota are central to ecosystem function and services, but belowground recovery is largely overlooked in restoration monitoring frameworks. Here, we outline current understanding of the links between above- and belowground recovery in tropical forests by examining how belowground properties before and after intervention influence recovery; by evaluating whether aboveground recovery can serve as a proxy for belowground dynamics; and by proposing a blueprint for monitoring dynamic soil physical (bulk density, aggregate stability), chemical (organic matter or carbon, pH), and …

Catching A Fever: A Comparison Of Vachellia Xanthophloea Populations In The Limpopo And Luvuvhu River Floodplains Of The Makuleke Contractual Park, Kianie B. David

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study investigates patterns of stand structure regeneration, growth characteristics, and coarse woody debris (CWD) patterns in Vachellia xanthophloea (fever tree) stands within the Makuleke Contractual Park (MCP), a semi-arid savanna system in northern Kruger National Park (KNP), South Africa. Fieldwork was conducted across two stand types: a monospecific fever tree stand in Rietbok Vlei and a mixed-species stand in the Western Nhlangaluwe Floodplain where fever tree is established with Faidherbia albida (ana tree). Data were collected from 20 total 1/4-acre (1,011 m²) circular plots between both stands in 2024 and 2025, including seedling root collar diameter (RCD), …

Assessing The Influence Of Afforestation On Soil Quality And Soil Organic Carbon: A Case Study In Rashaya District, Lebanon, Mohammad Saleh, Wael Mostafa, Safaa Baydoun, Hisham Salman, Jamilah Borjac

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

Afforestation is a promising strategy for improving soil quality and enhancing carbon sequestration, contributing to climate change mitigation efforts. This study assessed the impact of afforestation on soil parameters in two afforested areas and one natural forest, compared with adjacent non-forested sites in Rashaya al-Wadi, Lebanon. Soil samples (0–30 cm depth) were analyzed for texture, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), soil organic matter (SOM), soil organic carbon (SOC), organic nitrogen (ON), mineral nitrogen (MN), and available phosphorus (AP) using ISO and standardized protocols at the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute (LARI). The findings indicate that afforestation significantly increased SOM, SOC, and ON, …

Living Heritage, Resilience And Ethically Informed Infrastructures In Malawi, Martha B. Lerski, Frank Puluputu Mwale

Publications and Research

Rooted in a rural community’s needs, this paper explores how historically, and ethically informed infrastructures can support community engagement towards identification, documentation, and dissemination of local, traditional, and indigenous knowledge relating to climate change. The paper examines climate adaptation and sustainability issues through the lenses of community organizing and Library & Information Science best practices. It draws on a growing body of literature identifying a role for expanded epistemological and subject discipline perspectives. While the impacts of climate on material culture are increasingly recognized, intangible, and biocultural heritage have not received as much attention. Living heritage traditions and knowledge systems …