Forest Management Commons^™

The Forest Through The Trees: Modeling The Ecological Niche And Potential Assemblage Distribution Of Oak-Hickory Forests Across The Eastern U.S., Elijah Worley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding how tree species’ ranges and populations may shift by the end of the 21^st Century is critical for effective conservation and forest management. Ecological niche models are widely used to predict species distributions by modeling the relationships between environmental variables and species presence. While numerous models have been developed for individual tree species across the USA, there is limited research on how tree species assemblages, such as oak-hickory forests, will respond to changes in climate over time. Maxent modeling software was used to predict potential shifts in suitable habitat for the oak-hickory forest type, based on environmental variables …

Considerations And Techniques For Producing Urban Tree Canopy Maps Using Freely Available And Accessible Methods, Hugh Reed Ellerman

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Urban forests are valued as green infrastructure for the variety of benefits they provide across ecological, social, public health, and economic domains. To understand the distribution of trees, maps are required. Many methods of mapping tree cover use expensive and data-intensive datasets such as hyperspectral and LiDAR imagery, making these methods inaccessible to municipal forest managers. Variations in the modelling approaches of existing, freely available methods are not addressed in sufficient enough detail to understand the trade-offs implicit in these variations. Further, characteristics of urban tree canopy mapping (high spatial resolution imagery, heterogeneous urban environments, the importance of the tree …

Edge Feathering Across Forest-Meadow Ecotones Increases Light Heterogeneity And Understory Plant Diversity, Aruni Kadawatha, Jean H. Burns

Faculty Scholarship

Ecotones, the transitional zones between distinct habitats, are vital for ecosystem functioning and habitat diversity. Traditional management practices frequently create abrupt boundaries, leading to stressful conditions for organisms. To address this challenge, an underutilized land management technique called “edge feathering”, which involves gradual thinning of the canopy along the forest edge, has been introduced. This study, con- ducted at Holden Arboretum in Kirtland, Ohio, investigated the effects of edge feathering on light availability and understory plant diversity in edge feathered and control treatments. We calculated the coefficient of variation in light availability as light heterogeneity and plant diversity indices at …

Understanding The Accuracy And Best Use Of The Woodland Stick As A Tree Height And Diameter Measurement Tool: A Case Study In Oregon, Francisca Belart, Lauren Grand, Alicia Christiansen

Journal of Extension

We conducted a study to assess the accuracy of the Woodland Stick in determining tree diameter and height as compared to professional measurements and how bias can affect tree volume calculation. After comparing professional measurements with five non-professionals (NP’s) using the Woodland Stick, we found that three out of five NP’s had significant differences in mean dbh, and all of the NP’s had significant differences in mean total height. The overall bias for dbh across users was +0.5 inches and +5.1 ft for height. These deviations can result in volume differences between 0 and 30 bf on a single tree.

Attitudes Toward The Continued Protection Of Grizzly Bears Under The Endangered Species Act, John A. Vucetich, Jeremy T. Bruskotter

Michigan Tech Publications

In January 2025, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service published a proposed rule to continue protecting grizzly bears in the contiguous United States under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The proposed rule and guidance for how the public can comment on the proposed rule can be found at this link: https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2025-01/usfws-proposes-update-grizzly-bear-esa-listing-management

In January 2025, we implemented a web-based survey designed to assess the attitudes of residents of the contiguous United States, as they pertain to the appropriateness of continuing protection of grizzly bears under the ESA. A large body of prior research indicates that individuals’ attitudes toward species protections can …

Timber Talk, Vol. 63, No. 3, July 2025 (Special)

Timber Talk: Nebraska Forest Industry Newsletter

Timber Talk, Vol. 63, No. 3, July 2025 (Special)

2025 Annual Report, Tennessee. Division Of Forestry And Tennessee. Department Of Agriculture

Forestry Annual Reports

This annual report presents an overview of Tennessee Forestry Commission programs and management.

Assessing Understory Along The Elk River (Hikshari') In Headwaters Forest Reserve, Humboldt County, California, Julie R. Meyers, Aliyah M. Ingram, Caleb N. Larkin, Joshua L. Carpenter

Environmental Science & Management Senior Capstones

Northern California’s extensive logging history and lack of forest management has altered old-growth coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) forests, leaving dense, homogenous second and third-growth forest stands. This has led to the use of modern restoration techniques such as variable density thinning (VDT) which aims to rehabilitate old-growth forest conditions by improving stand heterogeneity and light availability for understory species. Our study was done in Headwaters Forest Reserve (HFR) along the Elk River (Hikshari’) Trail in Humboldt County, California. Initially, the project was supervised by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Arcata Field Office. However, the 2025 U.S. government …

Wildlife Distribution Mapping And Analysis In Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique, Using Site And Satellite Imagery Data, Pinho Joaquim Munhequeira Mr

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

One of Mozambique's most important conservation sites, Gorongosa National Park has seen critical ecological changes over the past several decades resulting from climate variability, habitat loss, and political instability. This research integrates Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing to examine the relationship between vegetation dynamics and wildlife population, and distribution. The main goals of this study are to evaluate the spatial distribution of particular wildlife species: buffalo (Syncerus caffer), elephant (Loxodonta africana), hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), and zebra (Equus quagga), and determine the impact of vegetation density and land cover on their …

Effects Of Experimental Structural Retention Position And Aggregation On Avian Communities In Managed Forests Of The Pacific Northwest, U.S., Aidan M. Healey

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Managed forest lands in Oregon and Washington produce wood products and host diverse bird communities, though standing dead snags are often limited. State forest practices rules governing forest harvest dictate retention of a minimum number of trees when forests are clearcut harvested. However, little research has explored how the slope position and aggregation of retention, and the supplemental inclusion of mechanically created snags, affects use of these forest units by wildlife, especially highly mobile taxa such as birds. I used an avian point count sampling approach, within a replicate-block experiment dictating unit-level slope position, aggregation, and snag retention treatments, to …

Modeling Forest Stewardship In Goukdi’N: An Assessment Of Carbon, Wildlife Habitat, And Fire Resilience In A University Forest, Benjamin Stock

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This thesis presents a forest management plan for Goukdi’n (also known as the Jacoby Creek Forest University Tract), a coast redwood–tanoak–Douglas-fir forest within the ancestral homelands of the Wiyot Tribe. This project addresses the need for a forest stewardship approach that supports ecological resilience, cultural values, and long-term forest health in a landscape shaped by industrial logging, fire exclusion, and decades of under-management. To evaluate potential management pathways, forest growth modeling was conducted using the USFS Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) to compare three management prescriptions focused on carbon storage, fire resilience, and structural heterogeneity and a no-action alternative. Model outputs …

Timber Talk, Vol. 63, No. 1, March 2025

Timber Talk: Nebraska Forest Industry Newsletter

Timber Talk, Vol. 63, No. 1, March 2025

Timber Talk, Vol. 63, No. 2, June 2025

Timber Talk: Nebraska Forest Industry Newsletter

Timber Talk, Vol. 63, No. 2, June 2025

Assessing The Potential For Bigleaf Maple Syrup Production In Humboldt County, Ca, David A. Reinhart, Juan A. Ramos-Cool, Liam H. Richardson

Undergraduate Scholarship

The bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum, Pursh) is the largest maple of the Pacific Northwest. While it has generally been treated as a nuisance in timber harvesting operations, a small amount of research has been conducted on its sugaring ability in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. This research has yet to reach further south in the species' range. This study aims to help a California landowner understand which maple trees on his property produce the most maple sap, to gauge what environmental factors contribute to maple sap production, and to find greater implications for the production of maple sap …

Huchum: The Legacy Of Fire Suppression, Indigenous Land Management, And Media Representation, Carolyn Coyne

Pomona Senior Theses

In my thesis, I examine how various forms of news media from the 1900s to present day in Ohlone territory have framed a particular hegemonic ideology around fire that matches early colonial journal entries – an ideology that is fueled by fear, sensationalism, and exclusion and directly commits violence against the Ohlone people. I investigate this time period because this is when modern news corporations, like The New York Times, rose into prominence. Specifically, I question how media representations of fire inform regulations over controlled burns; what are the similarities in discourse between media framing and policy? What tactics are …

Predicting Patterns Of Species Presence In Eastern Kentucky Using Fine- And Broad-Scale Site-Species Relationships, Kyra L. Shrout

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

Understanding site-species relationships is integral to effective forest management, as landscape factors influence both the presence of mature trees and the regeneration of future trees. This study examined the influence of topographic, soil, and canopy variables on species presence at both fine (i.e., stand-level) and broad (i.e., forest-wide) scales within Robinson Forest, Kentucky. At the fine-scale, using vegetation data from permanent sampling plots, LiDAR-derived topographic data, and historical soils data, the relationships between the species of interest and the landscape variables within a single watershed were analyzed using conditional inference tree (CTree) models. Elevation and slope aspect were the most …

Six Rivers National Forest Hazardous Fuels And Fire Management Project 2025 Orleans Complex Fire Effects From 9/13/25 - 9/14/25, James L. Parr, Nosheen Maung, Darby J. Lewis, Javier E. Margarito, Giancarlo Golloti

Environmental Science & Management Senior Capstones

The 2025 Orleans Complex affected the Klamath National Priority Landscape, designated by Congress as a priority to reduce fuel load and mitigate wildfire risk near rural, at-risk communities. To address the threat of large destructive wildfires, the 2023 Six Rivers Hazardous Fuels and Fire Management Project identified desired ecological conditions, using the right type of fire at the right time and place.

Relict Ponderosa Pine Mortality And Fuels Study In The Bob Marshall Wilderness, Montana, Usa, Laura K. Schimmel

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Many forests have historically experienced mixed-severity fire regimes that were disrupted during the 20th century due to fire exclusion policy. A stand of relict Pinus ponderosa in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex that burned in 2003, 2011, and 2018 provides a unique case study for investigating the effects of returned fire to the landscape. Many of the trees have fire scars or Indigenous bark-peeling scars, preserving valuable ecological and anthropological history. We sought to determine whether scarred trees were more susceptible to fire damage, if larger trees had greater fire resilience than smaller trees, and if fuel loads have changed …

Impacts Of Southern Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus Frontalis Zimmerman) On Loblolly Pine (Pinus Taeda L.) Canopy And Water Use In The Homochitto National Forest, Mississippi, Usa, Sasha Goodnow, Yun Yang, Hui Liu, Ashley Schulz

Endeavors: Mississippi State Undergraduate Research Journal

Abiotic and biotic forest disturbances can have many impacts to forest ecosystem services, including to forest water use. Studies on impacts to forest evapotranspiration have been conducted on the mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) in western North America, but not on the southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis), which is a native pest of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) and shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata), in the southeastern United States. Stressed pine trees produce pheromones that attract southern pine beetles and, with enough stressed trees, beetle populations can quickly grow to epidemic levels and attack healthy trees, which results in widespread tree mortality. …

Balancing Timber Harvest And Biodiversity: Impacts Of Selective Logging On Wildlife In The Chiquibul Forest Reserve, Belize, Kilynn Groen

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Selective logging is often promoted as a sustainable forestry practice that maintains biodiversity and ecosystem function, yet its ecological consequences remain under examined, particularly in tropical forests. This study investigates how selective logging affects wildlife communities in the Chiquibul Forest Reserve, Belize. Using remote camera trap data from 22 sites (9 unlogged forest sites and 13 logged (stump) sites), we assessed species richness, trophic structure, and environmental predictors of wildlife abundance. While overall wildlife captures and species richness did not differ significantly between forest and stump habitats, principal component analysis revealed strong community-level separation, with stump habitats supporting distinct species …