The Role Of Fire And A Fire-Free Interval In The Restoration Of Upland Oak Communities On The Cumberland Plateau, Kentucky,
2020
University of Kentucky
The Role Of Fire And A Fire-Free Interval In The Restoration Of Upland Oak Communities On The Cumberland Plateau, Kentucky, Jordan Winkenbach
Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources
The decline of upland oak (Quercus spp.) communities in our eastern forests has been attributed to the loss of periodic disturbance after decades of fire suppression. As land managers have begun to reintroduce fire, effects on oak regeneration and species composition have varied widely, making it apparent that our understanding of how fire can aid in oak forest management needs refinement. Restoring upland oak communities requires decreasing stand density and opening of the canopy to release shade-intolerant oaks in the understory. This necessitates an extended fire-free interval to allow these oaks to be recruited into larger size classes and …
Long-Term Effects Of Crop-Tree Release On The Growth And Quality Of Upland White Oak Stands,
2020
University of Kentucky
Long-Term Effects Of Crop-Tree Release On The Growth And Quality Of Upland White Oak Stands, Philip Jay Vogel
Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources
The alteration of historical disturbance regimes, forest parcelization, and varying goals among landowners all present challenges to oak management in the eastern U.S. Foresters and landowners need tools to promote oak sustainability that are applicable on small forestland holdings and within complex management plans. From this perspective, this research evaluates a crop-tree release study installed in southeastern Kentucky in 1983. The experiment includes four, 2-acre replications of three treatment levels: 20 crop-trees per acre, 34 crop-trees per acre, and a control treatment in which crop-trees were selected but not released. Half-acre measurement plots were installed at the outset of the …
Effects Of Shelterwood And Patch Cut Harvests On A Post White-Nose Syndrome Bat Community In The Cumberland Plateau In Eastern Kentucky,
2020
University of Kentucky
Effects Of Shelterwood And Patch Cut Harvests On A Post White-Nose Syndrome Bat Community In The Cumberland Plateau In Eastern Kentucky, Phillip Lee Arant
Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources
The impact of shelterwood and patch cuts harvests on bat communities was tested at three sites in Eastern Kentucky. Shelterwood harvests had 50% of the basal area and understory removed to create a uniform spacing of residual trees. Patch cuts had 1-hectare circular openings created to remove 50% of the basal area creating an aggregated spacing of residual trees. Acoustic detectors were deployed to assess activity levels pre-harvest. Sites were then sampled from 1 – 2 years post-harvest to determine differences. Pre-harvest data revealed little acoustic activity for the Myotis spp. at two sites. The remaining site had high activity …
Plant-Soil Interactions Dominate Soil Microbial Respiration And Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration In A Subtropical Moist Evergreen Broadleaved Forest In China,
2020
University of Kentucky
Plant-Soil Interactions Dominate Soil Microbial Respiration And Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration In A Subtropical Moist Evergreen Broadleaved Forest In China, Zhijie Yang
Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences
Tropical forest soils contain one-third of global soil carbon (C). The warm and moist climate in tropical forests leads to rapid soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition, with the highest soil microbial respiration rates in the world, so even a slight change in soil C and microbial respiration could affect atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. However, there remains a lack of understanding of the mechanisms driving microbial respiration in tropical forests, due to different climate and biophysical drivers compared to temperate or boreal forests. Furthermore, forest conversions (from natural forests to plantations) are most widespread in tropical regions, leading to a loss …
West Chester University Tree Care Policy,
2020
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
West Chester University Tree Care Policy, Grounds Department
WCU Campus Sustainability Initiatives
The purpose of the West Chester University Tree Care Policy is to identify the policies, procedures, and practices that are used in establishing, protecting, maintaining, and removing trees on the West Chester University campus. The overall goal of the plan is to ensure a safe, attractive, and sustainable campus urban forest. By remaining true to this purpose the first impression of potential students and visitors are more apt to be positive.
Disturbance Refugia Within Mosaics Of Forest Fire, Drought, And Insect Outbreaks,
2020
Oregon State University
Disturbance Refugia Within Mosaics Of Forest Fire, Drought, And Insect Outbreaks, Meg A. Krawchuk, Garrett W. Meigs, Jennifer M. Cartwright, Jonathan D. Coop, Raymond Davis, Andres Holz, Crystal Kolden, Arjan Jh Meddens
Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations
Disturbance refugia – locations that experience less severe or frequent disturbances than the surrounding landscape – provide a framework to highlight not only where and why these biological legacies persist as adjacent areas change but also the value of those legacies in sustaining biodiversity. Recent studies of disturbance refugia in forest ecosystems have focused primarily on fire, with a growing recognition of important applications to land management. Given the wide range of disturbance processes in forests, developing a broader understanding of disturbance refugia is important for scientists and land managers, particularly in the context of anthropogenic climate change. We illustrate …
Multiple Criteria Decision-Making Approach To Support Timber Transportation Planning – Case Study In Brazil,
2020
Humboldt State University
Multiple Criteria Decision-Making Approach To Support Timber Transportation Planning – Case Study In Brazil, Marinna Lopes Ferreira Gomes
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Timber transportation is one of the costliest activities for a forest company in Brazil and in many other countries, and it is a determining factor for the success of the forest enterprise. Thus, decision support tools are commonly used as methods to reduce these costs. The purpose of this study was to develop and analyze mathematical models to define the weekly timber transport schedule based on the monthly demands of the customers. The goal is to minimize the operational costs of forest transportation related to distances, timber freshness and road qualities. The decision process was made in two steps; the …
Fire And Land Cover Change In The Palouse Prairie–Forest Ecotone, Washington And Idaho, Usa,
2020
University of Idaho
Fire And Land Cover Change In The Palouse Prairie–Forest Ecotone, Washington And Idaho, Usa, Penelope Morgan, Emily K. Heyerdahl, Eva K. Strand, Stephen C. Bunting, James P. Riser Ii, John T. Abatzoglou, Max Nielsen-Pincus, Mara Johnson
Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations
Background: Prairie–forest ecotones are ecologically important for biodiversity and ecological processes. While these ecotones cover small areas, their sharp gradients in land cover promote rich ecological interaction and high conservation value. Our objective was to understand how historical and current fire occurrences and human development influenced the Palouse Prairie–forest ecotone. We used General Land Office survey field notes about the occurrence of bearing trees to locate historical (1870s to 1880s) prairie, pine savanna, and forest at the eastern edge of the bioregion. We combined LANDFIRE Existing Vegetation classes to contrast historical land cover with current land cover. We reconstructed …
Wildland Fire Reburning Trends Across The Us West Suggest Only Short-Term Negative Feedback And Differing Climatic Effects,
2020
University of Colorado
Wildland Fire Reburning Trends Across The Us West Suggest Only Short-Term Negative Feedback And Differing Climatic Effects, Brian Buma, Shelby A. Weiss, K. Hayes, Melissa S. Lucash
Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations
Wildfires are a significant agent of disturbance in forests and highly sensitive to climate change. Short-interval fires and high severity (mortality-causing) fires in particular, may catalyze rapid and substantial ecosystem shifts by eliminating woody species and triggering conversions from forest to shrub or grassland ecosystems. Modeling and fine-scale observations suggest negative feedbacks between fire and fuels should limit reburn prevalence as overall fire frequency rises. However, while we have good information on reburning patterns for individual fires or small regions, the validity of scaling these conclusions to broad regions like the US West remains unknown. Both the prevalence of reburning …
Stable Aggregate Dynamics And Carbon Storage In Acidified Forest Soils: Influence Of Atmospheric Deposition And Conifer Conversion At The Fernow Experimental Forest,
2020
West Virginia University
Stable Aggregate Dynamics And Carbon Storage In Acidified Forest Soils: Influence Of Atmospheric Deposition And Conifer Conversion At The Fernow Experimental Forest, J E. Kemner
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
This research explored effects of ecosystem change from increased atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition and stand conversion from mixed-species hardwood to Norway spruce in three experimental watersheds at the Fernow Experimental Forest (FEF). I measured soil aggregation and organic matter (OM) content to investigate the influence of forest fertilization in Watershed 3 (WS3), a hardwood forest receiving (NH4)2SO4 fertilizer, versus Watershed 7 (WS7), a natural hardwood forest. I compared WS7 to Watershed 6 (WS6), a converted Norway spruce (Picea abies) monoculture. I quantified WS6 and WS7 C and N ecosystem pools, including vegetation biomass, …
Central Appalachian Understory Red Spruce (Picea Rubens Sarg.) Growth Rates And Allometric Relationships,
2020
West Virginia University
Central Appalachian Understory Red Spruce (Picea Rubens Sarg.) Growth Rates And Allometric Relationships, Joseph M. Gray
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Red spruce (Picea rubens) was a prized timber species in West Virginia during the era of resource exploitation in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Consequently, Central Appalachian red spruce has faced large reductions in range and changes in stand composition. This region is relatively underrepresented in literature partially due to these constrictions. Investigating how stem growth occurs in young individuals can fill in some of our gaps in understanding the species and aid in restoration efforts. We sampled an array of high elevation sites on federal and state lands in West Virginia to analyze understory spruce growth …
Internet Of Things For Sustainable Forestry,
2020
Purdue University
Internet Of Things For Sustainable Forestry, Abdul Salam
Computer Information Technology Faculty Publications
Forests and grasslands play an important role in water and air purification, prevention of the soil erosion, and in provision of habitat to wildlife. Internet of Things has a tremendous potential to play a vital role in the forest ecosystem management and stability. The conservation of species and habitats, timber production, prevention of forest soil degradation, forest fire prediction, mitigation, and control can be attained through forest management using Internet of Things. The use and adoption of IoT in forest ecosystem management is challenging due to many factors. Vast geographical areas and limited resources in terms of budget and equipment …
Forest-Linked Livelihoods In A Globalized World,
2020
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Forest-Linked Livelihoods In A Globalized World, Johan A. Oldekop, Laura Vang Rasmussen, Arun Agrawal, Anthony J. Bebbington, Patrick Meyfroidt, David N. Bengston, Allen Blackman, Stephen Brooks, Iain Davidson-Hunt, Penny Davies, Stanley C. Dinsi, Lorenza B. Fontana, Tatiana Gumucio, Chetan Kumar, Kundan Kumar, Dominic Moran, Tuyeni H. Mwampamba, Robert Nasi, Margareta Nilsson, Miguel A. Pinedo-Vasquez, Jeanine M. Rhemtulla, William J. Sutherland, Cristy Watkins, Sarah J. Wilson
Geography
Forests have re-taken centre stage in global conversations about sustainability, climate and biodiversity. Here, we use a horizon scanning approach to identify five large-scale trends that are likely to have substantial medium- and long-term effects on forests and forest livelihoods: forest megadisturbances; changing rural demographics; the rise of the middle-class in low- and middle-income countries; increased availability, access and use of digital technologies; and large-scale infrastructure development. These trends represent human and environmental processes that are exceptionally large in geographical extent and magnitude, and difficult to reverse. They are creating new agricultural and urban frontiers, changing existing rural landscapes and …
Using Unmanned Aerial Systems (Drones) With A Thermal Sensor To Map And Count Deer Population,
2020
The University of Akron
Using Unmanned Aerial Systems (Drones) With A Thermal Sensor To Map And Count Deer Population, Maxwell C. Ott
Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects
The number of deer in an area is an important statistic for land managers to know, as overabundance has many negative effects. There are many methods that have been used to count deer in the past, such as using manned helicopters and airplanes, walking on foot, and conducting controlled hunts. UAS (unmanned aerial systems) is a growing field that provides many benefits over traditional methods of counting deer, such as lower cost and missions being less time consuming. Using a thermal sensor attached to a UAS makes it simple to spot any deer during a flight. Two main methods of …
Assessment Of Unmanned Aerial Systems And Lidar For The Utility Vegetation Management Of Electrical Distribution Rights-Of-Ways,
2020
West Virginia University
Assessment Of Unmanned Aerial Systems And Lidar For The Utility Vegetation Management Of Electrical Distribution Rights-Of-Ways, Matthew R. Walker
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Utility Vegetation Management (UVM) is often the largest maintenance expense for many utilities. However, with advances in Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS; or more commonly, “drones”) and lidar technologies, vegetation managers may be able to more rapidly and accurately identify vegetation threats to critical infrastructures. The goal of this study was to assess the utility of Geodetics’ UAS-lidar system for vegetation threat assessment for 1.6 km of a distribution electric circuit. We investigated factors which contribute to accurate tree crown detection and segmentation of trees from within an UAS-lidar derived point cloud, and the factors which contribute to accurate tree risk …
Avian And Salamander Response To Young Forest Management In West Virginia,
2020
West Virginia University
Avian And Salamander Response To Young Forest Management In West Virginia, Eric L. Margenau
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
This dissertation focuses on the effects of various young forest habitat management techniques on the avian and salamander community in West Virginia. Wildlife species associated with the nascent stage of forest succession are experiencing precipitous population declines throughout much of the eastern United States due to decreases in the amount of young forest area which have been brought on by changes in disturbance regimes over the past century. As a result, the need to find novel approaches for creating young forest habitats to sustain young forest wildlife populations is necessary. However, young forest habitat creation often negatively affects species that …
Senescent Trees Stabilize Aboveground Wood Net Primary Production Immediately After Disturbance,
2020
Virginia Commonwealth University
Senescent Trees Stabilize Aboveground Wood Net Primary Production Immediately After Disturbance, Maxim S. Grigri
Theses and Dissertations
In the United States, forests sequester 17% of national carbon (C) emissions annually (UGCRP, 2018), however shifting forest disturbances threaten the stability of this essential C sink. Unlike the high severity, stand-replacing disturbances that were widespread a century ago, today’s eastern temperate forests experience frequent low-to-moderate severity disturbances from invasive pests and pathogens with mixed effects on net primary production (NPP). Carbon cycling stability after disturbance has been reported, however, the mechanisms underlying immediate NPP stability or decline are not well understood. Through weekly measurements of production in a landscape scale experiment, we show that the sustained growth of senescent …
Efficacy Of Forest Restoration Treatments Across A 40-Year Chronosequence At Redwood National Park,
2020
Cal Poly Humboldt
Efficacy Of Forest Restoration Treatments Across A 40-Year Chronosequence At Redwood National Park, Kevin Soland
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Following 20th century logging, much of the natural coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) range consists of dense second-growth stands with slow tree growth and low biodiversity. There is a landscape-scale effort in much of coastal northern California to increase tree growth rates and ecosystem biodiversity via thinning treatments, thereby hopefully accelerating the development of old-growth forest characteristics. Redwood National Park (RNP) has been experimenting with thinning in these forest types since the 1970s. Given the interesting history of logging and restoration in RNP and the future plans for widespread thinning in this region, my thesis examined the effects …
The Interactive Effects Of Microtopography And Hydrology On Ground Layer Vegetation And Soil Gas Flux Responses To A Simulated Emerald Ash Borer Infestation In Black Ash Wetlands,
2020
Michigan Technological University
The Interactive Effects Of Microtopography And Hydrology On Ground Layer Vegetation And Soil Gas Flux Responses To A Simulated Emerald Ash Borer Infestation In Black Ash Wetlands, Elisabeth Stimmel
Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports
Black ash (Fraxinus nigra Marshall) wetlands are at risk of significant ecological and functional changes due to the invasive emerald ash borer (EAB) (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)), which kills trees in the Fraxinus (ash) genus. Simulated EAB infestations consisting of girdle treatments and ash cut treatments have been implemented in black ash wetlands to study the impacts of black ash canopy dieoff in these systems. Initial findings include ground layer vegetation shifts and impacts to carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) release from soils, but these factors and their interactions with microtopography in …
The Influence Of Landforms And Sampling Approaches On Riparian Buffer Area And Complexity,
2020
Michigan Technological University
The Influence Of Landforms And Sampling Approaches On Riparian Buffer Area And Complexity, Houjun Ding
Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports
A riparian area is a zone of interaction between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Delineating accurate riparian management zones (RMZs), often utilized in Best Management Practices (BMPs) for wetlands and stream protection, is important. The Riparian Buffer Delineation Model (RBDM) has been used extensively for accurate RMZs delineation. Utilizing the validated RBDM generates additional questions about riparian area form and function, which will ideally lead to an improved understanding of the ecological process within these zones. This study aims to determine how geomorphic landforms and their associated landscape characteristics influence riparian areas in terms of shape and complexity, whether sampling methods …
