Assessing The Recovery Of Forest Understory Vegetation After Clearcut Logging Across A 445-Year Chronosequence,
2023
Humboldt State University
Assessing The Recovery Of Forest Understory Vegetation After Clearcut Logging Across A 445-Year Chronosequence, Molly Smith Metok
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
The conversion of natural forested lands to managed forests has reduced the amount of older, structurally diverse forests worldwide. In conifer forests of the Pacific Northwest (USA) – where the understory plant communities comprise only 1% of forest biomass but represent 90% of the plant species richness – the long-term impacts of timber harvesting are not fully understood. I used a chronosequence of forests in southwestern Oregon that ranged from 25 to 445 years of age to compare changes in plant communities in logged (i.e., managed) stands with that of stands in late succession and old growth conditions. The chronosequence …
Evaluation Of Low-Grade Red Oak (Quercus Rubra) And Red Maple (Acer Rubrum) As A Raw-Material For Cross-Laminated Timber Panel Production,
2023
West Virginia University
Evaluation Of Low-Grade Red Oak (Quercus Rubra) And Red Maple (Acer Rubrum) As A Raw-Material For Cross-Laminated Timber Panel Production, Matthew Allen Young
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Hardwoods in the Appalachian region are traditionally destined for use in furniture, cabinetry, pallets, and railroad ties. The expanding market for Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) is an opportunity for increased utilization of low-quality hardwoods typically used in pallets or equipment mats. Large quantities of low-grade red oak (Quercus rubra) and red maple (Acer rubrum) to be used in CLTs would provide sufficient lumber sources that could foster the growth of CLT manufacturing facilities in the state of West Virginia or Appalachia all together. The objective of this study was to determine the yield distribution of visual structural grade quality lumber …
The Art And Science Of Wood: From Pyrography To Termites And Wood Decomposition,
2023
Michigan Technological University
The Art And Science Of Wood: From Pyrography To Termites And Wood Decomposition, Joanna D. Walitalo
Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports
Wood is vital to many natural ecosystems, as it provides energy, nutrients, and habitat for organisms from the micro- to the macro- scale. Wood is also critical to humans for similar reasons, and can be an important medium of art and education. This dissertation addresses three diverse aspects of wood with the contexts of science, art, and education. First, we explored the impact of timber harvest techniques and site preparation on microbial wood decay and subterranean termite responses on a forest-stand scale. The amount of coarse woody debris removed post-harvest, coupled with the location and species of the test wood …
Patterns, Mechanisms, And Characterization Of Carbon Cycling Stability Following Partial Forest Disturbance,
2023
Virginia Commonwealth University
Patterns, Mechanisms, And Characterization Of Carbon Cycling Stability Following Partial Forest Disturbance, Kayla C. Mathes
Theses and Dissertations
Among the most essential questions in the era of climate change is how the forest carbon (C) cycle will respond to an increase in the extent of biotic disturbances from insects and pathogens. While research has focused on stand-replacing disturbance regimes, less is known about C cycling stability following partial disturbances that produce gradients of disturbance severity. Belowground C cycling responses to disturbance are especially poorly understood, even though temperate forest soils contain up to 50% of total ecosystem C and soil respiration (Rs) accounts for more than half of temperate forest C loss. Interpreting trends and mechanisms …
Knobcone Pine Response To Shading From Competing Chaparral Shrubs Following Stand-Replacing Wildfire,
2023
Humboldt State University
Knobcone Pine Response To Shading From Competing Chaparral Shrubs Following Stand-Replacing Wildfire, Sean T. Lindley
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
In northern California, fire regimes are shifting towards more frequent and larger severe wildfire. There is growing concern that this shift poses a threat to biodiversity in the form of cover type change at the landscape scale, resulting in the extirpation of some species in favor of +AD617:AD649well-adapted ones. In northern California, mature serotinous conifers, such as knobcone pine (Pinus attenuata), and resprouting shrub species easily regenerate in severe patches of any size. There is no general consensus regarding the effects of shrub competition on conifer recruitment; conifer response varies with shade tolerance and other abiotic factors. Knobcone …
Investigating Tribal Co-Management Of Caifornia’S Public Lands,
2023
Cal Poly Humboldt
Investigating Tribal Co-Management Of Caifornia’S Public Lands, Zachary Joseph Erickson
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Collaborative management with Indigenous groups is becoming increasingly common as many Indigenous communities continue to assert their inherent rights to self-determination. Due to the removal from and dispossession of lands, tribes often rely on access to public properties for various uses including ceremonies and gathering of culturally important plants. Some believe that the absence of indigenous involvement has also led to a decline in both the quality and abundance of culturally important resources, as well as limited the intergenerational transfer of traditional ecological knowledge, or TEK. There is increasing momentum toward re-engaging tribes as stewards of their ancestral lands through …
Conversion And Utilization Of Forest Logging Residues For Value Added Bioproducts In The Eastern United Sates,
2023
West Virginia University
Conversion And Utilization Of Forest Logging Residues For Value Added Bioproducts In The Eastern United Sates, Wanhe Hu
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Four major studies were conducted in this dissertation to investigate the quality, availability, pretreatment, conversion, and utilization of forest logging residues in the eastern United States. The introduction and conclusion sections are found in the first and last chapters. The quality of various-year-naturally-decomposed softwood and hardwood forest logging residues from three subregions of the eastern United States was investigated in the second chapter. In the third chapter, the combustion and energy properties of hydrothermal, inert, and oxidative torrefied red maple were investigated. Finally, in the fourth and fifth chapters, KMnO4 surface-modified logging residue hydrochars were used to investigate the …
Assessing The Impact Of Parallel Burnout Fires On Flank Rate Of Spread,
2023
University of Montana
Assessing The Impact Of Parallel Burnout Fires On Flank Rate Of Spread, Erik Borke
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
The effects of flank-parallel suppression fires on the local rate of spread (ROS) of freely burning headfires through fully cured homogeneous grass fuels are assessed. Data sets include: one thermal image stack of a prescribed burn recorded by drone, and a suite of simulation experiments carried out in Wildland Urban Interface Fire Dynamics Simulator (WFDS). A new approach to computing ROS, curvature proxy driven normals to convex polylines, was developed to carry out this analysis. ROS time series depicting flank acceleration of the prescribed burn and simulation experiments, observable under coarse and fine directional classification schemes respectively, are the primary …
Impacts Of Climate And Wildfire On Western Larch Regeneration,
2023
University of Montana, Missoula
Impacts Of Climate And Wildfire On Western Larch Regeneration, Spencer T. Vieira
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
Fire plays a critical role in forests of the western United States (US), but as wildfire and climate deviate from historical patterns, increasing fire activity may significantly alter forest ecosystems. To understand the impacts of changing climate and wildfire activity on conifer forests, we studied the impact of wildfire and annual post-fire climate on western larch (Larix occidentalis) regeneration. We destructively sampled 1651 seedlings from 57 sites within 32 fires that burned at moderate or high severity from 2000-2015 in the northwestern US. Using dendrochronological methods, we estimated germination years of seedlings to calculate annual recruitment rates. We …
Factors Contributing To Legacy Hardwood Mortality Following Prescribed Fire,
2023
California State Polytechnic University - Humboldt
Factors Contributing To Legacy Hardwood Mortality Following Prescribed Fire, Heather D. Rickard
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Interruption of Indigenous stewardship has resulted in hardwood decline along what is now known as the middle Klamath River in northern California related to adverse effects to Tribal food sovereignty and community wellbeing. The survivors of a “legacy” of Indigenous stewardship are highly valued by the Karuk and neighboring Tribes for a myriad of culturally beneficial ecological associations and sources of traditional staple foods. Prescribed fire, following a century of fire exclusion, has resulted in unanticipated mortality of legacy tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus), California black oak (Quercus kelloggii), and madrone (Arbutus menziesii), warranting further investigation. …
Invasive Buckthorn Mapping: A Uav-Based Approach Utilizing Machine Learning, Gis, And Remote Sensing Techniques In The Upper Peninsula Of Michigan,
2023
Michigan Technological University
Invasive Buckthorn Mapping: A Uav-Based Approach Utilizing Machine Learning, Gis, And Remote Sensing Techniques In The Upper Peninsula Of Michigan, Vikranth Madeppa
Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports
An Invasive species is a species that is alien or non-native to the ecosystem which causes harm to economic, environmental, or human health (E.O. 13112 of Feb 3, 1999). Invasive species have posed a serious threat to ecosystems across the globe. These invasive species have impacts on the biodiversity and productivity of invaded forests. Remotely sensed data is a valuable resource for understanding and addressing issues related to invasive species. This study presents a novel approach for mapping the distribution of two invasive plant species, Common and Glossy Buckthorn, using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), machine learning algorithms, geographic information systems …
Two Research Perspectives On Sugar Maple Canopy Dieback In The Upper Great Lakes: A Decade Of Herbaceous Community Responses And A Survey Of Michigan Forest Managers,
2023
Michigan Technological University
Two Research Perspectives On Sugar Maple Canopy Dieback In The Upper Great Lakes: A Decade Of Herbaceous Community Responses And A Survey Of Michigan Forest Managers, Manuel Eduardo Anderson
Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports
Sugar maple canopy dieback has been reported in the upper Great Lakes since the mid-2000s. This thesis builds on research conducted to determine some of the underlying causes of canopy dieback, which include invasive earthworm impacts, with a view toward adaptations in management of northern hardwood forests in our region. The first chapter reports a study of understory communities in a subsection of forest health monitoring plots located in four national forests near Lake Superior. Based on plot assessments from 2010 and 2021, responses of plant community composition and traits to earthworm impacts and sugar maple canopy dieback were explored. …
Modeling Growth And Stress Factors For Converted Silvopasture Systems In The Missouri Ozarks,
2023
Missouri State University
Modeling Growth And Stress Factors For Converted Silvopasture Systems In The Missouri Ozarks, Bailee N. Suedmeyer
Graduate Theses/Dissertations
Silvopasture systems are becoming increasingly popular among sustainable agriculture ranchers, due to the increase in knowledge of benefits to the cattle and ability to grow cool season grasses beneath the canopy. This project focuses on the forest crop aspect of silvopasture systems from monitoring of the health of the trees over time to recommendations for thinning management to keep it functioning as viable silvopasture. The study site consists of five acres of upland hardwood forest area in Southern Missouri with 18 monumented fixed area plots. Arial and ground data was collected at each plot throughout the growing season, along with …
Vegetation And Nutritional Changes Over 20 Years Of White-Tailed Deer Exclusion,
2022
Mississippi State University
Vegetation And Nutritional Changes Over 20 Years Of White-Tailed Deer Exclusion, Gabrielle Nicole Ripa
Theses and Dissertations
Knowledge of the impacts of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus; hereafter deer) as dominant herbivores throughout the Southeastern United States of America is lacking. To address this, three paired experimental units of exclosures and controls were constructed in 2000 on three Wildlife Management Areas across Mississippi within the ecoregions of the Upper Coastal Plain, Lower Coastal Plain, and the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Vegetation was sampled in the summers of 2000, 2005, and 2021 including vegetation structure, canopy coverage, basal area, and species composition. Additionally, in 2005 and 2021, biomass was sampled to determine potential impacts on nutritional carrying capacity. Among the …
If You Give A Beetle A Maple: Anoplophora Glabripennis Habitat Selection Patterns On An Island In South Carolina,
2022
Clemson University
If You Give A Beetle A Maple: Anoplophora Glabripennis Habitat Selection Patterns On An Island In South Carolina, Meredith Bean
All Theses
At the epicenter of the Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis Motschulsky) quarantine zone in South Carolina, a small island containing an actively growing subpopulation of A. glabripennis had not completely killed its 37 host trees in 2020. Before these trees were removed and destroyed according to the USDA Eradication Program protocols, I performed an observational study to examine the microhabitat selection tendencies of the invasive A. glabripennis within this satellite infestation. After cataloging >14,000 oviposition sites and >1,600 exit holes created by A. glabripennis, I found dispersal trends according to a host’s stem status (single or multi-stemmed), vertical …
Effects Of Prescribed Fire Regimes On White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Browse, Forage, And Nutrient Availability In The Pineywoods Ecoregion Of Texas,
2022
Stephen F Austin State University
Effects Of Prescribed Fire Regimes On White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Browse, Forage, And Nutrient Availability In The Pineywoods Ecoregion Of Texas, Wyatt L. Bagwell
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Fire is a management tool for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) habitat, influencing browse availability, herbaceous production, and nutrient content. In 2020 and 2021, this study utilized 46 plots across East Texas to assess these habitat components. A stem count index survey method was used to assess browse utilization prior to April in both years, and preferred browse species were clipped and analyzed for nutrient availability, and herbaceous production was also measured. Additionally, white-tailed deer population data, browse survey data, and recent fire history were obtained from five different wildlife management areas to examine their relationship. Deer had preferences …
Disfrutar Excursiones Por Nuestra Bella Colombia,
2022
Universidad de Cundinamarca
Disfrutar Excursiones Por Nuestra Bella Colombia, Gonzalo Escobar Reyes, Elizabeth Ann Escobar Cazal, María Cristina Velásquez Ardila
Ciencias Administrativas, Económicas y Contables
Caminatas, excursiones, senderismo, son actividades recreativas que rompen rutinas de trabajo, compromisos diarios, e inundan de alegría y ánimo a quienes participan en ellas, permitiendo de paso conocer y disfrutar paisajes, tener contacto con el verde de la naturaleza, respirar aire limpio , y compartir la integración en familia, con amigos y vecinos. Por ser estas de baja exigencia física, tienen un favor que no es necesario contar con entrenamiento de súper atletas, recomendándose, eso sí, estar en buen estado de salud. Por lo que son incluidos niños y adultos mayores.
Nondestructive Assessment Of Flexural And Tensile Properties For Southern Pine Structural Lumber,
2022
Mississippi State University
Nondestructive Assessment Of Flexural And Tensile Properties For Southern Pine Structural Lumber, Marly Gabriela Carmona Uzcategui
Theses and Dissertations
The flexural and tensile properties of visually graded southern yellow pine lumber were modeled. Longitudinal and transverse vibration techniques and proof-loading bending tests were used to assess the flexural and tensile properties of southern pine lumber. The properties evaluated were dynamic modulus of elasticity (dMOE), static modulus of elasticity (Eb), tension modulus of elasticity (Et), and ultimate tensile stress (UTS). The tensile properties were evaluated in the direction parallel to the grain. This study presents the results of tests conducted on No. 2 2 × 6 and 2 × 10 southern pine lumber of two different …
Improvement Value Of Forest Resources By Use Of Cottonseed Protein Meal As A Bio-Based Wood Adhesive For Hardwood Plywood Products,
2022
Mississippi State University
Improvement Value Of Forest Resources By Use Of Cottonseed Protein Meal As A Bio-Based Wood Adhesive For Hardwood Plywood Products, Edward David Entsminger
Theses and Dissertations
Literature shows that production of cottonseed adhesives is feasible to develop an environmentally friendly and competitive bio-based wood adhesive. Defatted cottonseed and water-washed cottonseed meals were prepared from glandless cottonseed and were used in adhesive formulations to produce three-ply yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) plywood panels as the first objective. These two cottonseed meals were compared with the properties of plywood panels made with an adhesive formulated from a commercial soybean meal, as a control. Adhesive resins were prepared from each protein meal with sodium metabisulfite (Na2S2O5) and one of two polyamido-amine-epichlorohydrin (PAE) wet strength agents, and the plywood panels were …
Evaluation Of Flood Damage On Cross Laminated Timber Wall Configurations,
2022
Mississippi State University
Evaluation Of Flood Damage On Cross Laminated Timber Wall Configurations, Mustafa Nezih Kaya
Theses and Dissertations
Greenhouse gas emissions are one of the critical factors that affect climate change, increasing flooding risk and threatening human life. The use of traditional construction materials is responsible for a higher percentage of global greenhouse gas emissions when compared to the use of sustainable materials in the construction industry. The substitution of current building materials with sustainable materials is essential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and positively influence climate change when the current construction demand in the world is considered. Wood is one of the primary environmentally friendly construction materials in regard to high carbon storage and low carbon emissions. …
