Forest Sciences Commons^™

Shape Indexes For Semi-Automated Detection Of Windbreaks In Thematic Tree Cover Maps From The Central United States, Greg C. Liknes, Dacia M. Meneguzzo, Todd A. Kellerman

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Windbreaks are an important ecological resource across the large expanse of agricultural land in the central United States and are often planted in straight-line or L-shaped configurations to serve specific functions. As high-resolution (i.e., <5 m) land cover data sets become more available for these areas, semi-or fully-automated methods for distinguishing windbreaks from other patches of trees are needed for use with thematic raster data sets. To address this need, we created three shape indexes: a morphology-based index that we have named the Straight and Narrow Feature Index (SNFI), a windbreak sinuosity index, and an area index indicating the occupied fractional area of a bounding box. The indexes were tested in two study areas: (1) a riparian area dominated by sinuous bands of trees but mixed with row crop agriculture and (2) an agricultural area with a mix of straight-line and L-shaped windbreaks. In the riparian area, a Kruskall–Wallis rank sum test indicated class differences for all three indexes, and pairwise comparisons indicate windbreaks and riparian trees are separable using any of the three indexes. SNFI also produced significant differences between windbreaks oriented in different directions (east–west vs. north–south). In the agricultural area, the Kruskall–Wallis rank sum test indicated differences between classes for all three indexes, and pairwise comparisons show that all class pairs have significant differences for at least one index, with the exception of L-shaped windbreaks vs. non-windbreak tree patches. We also used classification trees to objectively assign representative samples of tree patches to classes using both single indexes and multiple indexes. Classes were correctly assigned for more than 90% of the samples in both the riparian and agricultural study areas. In the riparian area, combining indexes did not improve accuracy compared to using SNFI alone, whereas in the agricultural area, combining the three indexes produced the best result. Thematic data sets derived from high-resolution imagery are becoming more available, and extracting useful information can be a challenge, partly due to the large amount of data to assess. Calculating the three shape indexes presented can assist with efficient identification of candidate windbreaks and as such, hold good promise for value-added analysis of tree function in the central United States.

Lilley Cornett Woods Plot Information And Topography Data, Ryan W. Mcewan, Julia I. Chapman, Robert N. Muller

Data Files: Big Everidge Hollow Permanent Plots

Plot information and topography data collected in the Big Everidge Hollow portion of the Lilley Cornett Woods Appalachian Ecological Research Station in southeastern Kentucky. Data key is provided in a supplemental file.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26890/lcw.d9c9c1a2t4

Digital Preservation And Access Of Natural Resources Documents, David Kulhavy, R Philip Reynolds, Daniel Unger, Steven H. Bullard, Matthew W. Mcbroom

Faculty Publications

Digitization and preservation of natural resource documents were reviewed and the current status of digitization presented for a North American university. It is important to present the status of the digitation process for natural resources and to advocate for increased collections of digital material for ease of reference and exchange of information. Digital collections need to include both published documents and ancillary material for research projects and data for future use and interpretation. The methods in this paper can be applied to other natural resource collections increasing their use and distribution. The process of decision making for documents and their …

Mechanisms Of Chinese Tallow (Triadica Sebifera) Invasion And Their Management Implications – A Review, Lauren S. Pile, G. Geoff Wang, Jeremy P. Stovall, Evan Siemann, Gregory S. Wheeler, Christopher A. Gabler

Faculty Publications

Ecosystems are under increasing stress from environmental change, including invasion by non-native species that can disrupt ecological processes and functions. Chinese tallow [Triadica sebifera (L.) Small] is a highly invasive tree species in southeastern US forests, prairies, and wetlands, and effectively managing this invasive species is a significant challenge for scientists and land managers. In this review, we synthesize the literature on invasion ecology and management of Chinese tallow. Our review suggests that the invaded range of Chinese tallow is currently limited by dispersal in many areas and by low temperatures and low soil moisture, and by high soil …

A Comparison Of Tree Growth In Loblolly Pine (Pinus Taeda) Plantations And Silvopasture Settings In East Texas, B. P. Oswald, Y. Weng, K. W. Farrish, J. Grogan, W. Kruckeberg, T. Barton

Faculty Publications

A desire by landowners to diversify potential income sources has resulted in an increased interest in silvopasture. This intensive land management option allows for the production of timber, livestock and/or forage on the same land base. With traditional plantation systems featuring loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) common in the western gulf coast region of the southeastern United States, comparisons of tree growth are needed to justify the use of silvopasture. This study evaluated the height, diameter and volume growth 13 years post-establishment of loblolly pine in both silvopasture and plantation spacings on a single site in east Texas. Individual trees in …

Site Index Prediction For Willow And Cherrybark Oaks In East Texas Bottomland Forests, B. P. Oswald, Y. Weng, G. D. Kronrad

Faculty Publications

Estimating site quality for a specific tree species is an important tool in forest management. While intensively managed pine species are often the focus of site quality studies using site index, hardwood species found in bottomland hardwood sites are often lacking in quality growth prediction equations. Two valuable hardwood species, willow oak (Quercus phellos) and cherrybark oak (Q. pagoda), are of interest for forest managers of east Texas bottomland sites. The objective of this study was to develop site index prediction equations and curves for these two species. Using height and age data from 267 cherrybark oaks and 460 willow …

Quantifying Fish Habitat Associated With Stream Simulation Design Culverts In Northern Wisconsin, A. Timm, D. Higgins, J. Stanovick, R. Kolka, S. Eggert

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

This study investigated the effects of culvert replacement design on fish habitat and fish weight by comparing substrate diversity and weight at three stream simulation (SS)-design and three bankfull and backwater (BB)-design sites on the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Wisconsin. Stream channel cross-sections, Wolman substrate particle counts, and single-pass backpack electro-fishing survey data were used to quantify fish habitat and fish weight in 50-m upstream and downstream sample reaches at each site. We applied generalized linear mixed models to test the hypothesis that substrate size and fish weight did not differ according to stream-crossing design type (SS or BB) and location …

Improvement In Self-Assessed Knowledge And Changes In Farming System Practices Of Climate Field School Graduates In Bicol, Philippines, Ruth Anne T. Ruelos, Macrina G. Umali, Therese R. Olviga, Rubelyn S. Villa, Eliel Severino V. Jacobo, Merylyne M. Paunlagui, Agnes C. Rola

Journal of Public Affairs and Development

Rainfed lowland and upland farmers have less access to new technologies especially those that would reduce their vulnerability to climate change. In the Philippines, the Philippine Rice Research Institute developed a package of technology called “Palayamanan” that is suited to rainfed sites. This paper presents the results of the study that disseminated the Palayamanan technology through the climate field school (CFS) in rainfed areas in Bicol. Thirty-eight farmers from two barangays of Pamplona, Camarines Sur, and 78 farmers from three barangays of Milagros, Masbate were the respondents. A five-point scale was used to self-assess farmers’ knowledge on topics discussed in …

Interview With Ted Lorensen, Ted Lorensen, Lloyd Chapman, James B. Knight, Michael Rupp

People and the Land: An Oral History of Oregon’s Statewide Land Use Planning Program

Ted Lorensen was interviewed by Michael Rupp, Lloyd Chapman, and Jim Knight on October 20, 2017, in Portland, Oregon.

Lorensen was an Assistant State Forester with the Oregon Department of Forestry. He was instrumental in assisting DLCD in amending Statewide Planning Goal 4 (Forest Lands) and establishing land use rules for forest lands.

Toward An Improved Conceptual Understanding Of North American Tree Species Distributions, Paige E. Copenhaver-Parry

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

Species distributions have often been assumed to represent climatic limitations, yet recent evidence has challenged these assumptions and emphasized the potential importance of biotic interactions, dispersal limitation, and disturbance. Despite significant investigation into these factors, an integrated understanding of where and when they may be important is lacking. Here, we review evidence for the factors underlying the historical and contemporary distributions of North American tree species and argue that a cohesive conceptual framework must be informed by an understanding of species ecological and evolutionary history. We further demonstrate that available evidence offers little indication of a significant, independent influence of …

Review Of Bird Brain: An Exploration Of Avian Intelligence By Nathan Emery, Alan B. Bond

Avian Cognition Papers

Over the past 30 years, the study of bird behavior has been completely transformed by the ongoing revolution in cognitive psychology, opening up wholly new perspectives on the mental processes underlying such areas as foraging decisions, social intelligence, problem solving, memory encoding, and communication. Although these studies have contributed to a number of recent popular books, until now there has been no attempt to integrate avian cognition and recent findings in avian neuroanatomy and endocrinology into a single account that is attractive and accessible to a general readership. It is a steep challenge, but Nathan Emery has undertaken it in …

Kentucky Forestry Economic Contribution Report 2016, Jeff Stringer, Billy Thomas, Bobby Ammerman, Thomas Ochuodho, Alison Davis

Kentucky Forestry Economic Impact Reports

Forests play a pivotal role in Kentucky’s economy and in the lives of the citizens of our state. Forests are the single most dominant land type, covering nearly one-half of the state, providing a significant range of both economic and non-economic benefits to the Commonwealth. The majority of the economic contribution is derived from the harvesting of timber and processing of the wood resource. Analysis of Kentucky’s forest and wood industries in 2016 indicated an estimated direct economic contribution of $9 billion (down one percent from 2015). These industries employed over 27,700 individuals. Total economic contributions in 2016 were estimated …

Influence Of Mature Overstory Trees On Adjacent 12-Year Regeneration And The Woody Understory: Aggregated Retention Versus Intact Forest, Miranda T. Curzon, Susan C. Baker, Christel C. Kern, Brian J. Palik, Anthony W. D'Amato

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Relations Between Downy/Powdery Mildew Diseases Andsome Phenolic Compounds In Vitis Spp., Ari̇f Atak, Zeki̇ye Göksel, Hüseyi̇n Çeli̇k

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Powdery mildew and downy mildew are among the most important diseases of grapevine. The relationship between these diseases and phenolic components has become increasingly important in recent years. This study evaluated changes of total phenolics, total antioxidant activity, and phenolic compounds (gallic acid and rutin hydrate) in some Vitis species. Vitis labrusca cultivars or genotypes, Vitis vinifera cultivars, interspecies hybrids, and a Vitis rotundifolia cultivar's healthy and infected leaves were examined. The contents of healthy material and of samples of plant material infected with both microorganisms (Uncinula necator (Schw.) Burr and Plasmopara viticola (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) Berl & De …

Characterization Of Morphological Traits Of Local And Globalpersimmon Varieties And Genotypes Collected From Turkey, Bi̇lge Yilmaz, Ayli̇n Genç, Berken Çi̇men, Meral İncesu, Turgut Yeşi̇loğlu

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Genetic variations are highly important in terms of plant breeding. These variations occur either spontaneously or artificially by mutations and sexual hybridizations in order to achieve specific breeding objectives. In this study, persimmon genetic resources collected from Turkey and preserved ex situ with commercial cultivars in a germplasm orchard located at Çukurova University, Turkey, were characterized based on their morphological traits. The collection was composed of traditional genotypes and local accessions together with global varieties. For the morphological characterization, 59 morphological and agronomic traits were investigated: 9 related to plant growth, 5 to leaf characteristics, 7 to flower traits, 32 …

Variation In Damage Levels By Codling Moth To Ten Applecultivars In An Organic Orchard In Poland, Witold Danelski, Dorota Kruczynska, Pawel Bielicki, Elzbieta Rozpara

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

This study was conducted in an experimental ecological orchard in central Poland in 2011-2013. The experiment assessed the variation in damage to the fruit of ten apple cultivars by the codling moth Cydia pomonella (L.) under an organic system of apple cultivation. The cultivars were divided into two groups according to their susceptibility to apple scab Venturia inaequalis (Cooke) Wint. The first group of apple trees (A) consisted of cultivars resistant to scab (Enterprise, Gold Milenium, Rajka, Rewena, and Topaz), while the second group (B) consisted of cultivars with reduced susceptibility to scab (Delbard Jubile, Ligolina, Pinova, Piros, and Szampion). …

Change Of Arginine Content And Some Physiological Traits Under Midseason Drought In Peanut Genotypes With Different Levels Of Drought Resistance, Chorkaew Aninbon, Sanun Jogloy, Nimitr Vorasoot, Suporn Nuchadomrong, Corley Holbrook, Craig Kvien, Aran Patanothai

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Peanut production areas frequently suffer from drought, which can cause severe yield losses, increased aflatoxin, and compositional changes in seed. Midseason drought is generally the most detrimental to seed yields and in altering seed protein composition. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of midseason drought on arginine content in peanut genotypes with different levels of drought resistance. The experiment was conducted under field conditions for 2 years. Two water regimes (well-watered conditions and no irrigation during 30-60 days after planting) were assigned as main plots, and five peanut genotypes were arranged in subplots. Arginine content of …

De Novo Transcriptome Assembly And Ssr Marker Development In Apricot (Prunus Armeniaca), Muhammed Ali̇ Köse, Necati̇ Çeti̇nsağ, Kahraman Gürcan

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca) is an important fruit crop worldwide. We have performed a de novo transcriptome assembly for 7 apricot accessions (`Stark Early Orange' (SEO), `Hacıhaliloğlu' (HH), `Perfection', `Iğdır', `Roxana', `Esen1', and `Esen2'), which yielded a total number of transcripts ranging from 30,363 for `SEO' to 59,751 for `Iğdır'. The pool of the reads produced from 7 accessions were assembled into 85,766 transcripts, with an average of 1165.69 nt. Functional annotation (Gene Ontology- GO and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes- KEGG) was performed successfully for the transcripts. Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were searched in the transcript pool and 14,722 …

Evaluation Of Disease Intensity And Molecular Identification Of Zymoseptoria Tritici Causing Septoria Leaf Blotch On Wheat In The Eastern Mediterranean Region Of Turkey, Gülsüm Ünal, Mukaddes Kayim, Tahsi̇n Ay, Amin Mohammed Yones

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Wheat is one of the most important crops in Turkey. Production of this crop is constrained by the disease Septoria leaf blotch, which is a major bottleneck in wheat production in the Eastern Mediterranean Region of Turkey. In this study, 260 different wheat fields were surveyed for the estimation of prevalence and severity of Septoria leaf blotch. Out of 100% of the total wheat crop fields, 58.91% were infected with this disease. The mean value of Septoria leaf blotch virulence was 11.62%. Out of 142 diseased wheat crop samples, 74 isolates were used for the pathogenicity test. Forty-seven isolates from …

Vegetation Response To Repeated Prescribed Burning And Varied Wildfire Severity In Upland Forests On The Cumberland Plateau, Kentucky, Zachary W. Poynter

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

As a result of decades of fire suppression, oaks (Quercus L.) and other disturbance-dependent tree species are experiencing widespread regeneration failure. Today, fire takes the form of relatively low to moderate intensity prescribed fire, used to restore fire adapted ecosystems, and wildfires which often vary in severity. I investigated long-term changes to forest structure and composition in response to repeated prescribed burning followed by an extended period of no fire. Burning reduced total basal area, midstory stem density and sapling stem density. However, the fire-free interval significantly increased sapling layer stem densities of oaks and competitor species. This research …