Forest Sciences Commons^™

Nutrient Addition Effects On Tropical Dry Forests: A Mini-Review From Microbial To Ecosystem Scales, Jennifer S. Powers, Kristen K. Becklund, Maria G. Gei, Siddharth B. Iyengar, Rebecca Meyer, Christine S. O'Connell, Erik M. Schilling, Christina M. Smith, Bonnie G. Waring, Leland K. Werden

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Humans have more than doubled inputs of reactive nitrogen globally and greatly accelerated the biogeochemical cycles of phosphorus and metals. However, the impacts of increased element mobility on tropical ecosystems remain poorly quantified, particularly for the vast tropical dry forest biome. Tropical dry forests are characterized by marked seasonality, relatively little precipitation, and high heterogeneity in plant functional diversity and soil chemistry. For these reasons, increased nutrient deposition may affect tropical dry forests differently than wet tropical or temperate forests. Here, we review studies that investigated how nutrient availability affects ecosystem and community processes from the microsite to ecosystem scales …

Smokejumper Obituary: Clippinger, David E. (Missoula 1951), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

The Price Of Snow: Albedo Valuation And A Case Study For Forest Management, David A. Lutz, Richard B. Howarth

Dartmouth Scholarship

Several climate frameworks have included the role of carbon storage in natural landscapes as a potential mechanism for climate change mitigation. This has resulted in an incentive to grow and maintain intact long-lived forest ecosystems. However, recent research has suggested that the influence of albedo-related radiative forcing can impart equal and in some cases greater magnitudes of climate mitigation compared to carbon storage in forests where snowfall is common and biomass is slow-growing. While several methodologies exist for relating albedo-associated radiative forcing to carbon storage for the analysis of the tradeoffs of these ecosystem services, they are varied, and they …

Using An Obcd Approach And Landsat Tm Data To Detect Harvesting On Nonindustrial Private Property In Upper Michigan, Riccardo Tortini, Audrey L. Mayer, Pieralberto Maianti

College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science Publications

Forest dynamics influence climate, biodiversity, and livelihoods at multiple scales, yet current resource policy addressing these dynamics is ineffective without reliable land use land cover change data. The collective impact of harvest decisions by many small forest owners can be substantial at the landscape scale, yet monitoring harvests and regrowth in these forests is challenging. Remote sensing is an obvious route to detect and monitor small-scale land use dynamics over large areas. Using an annual series of Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper (TM) images and a GIS shapefile of property boundaries, we identified units where harvests occurred from 2005 to 2011 using …

Suitable Days For Plant Growth Disappear Under Projected Climate Change: Potential Human And Biotic Vulnerability, Camilo Mora, Iain R. Caldwell, Jamie M. Caldwell, Micah R. Fisher, Brandon M. Genco, Steven W. Running

Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences Faculty Publications

Ongoing climate change can alter conditions for plant growth, in turn affecting ecological and social systems. While there have been considerable advances in understanding the physical aspects of climate change, comprehensive analyses integrating climate, biological, and social sciences are less common. Here we use climate projections under alternative mitigation scenarios to show how changes in environmental variables that limit plant growth could impact ecosystems and people. We show that although the global mean number of days above freezing will increase by up to 7% by 2100 under “business as usual” (representative concentration pathway [RCP] 8.5), suitable growing days will actually …

Timber Talk, Vol. 53, No. 2, June 2015

Timber Talk: Nebraska Forest Industry Newsletter

In This Issue

Lumber Market News ...........................1

Hardwood Lumber Price Trends—Green..................................2

Hardwood Lumber Price Trends—Kiln Dried...........................2

Top Ten Family Forestry Issues.............3

Hardwood Floors with a Zip.................5

Nebraska Forest Industry Spotlight......7

The Trading Post....................................8

Timber Sales...........................................8

Fire, Fuels, And Streams: The Effects And Effectiveness Of Riparian Treatments, Josh Mcdaniel

Joint Fire Science Program Digests

Fire is an important disturbance in riparian systems—consuming vegetation; increasing light; creating snags and debris flows; altering habitat structure; and affecting stream conditions, erosion, and hydrology. For many years, land managers have worked to keep fire out of riparian systems through the use of buffers. A number of projects funded by the Joint Fire Science Program are shedding light on the dynamics of fire in riparian systems. Recent research and field practice have shown that (1) riparian treatments can be beneficial and are not as risky as previously thought; and (2) riparian treatments need the “Goldilocks” prescribed fire—not too hot …

Ua24 Mcicsl Newsletter - June 2015, Shannon R. Trimboli Education Coordinator

MCICSL Newsletter

This issue includes the following:

Dayton Regional STEM School participates in 5 citizen science projects over 2 days

Public dye traces provide valuable research knowledge and public engagement

Barren County Middle School students collect dragonfly larvae for multi-park citizen science project

as well as Summer research projects, in the news and new interns.

Impact Of Using Different Stocking Rates Of Goats Under Pine Plantation On Plant Species Occurrence And Animal Productivity, Anthony S. Kumi, India Howard, Ronald C. Smith, Nar Gurung, Alphonso Elliott

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

Abstract

The study assessed the impact of using different stocking rates of goats under pine plantation on plant species occurrence and animal productivity. It was conducted on an 11 year-old loblolly pine plantation site in Epes, Alabama from July to October 2011. Thirty-six Kiko crossbred male goat kids of 4 to 5 months of age were assigned to different stocking rates, namely, low (4 goats/acre), medium (8 goats/acre), and high (12 goats/acre) with three replications each. Forage composition, animal daily gain (ADG) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were monitored. Bahia grass (Paspalum notatum) was the most dominant grass …

The Role Of Fire In Aspen Ecology And Restoration, Douglas J. Shinneman, Kevin D. Krasnow, Susan K. Mcilroy

Aspen Bibliography

Quaking aspen is generally considered to be a fire-adapted species because it regenerates prolifically after fire, and it can be replaced by more shade-tolerant tree species in the absence of fire. As early-successional aspen stands transition to greater conifer-dominance, they become increasingly fire prone, until fire returns, and aspen again temporarily dominate. While this disturbance-succession cycle is critical to the persistence of aspen on many landscapes, some aspen stands persist on the landscape without fire. The complex role of fire is an important consideration for developing conservation and restoration strategies intended to sustain aspen.

Virulence Of Oomycete Pathogens From Phragmites Australis-Invaded And Noninvaded Soils To Seedlings Of Wetland Plant Species, Ellen V. Crocker, Mary Ann Karp, Eric B. Nelson

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Soil pathogens affect plant community structure and function through negative plant-soil feedbacks that may contribute to the invasiveness of non-native plant species. Our understanding of these pathogen-induced soil feedbacks has relied largely on observations of the collective impact of the soil biota on plant populations, with few observations of accompanying changes in populations of specific soil pathogens and their impacts on invasive and noninvasive species. As a result, the roles of specific soil pathogens in plant invasions remain unknown. In this study, we examine the diversity and virulence of soil oomycete pathogens in freshwater wetland soils invaded by non-native Phragmites …

The Erosion Of Coastal Sediment And Regeneration Of Rhizophora Mangle Following Anthropogenic Disturbance On Turneffe Atoll, Belize, Heather Lyn Hayden

Dissertations and Theses

As communities and managers become aware of the long-term impacts of mangrove loss, estimated at 1-2% per year, interest in sediment erosion and mangrove rehabilitation has increased substantially. In this thesis project I 1) examine erosion rates within coastal fringing Rhizophora mangle ecosystems following mangrove clearing and compare these rates to accretion rates in intact mangroves; and 2) investigate the abiotic factors influencing mangrove seedling survival and regeneration of naturally colonizing R. mangle, in historic mangrove habitat after anthropogenic clearing.

Differences in erosion were compared between patches of open-coast intact and anthropogenically cleared R. mangle to quantify the sediment trapping …

Effects Of Selective Logging And Roads On Instream Fine Sediments And Macroinvertebrate Assemblages In The Clackamas Basin, Oregon, Paula Elizabeth Hood

Dissertations and Theses

Logging and associated skid trails, haul routes, and roads can have significant impacts on the magnitude and timing of sediments in streams in forested watersheds. Loss of vegetation, soil compaction, use of heavy logging equipment, and alteration of natural hydrologic patterns within the watershed can increase landslide rates, create erosion, and generate fine sediments. Selective logging, also called thinning, is a logging practice that leaves some trees within sale units unharvested. The ecological impacts of thinning on stream ecosystems are not fully understood and need further study. My hypothesis was that macroinvertebrate assemblages would be different in streams in non-reference …

Smokejumper Obituary: Johnson, Dallard Vern (Missoula 1955), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Assessing Site Availability Of Aspen And Northern Hardwoods For Potential Feedstock Development In Michigan: A Case Study, Sara Alian, Ann Maclean

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The importance of wood and wood byproducts as biomass feedstocks is of increasing interest as a source of ethanol and electricity. Second generation woody feedstock sources in Michigan, e.g., hybrid poplar and hybrid willow (Populus spp.), and native forests, particularly aspen and northern hardwoods, are a potential source of woody biomass for these uses. This study provides a geographic information system (GIS) framework for assessing the current spatial extent of aspen and northern hardwoods) and their proximity to roads. Additionally, the potential for expanding the area of these feedstock sources based on pre-European settlement vegetation cover is assessed. Utilizing GIS …

Variation In Trembling Aspen And White Spruce Wood Quality Grown In Mixed And Single Species Stands In The Boreal Mixedwood Forest, Francis De Araujo, James F. Hart, Shawn D. Mansfield

Aspen Bibliography

The Canadian boreal forest is largely represented by mixed wood forests of white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) and trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx). In this study, a total of 300 trees originating from three sites composed of trembling aspen and white spruce with varying compositions were investigated for wood quality traits: one site was composed mainly of aspen, one mainly of spruce and a third was a mixed site. Four wood quality traits were examined: wood density, microfibril angle (MFA), fibre characteristics, and cell wall chemistry. Social classes were also determined for each site in an attempt …

Experimental Greenhouse And Field Trials On American Ginseng, Panax Quinquefolium: Implications For Restoration In Appalachia, Emily Thyroff

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Panax quinquefolium, American ginseng, is one of the more valuable non-timber forest products, NTFPs, providing economic, cultural, and ecological ecosystem services in forests. Although ginseng has a broad distribution range, it is not abundant anywhere due to overharvesting and deer browse. This study included experimental field and greenhouse trials to determine optimal growing conditions given inconsistencies regarding aspect and soil. Three soil series and two aspects (represented by soil moisture in the greenhouse) were manipulated in a factorial design. We hypothesized that there would be significant differences in ginseng performance (germination, survival, leaf area, and height) due to soil and …

Fishing For A Sustainable Future: Aquaponics As A Method Of Food Production, Richard Ramsundar

Student Theses 2015-Present

This thesis compares and explains the advantages aquaponics farming has over modern industrial intensive farming. Through a comparison natural capital usage, conservation, recycling and cost, the thesis advocates for the expansion of aquaponics usage in urban settings. The thesis also explains the history of intensive farming and aquaponics in America, the science of how aquaponics operates, the economic and environmental costs of modern intensive farming versus aquaponics farming, and the social implications of aquaponics. Lastly, I propose a policy that reallocates farm subsidies by modifying the Farm Bill. Then I propose policies that support creating a new standard of farm …

Environmental Data: Soil Moisture, Julia I. Chapman, Eric B. Borth, Ryan W. Mcewan

Data Files: Drew Woods Permanent Plots

Volumetric soil water content measured on May 2, 2015 at Drew Woods State Nature Preserve in Darke County, OH. Data key is provided in a supplemental file.

Herbaceous 2015, Julia I. Chapman, Margaret E. Maloney, Ryan W. Mcewan

Data Files: Drew Woods Permanent Plots

Herbaceous vegetation data collected in 2015 at Drew Woods State Nature Preserve in Darke County, OH. Data key is provided in a supplemental file.