Forest Sciences Commons^™

Factors Influencing The Faunal Recolonization Of Restored Thornscrub Forest Habitats, Audrey J. Hicks, Jerald T. Garrett, Christopher A. Gabler

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Tamaulipan thornscrub forests (thornforests) have high ecological and economic values, yet over 90% of these forests have been lost, and they remain threatened, making them a conservation hotspot. For decades, federal, state, NGO, and corporate entities have been acquiring land and actively or passively restoring these forests, but results have been mixed and seldom monitored. This study characterized and quantified faunal communities of restored thornforest habitats in south Texas and examined the relationships between restored faunal communities and key site characteristics and environmental factors. We surveyed and analyzed mammal, bird, Lepidoptera, and herptile communities within 12 restored sites in the …

Interlaboratory Evaluation Of Bretziella Fagacearum Molecular Detection Assays To Guide The Edna Monitoring Of Oak Wilt Disease, Marie Krystel Gauthier, Abdelmadjid Djoumad, Tara L Bal, Guillaume J Bilodeau, Marc F Digirolomo, Meher Ony, Denita Hadziabdic, Kelsey C Mclaughlin, Laura Miles, Isabel Munck, Karen Lynn Snover-Clift, Philippe Tanguay

Michigan Tech Publications

Oak wilt disease, caused by the fungus Bretziella fagacearum, can kill mature red oaks within months of infection, severely affecting biodiversity, landscapes, and industries. The disease, originally only present in the United States, was officially reported for the first time in Canada in June 2023. The aim of this study was to suggest a standardized assay and sample processing method to optimize oak wilt detection both in infection centers and ahead of the disease front. Two previously published molecular assays, a Nested PCR and a TaqMan qPCR, were compared to detect B. fagacearum in a variety of samples in a …

Discovery Of Genes That Positively Affect Biomass And Stress Associated Traits In Poplar, Tatyana Georgieva, Yordan Yordanov, Elena Yordanova, Md Rezaul Khan, Kaiwen Lyu, Victor Busov

Michigan Tech Publications

Woody biomass serves as a renewable resource for various industries, including pulp and paper production, construction, biofuels, and electricity generation. However, the molecular mechanisms behind biomass traits are poorly understood, which significantly curtails the speed and efficiency of their improvement. We used activation tagging to discover genes that can positively affect tree biomass-associated traits. We generated and screened under greenhouse conditions a population of 2,700 independent activation tagging lines. A total of 761 lines, which had significantly and positively affected at least one biomass-associated trait, were discovered. The tag was positioned in the genome for forty lines which were affected …

Scaling Individual Tree Transpiration With Thermal Cameras Reveals Interspecies Differences To Drought Vulnerability, Mostafa Javadian, Donald M. Aubrecht, Joshua B. Fisher, Russell L. Scott, Sean P. Burns, Jen L. Diehl, J. William Munger, Andrew D. Richardson

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Understanding tree transpiration variability is vital for assessing ecosystem water-use efficiency and forest health amid climate change, yet most landscape-level measurements do not differentiate individual trees. Using canopy temperature data from thermal cameras, we estimated the transpiration rates of individual trees at Harvard Forest and Niwot Ridge. PT-JPL model was used to derive latent heat flux from thermal images at the canopy-level, showing strong agreement with tower measurements (R2 = 0.70–0.96 at Niwot, 0.59–0.78 at Harvard at half-hourly to monthly scales) and daily RMSE of 33.5 W/m2 (Niwot) and 52.8 W/m2 (Harvard). Tree-level analysis revealed species-specific responses to …

Change In Plant Growth And Some Bioactive Components Of The Tomato Under Water Deficit With Exogenous Chrysin Treatment, Melek Eki̇nci̇, Ertan Yildirim, Selda Örs, Meti̇n Turan, Duran Şi̇mşek, Yüsra İnci̇

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Drought is one of the important factors that cause a decrease in productivity and quality in plant cultivation. Stress tolerance in plants can be increased or damage can be reduced by various exogenous applications. One of them is flavonoids, which have an important role in the response to stress through changes that occur at the endogenous level in the plant due to drought stress. The effects of exogenous treatment of chrysin, a member of the flavonoid group, on tomato seedlings grown under water deficit were examined. Different doses (C0: Control with no treatment, C1: 0.1 mM, C2: 0.5 mM and …

Development Of A High-Density Genetic Linkage Map And Identification Of Quantitativetrait Loci (Qtls) Associated With Botrytis Cinerea Resistance In Strawberry(Fragaria × Ananassa Duch.), Duygu Ayvaz Sönmez, Harun Karci, Hayat Topçu, Ömer Faruk Bi̇lgi̇n, Hale Günaçti, Habi̇bullah Tevfi̇k, Burak Özgören, Yefim Ronin, Elena Baraldi, Sali̇h Kafkas, Nesi̇be Ebru Kafkas

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Over the centuries, strawberry fruit quality has greatly improved through various selection studies. The discovery of genes andgenomic positions related to traits such as fruit quality and resistance to diseases and pests has been accelerated by new biotechnologicalmethods. The objectives of this study are (i) to construct single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) Fana array-based high-throughputgenetic linkage groups for the ‘Fortuna × Rubygem’ F1 population, and (ii) to detect quantitative trait loci (QTL) regions associated withBotrytis cinerea resistance in leaf and fruit traits of strawberry. A total of 945 and 984 SNPs were mapped in the ‘Fortuna’ maternal andthe ‘Rubygem’ paternal maps, …

Quality Characteristics Of The Cv. Albion Strawberry (Fragaria X Ananassa Duch.)In Different Locations, Burhanetti̇n İmrak, Ayşegül Esra Gölcü, Songül Çömlekçi̇oglu, Mehmet Ramazan Bozhüyük, Jiri Mlcek, Gürsel Özkan, Sona Skrovankova

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Strawberries are one of the most popular berries in the world due to their distinctive aroma, flavor, and known healthproperties. A top day-neutral strawberry variety, the Albion, with its potential for high yields of large fruit, was grown in two differentlocations (Dağdibi and Hamidiye) at different altitudes (1410 and 1293 m) in Pozantı, a district of the Adana province in Türkiye, for lateseason production. Ripe fruits were harvested during the commercial harvest period, and several important physical and biochemicalparameters were examined. In addition, the fruit’s (berry’s) external and flesh color, fruit length and width, soluble solid content (SSC),antioxidant capacity, total …

Latticed Stinkhorn, Emilee G. Seigworth

PANDION: The Osprey Journal of Research and Ideas

Artist Statement

Latticed Stinkhorn is a watercolor piece originally created for the special gallery of the 2023 Scientific Illustration course at the University of North Florida. It was inspired by my enduring fascination with the world of fungi, particularly specimens of the family Phallaceae. This watercolor piece offers a simple perspective of Clathrus ruber, a species commonly referred to as Latticed Stinkhorn. Like many members of the family, the reproductive fruiting body first surfaces encased in a cream-colored soft shell with a texture comparable to a leathery reptile egg. As the body ages, the initial shell disintegrates to reveal a …

Coyotes Can Do ‘Puppy Dog Eyes’ Too: Comparing Interspecific Variation In Canis Facial Expression Muscles, Patrick Cunningham, Mahita Shankar, Bridgett Vonholdt, Kristin Brzeski, Sarah S. Kienle

Michigan Tech Publications

Facial expressions are critical for non-verbal communication. The Canis genus epitomizes the interplay between behaviour and morphology in the evolution of non-verbal communication. Recent work suggests that the levator anguli oculi medialis (LAOM) muscle is unique to dogs (Canis familiaris) within the Canis genus and evolved due to domestication. The LAOM raises the inner eyebrows, resulting in the ‘puppy dog eyes’ expression. Here, we test whether the LAOM is a derived trait in dogs by (i) examining the facial expression muscles of a closely related and ancestral wild Canis species, the coyote (C. latrans) and (ii) comparing our results with …

Historical Fire And Forest Structure In Western Dry Forests: Alternative Models, Controversies, And Management Plan Revision, Gordon Steinhoff

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

Management plan revision is currently underway for national forests in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, the Pacific Northwest, and other regions of the country under the U.S. Forest Service’s 2012 Planning Rule. With respect to dry ponderosa pine and mixed-conifer forests in the Sierra Nevada and Pacific Northwest, agency scientists and others claim that these forests were historically open and parklike, with primarily large, well-distributed trees, few smaller trees, and sparse underlying vegetation, leaf litter, and woody debris. Large, high-severity fire was rare. Fire exclusion since the early 1900s has led to the “densification” of these forests and unnatural …

Ambrosia Beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) Responses To Ice Storm Damage In Mesic, Mixed Deciduous Forests In Southeast Ohio, United States, Christopher J. Hayes, Richard M. Turcotte

The Great Lakes Entomologist

In the eastern United States abiotic forest disturbances are common and cause extensive tree damage. Freshly broken trees and tree branches attract bark and ambrosia beetles that utilize inner bark and xylem of damaged branches and trees to fill requisite habitat needs. An ice storm in February 2003 on the Wayne National Forest presented an opportunity to study the local ambrosia beetle species and their reaction to this storm event. Ethanol baited Lindgren traps were deployed from 2003-2006 starting in the summer after the storm. Eight native and introduced Scolytinae ambrosia beetle species were trapped in large numbers (>500 …

Maximizing Growth And Yield Of Black Seed (Nigella Sativa L) Through Optimized Phosphorus And Boron Levels, Abdul Qudoos Khan, Abdul Qadeer Khan, Hanif Ullah, Navid Iqbal, Muhammad Junaid, Imad Murad, Faridullah Mamozai, Romaisa Amin, Waleed Iqbal, Uzair Ahmed

Journal of Bioresource Management

Improper nutrient management cause yield reduction in black seed yield and quality. Therefore, a field trial was executed in the growing season 2022-23 at The University of Agriculture Peshawar to inspect the effects of different phosphorus (P) and boron (B) levels on black seed (Nigella sativa L.). The experiment used a randomized complete block design with a split-plot arrangement, replicated thrice. The study examined four P levels (0, 15, 30, and 45 kg/ha) and four B levels (0, 1, 2, and 3 mg/L) on various growth and yield parameters of black seed. Plots treated with 45 kg/ha of P …

Smokejumper Obituary: Congleton, Walter Sheldon (Cave Junction 1968), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Tree Diversity Across The Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Area In Relation To Climate And Social Vulnerability, Adrienne B. Keller, Leslie A. Brandt, Jeannine Cavender-Bares, Joseph F. Knight, Sarah E. Hobbie

Michigan Tech Publications

Urban tree canopy cover is often unequally distributed across cities such that more socially vulnerable neighborhoods often have lower tree canopy cover than less socially vulnerable neighborhoods. However, how the diversity and composition of the urban canopy affect the nature of social-ecological benefits (and burdens), including the urban forest's vulnerability to climate change, remains underexamined. Here, we synthesize tree inventories developed by multiple organizations and present a species-specific, geolocated database of more than 600,000 urban trees across the 7-county Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) metropolitan area in the Upper Midwest of the United States. We find that tree diversity across the MSP …

An Automated Machine Learning Approach To The Retrieval Of Daily Soil Moisture In South Korea Using Satellite Images, Meteorological Data, And Digital Elevation Model, Nari Kim, Soo-Jin Lee, Eunha Sohn, Mija Kim, Seonkyeong Seong, Seung Hee Kim, Yangwon Lee

Institute for ECHO Articles and Research

Soil moisture is a critical parameter that significantly impacts the global energy balance, including the hydrologic cycle, land–atmosphere interactions, soil evaporation, and plant growth. Currently, soil moisture is typically measured by installing sensors in the ground or through satellite remote sensing, with data retrieval facilitated by reanalysis models such as the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Reanalysis 5 (ERA5) and the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS). However, the suitability of these methods for capturing local-scale variabilities is insufficiently validated, particularly in regions like South Korea, where land surfaces are highly complex and heterogeneous. In contrast, artificial intelligence …

Olaf: An Assessment Of Online Learning Outcomes Among Forestry And Natural Resource Management University Students, Krista Merry, Pete Bettinger, Taeyoon Lee

Journal of Extension

Online learning has become an important advance in education in the last decade. We developed an online learning system related to land and tree measurements. University students were given pre- and post-exposure surveys for two courses offered within the online system. Surveys were designed to assess whether the knowledge level and confidence of students increased through interaction with the online system. A final assessment was conducted to understand user experiences with the online technology. Statistically significant increases in knowledge and confidence concerning land measurement concepts and tree measurement topics were evident among survey participants. Survey participants agreed that the course …

Building Gender Equity In Forestry Education: The Benefits Of Oregon’S Women Owning Woodlands Network, Lauren A. Grand, Tiffany Hopkins

Journal of Extension

The Women Owning Woodlands Network was launched in 2005 as a way to provide collaborative and hands-on peer learning education to women who felt uncomfortable participating in traditional Extension programs. Since its inception the program as grown to provide education and resources for over 300 women. We surveyed these women to identify if the program continues to meet their needs. It is evident that WOWNet has continued to be an important part of OSU FNR’s outreach education program and continues to meet the needs of a historically undeserved group of landowners in ways that traditional programming does not.

High Deadwood Loadings Decades After Spruce Beetle Outbreak, James A. Lutz, Joseph D. Birch

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Results of research in forest health and forest futures in Utah.

Key Results 1. Variable fuels: Fuels are highly variable on the landscape (upper left) - making estimations from transects difficult. 2. Slow to decay: Slow decay rates of Pinus deadwood can lead to high accumulations of loading - even after decades. 3. Brown's transects underestimate fuel: Brown’s transects underestimated fuels by 24%, compared to mapping all deadwood.

Ancient Blue Spruce Hiding Among Engelmann Spruce, James A. Lutz, Joseph D. Birch

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Results of research in forest health and forest futures in Utah

Pine Seedlings Regenerate Close To Large Deadwood And Mature Trees, James A. Lutz, Joseph D. Birch

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Results of research in forest health and forest futures in Utah