Forest Sciences Commons^™

Carbon Changes In Conterminous Us Forests Associated With Growth And Major Disturbances., Daolan Zheng, Linda S. Heath, Mark J. Ducey, James E. Smith

Natural Resources & the Environment

Abstract

We estimated forest area and carbon changes in the conterminous United States using a remote sensing based land cover change map, forest fire data from the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program, and forest growth and harvest data from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis Program. Natural and human-associated disturbances reduced the forest ecosystems' carbon sink by 36% from 1992 to 2001, compared to that without disturbances in the 48 states. Among the three identified disturbances, forest-related land cover change contributed 33% of the total effect in reducing the forest carbon potential sink, while harvests and fires …

Synthesis Of Knowledge Of Extreme Fire Behavior: Volume I For Fire Managers, Paul Werth, Brian Potter, Craig Clements, Mark Finney, Scott Goodrick, Martin Alexander, Miguel Cruz, Jason Forthofer, Sara Mcallister

Faculty Publications, Meteorology and Climate Science

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group definition of extreme fire behavior (EFB) indicates a level of fire behavior characteristics that ordinarily precludes methods of direct control action. One or more of the following is usually involved: high rate of spread, prolific crowning/ spotting, presence of fire whirls, and strong convection column. Predictability is difficult because such fires often exercise some degree of influence on their environment and behave erratically, sometimes dangerously. Alternate terms include “blow up” and “fire storm.” Fire managers examining fires over the last 100 years have come to understand many of the factors necessary for EFB development. This …

The Effects Of A Changing Climate On Root Respiration Of Woody Plants In Sugar Maple Forests And Northern Peatlands, Mickey P. Jarvi

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Global climate change might significantly impact future ecosystems. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate potential changes in woody plant fine root respiration in response to a changing climate. In a sugar maple dominated northern hardwood forest, the soil was experimentally warmed (+4 °C) to determine if the tree roots could metabolically acclimate to warmer soil conditions. After one and a half years of soil warming, there was an indication of slight acclimation in the fine roots of sugar maple, helping the ecosystem avoid excessive C loss to the atmosphere. In a poor fen northern peatland in northern Michigan, …

Conservation Cuantitativa De Los Vertebrados, Michael J. Conroy, John P. Carroll, Juan Carlos Senar, Jeffrey J. Thompson

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Este libro es destinado para el uso por biólogos del campo y otras personas, incluso biólogos de campo en el futuro que podrían estar en un curso de la universidad y trabajando en estudios y conservación de animales. Nuestro objetivo es que los biólogos usen este libro como (haciendo apología a nuestro colega Evan Cooch) una ´´introducción suave´´ al campo de la ecología cuantitativa. Esperamos convencer a los lectores que los métodos y aproximaciones del libro no son solo para los matemáticos, estadísticos y programadores de computadoras, sino que de hecho son herramientas esenciales para practicar la conservación en el …

A Mixed-Effects Height-Diameter Model For Individual Loblolly And Slash Pine Trees In East Texas, Dean W. Coble, Young Jin Lee

Faculty Publications

A new mixed-effects model was developed that predicts individual-tree total height for loblolly (Pinus taeda) and slash pine (Pinus elliottii) as a function of individual-tree diameter (in.), dominant height (ft), quadratic mean diameter (in.), and maximum stand diameter (in.). Data from 119,983 loblolly pine and 42,697 slash pine height– diameter observations collected on 185 loblolly pine and 84 slash pine permanent plots located in plantations throughout East Texas were used for model fitting. This new model is an improvement over earlier models fit with ordinary least squares, in that it can be calibrated to a new stand with observed height– …

Spread Of Plague Among Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs Is Associated With Colony Spatial Characteristics, Christopher Frey, Tammi L. Johnson, Jack Cully Jr., Sharon K. Collinge, Chris Ray, Brett Sandercock

Faculty Publications

Sylvatic plague (Yersinia pestis) is an exotic pathogen that is highly virulent in black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) and causes widespread colony losses and individual mortality rates >95%. We investigated colony spatial characteristics that may influence inter-colony transmission of plague at 3 prairie dog colony complexes in the Great Plains. The 4 spatial characteristics we considered include: colony size, Euclidean distance to nearest neighboring colony, colony proximity index, and distance to nearest drainage (dispersal) corridor. We used multi-state mark–recapture models to determine the relationship between these colony characteristics and probability of plague transmission among prairie dog colonies. Annual mapping of …

Stakeholders’ Attitudes Toward Black Bear In East Texas (Abstract), Williams Stephens Pat, Ray Darville, Adam Keul, Michael Legg, Christopher E. Comer

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Changing Roles Of Natural Resource Professionals: Providing Tools To Students To Teach The Public About Fire, Pat Stephens Williams, Brian Oswald, Karen Stafford, Justice Jones, David Kulhavy

Faculty Publications

The Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture (ATCOFA) at Stephen F. Austin State University is taking a proactive stance toward preparing forestry students to work closely with the public on fire planning in wildland-urban interface areas. ATCOFA's incorporation of the "Changing Roles" curriculum provides lessons on how natural resource managers' roles are (1) different than they used to be, and (2) ever-evolving. The undergraduate Forestry Field Station summer program at the University's Piney Woods Conservation Center now emphasizes the importance and challenges of working with the public. The program brings practicing professionals from the Texas Forest Service to describe …

Involving The Public In Restoring The Role Of Fire In The Longleaf Pine Ecosystem Of Upland Island Wilderness, Brian P. Oswald, Ike Mcwhorter, Penny Whisenant

Faculty Publications

The 13,250-acre Upland Island Wilderness (UIW) in Texas was established in 1984 and is managed by the United States Forest Service (USFS). Historically, portions of it consisted of open and diverse longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystems which depend on frequent, low-intensity surface fires. As in many other relatively small wilderness areas, the vegetation and fuel conditions in the UIW underwent extensive changes after wilderness designation. Lightning-caused wildfires were no longer allowed to burn with the frequency or intensity that characterized the natural fire regime. This has resulted in an increase of shade-tolerant trees and shrubs, heavy accumulations of …

Basic Concepts In Forest Valuation And Investment Analysis, Steven H. Bullard, Thomas J. Straka

eBooks

This book was originally intended to supplement lectures in forestry economics at the undergraduate level. It’s currently used for that purpose in ‘Forest Resource Economics’ courses at several universities. The book is also intended, however, to serve as a basic reference for foresters with experience in valuation and investment analysis concepts and methods. It has proven to be a valuable resource in forest valuation and investment analysis workshops for practicing foresters, landowners, and others interested in forestry investments.

Ideal for use in undergraduate and graduate forestry education programs, as well as in forest valuation workshops.

The Issue Of Saf Membership: An Elite Or Broad Organization?, T. J. Straka, G. Brown, Steven H. Bullard

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

National Center For Pharmaceutical Crops, Wei Yuan, Shiyou Li, Zushang Su, Ping Wang

NCPC Presentations

The mission of the National Center for Pharmaceutical Crops is to develop crops for the production of pharmaceutical and other bioactive compounds. The NCPC, located in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, is the only one of its kind in the U.S. and it seeks to improve human health, revitalize rural economies and enhance U.S. security in strategic pharmaceuticals. This poster provides a background to the department, its functions and activities and notable achievements.

The Green Legacy Project: Evaluating Campus Tree Benefits, Joy Fritschle, Gary Coutu, Joan Welch, Gerard D. Hertel

WCU Tree Campus USA Documents

Trees on our campus sequester and store carbon, mitigate urban heat island effects, ameliorate air pollution, reduce stormwater runoff, improve water quality, provide habitat for native birds and other animals, and enhance aesthetics. Adequate planning and management of this valuable resource first requires a sound understanding of existing conditions. To this end, a collaborative group of faculty, staff, and students at West Chester University initiated the Green Legacy Project. We conducted an inventory and assessment of north campus tree resources and developed a GIS management database. Approximately 1900 trees cover 16% of north campus, half of which are non-native species. …

Improved Understanding Of Climate-Fi Re Relationships Along North America’S Pacifi C Coast, Marjie Brown

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

This research expanded our understanding of the climate/wildfi re relationship by identifying major climate controls and translating them into a practical tool, still under development, that managers can use for planning. The focus was on fi reclimate interactions from southern Oregon to Baja California, with emphasis placed on the infl uence of the Pacifi c North American (PNA) climate pattern. Researchers identifi ed and delineated differences in the way fi re activity responded to climate variability on a regional scale with the intent to improve fi re season forecasts along the Pacifi c coast. Strong correlations were found between certain …

Rising Temperatures Trigger Ecological Changes In The Boreal Forest Of Alaska, Shari Anstedt

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

Fundamentally different from the rest of the forest types in the United States, Alaska’s boreal forest covers a signifi cant amount of acreage in an increasingly variable climate. With its high latitude location, predictions reveal that this region will be the first to experience the effects of global climate change. In fact, natives of this region are already dealing with warmer temperatures and a changing landscape. As a result, researchers conducted a study to help gather more information about this area and to better understand the effects of climate change and how those effects influence fire and fuels management. An …

Mastication On Red Mountain: Investigating Fuel Loads And Fire Effects, Shari Anstedt

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

Although complete fire exclusion is a thing of the past in the Sierra Nevada, fire and fuel managers must still contend with dense forests and higher fuel loads that have built up over time. Controlled fire is a helpful fuel reduction method, but it can be tricky to manage, especially in an area with excessive fuels, or in plantations with trees having smaller diameters and lower crowns, which are more susceptible to heat damage. Mastication can also be a useful fuel treatment and has become a popular alternative, but includes its own set of drawbacks and uncertainties. Since little research …

Assessing Post-Fire Treatment Effects And Burn Severity On The Sandy Loam Soils Of Oregon, Shari Anstedt

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

Fire helps reduce dead and accumulated vegetation and enriches the soil by releasing nutrients bound in litter. But when fuel loads are too high and wildfi res burn too hot, problems may arise. A perfect example of this is the 2003 Booth and Bear Butte (B&B) fire in central Oregon, which consumed more than 90,000 acres of mixed conifer forest. On the surface, the effects on trees and vegetation seemed obvious, but what about the wildfi re effects on what we don’t see? How do post-fi re management activities support or impede forest recovery? Furthermore, how were the soils, and …

Ok-Fire: Weather-Based Decision Support For Wildland Fire Management, Shari Anstedt

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

There’s a lot of wildland in Oklahoma—and as a result, a lot of potential for fire. To help prepare for wildfire and perform fi re management activities, land managers previously used weather, fire danger, and smoke management products provided by the Oklahoma Mesonet, the state’s automated weather station network. But unfortunately, the products were not easily found or easy to use, and very little user training was provided. Fire managers also expressed the need for multi-day forecasting capabilities to help anticipate periods of high fire danger and severe wildfi re conditions and to improve pre-burn planning and management. These critical …

Fire History Study Reveals Surprises About Mixed-Pine Ecology In Eastern Upper Michigan, Joy Drohan

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

Mixed red and white pine forests in eastern Upper Michigan saw frequent fires, about every 50–60 years, before Euro-American settlement. Post-settlement, the fire cycle has lengthened and forest composition has shifted to include more jack pine and fi re-sensitive deciduous trees, increasing fuel loadings and changing wildlife habitat along the way. In cooperation with researchers and land managers at Seney National Wildlife Refuge, researchers at The Ohio State University are working out details of combining mechanical treatments with prescribed fire to restore mixed-pine forests dominated by red and white pine. In particular, their findings about red pine ecology could change …

Assessing Mechanical Mastication And Thinning-Piling-Burning Treatments On The Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands Of Southwestern Colorado, Shari Anstedt

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

New knowledge of fire regimes in the pinyon-juniper woodlands of the interior western United States has altered management views. Once known as being at low wildfire risk, these woodlands are now at a higher risk for severe wildfires because of high tree densities exacerbated by ongoing drought and region-wide bark beetle (Ips confusus) infestation. To help reduce fuels and fi re hazards and to create defensible space in the wildland urban interface, regional land managers have conducted thinning-piling-burning treatments. Recently, however, a different treatment has been used—mechanical mastication. Although mechanical mastication is typically more cost effective, there is concern about …