Forest Sciences Commons^™

Accuracy And User Variation Associated With Slope Measurement Using A Laser Hypsometer, C. Hastings, R. C. Weih Jr., H. O. Liechty, R. Harris

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Slope measurements are often necessary for assessing features and processes within the natural environment. Land managers often use handheld equipment rather than more complicated surveying equipment in order to measure slopes and to conduct field work efficiently. One type of handheld device used to measure slope is a laser clinometer. In order to determine the accuracy and user error associated with this type of clinometer, slope measurements were taken at multiple locations using two types of equipment: 1) a Haglof Sweden Vertex III Hypsometer with a laser clinometer function and 2) a Topcon GTS-603/AF electronic survey total station which can …

A Tale Of Two Carbon Sinks: Can Forest Carbon Management Serve As A Framework To Implement Ocean Iron Fertilization As A Climate Change Treaty Compliance Mechanism?, Randall S. Abate

Journal Publications

Any post-Kyoto climate change treaty regime must seek to fully engage the use of carbon sinks to complement emissions reduction measures in order to comply with the treaty's mandates. The Kyoto Protocol did not include avoided deforestation as a mechanism for earning emission reduction credits. However, reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) quickly gained popularity as a viable climate change compliance strategy in the period immediately preceding the negotiations at the Fifteenth Conference of the Parties (COP 15) in Copenhagen in 2009. The Copenhagen Accord is replete with references to REDD as a focus for the international community's progression …

Heritability For Some Agronomic Characters Of Rice (Oryza Sativa L.) And Their Linked Microsatellites Identification, Reza Amiri Fahliani, Mahmood Khodambashi, Sadollah Houshmand, Ahmad Arzani, Karim Sorkheh

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

The objectives of this study were to estimate the narrow sense heritability of the examined characters and to find their linked simple sequence repeats (SSRs) using bulked segregant analysis (BSA) in rice (Oryza sativa L). F_{2:3} families of the cross between 'Mousa-Tarom' and '304' were used in an augmented design with 6 replications. Narrow sense heritability of panicle length and the culm number were low (0.84). The SSR primers RM16589 and RM17166 on chromosome 4 showed linkage with the gene(s) controlling culm length, plant height, leaf width, culm number, grain width, and grain shape. On chromosome 11, the SSR primer …

Control Of Trialeurodes Vaporariorum (Westwood) Adults On Glasshouse-Grown Cucumbers In Four Different Growth Substrates: An Efficacy Comparison Of Foliar Application Of Steinernema Feltiae (Filipjev) And Spraying With Thiamethoxamn, Ziga Laznik, Dragan Znidarcic, Stanislav Trdan

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

In a glasshouse experiment, the effectiveness of the entomopathogenic nematode (EPN) Steinernema feltiae (Filipjev) (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae) was compared with thiamethoxam for the control of adults of the greenhouse whitefly (GWF), Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae), on slicer cucumbers. In a period from mid June to the end of August (2007 and 2008), cucumbers were grown in 4 different growth substrates: expanded perlite, expanded vermiculite, light expanded clay, and peat. A suspension of the nematode (2500 infective juveniles mL^{-1}) was applied to cucumbers 5 times in 2007 and twice in 2008, whilst an insecticide thiametoxam at the recommended dose (0.7 g …

Cooper’S Hawk Nest Site Characteristics In The Pineywoods Region, Richard R. Schaefer, D. Craig Rudolph, Josh B. Pierce, Jesse F. Fagan

Faculty Publications

Early accounts describe the Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperi) as a species in decline in much of North America during the early twentieth century (Bent 1937), particularly when in close proximity to humans (Eaton 1914). This decreasing population trend continued to be recognized later in the century in both Texas (Oberholser 1974) and Louisiana (Lowery 1974). Shooting and trapping during the first half of the 1900s, and pesticide use (especially DDT) after World War II are suggested as primary causes of the decline (Henny and Wight 1972, Bednarz et al. 1990). The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1972 and the ban …

Combined Sustainable Biomass Feedstock Combustion, Co2/Eor, And Saline Reservoir Geological Carbon Sequestration In Northern Lower Michigan, Usa: Towards Negative Co2 Emissions, David Barnes, Robert Froese, R. G. Mannes, Brian Warner

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

This paper presents the results of a combined biomass combustion and geological carbon sequestration feasibility study in Northern Lower Michigan, USA related to a proposed solid fuel-fired 600 MW electric power plant, the Wolverine Clean Energy Venture (WCEV), near Rogers City, MI, USA. The biomass feedstock resource assessment, focused on low intensity, high diversity forest and agriculture in the proposed plant bioshed ( < 120 Km), has the potential to provide sustainable, dry biomass fuel well in excess of the maximum annual co-firing potential of 20% and offset as much as 1Tgy-1 of the estimated annual 5.1Tgy-1 of CO2 emissions (using 100% western coal). CO2/EOR potential in the Northern Niagaran Pinnacle Reef Trend is substantial. To date, seven reef reservoirs have been converted to CO2/EOR floods and three of these fields are sufficiently mature to project recovery efficiency in excess of 40% of primary oil recovery. Using these observations and historic oil production data CO2/EOR potential, in a region adjacent to a proposed CO2 pipeline originating from the plant site, is estimated to be at least 7.2 Mm3 (45 MMB) of incremental oil. Analysis of produced fluids in the same region indicates 55 Mmt of geological carbon sequestration (GCS) potential in abandoned oil and gas fields. GCS capacity is estimated at 271 Mmt in two, Paleozoic, saline reservoir targets providing a combined GCS (with abandoned oil and gas field GCS) of 326 Mmt in the pipeline study area. Estimated, combined, GCS in the proposed pipeline fairway alone is in excess of CO2 emissions for a hypothetical 50 year design life of the WCEV project burning 100% coal of 255 Mmt. Realization of biomass co-firing potential at 20% would result in a 50MMt offset of CO2 emissions during this 50 year period. Carbon capture and sequestration, including beneficial use in CO2/EOR, GCS in abandoned oil and gas fields, and saline reservoir GCS Sequestration at 90% of CO2 emissions from the proposed plant for a 50 year design life could result in the sequestration of 229.5 Mmt of CO2. These considerations support the potential for a net negative emissions profile of -24.5 Mmt for a hypothetical 50 year design life of the proposed WCEV project.

Effects Of Management On Native And Exotic Plant Communities In Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore In The Upper Peninsula Of Michigan, Michelle Elise Latsch

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

Ecological disturbances may be caused by a range of biotic and abiotic factors. Among these are disturbances that result from human activities such as the introduction of exotic plants and land management activities. This dissertation addresses both of these types of disturbance in ecosystems in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Invasive plants are a significant cause of disturbance at Pictured Rocks Natural Lakeshore. Management of invasive plants is dependent on understanding what areas are at risk of being invaded, what the consequences of an invasion are on native plant communities and how effective different tools are for managing the invasive …

Modeling And Classifying Variable Width Riparian Zones Utilizing Digital Elevation Models, Flood Height Data, Digital Soil Data And National Wetlands Inventory : A New Approach For Riparian Zone Delineation, Sinan A. Abood

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

Riparian zones are dynamic, transitional ecosystems between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems with well defined vegetation and soil characteristics. Development of an all-encompassing definition for riparian ecotones, because of their high variability, is challenging. However, there are two primary factors that all riparian ecotones are dependent on: the watercourse and its associated floodplain. Previous approaches to riparian boundary delineation have utilized fixed width buffers, but this methodology has proven to be inadequate as it only takes the watercourse into consideration and ignores critical geomorphology, associated vegetation and soil characteristics. Our approach offers advantages over other previously used methods by utilizing: the …

Farmer Land Allocation For Maize, Groundnut And Cotton Production In Chipata District, Eastern Province, Zambia, Kristina M. Denison

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

Small-scale farmers in the Chipata District of Zambia rely on their farm fields to grow maize and groundnuts for food security. Cotton production and surplus food security crops are used to generate income to provide for their families. With increasing population pressure, available land has decreased and farmers struggle to provide the necessary food requirements and income to meet their family’s needs. The purpose of the study was to determine how a farmer can best allocate his land to produce maize, groundnuts and cotton when constrained by labor and capital resources to generate the highest potential for food security and …

Assessing Visual Disturbance Conditions On The Custer National Forest, Scott B. Robinson

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

Assessment of soil disturbance on the Custer National Forest was conducted during two summers to determine if the U.S. Forest Service Forest Soil Disturbance Monitoring Protocol (FSDMP) was able to distinguish post-harvest soil conditions in a chronological sequence of sites harvested using different ground-based logging systems. Results from the first year of sampling suggested that the FSDMP point sampling method may not be sensitive enough to measure post-harvest disturbance in stands with low levels of disturbance. Therefore, a revised random transect method was used during the second sampling season to determine the actual extent of soil disturbance in these cutting …

Tracing The Source Of Groundwater For Three Different Coastal Peatlands Along Lake Superior, Margus Paesalu

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

The goal of this project was to investigate the influence of a large inland lake on adjacent coastal freshwater peatlands. The specific aim was to determine the source of groundwater for three differently formed peatlands located on the southern shore of Lake Superior. The groundwater study was conducted at Bete Grise, a peatland complex in a dune-swale system; Pequaming, a peatland developed in the swale of a tombolo; and Lightfoot Bay, a peatland developed in a barrier beach wetland complex.

To determine the source of groundwater in the peatlands, transects of six groundwater monitoring wells were established at each study …

The Spatial Distribution Of Copernicia Alba (Morong) In The District Of Bahia Negra, Paraguay, Michelle E. Cisz

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

The Humid Chaco of Northeast Paraguay harbors monoculture palm savannas in which Copernicia alba is the only dominant overstory species. The study’s objective was to provide the complete spatial distribution of a simple ecosystem lacking confounding factors of overstory competition and changes in slope. Palms within six, 50 x 50m plots were marked by their GPS location and measured for dbh and total stem height. The spatial distribution was individually analyzed for each plot at the local scale up to 12 m using Ripley’s K test. For the total population including juvenile and adult plants, the sample plots contained both …

The Growth Response Of Planted Red Pine (Pinus Resinosa Ait.) To Alternative Thinning Regimes, Jolanta Agnieszka Len

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

Red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) plantations have been established in Michigan with expectations of mixed final product goals: pulpwood, boltwood and possibly sawlogs. The effects of alternative treatments on tree and stand attributes were examined in: the Atlantic Mine trial, thinned in spring 2006 with three alternatives: (1) every fifth row removal plus crown thinning, (2) every third row removal plus crown thinning and (3) every third row removal plus thinning from below; the Crane Lake trial, thinned in fall 2004 with two alternatives: (1) every third row removal and (2) every third row removal plus thinning from above; …

Variation In Carbon Content Of Tropical Tree Species From Ghana, Daniel Yeboah

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

Most research on carbon content of trees has focused on temperate tree species with little information existing on the carbon content of tropical tree species. This study investigated the variation in carbon content of selected tropical tree species and compared carbon content of Khaya spp from two ecozones in Ghana. Allometric equations developed for mixed-plantation stands for wet evergreen forest verified the expected strong relationship between tree volumes and dbh (r²>0.93) and volume and dbh²×height (r²>0.97). Carbon concentration, wood density and carbon content differed significantly among species. Volume at age 12 ranged from 0.01 …

Ecotypic Variation And Plasticity Of Morphological And Physiological Traits Of Eucalyptus Loxophleba Ssp. Lissophloia Along A Climate Gradient In South-West Australia, Vanessa Stylianou

Theses : Honours

The adaptive capacity of plant species will be important for increasing their resilience in a changing climate. By 2070, a change in rainfall of +10 to -40 % of current mean annual rainfall and warming of between +2 to +5 ˚C in south-west Western Australia, is predicted. Plant species may cope with changing climatic characteristics through natural selection or phenotypic plasticity responses. Greater ecotypic variation in traits between stands of a single species may reduce its vulnerability in a changing climate as there is a greater selection of traits to increase fitness. Phenotypic plasticity has been highlighted as a mechanism …

Laboratory Assays Of Select Candidate Insecticides For Control Of Dendroctonus Ponderosae, Christopher J. Fettig, Christopher J. Hayes, Stephen R. Mckelvey, Sylvia R. Mori

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

BACKGROUND: The mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae), is the most destructive bark beetle in western North America. Dendroctonus ponderosae can be prevented from successfully colonizing and killing individual trees by ground-based sprays of insecticides applied directly to the tree bole. However, the future availability of several active ingredients, including carbarylwhich is most commonly used in thewestern United States, is uncertain. Two novel insecticides, cyantraniliprole [Cyazypyr ™-OD (oil dispersion) and Cyazypyr ™-SC (suspension concentrate)] and chlorantraniliprole (Rynaxypyr ®), and carbaryl were assayed in both filter paper and topical assays.

RESULTS: Compared with 20 000 mg L^{−1 …}

Heat Waves Measured With Modis Land Surface Temperature Data Predict Changes In Avian Community Structure, Thomas P. Albright, Anna M. Pidgeon, Chadwick D. Rittenhouse, Murray K. Clayton, Curtis H. Flather, Patrick D. Culbert, Volker C. Radeloff

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

Heat waves are expected to become more frequent and severe as climate changes, with unknown consequences for biodiversity. We sought to identify ecologically-relevant broad-scale indicators of heat waves based on MODIS land surface temperature (LST) and interpolated air temperature data and assess their associations with avian community structure. Specifically, we asked which data source, time periods, and heat wave indices best predicted changes in avian abundance and species richness. Using mixed effects models, we analyzed associations between these indices and data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey in the central United States between 2000 and 2007 in four ecoregions …

Forest Structure And Aboveground Biomass In The Southwestern United States From Modis And Misr, Mark Chopping, Crystal B. Schaaf, Feng Zhao, Zhuosen Wang, Anne Nolin, Gretchen G. Moisen, John V. Martonchik, Michael Bull

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

Red band bidirectional reflectance factor data from the NASA MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) acquired over the southwestern United States were interpreted through a simple geometric–optical (GO) canopy reflectance model to provide maps of fractional crown cover (dimensionless), mean canopy height (m), and aboveground woody biomass (Mg ha⁻¹) on a 250 m grid. Model adjustment was performed after dynamic injection of a background contribution predicted via the kernel weights of a bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) model. Accuracy was assessed with respect to similar maps obtained with data from the NASA Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) and to contemporaneous …

Thermogravimetric Analysis Of Forest Understory Grasses, Thomas Elder, John S. Kush, Sharon M. Hermann

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

Forest understory grasses are of significance in the initiation, establishment and maintenance of fire, whether used as a management tool or when occurring as wildfire. The fundamental thermal properties of such grasses are critical to their behavior in fire situations and have been investigated in the current work by the application of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). TGA was performed in nitrogen and air, over a range of heating rates, allowing for the determination of activation energies and temperatures associated with the degradation of hemicelluloses and cellulose. Of particular interest is the behavior of Imperata cylindrica (cogongrass) an invasive species in the …

Evaluation Of The Modis Lai Product Using Independent Lidar-Derived Lai: A Case Study In Mixed Conifer Forest, Jennifer L.R. Jensen, Karen S. Humes, Andrew T. Hudak, Lee A. Vierling, Eric Delmelle

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

This study presents an alternative assessment of the MODIS LAI product for a 58,000 ha evergreen needleleaf forest located in the western Rocky Mountain range in northern Idaho by using lidar data to model (R²=0.86, RMSE=0.76) and map LAI at higher resolution across a large number of MODIS pixels in their entirety. Moderate resolution (30 m) lidar-based LAI estimates were aggregated to the resolution of the 1-km MODIS LAI product and compared to temporally-coincident MODIS retrievals. Differences in the MODIS and lidar-derived values of LAI were grouped and analyzed by several different factors, including MODIS retrieval algorithm, sun/sensor …