Treesearch

Deadwood moisture plays a major role in regulating deadwood decomposition rates and may also affect forest microclimate. Despite this, the temporal variability of deadwood moisture at 15-min time scales remains relatively unknown because techniques for using high-frequency sensors for tracking moisture at appropriate spatial and temporal intensities have been lacking. We installed a high-density sensor array in and around a downed log to gain a detailed assessment regarding the temporal variation of volumetric water content at multiple locations within one downed dead log, the source snag,...

Tree regeneration surveys provide insight into potential forest change and trajectories of stand development, which can guide management in an era of global change. However, most tree regeneration surveys tend to be coarse and/or rapid assessments which can introduce considerable uncertainty into translating estimates of seedling abundance into models of sapling recruitment and subsequent overstory tree abundance and composition. Observations of seedling abundance changes across size classes may be essential to accurately predicting recruitment from seedling sized trees to advanced size...

The field of urban ecology has progressed since the mid-1990s through four major phases: an ecology in, of, for, and with cities. This progression reflects an interest to address the complexity of urban systems with social- ecological approaches. Further, this progression signifies an interest to address societal issues by co-designing and co-producing research in collaboration with diverse stakeholders from government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), businesses, and community associations. What remains unaddressed in this progression is a research mission orientation. While there...

Lycorma delicatula (White) (spotted lanternfly [SLF]), an invasive planthopper from Asia, is an emerging pest in North America. Good phenology models based on the responses of SLF to a broad range of temperatures are needed for predicting when monitoring for SLF needs to be done, when the right stage is present for application of control methods, and what regions of the US are likely to support SLF populations. This information is also needed to develop protocols for rearing large numbers of SLF for use in bioassays or biological control rearing. Without an efficient laboratory rearing...

Population projection models are important tools for conservation and management. They are often used for population status assessments, for threat analyses, and to predict the consequences of conservation actions. Although conservation decisions should be informed by science, critical decisions are often made with very little information to support decision-making. Conversely, postponing decisions until better information is available may reduce the benefit of a conservation decision. When empirical data are limited or lacking, expert elicitation can be used to supplement existing data...

In temperate forests of the northeastern U.S., moose (Alces alces) populations are adapted for mixed-age heterogeneous landscapes that provide abundant herbaceous forage in warm months and coniferous forage during winter. Heterogeneity of forest stands is driven by management activities or natural disturbance, resulting in a multi-age forest at a landscape scale. Here, we present a method to estimate landscape carrying capacity of moose by combining remote sensing classification of forest cover class with literature or field-based estimates of class-specific forage abundance. We used...

Rangelands worldwide have experienced significant shifts from grass-dominated to woody-plant dominated states over the past century. In North America, these shifts are largely driven by overgrazing and landscape-scale fire suppression. Such shifts reduce productivity for livestock, can have broad-scale impacts to biodiversity, and are often difficult to reverse. Restoring grass dominance often involves restoring fire as an ecological process. However, many resprouting woody plants persist following disturbance, including fire, by resprouting from protected buds, rendering fire ineffective...

Hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) is the most important pest of hemlocks in the eastern United States, where it completes three generations a year. We investigated the impact of temperature (8, 12, 16, and 20°C) on the estivation and postaestivation stages of the A. tsugae sistens generation. Temperature significantly impacted development and survival of this generation. The highest mortality occurred at the coolest temperature (8°C). Adelges tsugae developed rapidly as the temperature increased and optimum temperatures for development ranged between 17 and 22°C for the different...

There have been dramatic changes to forest lands since the end of the last ice age, about 14,000 years before present, when boreal ecosystems were eventually replaced by deciduous forest and grassland. In Illinois at the time of Euro-American Settlement (circa 1820), forest lands, including firemaintained woodlands and savannas, comprised about 42% of the land area. Habitat destruction, fire absence, livestock grazing, and infestations of non-native species have altered forests since the 1800s. Currently, forest land cover statewide is about 13.5%, mostly (83%) in private ownership and...

American Toads are the only toad species found in Wisconsin, and they are distributed throughout the state. They are a fairly large anuran, with a stout body, short limbs, and 'warty' skin that is mostly mottled browns and tans but sometimes reddish.