Treesearch

What are typical values and dynamic status of live-tree biomass pools in old-growth, mesic, cool temperate forests? A handful of biomass density estimates in eastern North American temperate forests show large biomass/carbon reserves on a per-area basis. However, it is less clear whether these ecosystems are, over multi-decade scales, typically steady-state or non-equilibrial carbon pools. Previous studies have suggested both possibilities, but claims are based on inferences from short-term studies or proxy data sets. An unusually long-term and extensive data set from repeatedly sampled...

Species distribution models predict shifts in forest habitat in response to warming temperatures associated with climate change, yet tree migration rates lag climate change, leading to misalignment of current species assemblages with future climate conditions. Forest adaptation strategies have been proposed to deliberately adjust species composition by planting climate-suitable species. Practical evaluations of adaptation plantings are limited, especially in the context of ecological memory or extreme climate events. In this study, we examined the 3-year survival and growth response of...

Geographical variation in the likelihood of biological invasions can be affected by propagule pressure and habitat suitability, which are driven by ecological and social processes. Past studies have empirically quantified the role of drivers by comparing geographical variation in numbers of invading species with variation in candidate factors; however, lack of data has limited empirical studies for individual species. Lymantria dispar (L.), a nonnative forest pest formerly known as gypsy moth, is an exemplar species for exploring invasion drivers because of extensive records on its spread....

Soil organic matter (SOM) is the largest terrestrial pool of organic carbon, and potential carbon-climate feedbacks involving SOM decomposition could exacerbate anthropogenic climate change. However, our understanding of the controls on SOM mineralization is still incomplete, and as such, our ability to predict carbon-climate feedbacks is limited. To improve our understanding of controls on SOM decomposition, A and upper B horizon soil samples from 26 National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) sites spanning the conterminous U.S. were incubated for 52 weeks under conditions representing...

Continuous water level monitoring using absolute pressure transducers with onboard data logging is common practice in hydrologic studies. While there has been some discussion and study of temperature-derived error (TDE), there has not been a systematic evaluation of the problem. We sought to answer three questions: (1) are current best practices enough to avoid these errors, (2) can laboratory correction be used to correct field data from varying conditions, and (3) what is the scale of the additional uncertainty of the correction procedure? We evaluated the magnitude of such errors under...

Understanding the controls on the amount and persistence of soil organic carbon (C) is essential for predicting its sensitivity to global change. The response may depend on whether C is unprotected, isolated within aggregates, or protected from decomposition by mineral associations. Here, we present a global synthesis of the relative influence of environmental factors on soil organic C partitioning among pools, abundance in each pool (mg C g−1 soil), and persistence (as approximated by radiocarbon abundance) in relatively unprotected particulate and protected mineral-bound pools. We show...

Ungulates place immense consumptive pressure on forest vegetation globally, leaving legacies of reduced biodiversity and simplified vegetative structure. However, what remains unresolved is whether browse-induced changes occurring early in succession ultimately manifest themselves in the developed forest canopy. Understanding the development and persistence of these legacies is critical as canopy structure is an important determinant of forest ecosystem functions such as carbon sequestration and wildlife habitat. We measured how white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus browse during stand...

Household consumption of food, energy, and water comprises a significant use of resources in the United States. National level authority-based policy tools and top-down systemic shifts have not been widely adopted, thus near-term changes in consumption are dependent upon the actions of individuals. However, typical policy tools intended to change voluntary behaviors rest on information provision, which has been shown to be largely ineffective in achieving necessary consumption shifts. Drawing from the values-beliefs-norms and valuesidentity- personal norms theories, we compare three models...

Wood-consuming furniture manufacturers (WCFM) are major users of forest products in the United States. Between 2000 and 2009, the real value of domestic WCFM shipments (production) declined by 51%. After 2009, WCFM shipments fluctuated, but by 2019 shipments were 48% below 2000 levels. A major contributor to this decline was furniture imports. In 1997, imports accounted for 6% and 23% of the value of upholstered household furniture (UHF) and wood household furniture (WHF), available to U.S. consumers, respectively. In 2019, imports accounted for 35% and 78% of domestically available UHF...

Bark and ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) are a prominent group of insects that include important pest species,many ofwhich have successfully established outside their native range. Their cryptic nature and intimate association with bark and wood enable them to be accidentally transported within and among continents via trade of plants, timber, raw wood, wood products, and associated wood packaging materials. Furthermore, their resistance to dehydration and food deprivation and their thermal plasticity improves their likelihood of survival during long-distance...