Treesearch

Background: Frequent low-intensity fires historically shaped forest composition and structure in the southeastern United States of America (USA). However, in modern times, fire suppression has inadvertently facilitated the recruitment of mesophytic trees and potentially the invasion of non-native woody plants. In this study, we selected twelve woody broadleaved plants from forested areas of South Carolina and categorized them into three groups: (1) non-native invasive species, (2) native pyrophytic species, and (3) native mesophytic species. We used these categories to examine bark...

Project VITAL (Vacant Lot Improvement to Transform Adolescent Lives) is a study designed to evaluate the impact of revitalized vacant lots on adolescent health in Baltimore, Maryland. We implemented a mixed-methods research approach, which included surveys of 14- to 19-year-olds, observations of nearby vacant lots, and street block assessments during 2023–2024. The aim was to understand how greening vacant lots affected adolescent mental health, experiences of violence, and food insecurity. Linear regression models were used to examine the association between living near a maintained...

Climate-change adaptation planning processes and tools are increasing in number and evolving rapidly. During times of innovation and proliferation, a potential danger is incoherence, when well-intended contributions can overwhelm, create confusion, or mask complementarities. A shared vision is needed to avoid duplication, reduce misunderstandings, and facilitate work across jurisdictions to steward resources undergoing profound changes. Such a vision would document fundamental tools and approaches while allowing flexibility to match highly varied management contexts and organizational...

While many tree professionals recognize the importance of planting quality stock and a diversity of species to enhance longevity and increase urban forest resiliency, the availability of such stock is often limited.To address this disconnect, we conducted 3 focus groups with growers, designers, urban foresters, and other technical experts from the Chesapeake Bay watershed region (USA) to identify challenges and opportunities for growing greater numbers of high-quality, underused species.Contract growing was seen as a key opportunity for increasing quality and diversity. Additionally,...

The Beetles of Michigan project started in 2019 when Bob and I were writing up the results of a beetle survey at Grass River Natural Area that we had done the two previous years (Haack and Ruesink 2020). We wanted to say if anything we found there was a new state record for Michigan, and we discovered that the most recent list of Michigan beetles was published in 1878 (Hubbard and Schwarz 1878). So, we decided to update their list and asked Gary Parsons to join us as a third investigator.

Background: Forest soils are a globally significant carbon-store, including in deep layers (> 30 cm depth). However, there is high uncertainty regarding the response of deep soil organic carbon (DSOC) to climate change and the resulting impact on the total OC budget for forest ecosystems. Managed forests have an opportunity to reduce the risk of DSOC loss with climate change, however, the basic understanding of DSOC is lacking. Planted forests in New Zealand are managed with very limited knowledge of DSOC, both in the amount and the capacity of the soil to continue to store carbon with...

Longstanding theories and models classify mineral-associated organic matter as the large ( ~ 60%) but slow-cycling and persistent portion of soil organic matter. Strong physico-chemical interactions and diffusion limitations restrict the turnover of mineral-associated organic matter, allowing carbon and nitrogen bound therein to persist in soil for as long as centuries to millennia. However, mineral associated organic matter is a chemically and functionally diverse pool with a substantial portion cycling at relatively fast (i.e., minutes to years) timescales. Despite a growing body of...

The elm zigzag sawfly (EZS), Aproceros leucopoda Takeuchi (Hymenoptera: Argidae), is a rapidly spreading invasive defoliator threatening North American elms (Ulmus spp.). Native to East Asia, EZS has established itself across Europe and Russia and was first detected in North America in 2020. Its parthenogenetic reproduction, high fecundity, and multiple dispersal pathways facilitate rapid range expansion and by 2025, EZS had been documented in 14 U.S. states and 4 Canadian provinces. In North America, human-assisted dispersal via vehicles, wood products, and potentially nursery soil may...

The balance between methane producing and methane consuming microorganisms is partially responsible for the magnitude and direction of soil-atmosphere methane fluxes. Therefore, understanding the effects of vegetation and land use on relative abundance, community structure and vertical distribution of methane cycling microorganisms should help us interpret patterns of net emissions of methane. Mountain peatlands in the tropics areabundant and are important in global carbon cycling, but little is known about the communities of methane cycling microorganisms in these ecosystems. We sampled...

Log landings—designated staging areas for logs during timber harvests—can be enriched as habitat for native bees and other pollinator species, turning often degraded areas into local hotspots for biodiversity. Pollinators provide an important ecosystem service for economically important agricultural crops and for trees and plants, but populations are declining due in large part to habitat loss. Enriching soils and seeding native plants on log landings (beyond traditional erosion mitigation practices) can provide pollinator habitat on the modern landscape. This guide provides information...