Treesearch

Invasive species are spreading globally, threatening ecosystems, biodiversity, agriculture and human health. When efforts to prevent the establishment of invasive species fail and eradication is not possible, containment becomes necessary to slow or stop the spread of established invaders. A major question is, therefore, how to allocate treatments across space and time to contain populations cost‐effectively.Here, we examine how to optimize strategies for slowing the spread of the spongy moth (Lymantria dispar) in North America by utilizing gaps with lower densities of host plants. Around...

Butternut (Juglans cinerea) has been decimated due to butternut canker disease (BCD). To date, much of the observed disease resistance in butternut occurs in hybrids with Japanese walnut (J. ailantifolia), a non-native species which was introduced to the US and naturally hybridizes with butternut. We screened a US range-wide collection of butternut and hybrid butternut, including over 300 open-pollinated families, for susceptibility to BCD. Trees were planted in Indiana, US, in two areas (with high or low disease levels) and allowed to become naturally infected. After 10 years, severity of...

Purpose of Review: The genus Anoplophora includes 52 species, of which three are known to be invasive and a fourth has recently been identified as a potential international high-risk invasive. One species, the Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky)), has been called one of the 100 worst global invasive species. Here, we present an overview of available information regarding members of the genus Anoplophora at risk of spreading beyond their native ranges, including summaries of their ecology, economic impacts, management, and taxonomy, with an emphasis on information...

Peatland development is affected by changing climates, disturbances such as fire, and autogenic processes. Peatlands may be susceptible to periods of peat loss or reduced accumulation resulting in hiatuses in the peat stratigraphy. At eight minerotrophic peatlands in isolated topographic depressions in western Washington State, peat accumulation rates were reconstructed using radiocarbon-dated continuous peat cores. Age-depth models, fit to 7 to 11 radiocarbon dates and known tephra ages per peatland, were built using a Bayesian approach that constrains the range of potential peat accumulat...

Differential thermal analysis (DTA) is a laboratory technique used to assess cold tolerance of plant tissue by detecting low temperature exotherms released when intracellular water freezes and cells are damaged. Measurements are made by placing samples on thermoelectric modules (TEMs) in a programmable freezer, slowly reducing the temperature, and detecting the latent heat of fusion released when intracellular water undergoes a phase change from liquid to solid. TEMs are solid-state Peltier devices that are commonly used for heating or cooling of electronics depending on the direction of...

Natural and working lands are often touted as natural climate solutions due to their ability to take up and store carbon, and land managers are increasingly tasked with considering how management actions impact carbon outcomes alongside other management goals. As a result, there is a need to assess how management actions may drive trade‐offs and co‐benefits between multiple management goals. However, quantitative analysis of trade‐offs is not feasible for many local‐scale management projects.We used a case study in an oak savanna in south‐eastern Wisconsin, U.S.A. to develop and test a...

Ecological restoration is essential to meeting global biodiversity conservation goals. Given limited conservation budgets, deciding where to restore habitat is a key challenge for the coming decade. We developed a spatially explicit framework to optimize ecological restoration site selection by integrating land use history, species distributions, and economic costs. The framework includes the following steps: identify potential restoration area based on relevant environmental measures like land use; identify species of interest; calculate restoration benefits by modeling habitat and...

An often-heard complaint in the forestry and forest conservation fields is that private forest landowners – especially individuals and families – do not implement the recommended practices of forestry and conservation specialists or experts. Furthermore, it is commonly assumed that this disregard stems from a lack of information and knowledge regarding the "correct" and approved practices. Consequently, attempts to address the situation have historically been predicated on a knowledge transfer model. In this viewpoint commentary, we offer the perspective – informed by self-determination...

Flighted spongy moth, Lymantria dispar asiatica Vnukovskij and Lymantria dispar japonica Motschulsky, is a highly destructive defoliator that threatens forest and urban trees in both its native Asian range and where introduced. This moth goes through outbreak periods with very high population numbers resulting in defoliation of almost all deciduous and coniferous trees and potentially severe human allergic reactions to the insect hairs and scales. Adult females are capable of strong ascending flight and at night are attracted to lights where they lay their egg masses on surrounding...

The emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis, EAB) poses an unprecedented threat to North American Fraxinus species and has already decimated ash populations in large parts of the natural range in the northeastern US. In some forest stands, a few trees remain alive with healthy crowns years after mortality from EAB has killed the majority of ash trees. These trees, called lingering ash, have been identified, replicated by grafting, and screened for resistance to EAB larvae in controlled greenhouse bioassays. This study showed that the proportion of larvae killed by tree defenses, and the...