Treesearch

Greenspaces are increasingly valued for supporting biodiversity in urbanized landscapes. Previous research efforts have emphasized the importance of public land such as parks and nature preserves for biodiversity, yet private yards in residential neighborhoods also have great potential for species conservation. Our study considered the importance of adjacent public and private greenspaces for urban bird diversity. We surveyed birds in public parks (n = 39) and private yards (n = 41) distributed across neighboring twin cities (Champaign and Urbana) in Illinois, USA, to assess potential...

Like many other fields, ornithology and birding are addressing their legacy of colonialism, including reexamining their naming practices. Discussions about eponyms, when species are named to honour people, sit at the intersection of nomenclatural stability and social justice concerns. In response to a charged debate about the future of eponymous common names, members of the American Ornithological Society (AOS)'s Diversity and Inclusion Committee held one-on-one listening sessions in 2020 with stakeholder groups across the birding and ornithology community and, in 2021, organized a...

This report summarizes the third full annualized inventory of West Virginia forest land. The inventory was conducted from 2012 to 2018 by the Forest Inventory and Analysis program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station in cooperation with the West Virgina Division of Forestry. West Virginia has nearly 12 million acres of forest land with an average of 507 trees (at least 1.0-inch in diameter) per acre. Hardwoods are the dominant tree species in West Virginia. Forest land is dominated by the oak/hickory forest type group, which occupies 73 percent...

As the climate changes over the 21st century, the people, trees, and green spaces of Detroit, Michigan will face physical, biological, health, and indirect impacts. This assessment evaluates the vulnerability of the urban forest in the Detroit region. We synthesized and summarized information on the contemporary landscape, provided information on past climate trends and projected future climates, and illustrated climate impacts on a range of topics. We used models of habitat suitability for trees native to the Detroit area and used projected shifts in plant hardiness zones and heat zones...

Currently, no multiple century fire scar records have been constructed in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, USA, a region where historical vegetation ranged from prairies and oak-dominated woodlands in the south to conifernorthern hardwood forests and swamps to the north. The western portion of the Huron-Manistee National Forests is located within this strong vegetation transition (i.e., "Tension Zone") and, based on this study, has well-preserved remnant red pine trees dating back to at least the late 1400s with fire scars dating back to 1523. From fire scar records constructed at four...

i-Tree is a suite of computer software tools developed through a collaborative public-private partnership. These tools are designed to assess and value the urban forest resource, understand forest risk, and develop sustainable forest management plans to improve environmental quality and human health. This report provides details about the underlying methods and calculations of these tools, as well their potential limitations. Also discussed are the history of i-Tree, its future goals, and opportunities to facilitate new science and international collaboration. This report is a revision to...

This proceedings from the 2022 Central Hardwood Forest Conference in Morgantown, WV contains 19 papers and extended abstracts pertaining to research conducted on the conifer component, forest health, growth and yield, the herbaceous component, restoration, silviculture, social and economic dimensions, and soils of the Central Hardwood region. The Central Hardwood region is broadly defined as the part of the continental United States where deciduous hardwood trees dominate the species composition. This region, which includes many physiographic provinces, supports a variety of culturally and...

People love to live near forests, lakes, open space, and scenic beauty. These natural settings draw people to build homes in areas classified as the wildland-urban interface (WUI): spaces where human development meets the natural world. Although houses in the WUI are built on private land, they are often close to national forests, within inholdings (patches of private land within national forests), or close to other public land. Tracking and understanding WUI growth therefore has implications for forest health and management across public and private lands.

Recognizing the involvement of various stakeholders in managing pests, diseases, and forest disturbances is critical for managing forest health. Although there has been substantial focus on the biological and ecological aspects of forest health in the peer-reviewed literature, there is a significant gap in understanding the human dimensions of forest health, especially from the perspective of foresters and loggers. These two groups—foresters, who write silvicultural prescriptions, and loggers, who implement them—are vital but understudied participants.

Neighborhoods are one of the key determinants of health disparities among young people in the United States. While neighborhood deprivation can exacerbate health disparities, amenities such as quality parks and greenspace can support adolescent health. Existing conceptual frameworks of greeninghealth largely focus on greenspace exposures, rather than greening interventions. In this paper, we develop and propose a Greening Theory of Change that explains how greening initiatives might affect adolescent health in deprived neighborhoods. The theory situates greening activities and possible...