Treesearch

Forests in cities, from remnant woodlands to designed natural areas, are common and abundant. Ecologically similar to rural forests, these landscapes lend themselves to the principles of traditional forest management, such as silviculture. But the application of silviculture to forests in cities, at least in the United States, has long been met with resistance: as far back as Olmsted’s Central Park experiments with ‘planting thick and thinning quick’, public sentiment has been protective of trees, even when forest health would have benefitted from such treatments. Urban silviculture is a...

Since nitrogen is in short supply in wood yet relatively plentiful in the bodies of nematodes, wood-decay fungi have been thought to be nematophagous. In an earlier study, we confirmed the nematophagy of two species of wood-decay fungi (Pleurotus ostreatus and P. pulmonarius), although we also found nematode species that could turn the tables and consume Pleurotus. In this study, we tested interactions between nematode species and Fomitopsis, another genus of common wood-decay fungi. Four geographically distinct isolates, or provenances, within each of four species (i.e., the European F....

Forester and logger responses to the invasive emerald ash borer (EAB) could substantially affect regions across the United States. We analyzed forester and logger responses to EAB in Massachusetts and Vermont, exploring characteristics associated with purposeful targeting of substantial ash properties; managing forests differently because of EAB; and regeneration goals. One-third of respondents increased timber sales on ash properties, motivated by ecological, not economic, impacts of EAB. Nearly 60% said EAB changed their management activity in stands with ash; changes influenced by the...

Much remains unknown regarding the linkages between forest structure and microclimate as they regulate detrital decomposition. In this study, we use a factorial field experiment that included canopy gap creation and downed woody material (DW) additions conducted in a mature northern hardwood forest. Our objectives were to (1) test the individual and combined effects of canopy gaps and DW additions on detrital mass loss; (2) determine whether the factors regulating mass loss are similar among leaf litter, experimental wood stakes, and coarse DW; and (3) assess the microclimatic variables...

National Forest Inventories (NFIs) provide critical information about the distribution and composition of forest resources and help assess sustainable forest management. Data on important topics such as biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and forest products inform planning, policy, and national and international reporting. The USDA Forest Service’s Forest Inventory and Analysis Program (FIA) is the primary source of strategic-level information about the status of and trends in forests in the United States. The program is built on a statistically robust sampling network of permanent forest...

Globally, temperate deciduous forests are threatened by invasion of non-native (exotic) plant species. In the eastern United States, Rosa multiflora is a dominant shrub invader in forests, which often forms dense thickets that reduce sunlight availability in the understory, where decreased native plant diversity and abundance are observed. Management and restoration are difficult but desirable, especially when invasion intensity is still low. Few studies have examined the relative success of different management strategies under varying invasion intensities. Our study objectives were to...

The spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) is a novel invasive insect from Asia now established and spreading throughout the United States. This species is of particular concern given its ability to decimate important crops such as grapes, fruit trees, as well as native hardwood trees. Since its initial detection in Berks County, Pennsylvania in 2014, spotted lanternfly infestations have been detected in 130 counties (87 under quarantine) within Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. Compounding this invasion is the associated...

T. campestris has been described multiple times in various Asian countries, as well as under several generic names (Callidium, Hesperophanes, Stromatium and Trichoferus) (Lee & Lee, 2018). In much of the recent scientific literature this species has been referred to as either H. campestris or T. campestris. There are currently 8 species of Hesperophanes and 27 species of Trichoferus recognized worldwide, of which only one species of Hesperophanes is native to the New World (Tavakilian & Chevillotte, 2020). Grebennikov et al. (2010) state that the genera Hesperophanes and Trichoferus are...

Mineral stabilization of soil organic matter is an important regulator of the global carbon (C) cycle. However, the vulnerability of mineral-stabilized organic matter (OM) to climate change is currently unknown. We examined soil profiles from 34 sites across the conterminous USA to investigate how the abundance and persistence of mineral-associated organic C varied with climate at the continental scale. Using a novel combination of radiocarbon and molecular composition measurements, we show that the relationship between the abundance and persistence of mineral-associated organic matter...

This study has proposed that organic matter transfer and transformation into and through a peatland is dominated by preferential loss of carbohydrates and the retention of lignin-like molecules. Here we used elemental analysis and thermogravimetric analysis to analyse the biomass, litter, peat soil profile, particulate organic matter, and dissolved organic matter fluxes sampled from a continental raised bog in comparison a maritime blanket bog. The macromolecular composition and thermodynamic analysis showed that in the raised bog there had been little or no transformation of the organic...