Treesearch

Browsing can be an environmental stress to forest ecosystems, where the composition and structure of plant communities depend on the balance between ungulate browsing and the ability of plants to tolerate and acclimate to this stressor. Tree planting is a management tool for restoring forest whose integrity has been compromised by the intensity and repetition of browsing. This tool may be insufficient when the stress leading to forest degradation is ongoing. Balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) plantations are used on Anticosti Island (Quebec, Canada) to restore winter habitat for...

The USDA Forest Service, National Woodland Owner Survey asks family forest owners (FFOs) about their attitudes and intentions regarding their forestland. Historically, the number of responses from Black or African American FFOs has been very low, but it is uncertain whether this is because of nonresponse bias or that there are relatively few Black FFOs. To get a better understanding of these FFOs and to test a method to increase response rates, an intensified survey effort was conducted in three southern states: Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Analyses indicate that Black FFOs...

Linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.), a globally cultivated oilseed crop in high demand, is the focal point of our efforts aimed at improving yield production. The achievement of robust yield outcomes relies on the intricate interplay of various agronomic traits. This study, conducted over two years at a research farm in Iran, presents a comprehensive analysis evaluating diverse agronomic characteristics inherent to different linseed cultivars and hybrids. Essential parameters, including days to emergence, days to flowering, plant height, number of branches, number of capsules per plant,...

The National Forestry Commission of Mexico continuously monitors forest structure within the country's continental territory by the implementation of the National Forest and Soils Inventory (INFyS). Due to the challenges involved in collecting data exclusively from field surveys, there are spatial information gaps for important forest attributes. This can produce bias or increase uncertainty when generating estimates required to support forest management decisions. Our objective is to predict the spatial distribution of tree height and tree density in all Mexican forests. We performed...

Estimating amounts of change in forest resources over time is a key function of most national forest inventories (NFI). As this information is used broadly for many management and policy purposes, it is imperative that accurate estimations are made from the survey sample. Robust sampling designs are often used to help ensure representation of the population, but often the full sample is unrealized due to hazardous conditions or possibly lack of land access permission. Potentially, bias may be imparted to the sample if the nonresponse is nonrandom with respect to forest characteristics,...

Tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) is a highly invasive tree species in the USA and the preferred host of an invasive insect, the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula). Currently, pest managers rely solely on ground surveys for detecting both A. altissima and spotted lanternflies. This study aimed to develop efficient tools for A. altissima detection using drones equipped with optical sensors. Aerial surveys were conducted to determine the optimal season, sensor type, and flight altitudes for A. altissima detection. The results revealed that A. altissima can be detected during different...

Forest trees are beleaguered by the ever-increasing onslaught of invasive pests and pathogens, with some species in danger of functional extinction. Recent successes in developing resistant populations using traditional tree breeding assures that some of the affected species will persist in future forests. However, the sheer number of threatened species requires increases in breeding efficiency. The time is right to consider how the use of genomic resources might aid breeding efforts in the next 20 years. Any operational benefit of genomic resources will be minimal without closer collaborat...

The year 2021 witnessed the strong recovery of the sawn hardwood market. This positive trend lasted until mid-2022, when it flipped in the entire UNECE region. Consumption of sawn hardwood dropped in the second half of 2022 resulting in the contraction of annual consumption by 3.3% to 30.3 million m3. Consequently, sawn hardwood markets in the UNECE dropped back almost to the low levels of 2020 which was heavily impacted by the pandemic. Sawn hardwood production in the UNECE region dropped by 2.7% to 35.5 million m3.

Worldwide, there are an estimated 3.0 trillion trees (Crowther et al. 2015) and 7.7 billion people (http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/). These trees produce numerous benefits to society but also create various costs. Trees can improve human health and well-being by moderating climate, reducing building energy use and atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), improving air quality, mitigating rainfall runoff and flooding, providing protection from ultraviolet radiation and soil erosion, lowering noise levels and providing food, lumber, medicines, aes-thetic environments, and recreational...

Arborists and urban foresters have a compelling story to tell—their work to plant and care for urban trees and forests makes a tremendous difference in our communities! Fortunately, i-Tree is freely accessible 24/7 to help tell that story and more. In this article we will explore the newest tool, called OurTrees, which gives us the power to engage communities and tell a story about current and potential tree canopy and the benefits forests provide in communities across the continental United States. OurTrees is a web-based app that works with modern browsers to deliver intuitive summaries...