Treesearch

Prescribed burns are an effective and increasingly popular strategy for inhibiting wildfires. The goal of this study was to characterize soil nutrient loss after a prescribed fire within a chaparral watershed in southern California. The study compared hillslope sediments for approximately 1 year before the fire with those during the year after the fire. Samples were collected in 11 sediment traps located randomly along fall line transects throughout a steep, 0.65-ha watershed (~65% average slope). Concentrations of soluble ammonium nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, phosphate phosphorus, Ca, Mg,...

The nucleotide-binding-site and leucine-rich-repeat (NBS–LRR) class of R proteins is abundant and widely distributed in plants. By using degenerate primers designed on the NBS domain in lettuce, we amplified sequences in sugar pine that shared sequence identity with many of the NBS–LRR class resistance genes catalogued in GenBank. The polymerase chain reaction products were used to probe a cDNA library constructed from needle tissue of sugar pine seedlings. A full-length cDNA was obtained that demonstrated high predicted amino acid sequence similarity to the coiled coil (CC)–NBS–LRR...

Forest fires are an important societal problem. They cause extensive damage and substantial funds are spent preparing for and fighting them. This work develops a stochastic model useful for probabilistic risk assessment, specifically to estimate chances of fires at a future time given explanatory variables. Questions of interest include: Are random effects needed in the risk model? and if yes, How is the analysis to be implemented? An exploratory data analysis approach is taken using both fixed and random effects models for data concerning the Federal Lands in the state of California...

Ecological restoration is a process, a directed action aimed at repairing damage to ecocultural systems for which humans are responsible. Environmental degradation has impaired the functioning of both ecological and cultural systems and disrupted traditional practices that maintained these systems over several millennia. Indigenous and local peoples who depend on the integrity and productivity of their immediate environment more than the global, urbanized society are directly affected by ecosystem damage. Conversely, ecosystems have become further diminished in the absence of the cultural...

Glyphosate applied at the recommended field rate to a clay loam and a sandy loam forest soil resulted in few changes in microbial community structure. Total and culturable bacteria, fungal hyphal length, bacterial:fungal biomass, carbon utilization profiles (BIOLOG), and bacterial and fungal phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) were unaffected 1, 3, 7, or 30 days after application of a commercial formulation (Roundup®). In contrast, a high concentration of glyphosate (100× field rate) simulating an undiluted chemical spill substantially altered the bacterial community in both soils. Increases...

The capacity of a forest site to capture carbon and convert it into biomass defines fundamental site productivity. In the United States, the National Forest Management Act (NFMA) of 1976 mandates that this capacity must be protected on federally managed lands. Responding to NFMA, the USDA Forest Service began a soil-based monitoring program for its managed forests. Lacking an extensive research base, soil-based standards were predicated largely on professional judgment. To provide a stronger foundation, a national program of Long-Term Soil Productivity (LTSP) research was established. The...

High-value trees, such as those located in residential, recreational, or administrative sites, are particularly susceptible to bark beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) attack as a result of increased amounts of stress associated with drought, soil compaction, mechanical injury, or vandalism. Tree losses in these unique environments generally have a substantial impact. The value of these individual trees, cost of removal, and loss of aesthetics may justify protection until the main thrust of a bark beetle infestation subsides. This situation emphasizes the need for assuring that...

Bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) are commonly recognized as the most important mortality agent in western coniferous forests. High value trees, such as those located in residential, recreational, or administrative sites, are particularly susceptible to attack. Regardless of landowner objectives, tree losses in these unique environments generally have a catastrophic impact. The value of these individual trees, the cost of removal, and the loss of aesthetics may justify protection until the main thrust of a bark beetle infestation subsides. This situation emphasizes the need for...

Numerous studies have explored the role of semiochemicals in the behavior of bark beetles (Scolytidae). Multiple funnel traps are often used to elucidate these behavioral responses. Sufficient sample sizes are obtained by using large numbers of traps to which treatments are randomly assigned once, or by frequent collection of trap catches and subsequent re-randomization of treatments. Recently, there has been some debate about the potential for trap contamination to occur when semiochemical treatments (i.e., baits), and not trap-treatment units (i.e., traps and baits), are re-randomized...

Bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) are commonly recognized as the most important mortality agent in western coniferous forests. In this study, we describe the abundance of bark beetle predators collected in multiple-funnel traps baited with exo-brevicomin, frontalin and myrcene in northern California during 2003 and 2004. A total of 32,903 Temnochila chlorodia (Mannerheim), 79 Enoclerus lecontei (Wolcott), and 12 E. sphegeus (F.) were collected. The seasonal abundance of E. lecontei and E. sphegeus was not analyzed because too few individuals were collected. In general, T. chlorodia was...