Treesearch

Maps of aboveground biomass density (AGBD) estimated from remote sensing data with models trained from inventory data are essential for carbon monitoring. Forest inventory plots in the United States (US) are measured by the forest inventory and analysis (FIA) program of the US Forest Service (USFS). These plots are spatially representative, design unbiased, and provide estimates of AGBD and other forest attributes over large spatial domains, but do not provide spatially continuous or sufficiently precise estimates over small spatial domains (e.g. forest stands). Integration with remote...

Congressionally designated wilderness offers the highest level of land protection in the USA, comparable to category 1b wilderness as defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, yet wilderness areas face impacts of climate change. Researchers and managers increasingly recognize the immense challenge of stewarding wilderness in a changing climate. Although responding to climate change is considered a wicked problem, this framing has not been applied to wilderness contexts. We move theory into practice by using wicked problem framing and four illustrative cases to explore...

Observed increases in wildfire activity across the contiguous United States (U.S.), together with continued warming and expanding development in fire-prone landscapes, highlight the need to anticipate near-term changes in fire regimes. We apply a Bayesian statistical model that integrates projected population density (SSP2) and downscaled climate simulations under a moderate emissions scenario (RCP 4.5) to estimate future wildfire occurrence, maximum fire size (using the 90th percentile of fire size distribution), and total area burned for large fires (>1000 acres) across all EPA Level III...

Riparian ecosystems in the American Southwest store disproportionate amounts of carbon relative to their limited extent, yet their capacity is poorly quantified and threatened by climate and land-use change. We synthesize current knowledge of riparian carbon dynamics in Arizona and New Mexico and combine this with spatial datasets to estimate potential and current carbon storage. We review how climate, hydrology, geomorphic setting, and biota interact to control carbon stored in biomass, large wood, and floodplain soils. Using the national riparian basemap and hydroclimatic data, we map...

Seedling functional attributes (i.e., morphological and physiological traits driving water, carbon, and nutrient economy, as well as stress resistance and resilience) influence the early performance of forest plantings. Nursery environment and cultivation practices interact with species ecology to shape these attributes and potential outplanting success. Although extensive literature exists on these topics, studies that have quantitatively synthesized findings to generalize plant quality and nursery cultivation theory are almost nonexistent. This chapter quantitatively reviews the effects...

Due to the prevalence of local adaptation in plants, the provenance of seed sources can impact plant community restoration outcomes. Yet programs developing commercial germplasm releases often overlook local adaptation as a development criterion, leading to the selection of traits that may not support restoration success. In many cases, commercial germplasms are more available than plant materials developed explicitly considering spatial adaptation patterns.This study aims to demonstrate how seed transfer models can calibrate restoration guidance for commercially available germplasms of...

Information on climate‐associated phenotypic variation is essential for sourcing seed that matches restoration site conditions. Spatially explicit seed transfer models can effectively deliver this information. However, standard modeling approaches often do not provide flexibility for practical considerations and may not capture highly complex trait‐climate associations. We characterized climate‐associated variation in growth, reproduction, morphology, phenology, and survival across 98 source populations at 3 common gardens for the grass Elymus elymoides (bottlebrush squirreltail), an...

Pine (Pinus spp.) trees worldwide are subjected to selective evolutionary pressures from both abiotic (fire) and biotic (insects) damage resulting in their extant distribution and abundance, and life-history and morphological traits. These interactions merit serious consideration in long-term pine forest conservation and sustainability plans, and hence, we provide the following elements in this chapter: (1) a synthesis of eco-evolutionary components of these tri-lateral (fire-pine-insect) interactions; (2) a framework for understanding herbivory patterns and processes as based on adaptation...

Premise: The presence of more than two full chromosome sets, polyploidy, is an important component in plant evolution. However, knowledge of the frequency of polyploidization and which pathways contribute to polyploid formation and gene flow among cytotypes remains limited.

Methods: Flow cytometry and chromosome counts were used to determine genome size of Artemisia tridentata parents and offspring. Reduced‐representation sequencing was used on the parents, offspring, and conspecific taxa to confirm genetic relationships among parents and offspring.

Results: A polyploidization...

Historically, oaks have dominated forests and woodlands in the eastern US, but oaks are being replaced by mesophytic tree species. Mesophication was likely triggered by moist, shaded conditions related to fire exclusion, and thus, moisture and fire have been the focus of prior research. However, forests undergoing mesophication also experience high soil nitrogen (N) availability, and timber harvests often create high-light conditions. Oaks may compete poorly with mesophytes in these resource-rich conditions due to their distinct strategies for growth and nutrient acquisition. Here, we...