Treesearch

(Please note, this is an extended abstract only) Hunter gatherers relied on healthy pinon-juniper woodland because it supports a wide variety of small game, large game, and bird species that shelter in the trees and forage on pinon nuts, a rich food source for humans as well as game.

(Please note, this is an abstract only) The recent emphasis on ecological restoration of forests has forced both scientists and managers to address the idea of the "natural range of variability" of their systems of study. Indeed, much work has been done to identify this range in the ponderosa pine systems of the West and to use that information to develop restoration prescriptions for those forests. The pinyon-juniper woodland, in comparison, has been more intensively managed for a variety of uses yet much of the ecology of the system is relatively unknown. In many instances we lack...

After a short discussion of terminology used in the fairly new discipline of weed science, specific examples are given to illustrate effects of invasive plants on recreation and scenic values, biodiversity, forage for domestic animals and wildlife, soil stability, fire hazard and frequency, maintenance costs for roads and highways, property values, and funding for other resource management activities.

To test an approach for restoring historical stand densities and increasing plant species diversity of a pinyon-juniper ecosystem, we implemented a demonstration project at two sites (CR and GP) on the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument in northern Arizona. Historical records indicated that livestock grazing was intensive on the sites beginning in the late 1800s and continuing through the mid 1900s. Repeat aerial photographs (1940 and 1992) indicated recent increases in stand density and encroachment of trees into formerly open areas. Age distributions indicated that the majority of...

(Please note, this is an abstract only) The woodlands offer a significant opportunity for conversion of biomass to energy projects. With the vast acreage in the Southwest in the woodland type, and with the significant soil loss problems prevalent in this area, there is a dire need to treat the woodlands. Since there are limited opportunities for marketable products, the material is a very good source of fuel for bio-energy options.

(Please note, this is an abstract only) Bark beetles killed more than 20 million ponderosa pine trees in Arizona during 2002-2004. Historically, bark beetle populations remained endemic and ponderosa pine mortality was limited to localized areas in Arizona. Consequently, there is a lack of information on bark beetle community structure in ponderosa pine stands of Arizona. Furthermore, it is unknown how elevation influences the community structure of these bark beetles. Understanding the bark beetle complex at different elevations will enable development of more effective forest management...

There is an overabundance of pinyon and juniper, especially in the Southwest. Finding value in these undesirable trees will help it pay its way off the land. This presentation provides information on potential uses of pinyon and juniper. The value of wood products made from these trees could range from $10/ton to more than $200/ ton. Unfortunately the higher valued products, such as lumber and poles, might be impossible to produce from these trees, given their growth patterns. Methods such as cutting wood apart and putting it back together (for example, finger jointing, laminates) greatly...

(Please note, this is an abstract only) Phloeosinus-caused mortality of Arizona cypress, (Cupressus arizonica), oneseed juniper, (Juniperus monosperma) and alligator juniper, (J. deppeana) has been observed at high levels in Arizona during the past 3 years. Currently, there are limited preventative measures to protect high-value cypress and juniper trees against Phloeosinus attack. Insecticides that are being used to prevent bark beetle attack of individual high value pine trees may provide one method of protection.

Pinyon-juniper woodlands are not normally considered a high water-yielding type largely because of the low precipitation amounts and high evapotranspiration rates encountered. Nevertheless, a recommendation was made in the 1950s to evaluate the effectiveness of increasing water yields by converting pinyon-juniper overstories to herbaceous covers. A series of process and plot studies and watershed-level experiments were carried out in acting upon this recommendation. It was concluded, however, that the potentials for increasing water yields through conversion treatments is "poor" in the...

Pinon-juniper woodlands encompass over 22.5 million hectares in the Western United States. However, little is known about the ability of these ecosystems to sequester carbon. This paper presents the preliminary results of an investigation on the belowground carbon distribution in a pinon-juniper/short grass prarie site in north-central New Mexico. Using a systematic sampling design the influence of tree cover, tree size, and sampling location (under tree canopy, under grass canopy, or under bare soil) were detected. However, these effects were only present in the upper most soil strata (<...