Treesearch

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) currently provides the most extensive aerosol retrievals on a global basis, but validation is limited to a small number of ground stations. This study presents a comprehensive evaluation of Collection 4 and 5 MODIS aerosol products using ground measurements from the Chinese Sun Hazemeter Network (CSHNET). The Collection 5 product uses a new method to determine the surface reflectance and a new aerosol model to retrieve aerosol optical thickness (AOT). Substantial improvement was found in the Collection 5 AOT product relative to the...

Single scattering albedo (SSA) governs the strength of aerosols in absorbing solar radiation, but few methods are available to directly measure this important quantity. There currently exist many ground-based measurements of spectral transmittance from which aerosol optical thickness (AOT) are retrieved under clear sky conditions. Reflected radiances at the top of the atmosphere as measured by a spaceborne spectroradiometer are sensitive to both AOT and SSA. On the basis of extensive radiative transfer simulations, it is demonstrated that the combined use of the two measurements allows for...

One of the core tenets of Sustainable Development is transparency and information sharing, i.e., government and corporate reporting. Governments report on issues within their sphere of responsibility to the degree that their constituents demand that they do so. Firms undertake reporting for two reasons: they are required to do so by law, and doing so makes good business sense. In recent years, stakeholders have come to see themselves as having a right to information about government actions and business operations that have the potential to affect their lives, health, community and...

In part because of its emphasis on building social capital, the Collaborative Forest Restoration Program (CFRP) in New Mexico represents a unique experiment in public lands management. This study uses logit probability modeling to investigate what factors determined CFRP funding, which totaled $26 million between 2001 and 2006. Results reveal program preferences for projects that encourage collaboration and improve forest health, especially in poor counties. Negative determinants of funding include measures of small-diameter material utilization, and whether a project takes place across...

Trust is a form of social capital, facilitating effective land management, communication and collaboration. Although trust in the Forest Service is at least moderately high for most publics, evidence of a lack of trust and outright distrust has been found in some communities. However, the amount, types, and conditions of trust necessary for effective management to occur remain poorly understood.

Record suppression costs have led to a multitude of fire cost reviews and cost studies by oversight agencies, and new rules and regulations. One of the most important and elusive issues in fire management is defining the "best" amount of fuel treatments to apply to a forested landscape. Research is developing tools and information that address a wide variety of issues related to fire suppression costs and fuels management.

EcoReport is an annual Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS) publication which contains a set of articles showcasing the Bitterroot Ecosystem Management Research Project (BEMRP) research projects and activities. The articles are concise, user-friendly, and designed to inform a broad range of audiences interested in ecosystem management. Articles featured in this issue: BEMRP: Conducting Research, Sharing Results; Using Models to Provide a Virtual Test of Forest Treatments; Understanding Forest Ecology from the Landscape to the Project Level; Impacts of Invasive Plants on Songbirds: Using...

The quantitative analysis of the impact of future climate change on forests and forestry began in the 1980s, motivated by research in the atmospheric sciences and concerns about the potential impacts of climate change on forest ecosystems. These analyses suggested that forest ecosystems would be seriously impacted by climate change, with consequent impacts on the forest sector. It was not until the mid-1990s that the ecological and the economic impacts were first modeled together at the national scale. The RPA Timber Assessment was the first national timber assessment model to include...

In this book, we have described a variety of approaches designed to achieve biological conservation objectives for both rare and little-known species. Resource managers are usually most concerned, for practical reasons, with approaches that conserve large-bodied and better-known taxa. Because we know so little about population status and life history requirements of rare or little-known (RLK) species, conservation managers have been forced to assume that the needs of these species are being met via proxy through our management of vegetation communities and well-studied species. Because so...

The challenge in effectively managing invasive species arises out of our subjective response to the problem: 1) these species do not belong in our ecosystems; and 2) their impact on our ecosystems will be negative.1 These visceral responses typically dove-tail into the fundamental management objective: get rid of it! Society promotes the idea that good management is timely, and the best approach is to catch an invasive species before it reaches exponential population growth and becomes widespread. Although this is a sound approach, multiple examples illustrate that it is not universally...