Treesearch

The Northern Region Landbird Monitoring Program (NRLMP) began in 1990 as a cooperative effort between the United States Forest Service (USFS) and the University of Montana. The combination of a research-oriented perspective from the University and a management-needs perspective from the National Forests within the Northern Region led to the realization that landbirds as a group might serve as a powerful tool to address more widespread monitoring needs in the USFS Northern Region. The program quickly evolved from one that was put into place specifically to use federally earmarked dollars to...

The Southern On-Line Estimator (SOLE) is a web-based FIA database analysis tool designed with an emphasis on modularity. The Java-based user interface is simple and intuitive to use and the R-based analysis engine is fast and stable. Each component of the program (data retrieval, statistical analysis and output) can be individually modified to accommodate major additions or changes. This modular structure fosters a flexible architecture to encourage outside development of analysis algorithms. SOLE produces statistical tables, figures, maps, and PDF reports based on user selected area and...

Simulation was employed to create stratified simple random samples of different sample unit sizes to represent tarnished plant bug abundance at different densities within various habitats of simulated cotton fields. These samples were used to investigate dispersion patterns of this cotton insect. It was found that the assessment of spatial pattern varied as a function of sample unit size and was independent of large pest densities. Using this knowledge, it was demonstrated how remote sensing assists field scouts in estimating pest abundance and the pattern of dispersion within commercial...

The results of a small area prediction study for the Siuslaw National Forest in Oregon are presented. Predictions were made for total basal area, number of trees and mortality per ha on a 0.85 mile grid using data on a 1.7 mile grid and additional ancillary information from TM. A reliable method of estimating prediction errors for individual plot predictions called the semi-parametric bootstrap is given too. Prediction errors were quite large. Suggestions on how to improve such necessary predictions for small areas are given.

The municipality of Coatepec, Veracruz, Mexico, has been the first in Mexico to set up a purse and a payment scheme to pay for environmental services. The scheme at Coatepec focuses on water resources, though many other similar programs exist throughout the world. Here a theoretical analysis permits to study and understand the dominant effect that position and arrangement play in the relevance of specific forms of land cover and stand structure in regard to a differential importance to overall level of environmental quality that society enjoys. The driving force that makes a difference in...

The aim of this is paper is to provide a conceptual framework for the session: “The role of web-based Geographic Information Systems in supporting sustainable management.” The concepts of sustainability, sustainable forest management, Web Services, Distributed Geographic Information Systems, interoperability, Open Specifications, and Open Source Software are defined and their relevance and relationships are explained. The potential contributions of web-based GIS systems to natural resources sustainable management is highlighted.

A statistical strategy for spatial estimation and modeling of natural and environmental resource variables and indicators is presented. This strategy is part of an inventory and monitoring pilot study that is being carried out in the Mexican states of Jalisco and Colima. Fine spatial resolution estimates of key variables and indicators are outputs that will allow the modeling of complex ecological conditions relevant to resource planners and managers for supporting decision making processes at multiple scale levels. Several procedures for model evaluation and multiscale spatial estimation...

The sampling strategy involving both statistical and in-place inventory information is presented for the natural resources project of the Green Belt area (Centuron Verde) in the Mexican state of Jalisco. The sampling designs used were a grid based ground sample of a 90x90 m plot and a two-stage stratified sample of 30 x 30 m plots. The data collected were used to present strategic information for the green belt area as well as mapped information on crops and forest conditions. The experience gained in this study will be used to plan a statewide inventory for the states of Jalisco and...

The FIA annual panel design and its relation to compatible estimation systems for the components of change are discussed. Estimation for the traditional components of growth, as presented by Meyer (1953, Forest Mensuration) is bypassed in favor of a focus on estimation for the discrete analogs to Eriksson’s (1995, For. Sci. 41(4):796- 822) time invariant redefinitions of the components of change, as evaluated in Roesch (2004), and Roesch (in review). A simple extension of the mixed estimation framework for forest inventory trends presented in Van Deusen (1996, Can. J. For. Res. 26: 1709-...

Detection of environmental contaminants through vegetation sentinels has long been a goal of remote sensing scientists. A promising technique that should be scalable to wide-area applications is the combined use of genetically modified vascular plants and fluorescence imaging. The ultimate goal of our research is to produce a bioreporter that will express fluorescence when encountering nitro-aromatic compounds such as munitions contaminants. To test the recovery of gfp, our study used tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum) that were genetically modified to express the m-gfp5-ER variant of the...