Treesearch

Previous research shows that forest preservation can protect water quality, but it is less clear what the net economic costs of forest preservation might be for drinking water utilities. Economic valuation of forest benefits for drinking water is complex in part because the potential economic benefit is indirectly related to forest preservation through the benefit of forests for water quality. We contribute to a growing literature on land use water quality interactions by linking ecological production and economic valuation functions that relate to changes in forest cover and water...

Estimating the biomass of terrestrial forests generally, and mangrove forests in particular, is an area of considerable interest. Most approaches rely on empirically derived allometric models to predict tree biomass. The single parameter with the strongest predictive ability in most studies is diameter at breast height (DBH); however the use of DBH arose primarily out of convenience, not from an analysis of tree form. While DBH explains a lot of variability in other tree metrics such as height or above ground biomass, its utility in smaller species is uncertain. Here we used measurements...

Nearly 86% of forestlands in the Southern United States are owned by private forest landowners, and about twothirds of this area is owned by Family Forest Owners (FFOs). Forest legacy planning is crucial for ensuring the long-term sustainability of these forests. It includes formal aspects, such as estate planning, and informal aspects, such as discussions with the next generation about forest management plans. This study examines the factors that influence landowners’ estate planning decisions. We evaluate how landowners’ characteristics, behaviors, and motivations influence their estate...

The “divergence problem” in recent decades is a tendency for trees in high latitudes to lose climate sensitivity. Growth divergence has been reported for certain tree species in alpine or northern latitude locations but has yet to be found in species with southern distributions. This retrospective study used tree ring data collected from longleaf pine trees (Pinus palustris Mill.) in natural stands and a young plantation to test whether divergence exists in this important southeastern tree species. Our results demonstrate that a growth divergence in basal area increment (BAI) occurred...

Regenerating longleaf pine (LP) (Pinus palustris Mill.) is essential for sustaining the production of high-value wood products and ecological benefits. Understanding the relationship between LP growth and cone production is critical for this effort, as both processes contribute to natural regeneration. In this study, we tracked the growth and cone production of individual LP trees at three sites across the natural range of LP over six-decades. Our results indicate that diameter growth increased linearly with time on a yearly scale before sampling, though the radius increments at tree bases...

Non-native species must overcome a number of abiotic and biotic filters to successfully establish and spread into novel ecosystems. Their establishment and spread depend on the ability to acquire resources while avoiding or outcompeting native species. The Mediterranean House Gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus Linnaeus, 1758) has been widely introduced into urban areas across tropical and temperate regions, yet studies documenting their resource use relative to native lizard species are still lacking. We examined patterns of resource use between Hemidactylus turcicus and a recipient lizard...

The Alligator Snapping Turtle, Macrochelys temminckii (Troost, 1835), historically occurred widely across the southeastern United States, inhabiting river systems draining into the Gulf of Mexico from as far north as Illinois and from western Florida to eastern Texas (Dobie, 1971; Pritchard, 1989; Ernst and Lovich, 2009). With a life-history characterised by delayed sexual maturity, high adult survivorship, and low juvenile survivorship, population persistence is largely reliant on adult survival (Dobie, 1971; Moore et al., 2013; Folt et al., 2016). Commercial harvesting in the 1960’s and...

South Carolina’s 12.8 million acres of forest cover 66 percent of the State. This forest land area has remained relatively stable for the past 20 years. The most notable change in ownership has primarily been forest industry’s acquisition of timberland acres from nonindustrial corporate entities. In 2016, forest industry owned 227,800 acres in South Carolina, and by 2021 it increased to 468,600 acres (more than doubled). Loblolly-shortleaf pine (Pinus taeda–echinata) remains the predominant forest type group followed by oak-hickory (Quercus–Carya) forest. These forests hold slightly more...

This report provides detailed estimates and highlights key findings from Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data collected across the State of Louisiana from 2009 to 2017. Estimates of forest area, volume, biomass, and timber product output are provided across land ownerships, forest types, and forest demographics throughout the State. Louisiana covers approximately 34 million acres, 15 million acres (42 percent) of which is considered forest land. This report evaluates trends in land-use change as well as current forest land conditions and summarizes them within the context of the...

Large disturbances to ecosystems can severely impact the stability of a region’s natural resources, habitats, and outdoor recreation. Because extreme events can be large and relatively infrequent, they test institutional capacity to support recovery and restoration. When hurricanes and other large-scale disturbances like wildfires occur, much of the impacted landscape receives little to no active management. Ecosystems are often allowed to either recover or transition without much direct intervention, and successional dynamics are sometimes altered by novel invasive species, management...