Treesearch

Carbon fluxes in tidal brackish marshes play a critical role in determining coastal wetland carbon sequestration and storage, thus affecting carbon crediting of coastal wetland restoration. In this study, a process-driven wetland biogeochemistry model, Wetland Carbon Assessment Tool DeNitrification-DeComposition was applied to nine brackish marsh sites in Mississippi River (MR) Deltaic Plain to examine the responses of gross primary productivity (GPP), ecosystem respiration (ER), net ecosystem exchange (NEE), and emissions of methane ( CH4) and nitrous oxide ( N2O) to climate change....

Predicting the distribution, structure, and biomass of mangrove forests is an area of high research interest. Across the Atlantic East Pacific biogeographic region, three species are common and abundant members of local mangrove communities; Rhizophora mangle, Avicennia germinans, and Laguncularia racemosa. Biomass prediction for these species has relied on two approaches: site- specific allometries based on the idea that environmental/climatic differences between sites drive growth differences, or the use of common allometric equations based on the idea that site driven differences are...

The importance of mangroves in marine community stability has become increasingly clear. Understanding the factors structuring mangrove communities, how they respond to disturbance, and how much biomass they contain has become a research priority. The study of mangroves using approaches adapted from terrestrial systems is common yet challenging, highlighting the need for novel approaches. In recent years, remote sensing techniques (lidar and photogrammetry) have provided insight into mangrove composition, extent, and size variability. Here, we build upon this previous work by examining the...

The United States harbors high crayfish diversity, with over 394 species and subspecies of native crayfishes currently recognized (Taylor et al. 2019. Hydrobiologia 846:39–58), and the southeastern USA is a center of endemism (Crandall et al. 2008. In Balian et al. [eds.], Freshwater Animal Diversity Assessment, pp. 295–301. Springer, Dordrecht, Netherlands). In this region, numerous crayfish species construct intricate burrows in intermittently wet habitats (Welch and Eversole 2006. Biol. Conserv. 130:458–464). These burrows fulfill many purposes, such as providing shelter and serving as...

Changing climate dynamics have been forecasted worldwide, including in some regions of the United States (U.S.), leading to potentially significant damage to forest ecosystems. To better understand how natural disturbances may affect forests, we analyzed trends in frequency and area of tornado damage for 1995–2021, damage area within forested ecosystems, and assessed data limitations for the contiguous U.S. for 1950–2021. We found that recent, more uniform data collection periods from 1995-present showed stable to declining numbers of tornadoes nationally. However, our results indicate...

The forestry sector plays a significant role in nature-based climate solutions. This paper is a comparative review and analysis of forest carbon offset protocols in compliance carbon markets in Australia, California, China, New Zealand, and U.S. Northeast. Our results show variations in protocol designs, particularly in relation to additionality, permanence, non-leakage, and monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV), as well as regarding the fungibility between industrial carbon reduction and forest-based carbon offset. These results may have implications for national or subnational...

Forests are recognized for sustaining good water chemistry within landscapes. This study focuses on the water chemistry parameters and their hydrological predictability and seasonality (as a component of predictability) in watersheds of varying scales, with and without human (forest management) activities on them, using Colwell indicators for data collected during 2011-2019. The research was conducted in three forested watersheds located at the US Forest Service Santee Experimental Forest in South Carolina USA. The analysis revealed statistically significant (α = 0.05) differences between...

It is well documented that human-mediated dispersal of nonnative species plays a large role in the success of invasion (Liebhold and Tobin 2008, Annu. Rev. Entomol. 53: 387-408; McClure 1990, Environ. Entomol. 19(1): 36-43; Suarez et al. 2001, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 98(3): 1095-1100). Nonnative invasive insects, particularly ants, are found across many terrestrial ecosystems worldwide (Bradshaw et al. 2016, Nat. Commun. 7: 12986). Aspects of their biology, colony and nest structure, diet, habitat preferences, and the ease of dispersal make invasive ants challenging pests (Holway...

Coastal forests in the eastern United States are increasingly threatened by hurricanes; however, monitoring their initial impacts and subsequent recovery is challenging across scales. Understanding disturbance impacts and responses is essential for sustainable forest management, biodiversity conservation, and climate change adaptation. Using Sentinel‑2 imagery, we calculated the annual Normalized Difference Vegetation Index change (ΔNDVI) of forests before and after Hurricane Michael (HM) in Florida to determine how different forest use types were impacted, including the initial wind...

The U.S.-Canada softwood lumber dispute stands as the most protracted trade conflict between the two countries, with its history dating back to the early 1980s. U.S. lumber producers claim that Canadian lumber imports are unfairly subsidized, thereby, harming the domestic lumber industry. The U.S. has imposed countervailing and antidumping duties on Canadian softwood lumber imports to protect the domestic market. An important aspect of this trade dispute is the substitutability of lumber products between the two countries. Canadian lumber imports are detrimental to the U.S. industry only...