Treesearch

Background: Tree species in the genus Cedrela P. Browne are threatened by timber overexploitation across theNeotropics. Genetic identification of processed timber can be used to supplement wood anatomy to assist in thetaxonomic and source validation of protected species and populations of Cedrela. However, few genetic resourcesexist that enable both species and source identification of Cedrela timber products. We developed several ‘omicresources including a leaf transcriptome, organelle genome (cpDNA), and diagnostic single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) that may assist the classification...

Public land management agencies that provide outdoor recreation opportunities face financial constraints. Raising access fees is one approach to enhance fiscal sustainability. However, increased access costs may reduce visitation. Actual visitation changes are contingent on visitors’ price sensitivity, and these changes will influence revenue collection, visitor composition, changes in visitor welfare, and local economic impacts. Importantly, higher entrance fees may disproportionately affect visitors of different ethnicities and individuals from low-income populations. In this study, we...

Individuals recreate to realize desired experiences or benefits. When used for recreational planning, benefits-based management (BBM) is an approach that focuses on understanding and managing for the beneficial outcomes of recreational experiences. Outcome focused management (OFM) builds on this to understand the larger system of recreation facilitation and the wider range of outcomes beyond the individual recreational experience. The challenge for outdoor recreation managers is to determine which outcomes are desired by visitors and work to provide appropriate setting and activity...

We present a perspective on how to approach developing silvicultural prescriptions for restoring oak woodlands and savannas. A large degree of success depends on selecting appropriate sites for restoration. We discuss historical landscape ecology, fire history, detecting legacies of woodland/savanna structure, and models of historical vegetation surveys. Ultimately, site selection for restoration is determined by integrated management goals and objectives. We discuss silvicultural practices for restoration including prescribed burning and thinning by mechanical or chemical methods or...

Nearly one-quarter of upland oak forests in the Eastern United States are poorly stocked, often as the result of high-grading or repeated diameter-limit harvests. Returning poorly stocked stands to their economic and ecosystem services potential will require innovative rehabilitation practices that are cost-neutral at a minimum. One approach developed for northern hardwoods in Quebec was to recognize that poorly stocked stands are a conglomerate of stand types at the microstand scale (~0.1 acre) and to assign unique treatments to each microstand type. In 2012, we initiated research at five...

Watershed management practices such as prescribed fire, harvesting and understory mastication can alter the chemical composition and thickness of forest detritus, thus affecting the quantity and quality of riverine dissolved organic matter (DOM). Long-term effects of watershed management on DOM composition were examined through parallel field and extraction-based laboratory studies. The laboratory study was conducted using detritus samples collected from a pair of managed and unmanaged watersheds in South Carolina, USA. Results showed that dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total dissolved...