Treesearch

With most wood products being bonded with adhesives, it is important to understand failures. Although it is observed macroscopically, it originates microscopically.

Pacific martens (Martes caurina) remain common in montane regions of the Pacific states, yet their distribution and status on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, is uncertain. Between 1968–2008, six reliable marten detections exist; a dead juvenile female (2008) indicates martens were reproducing on the Peninsula within the last decade. To assess the status of martens, we describe carnivore surveys conducted from 1991–2008 (n = 223 stations). Additionally, we present results from three survey efforts we conducted from 2013–2016 (n = 747 stations). Although a suite of carnivore species was...

We use a new modelling approach to predict the cumulative impact of Phytophthora ramorumon the dynamic distribution of tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus) and other tree species in coastal-Californian forest-communities. We explore the effectiveness of disease-management strategies for the conservation of tanoak at stand level. Forest resources are increasingly threatened by emerging pathogens such as P. ramorum, a generalist that kills hosts and has altered ecosystems in the USA and Europe. In coastal California, P. ramorumhas the greatest impact on tanoak through leaf sporulation and...

Phytophthora ramorum, the cause of sudden oak death (SOD), kills tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus) trees in southwestern Oregon and California. Two lineages of P. ramorumare now found in wildland forests of Oregon (NA1 and EU1). In addition to the management of SOD in forest ecosystems, disease resistance could be used as a way to mitigate the impact of P. ramorum. The objectives of this study were to (i) characterize the variability in resistance of N. densiflorusamong families using lesion length; (ii) determine whether lineage, isolate, family, or their interactions significantly...

Most Neotropical migrant birds spend the majority of the annual cycle in the tropics, and the continued population declines of some species is attributed at least in part to habitat degradation and destruction on the tropical wintering grounds. Many Neotropical migrants have been observed to use a range of disturbed, agricultural, and primary forest habitats on the wintering grounds, and this habitat-use information helps us better understand the potential effects of land use in the tropics on their populations as well as to develop programs and strategies to conserve these species....

Globally important carbon (C) stores in northern peatlands are vulnerable to oxidation in a changing climate. A growing body of literature draws attention to the importance of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in governing anaerobic metabolism in organic soil, but exactly how the reduction‐oxidation (redox) activities of DOM, and particularly the phenolic fraction, are likely to change in an altered climate remain unclear. We used large mesocosms in the PEATcosm experiment to assess changes in peatland DOM and redox potential in response to experimental manipulations of water table (WT)...

Despite the importance of cell wall diffusion to nearly all aspects of wood utilization, diffusion mechanisms and the detailed effects of moisture remain poorly understood. In this perspective, we introduce and employ approaches established in polymer science to develop a phenomenological framework for understanding the effects of moisture on diffusion in unmodifed wood cell walls. The premise for applying this polymer-science-based approach to wood is that wood polymers (cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin) behave like typical solid polymers.Therefore, the movement of chemicals through...

We investigated the antifungal activities of an endophytic fungus identified as Acaromyces ingoldii, found on a loblolly (Pinus taeda L.) pine bolt in Louisiana during routine laboratory microbial isolations. The specific objectives were to determine the inhibitory properties of A. ingoldii secondary metabolites (crude extract) on the mycelial growth of a brown-rot fungus Gloeophyllum trabeum and a white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor, and to determine the effective concentration of A. ingoldii crude preparation against the two decay fungi in vitro. Results show the crude preparation of A....

Illegal logging and associated trade aggravate the over-exploitation of Swietenia species, of which S. macrophylla King, S. mahagoni (L.) Jacq, and S. humilis Zucc. have been listed in Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix II. Implementation of CITES necessitates the development of efficient forensic tools to identify wood species accurately, and ideally ones readily deployable in wood anatomy laboratories across the world. Herein, a method using quantitative wood anatomy data in combination with machine learning models to discrimin...

Thermally modifed wood is becoming commercially available in North America for use in outdoor applications. While there have been many studies on how thermal modifcation affects the dimensional stability, water vapor sorption, and biodeterioration of wood, little is known about whether thermally modifed wood is corrosive to metal fasteners and hangers used to hold these members in place. As thermally modifed wood is used in outdoor applications, it has the potential to become wet which may lead to corrosion of embedded fasteners. Here, we examine the corrosiveness of thermally modifed ash...