Treesearch

Myotis grisescens (Gray Bat) and Myotis austroriparius (Southeastern Bat) generally do not utilize similar habitats; however, in areas of range overlap where they both may be captured foraging in riparian areas or observed roosting in caves, it may be difficult to discriminate between them due to contradictory information found in mammal identification guides. In order to find characteristics that can reliably be used to identify these species, we examined museum specimens and live-captured individuals to obtain data on length of toe hairs, point of attachment of the plagiopatagium to the...

Why are some mammals more vulnerable to extinction than others? Past studies have explored many life history traits as correlates of extinction, but have not been successful at developing a unifed understanding of why some species become extinct while other species persist despite living at the same time, under similar conditions, and facing equivalent challenges. I propose that the lens of wildlife behavior may bring into focus a more comprehensive view of why some species have gone extinct while others persist. The fossil record has recorded extinction events over carnivoran history;...

A long history of tribal disenfranchisement through government policies has contributed to a lack of trust and participation by tribal communi­ties in nontribal organizations and initiatives. This article will discuss the process through which new partnerships were forged using a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach among university researchers, local nontribal organiza­tions, and three Tribes in the Klamath River Basin of southern Oregon and northern California through a five-year federal food security grant. The partnership’s shared goal was to enhance tribal health and...

Mangrove forests play an important role in climate change adaptation and mitigation by maintaining coastline elevations relative to sea level rise, protecting coastal infrastructure from storm damage, and storing substantial quantities of carbon (C) in live and detrital pools. Determining the efficacy of mangroves in achieving climate goals can be complicated by difficulty in quantifying C inputs (i.e., differentiating newer inputs from younger trees from older residual C pools), and mitigation assessments rarely consider potential offsets to CO2 storage by methane (CH4) production in...

Non-nutritive phytochemicals (secondary metabolites and fibre) can influence plant resistance to herbivores and have ecological impacts on animal and plant population dynamics.Amajor hindrance to the ecological study of these phytochemicals is the uncertainty in the compounds one should measure, especially when limited by cost and expertise.With the underlying goal of identifying proxies of plant resistance to herbivores, we performed a systematic review of the effects of non-nutritive phytochemicals on consumption by leporids (rabbits and hares) and cervids (deer family).We identified 133...

The practice of removing fire-killed trees from burned forests (or “postfire salvage logging”) has sparked public controversy and scientific debate when conducted on public lands in the United States. This review synthesizes the current scientific literature on the subject, providing an update to a 2000 literature review (PNW-GTR-486) and subsequent synthesis (PNW-GTR-776). Forty-three published studies are reviewed, summarizing ecological effects on wildlife, vegetation, fuels, soils, and other environmental variables. Several key themes emerge from the review and specific research topics...

Intentional climate adaptation planning for ecosystems has become a necessary part of the job for natural resource managers and natural resource professionals in this era of non-stationarity. One of the major challenges in adapting ecosystems to climate change is in the translation of broad adaptation concepts to specific, tangible actions. Addressing management goals and values while considering the long-term risks associated with local climate change can make forested watershed management plans more robust to uncertainty and changing conditions. We provide a menu of tiered adaptation...

The standardized bridge design aides in this publication are for superstructures manufactured with glued-laminated timber (glulam) that was pressure-treated with preservatives. Four superstructure types are included: two longitudinal (slab-type) deck systems and two transverse deck systems resting on either glulam or steel girders. Simple span designs for both single- and multiple-lane bridges that conform to the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO)–Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) bridge design specifications are included.

Recent developments in image processing play a significant role in identifying and classifying features on ground penetrating radar (GPR) radargrams. Two groups of timber specimens were examined in this study. The first group comprised laboratory prepared Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) timber sections with inserts of known internal characteristics. The second group comprised timber girders salvaged from timber bridges on historic Route 66 that had been exposed to weather for more than 80 years. A subsurface interface radar system with a 2-GHz palm antenna was used to scan these two...

Ecofriendly materials such as polylactic acid (PLA) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are widely sought as potential substitute for petrochemical-based plastics. Uniform dispersion of cellulose nanocrystals in polymer matrices has inhibited their wide-spread application. In this study the influence of masterbatch preparation techniques on molecular structure, melt strength, rheological and dynamic mechanical properties of nanocomposite were systematically analyzed. Film casting and spin-coating methods were used to prepare masterbatches. Nanocomposites were obtained by masterbatch dilution...