Treesearch

We modeled and combined outputs for 125 tree species for the eastern United States, using habitat suitability and colonization potential models along with an evaluation of adaptation traits. These outputs allowed, for the first time, the compilation of tree species' current and future potential for each unit of 55 national forests and grasslands and 469 1 x 1 degree grids across the eastern United States. A habitat suitability model, a migration simulation model, and an assessment based on biological and disturbance factors were used with United States Forest Service Forest Inventory and...

Understanding the effects of fire on advance regeneration of oak (Quercus L.) species and their competitors is an important step in determining the role of prescribed fire in regenerating and restoring upland oak ecosystems. Our study aimed to understand how dormant-season prescribed fire affects advance regeneration of chinkapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii Engelm.), black oak (Quercus velutina Lam.), and their major competitors at sites targeted for woodland restoration and management. We analyzed relationships between stem size and survival probability; determined the effect of fire...

Many wildlife species rely on unique features of trees during daily activities and fundamental parts of their life cycle. The fisher (Pekania pennanti) is a forest-dwelling carnivore of conservation concern in western North America that uses unique habitat elements as refuges during resting bouts and for reproduction. Prior to this study, little was known about the fine-scale habitat used during reproduction at the southernmost extent of the fisher’s range. Between 2007 and 2015, we attached radio-collars to 55 male and 72 female fishers in the southern Sierra Nevada and documented resting...

Participation in outdoor recreation can positively contribute to physical and emotional well-being. However, questions remain regarding the most effective way to implement programs that promote childhood engagement in outdoor recreation. Using seven years of data, we explored factors driving visitation to trailheads that offer self-guided materials for children at parks and recreation facilities of the Kids in Parks program. We evaluated the demographic, managerial, and physical predictors of visitation to the 115 trails included in the program. Of 769 visitors who made at least one return...

Green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) is an outcrossing, diploid (2n = 46) hardwood tree species, native to North America. Native ash species in North America are being threatened by the rapid spread of the emerald ash borer (EAB, Agrilus planipennis), an invasive pest from Asia. Green ash, the most widely distributed ash species, is severely affected by EAB infestation, yet few genomic resources for genetic studies and improvement of green ash are available. In this study, a total of 5712 high quality single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were discovered using a minimum allele frequency of...

Editing this special issue of Society and Natural Resources was especially challenging, as it forced us to grapple with the ways we – as editors, reviewers, and scholars – read, interpret, and ultimately evaluate the scientific endeavors engaged in by our colleagues. We suggest that social scientists are now living in an era of comparative ease with regard to accumulating quantitative and qualitative data from human participants, though, as Stedman et al. point out in this issue, perhaps not via mail surveys. Not only do we now have easier ways of reaching human participants across the...

This is a comprehensive review of all published, quantitative studies focused on adoption of agricultural conservation practices in the United States between 1982 and 2017. This review finds that, taken as a whole, few independent variables have a consistent statistically significant relationship with adoption. Analyses showed that variables positively associated with adoption include the farmer self-identifying primarily as stewardship motivated or otherwise nonfinancially motivated, environmental attitudes, a positive attitude toward the particular program or practice, previous adoption...

The use of cross-laminated timber (CLT) as a building material is gaining popularity in the North American building sector, especially in mid- to high-rise building designs. This study presents the methodology of life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) and an example of a hypothetical case study in Portland, Oregon, USA, of a CLT mass timber building compared with a baseline code-compliant concrete alternative. It was found, not unexpectedly, that the mass timber building with premium energy and water saving designs exhibited a lower total life-cycle cost (TLCC) than a concrete building for a...

Global demand for construction materials has grown greatly in the last century, contributing to unsustainable growth and detrimental impacts on the ecosystem. To aid in sustainable growth and reduce our environmental footprint, renewable construction materials, such as lumber, have been incorporated into green building activities. To quantify the environmental footprints of construction products, a method called life-cycle assessment is used. This study determined the environmental attributes associated with manufacturing redwood lumber in northern California using the unit process...