Treesearch

Following the 1960 Johnstone wildfire, some areas on the San Dimas Experimental Forest, CA were type-converted from native chaparral to non-native grasses. In 2002, the Williams fire re-burned much of the same area. In 2012, vegetation was measured to document post-fire chaparral recruitment and recovery in the presence and absence of these previous typeconversions. Six 1-3 ha (2.5-7.5 ac) watersheds were studied: three type-converted and three native chaparral. Of 59 plant species identified, 49 were native. Mean cover values for subshrubs and grass were significantly greater in type-conve...

Although bottomland hardwood forests in southeastern United States are among the most productive ecosystems in North America, indigenous flora, wildlife, and system dynamics have been altered and affected by natural and anthropogenic effects. Historic spatio‐temporal dynamic flooding in hardwood bottomlands caused managers to create green‐tree reservoirs (GTR; i.e., impounded forested tracts) to enhance predictability of seasonal inundation chiefly for waterfowl habitat and hunting. Bottomland red oaks (Quercus spp.) are valuable trees for wildlife that consume acorns they produce. There...

Coastal sage scrub (CSS) is one of the most endangered ecosystem-types in California and is undergoing extensive restoration efforts. Major threats to CSS include agriculture and urban development, fragmentation, invasive species, frequent fire, and high levels of anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition that increases exotic species productivity, further increasing fuel for fire. In this review we compare a range of techniques that have been used with varying success to restore CSS, using examples from published and unpublished sources. Techniques that treat large scales and reduce the...

Invasive species can cause a variety of undesirable changes in forest health simply by altering forest species composition (Fei and others 2014, Kettenring and Adams 2011, Mack and others 2000). In the Eastern United States, forest inventory data suggest that a large proportion of the rural forest area already contains harmful invasive species (Oswalt and Oswalt 2015, Oswalt and others 2015). To further inform forest managers about the relative risks of adverse impacts in different situations, the objectives of this study were (1) to compare forest types in the Eastern United States with...

Background: Eastern temperate and boreal forests of North America contain declining populations of several migratory bird species. Breeding season habitat loss and degradation, and lack of structural complexity, have been proposed as potential drivers of declines. Forest management has moved toward balancing multiple age classes to support sustainable harvest and meet the needs of wildlife associated with different forest types, structural conditions, and landscape configurations. Extensive research on forest bird species-environment relationships has occurred in direct reference to, and...

Despite advances in tracking technologies, migration strategies remain poorly studied for many small-bodied passerines. Understanding variation within a migration strategy is important as variation impacts a population's resilience to environmental change. Timing, pathway, and stopovers vary based on intrinsic and extrinsic factors that impact individual migration decisions and capacity. Here, we studied drivers of variation in migration across a linked population of Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) using data from 37 light-level geolocators. We tested if behaviors vary in...

This project seeks to understand the causes of a dramatic decline of bishop pine (Pinus muricata) stands on the northern California coast in Mendocino and Sonoma Counties. The northern bishop pine forest is designated by the State of California as a sensitive vegetation type with a global rank of G2 (endangered) and a State rank of S2.2 (threatened) (Sawyer and others 2009). Stand decline and high mortality levels have been reported, especially in mid- to northern Mendocino County, since the early to mid-2000s; a drive along U.S. Highway 1 through these two counties or even a cursory...

Wood-infesting beetles continue to be introduced into new areas at high rates through global trade. Once established, these species can be difficult or impossible to eradicate and can be extremely damaging to both ecosystems and economies. Efforts to detect newly arrived species before they become widespread represent an important early line of defense against these threats. There is considerable interest in optimizing trapping methods to best detect taxa of greatest concern. The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of trap height in influencing detection rates for two economically...

Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris P. Mill) survival and growth, net nitrogen mineralization, and soil microbial biomass, were evaluated after four growing seasons in a Florida wet flatwoods site following chemical vegetation control during the first year or second year after planting, or during both years. The four herbicide treatments included sulfometuron methyl at 0.26 ai kg ha-1, hexazinone (0.56 ai kg ha-1), sulfometuron (0.26 ai kg ha-1) plus hexazinone (0.56 ai kg ha-1) mix, and imazapyr at 0.21 ai kg ha-1. Imazapyr was the only treatment to significantly improve growth over the...