Treesearch

Once a breeding population of an invasive species has established in a novel environment, management efforts commonly focus on eradicating the species or limiting its spread. However, information describing the biology and behavior of an invading organism is often limited, highlighting the need to assess dispersal with incomplete information. Here we extend a previously described graph-theorydriven model of dispersal for the Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis Motschulsky) to evaluate the impacts of three poorly documented biological and behavioral parameters on the spatial...

Remotely sensed data are commonly used as predictor variables in spatially explicit models depicting landscape characteristics of interest (response) across broad extents, at relatively fine resolution. To create these models, variables are spatially registered to a known coordinate system and used to link responses with predictor variable values. Inherently, this linking process introduces measurement error into the response and predictors, which in the latter case causes attenuation bias. Through simulations, our findings indicate that the spatial correlation of response and predictor...

The concept of ecological integrity has been applied widely to management of aquatic systems, but still is considered by many to be too vague and difficult to quantify to be useful for managing terrestrial systems, particularly across broad areas. Extensive public lands in the western United States are managed for diverse uses such as timber harvest, livestock grazing, energy development, and wildlife conservation, some of which may degrade ecological integrity. We propose a method for assessing ecological integrity on multiple-use lands that identifies the components of integrity and...

As a signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the United States has been reporting an economy-wide inventory of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and removals since the mid-1990s (U.S. EPA 2019). Forest land, harvested wood products (HWPs), and urban trees within the land sector collectively represent the largest net carbon (C) sink in the United States, offsetting more than 11 percent of total GHG emissions annually (U.S. EPA 2019). Estimates of GHG emissions and removals are compiled by U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service scientists and are...

Close inspection of black cherry (Prunus serotina), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), and northern red oak (Quercus rubra) lumber, before and after kiln drying, revealed the factors that can affect the quality of kiln-dried lumber from small-diameter logs. Species-specific kiln drying schedules, with temperature and humidity modifications formulated by a kiln drying expert, were employed in this study to determine whether alternate drying protocols could improve the drying outcomes. Comparing lumber grades of individual boards before and after drying indicated that overall grade loss in the...

In recent years airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology has received a great deal of attention. Using airborne LiDAR, analysts have successfully related height measurements to forest characteristics such as tree size, basal area, and number of trees. Similarly, National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP) digital aerial imagery in combination with elevation datasets such as the National Elevation Dataset (NED) have been used to estimate similar forest characteristics. Few comparisons, however, have been made between using airborne LiDAR, NAIP, and NED to estimate forest...

The genus Pinus has wide geographical range and includes species that are the most economically valued among forest trees worldwide. Pine needle length varies greatly among species, but the effects of needle length on anatomy, function, and coordination and trade‐offs among traits are poorly understood. We examined variation in leaf morphological, anatomical, mechanical, chemical, and physiological characteristics among five southern pine species: Pinus echinata, Pinus elliottii, Pinus palustris, Pinus taeda, and Pinus virginiana. We found that increasing needle length contributed to a...

Whole-tree harvesting (WTH) is increasingly used to extract forest biomass for energy and commercial wood products. Slash burning, which is used for fuels reduction and site preparation, also reduces aboveground biomass. Yet effects of incremental biomass reduction, from either WTH or slash burning, on long-term forest productivity and composition are poorly understood. This research uses data from a 50-year-old study in northern mixedwood (Picea – Abies – hardwood) stands on the Penobscot Experimental Forest in Maine, U.S.A., to address these concerns. Clearcutting was conducted in...

Sweet birch (Betula lenta L.) is aggressively recruiting in temperate forest understories of the eastern United States and often dominates the post-disturbance seedling community, diminishing diversity and hindering sustainable silviculture. The type and timing of silvicultural actions affect birch recruitment via their effects on seedling recruitment, survival, and growth. Here, we examine birch regeneration under two contrasting treatment sequences: pre- versus post-shelterwood harvest herbicide application (H–S vs. S–H) in combination with white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus...

When healthy trees are removed, common methods of compensation are either monetary or replanting new trees. Accurate monetary compensation for large healthy trees is difficult to ascertain and often uses formulas based on tree attributes such as species, size, location and condition. Compensation based on leaf area is more direct as most tree values are related to healthy leaf area. Using leaf area, a tree compensation rate can be determined (how many new trees are needed to compensate for the removal of a healthy tree). However, compensation also needs to consider the future benefits...