Treesearch

Disturbance is central to maintaining diversity in forest ecosystems. In the dry forests of the western United States, over a century of fire exclusion has altered the fire regimes of these forests, resulting in high fuel loads and a loss of plant diversity. Mechanical thinning and prescribed fire are widely used to restore structural complexity and species diversity in many western U.S. forests. While studies have shown that the reintroduction of fire into these forests initially promotes plant diversity, there is limited information on the persistence of this effect. We evaluated the...

Wildland fire is a significant and growing threat to communities and natural resources on Hawaii and the U.S.- affiliated Pacific Islands, including Wildland fire is a significant and growing threat to communities and natural resources on Hawaii and the U.S.- affiliated Pacific Islands. Collaborative approaches to fire management are critical because multiple interacting factors --including climate, ecosystem composition, land use history, social-ecological impacts, and cultural perceptions --create highly complex problems. However, identifying effective strategies to promote dialogue and...

Great Basin bristlecone pine, Pinus longaeva (GBBP), is one of the longest-lived, nonclonal organisms on Earth and is also one of the most highly fragmented high-elevation conifer species. Great basin bristlecone pine ecosystems contain many biodiversity “hot spots” with a high degree of species endemism. Throughout the Great Basin, GBBP communities are being threatened by changing disturbance regimes, invasive species, and climate change. The loss of GBBP can detrimentally impact biodiversity and valuable resources including wildlife habitat, watershed and soil protection, aesthetics, and...

Myoporum thrips, (Klambothrips myopori) was detected in California in 2005, where it has caused high levels of mortality in ornamental Myoporum species used for landscaping residential and freeway margins (Sullivan 2014). Before its detection in California, this was an unknown species to science and was subsequently formally described by Mound and Morris (2007). It is now known that this species is native to Tasmania.

The litter bag method has been used to study litter breakdown for over 50 years but remains a criticized technique. One major criticism is the effect of mesh enclosures, specifically the use of two or more mesh sizes to evaluate the role of arthropods, on litter breakdown. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a new basket-style mesh enclosure in mitigating microclimatic mesh effects while still excluding invertebrates. We evaluated five basket treatments constructed from 300-lm mesh: no basket, closed basket, closed basket with bottom slits, open basket, and open basket with bottom...

Due to widespread stocking, Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum) are perhaps the most widely distributed invasive species in the world. Nonetheless, little is known about the effects of stocked Rainbow Trout on native non‐game species. We conducted experiments in an artificial stream to assess the effects of hatchery Rainbow Trout on home range and behaviour of Warpaint Shiners (Luxilus coccogenis Cope), a common minnow frequently found in stocked Southern Appalachian streams. We used the LoCoH algorithm to generate polygons describing the home ranges used by Warpaint Shiners. When...

Peatlands are a class of wetlands that are defined as having saturated soils, anaerobic conditions, and large deposits of partially decomposed organic plant material (peat). Occurring in ecozones from the tropics to the arctic, peatlands are estimated to cover just under 4.5 million km2, roughly 3–5% of the Earth's land surface (Maltby and Proctor, 1996). Although they cover a small amount of land globally, peatlands are estimated to store ∼30% of the Earth's soil carbon (C) (Gorham, 1991; Botch et al., 1995; Lappalainen, 1996; Zoltai and Martikainen, 1996; Clymo et al., 1998; Moore et...

Plants operate along a continuum of stringency of regulation of plant water potential from isohydry to anisohydry. However, most metrics and proxies of plant iso/anisohydric behavior have been developed from limited sets of site-specific experiments. Understanding the underlying mechanisms that determine species’ operating ranges along this continuum, independent of site and growing conditions, remains challenging. We compiled a global database to assess the global patterns of metrics and proxies of plant iso/anisohydry and then explored some of the underlying functional traits and...

Engaging African American landowners in forestry has been an enduring challenge because of historical discrimination, ownership issues such as heirs’ property, lack of experience with, and distrust of, the forestry profession, limited use of technical and financial assistance, and difficulties and predatory practices associated with harvesting timber. The Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention Program has achieved success through eight long-term, community-based projects in seven states in the US South. We conducted qualitative research with a diverse range of participants...

Prescribed burning (controlled burning) is used to decrease accumulation of combustible materials and reduce impact of uncontrolled wildland fires. Prescribed fires are often used to burn undergrowth in southern forests of the United States. In order to improve prescribed fire application, accomplish desired fire effects, and limit potential runaway fires, an improved understanding of the fundamental processes related to combustion of heterogeneous fuel beds of live and dead fuels is needed. The initial processes of combustion involve pyrolysis and ignition. During this research, fast...