Treesearch

The effect of rising atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) on tree size–density relations has not been thoroughly investigated despite such relations forming the basis of contemporary forest stand stocking metrics. As an initial exploration of the effects of varying CO2 concentrations on size–density relations, we treated model stands of trembling aspen with increased concentration of CO2 (560 ppm) for 11 years in northern Wisconsin and found compelling differences in stand development compared with those in ambient atmosphere. Pure and mixed trembling aspen forests grew...

Forestry practitioners often need to identify old-growth stands because of their high conservation value. To identify the structural and compositional characteristics potentially unique to old-growth northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.) stands, we compared 16 old-growth stands and 17 partially harvested stands in Maine, USA and New Brunswick, Canada. Potential old-growth predictors included common structural metrics such as basal area (BA), quadratic mean diameter (QMD), large tree (≥40 cm diameter at breast height) density, and volumes of coarse woody debris (CWD), along with six...

Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) is an invasive insect pest native to Southeastern Asia that is now reported to have established populations in North America. We used traps baited with red wine vinegar to detect and monitor D. suzukii in four black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) and maple (Acer spp.) stands in the Allegheny National Forest in northwestern Pennsylvania. Stands ranged in age from 70 to 110 years old, with average basal area from 40 to 45 m2/ha. All stands are characterized as the intermediate Allegheny hardwood forest type with black cherry being the dominant species making up...

The application of functional traits to predict and explain plant species’ distributions and vital rates has been a major direction in functional ecology for decades, yet numerous physiological traits have not yet been incorporated into the approach. Using commonly measured traits such as leaf mass per area (LMA) and wood density (WD), and additional traits related to water transport, gas exchange and resource economics, including leaf vein, stomatal and wilting traits, we tested hypotheses for Hawaiian wet montane and lowland dry forests (MWF and LDF, respectively): (1) Forests would...

Concern about excessive woody debris removals during biomass harvests has led to the development of biomass harvesting guidelines (BHGs) for retaining woody debris for habitat and nutrient cycling. However, the efficacy of BHGs has not been experimentally examined. Two BHG treatments applied during clearcutting and thinning operations were examined in a replicated complete-block experiment. The first BHG treatment included the retention of one-third of tops of trees ≥8 in. dbh and one-third of trees <8-in. dbh. The second included the retention of all tops of trees ≥8-in. dbh and no...

Background: Accurate downed woody debris (DWD) volume or mass estimates are needed for numerous applications such as fuel loading, forest carbon, and biodiversity/habitat assessments. The line-intersect sampling (LIS) method of inventorying DWD is widely used in forest inventories and ecological studies because it is timeefficient and unbiased. Despite its widespread use, the appropriate transect length needed to achieve a desired precision at a particular location has received relatively little attention. Methods: We conducted intensive LIS sampling at 33 locations representing eight...

Prescribed fire is a tool used to regenerate and sustain mixed-oak forests in the central Appalachian region. Two specific applications for prescribed fire are site preparation and the reduction of oak competition after the first removal cut in a shelterwood. This latter use is called the shelterwood-burn method. However, prescribed fire presents additional mortality risk to the stand’s overstory trees. In a shelterwood-burn study on the Fernow Experimental Forest in West Virginia, three individual tree factors—species, crown class, and dbh— and three stand manipulation treatments were...

Aim To determine the role of regional forcing on plot‐level species diversity and composition, and to quantify the relative importance of biogeographical and climatic factors in explaining woody plant diversity and composition at the local‐, island‐ and archipelago‐scale. Location Forty‐one tropical islands of the Indo‐Pacific region from Madagascar to Hawai‘i Island. Methods We analysed the diversity and composition of tropical woody plant communities located across 113 plots, 41 islands and 19 archipelagos. We used generalized linear mixed‐effects models and generalized dissimilarity...

In 2044 the United States is expected to be a majority-minority nation. Promoting participation in outdoor recreation among racial and ethnic minority populations has long been a challenge facing the contemporary recreation manager. In this article, we compare data from the US Forest Service National Visitor Use Monitoring program from 2010-2014 to US Census data from 2010 in order to examine whether there is disproportionate utilization of recreation resources on US Forest Service lands across the entire US Forest Service system. Our findings suggest an inequity gap wherein racial...

The Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest (NPC) is planning a major restoration project to improve forest health and decrease the risk of wildfire in the 178 km2 (68 mi2) Clear Creek Watershed, southeast of Kooskia, ID (Moose Creek Ranger District, 2015). Elliot and Miller (2017) provided a detailed analysis estimating likely erosion from the proposed treatment areas, but at that time, did not have the tools to satisfactorily estimate sediment from the road network. Roads play a critical role in allowing access to the forest for the proposed treatments. However, the road network is the main...