Treesearch

Lignocellulosic biomass is a vast resource for the sustainable production of renewable fuels, chemicals, and materials for mankind.1,2 Biomass, especially wood, has been used for millennia as a building and construction material for myriad applications and a source for heat as a fuel. The majority of mass in plants is in the cell walls, which are primarily composed of the polysaccharides cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectin along with the alkylaromatic heteropolymer lignin. The three basic building blocks of lignin, p-coumaryl alcohol, coniferyl alcohol, and sinapyl alcohol, are synthesized...

Depolymerization of cellulose starting from an oxidized anhydroglucose unit through balkoxy- elimination, triggered by alkaline media, is one of the key reactions responsible for cellulose aging. This study investigates the detailed mechanisms for the chain cleavage by a combination of experimental and quantum chemical methods. Three model compounds for oxidized anhydroglucose units in cellulose were employed: C2-keto, C3-keto-, and C6-aldehyde 4-O-methyl methyl b-D-glucosides, representing anhydroglucose units of cellulose that have been oxidized at C2, C3, and C6, respectively. The...

The time of day that nestlings fledge from a nest is thought to be shaped by predation risk and energetics. To minimize predation risk, fledging is predicted to start as early in the day as possible so that nestlings can maximize time outside the nest to find a safe place to stay before nightfall. Fledging times are predicted to be tightly grouped and to not be affected by the number of nestlings, given that all nestlings are responding to the same relative risk of predation. Conversely, energetic considerations predict that fledging time of day should vary so that nestlings can maximize...

This resource update provides an overview of forest resources in Kansas based on inventories conducted by the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program of the Northern Research Station. For annual inventory years 2001–2013, the cycle length was equal to 5 years. Beginning in 2014, the cycle length was changed to 7 years. For the 2017 inventory, estimates for current variables such as area, volume, and biomass are based on 8,715 field plot samples (593 forested) collected from 2011–2017. Change variables, such as net growth, removals, and mortality, are based on...

To test the hypothesis that wildfire smoke can cool summer river and stream water temperatures by attenuating solar radiation and air temperature, we analyzed data on summer wildfire smoke, solar radiation, air temperatures, precipitation, river discharge, and water temperatures in the lower Klamath River Basin in Northern California. Previous studies have focused on the effect of combustion heat on water temperatures during fires and the effect of riparian vegetation losses on postfire water temperatures, but we know of no studies of the effects of wildfire smoke on river or stream water...

In the mid-2000s, Bolivia emerged as a leader in sustainable tropical forestry, in large part because of Ley 1700, the 1996 forestry law. The 1996 forestry law reformed Bolivian forestry by requiring management plans, inventories, and harvest limits while also guaranteeing the legal right of Indigenous communities to manage their forests for timber. This article analyzes the history of Bolivian forestry reforms, paying particular attention to the involvement of Indigenous lowland communities in influencing the forestry law. Specifically, we analyze the role a 1990 Indigenous protest march...

The University of Montana’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research, in conjunction with the Interior West Forest Inventory and Analysis Program of the U.S. Forest Service, conducted a census of Wyoming’s timber processors that operated during calendar year 2014. Through a written questionnaire, phone or inperson interview, timber-processing and residue-utilizing facilities provided information about their 2014 operations, including: * plant location, production, capacity, and employment; * volume of raw material received, by county and ownership; * species of timber received and live/dead...

This resource update provides an overview of the forest resources in Ohio based on inventories conducted by the U.S. Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program of the Northern Research Station. Estimates are based on field data collected using the FIA annualized sample design and are updated yearly.1Information about the national and regional FIA program is available online at http://fia.fs.fed.us. Since 2001, FIA has implemented an annual inventory in Ohio. For the 2017 inventory, estimates for current variables such as area, volume, and biomass are based on 4,272 (1,646...

Pituophis ruthveni (Louisiana Pinesnake) is considered one of the rarest snakes in North America. For that reason, P. ruthveni is not well represented in scientific collections, and each existing specimen is very important. Some museum records for the species are considered questionable or unverified, especially those that represent extralimital records or those from habitats not normally utilized by Louisiana Pinesnake. Clarifying these questionable Louisiana Pinesnake records will ultimately provide a better understanding of its historic and current distribution, which is necessary for...

This resource update provides an overview of the forest resources in New York based on inventories conducted by the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program of the Northern Research Station. Estimates are based on field data collected using the FIA annualized sample design and are updated yearly. Information about the national and regional FIA programs is available online at http://fia.fs.fed.us. Since 2002, FIA has implemented an annual inventory in New York. For the 2017 inventory, estimates for current variables such as area, volume, and biomass are based on...