Treesearch

We strategically placed spatially distributed sensors to provide representative measures of changes in snowpack and subsurface water storage, plus the fluxes affecting these stores, in a set of nested headwater catchments. The high temporal frequency and distributed coverage make the resulting data appropriate for process studies of snow accumulation and melt, infiltration, evapotranspiration, catchment water balance, (bio)geochemistry, and other critical-zone processes. We present 8 years of hourly snow-depth, soil-moisture, and soil-temperature data, as well as 14 years of quarter-hourly...

The present research examines the impact of visiting natural history museums on implicit connectedness with nature among youth. FlexiTwins, a computer-based game version of the Implicit Association Test (IAT), was used to measure implicit connectedness with nature among youth visitors to two natural history museums in the Los Angeles area of Southern California. Overall, there was a marginally significant difference between pretest and posttest FlexiTwins scores. That is, implicit connectedness with nature increased after spending time in a natural history museum, although follow-up...

High-value trees, such as those growing in residential, recreational, or administrative sites, are often susceptible to colonization by bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) as a result of increased amounts of stress associated with off-site plantings, drought, soil compaction, and/or mechanical injury. The value of these trees, cost of removing dead trees, and loss of aesthetics often justify the use of insecticides to protect trees from mortality attributed to bark beetles. Carbaryl (1-naphthyl methylcarbamate) is among the most effective, economically-viable, and ecologica...

If an organism becomes rare enough that it no longer participates in certain interspecific interactions, it can be said to have become ecologically extinct, even though it is still present. This form of extinction is much less recognized than global extinctions, although it may have ramifications for ecological community function. Here, we describe a case of possible or pending ecological extinction of an endemic Hawaiian plant. We performed over 120 h of systematic flower visitation observations of the endangered Hawaiian mint, Stenogyne angustifolia, in its wild habitat. The robust size...

Sensor networks within the Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory (SSCZO) and Kings River Experimental Watersheds (KREW) document changes in the water cycle spanning the west slope of the southern Sierra Nevada in California. The networks were established to document water dynamics throughout the critical zone spanning profile, hillslope, catchment, and watershed scales at key locations that reflect systematic differences in bioclimatic conditions imposed by a strong elevation gradient. The critical zone observatory attempts to constrain the hydrologic budget via representative measureme...

This study examines how visual resource management functions in three community forests in British Columbia. We interpret the findings through the lens of visible stewardship theory that encourages care for forest landscape values and making visible the evidence of management activities. We conducted visual quality effectiveness evaluations on each of the forests to assess achievement of Visual Quality Objectives determined by the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development. In addition, we interviewed forest staff and community members to collect data on...

The 9,670-acre Cascade Head Scenic-Research Area (Cascade Head) is a picturesque place of headlands, forested hills, meadows, and estuary on the north-central coast of Oregon. Its dramatic features and changing atmosphere have had a strong appeal for people for centuries. Established in 1974 primarily to ensure protection of its scenic values, its official designation as a Scenic-Research Area came a full decade ahead of the first site in the Congressional system of National Scenic Areas. The Cascade Head Act identifies key qualities and uses of distinct landscape subareas within its...

The field of visual resource stewardship has historically focused on assessments of visual quality and impacts to daytime scenery. In recent years, increasing numbers of visitors have been traveling to National Parks to participate in nighttime recreation and astronomy-based park programming. In many parks, nighttime programs have become some of the most popular ranger-led activities and visitors have come to expect superlative nighttime views of starry skies and park landscapes just as they do during the day. However, development of frameworks, methods, and protocols for assessing...

Section 106 of the National Historic Places Act requires Federal agencies to consider the impacts, including visual impacts, of their undertakings on the ability of certain historic properties to convey their historic significance. Visual impacts of Federal agency undertakings must also be considered under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) for their potential to affect historic properties, scenic resources present in the landscape, and the scenic experiences of people who view the landscape. This paper discusses important differences between visual impact analysis (VIA)...

This paper describes the development of a visual management tool that allows landscape architects and planners, government officials, and community members to view the visual characteristics of the landscape in three dimensional (3D) real time from their homes or offices. The tool uses Google Earth, a free and easy-to-learn software that could be used by citizens and public officials. The user can view various landscape overlays, including land cover, visual quality, and visual sensitivity, and assess the extent to which proposed development will fit the scenic characteristics of the...