Treesearch

In his October 26, 2017 commentary in these pages (Wildfire Magazine 26.4; 4-5), Dr. Tom Zimmerman highlights a number of ongoing and future challenges faced by wildland fire management. To address these challenges he also identifies an important role for science and in particular management-relevant wildland fire research. Here, we first briefly elaborate on Dr. Zimmerman’s challenges and how they relate to new opportunities for the role of science in wildland fire management. Second, we focus on three additional institutional or “cultural” barriers or divides that could helpfully be...

It is hard to miss the #MeToo movement these days. The international movement against sexual harassment and assault is everywhere in conventional and social media as well as water cooler and dinner table conversation. Important in its own right, #MeToo also has been a touchstone for broader conversations about inclusivity, diversity, equity, power dynamics and the challenges of who gets to represent whom in our culture.

The severity of lodgepole pine mortality from mountain pine beetle outbreaks varies with host tree diameter, density, and other structural characteristics, influencing subcanopy conditions and tree regeneration. We measured density and leader growth of shade-intolerant lodgepole pine, shade-tolerant Engelmann spruce, and very shade-tolerant subalpine fir regeneration beneath stands that experienced moderate and high overstory lodgepole pine mortality (average 40% and 85% of total basal area) a decade earlier. Lodgepole comprised >90% of the overstory basal area and mature spruce and fir...

Forest roads are commonly decommissioned and revegetated to decrease erosion, prevent weed encroachment, manage recreation and improve overall watershed condition on federal lands, but may also provide a complementary opportunity to sequester carbon (C) in soils. Soils on decommissioned roads are typically compacted with limited capacity for water retention, decreased mineral nitrogen (N) availability and low organic matter content, impairing revegetation and soil C sequestration efforts. We evaluated the effects of an organic fertilizer, wood strand mulch and a woody biochar on soil...

Over the past few decades, nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) concentrations have increased within streams of the central Rockies, a pattern linked to regional N deposition trends. As NO3-N concentrations increase, in-stream biological demand may become saturated and stream N export may increase. In mountain landscapes, streams generally flow through steep, narrow valleys with limited riparian area and strong stream-hillslope connectivity. Interspersed between the narrow valleys are wide segments where substantial floodplain riparian areas can develop. Here, we coupled measures of stream reach NO3-N...

The Waste to Wisdom project was part of the Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI) and funded by the Department of Energy (DE-EE0006297) at an amount of $5.8 million. Our interdisciplinary research team, consisting of academics, business professionals, and land managers, worked together for about four years (September 2013 to December 2017) to: 1) conduct field-based experiments to develop innovative tools and systems that improve the economics, accessibility, and production of quality feedstocks from forest residues, 2) develop and test stand-alone in-woods or near-the-forest...

The American Woodcock Conservation Plan calls for halting and reversing declines of American woodcock (Scolopax minor) populations through creation and management of early successional forest (ESF). Counts of displaying male woodcock along routes of the American woodcock singing‐ground survey (SGS) are used to assess regional population status and trends, and there is a need to assess whether SGS routes represent the region. We assessed whether individual SGS routes (330‐m buffers) in the Boreal‐Hardwood and Prairie‐Hardwood Transitions of Minnesota, USA represented land covers within...

The Forest Products Annual Market Review 2017-2018 provides a comprehensive analysis of markets in the UNECE region and reports on the main market infuences outside the UNECE region. It covers the range of products from the forest to the enduser: from roundwood and primary processed products to value-added and housing. Statistics-based chapters analyse the markets for wood raw materials, sawn softwood, sawn hardwood, wood-based panels, paper, paperboard and woodpulp. Other chapters analyse policies and markets for wood energy. Underlying the analysis is a comprehensive collection of data....

The purpose of this research was to identify and make available new and existing information to facilitate more effective response by individuals, organizations, and government entities when storms and other forms of catastrophic disturbance lead to unplanned influxes of downed timber and woody debris across the southeastern United States. To this end, this project explored attitudes and behaviors of stakeholders regarding their post disaster timber salvage experiences. Findings are reported from twelve focus group sessions with forestry decision makers, including landowners, loggers,...

Hemiparasitic plants obtain water and solutes from their hosts, but much remains to be learned about these transfers. We used a forest girdling experiment to investigate how leaf gas exchange, carbon and nitrogen cycling in the root hemiparasite Melampyrum lineare Desr. responded to disturbance and changes in physiology of potential host trees. By preventing belowground C allocation by 35% of the canopy, girdling decreased the starch and soluble sugar contents of bulk forest floor fine roots. Photosynthetic rates of M. lineare were statistically significantly lower in the girdled plot, but...