Treesearch

Publishing of scientific findings is central to the scientific process, and it is traditional to consider findings ‘‘provisional’’ until accepted by a peer-reviewed journal. Until publication, communication of provisional findings beyond participants in the study is typically limited. This practice helps assure scientific integrity. However, a dilemma arises when a provisional finding has urgent societal consequences that may be exacerbated by delay. This dilemma may be particularly pronounced when a discovery concerns wildlife health, which could have implications for conservation, public...

This publication provides an overview of forest resources in Maryland based on inventories conducted by the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program of the Northern Research Station. From 2004–2013, FIA employed an annual inventory measuring data on 20 percent of all sample plots each year in Maryland. Beginning in 2014, FIA is on a 7-year cycle, inventorying 14.3 percent of all plots annually. For the 2017 inventory, estimates for current variables such as area, volume, and biomass are based on 982 plots (431 forested) collected from 2011–2017. Change variables,...

A broad range of understory forest herbs are harvested for medicinal properties, particularly from species-rich forests of the central and southern Appalachian Mountains. Many species have been collected and used for centuries with little understanding of harvest impacts, some with resulting population declines. Species valued for belowground components, such as Actaea racemosa L. (black cohosh), appear particularly vulnerable to harvest impacts. Between 2005 and 2011, we conducted experimental harvests on natural A. racemosa populations in central Appalachian oak (Quercus L.) forests....

Effective societal responses to rapid climate change in the Arctic rely on an accurate representation of region-specific ecosystem properties and processes. However, this is limited by the scarcity and patchy distribution of field measurements. Here, we use a comprehensive, geo-referenced database of primary field measurements in 1,840 published studies across the Arctic to identify statistically significant spatial biases in field sampling and study citation across this globally important region. We find that 31% of all study citations are derived from sites located within 50 km of just...

Sourcing appropriate plant material for restoration within the heterogeneous landscape of southern California is a nuanced task further complicated by climate change. We generated species distribution models (SDMs) that may be useful tools for incorporating climate change scenarios into ecological restoration decisionmaking for southern California scrub and shrubland habitats. We modeled regional patterns of suitable habitat under baseline (1951–1980) and midcentury (2040–2069) climate conditions for 44 focal plant taxa under five future climate scenarios. Projected changes in habitat...

Activities of ecosystem engineers can interact with other disturbances to modulate rates of key processes such as productivity and nutrient cycling. Bioturbation, movement of soil by organisms, is a widespread form of ecosystem engineering in terrestrial ecosystems. We propose that bioturbation by southeastern pocket gophers (Geomys pinetis), an abundant but declining ecosystem engineer in longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) forests, accelerates nutrient dynamics of the forest floor by burying litter and then reduces litter consumption and nitrogen (N) volatilization losses in the...

This study assessed the combined effects of increased urbanization and climate change on streamflow in the Yadkin-Pee Dee watershed (North Carolina, USA) and focused on the conversion from forest to urban land use, the primary land use transition occurring in the watershed. We used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool to simulate future (2050–2070) streamflow and baseflow for four combined climate and land use scenarios across the Yadkin-Pee Dee River watershed and three subwatersheds. The combined scenarios pair land use change and climate change scenarios together. Compared to the baseline,...

Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) pose wide ranging environmental risks to many parts of the US and across the globe, but datasets for CAFO risk assessments are not readily available. Within the United States, some of the greatest concentrations of CAFOs occur in North Carolina. It is also one of the only states with publicly accessible location data for classes of CAFOs that are required to obtain water quality permits from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); however, there are no public data sources for the large number of CAFOs that do not require EPA water...

Conservation and recovery of species of concern necessitates evaluating forest habitat conditions under changing climate conditions, especially in the early stages of the delisting process. Managers must weigh implications of near-term habitat management activities within the context of changing environmental conditions and a species' biological traits that may influence their vulnerability to changing conditions. Here we applied established population-habitat relationships based on decades of monitoring and research-management collaborations for the Kirtland's Warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii...

Fungal species in the genera Armillaria and Desarmillaria (Physalacriaceae, Agaricales) are well known for their symbiotic relationships with Gastrodia elata and Polyporus umbellatus, important components of traditional medicine in Asia. In addition, some species in these genera cause Armillaria root disease, which has had a negative economic impact by damaging and destroying urban, horticultural and forest trees. Five species within Armillaria and Desarmillaria have been previously reported in South Korea, based primarily on basidioma morphology: A. cepistipes, A. gallica, A. mellea, A....