Treesearch

Downed woody material (DWM) is a key component in forest ecosystems with age, structure, and disturbance described as primary factors that influence DWM dynamics. In particular, much emphasis is placed on large coarse woody debris (CWD). Fine woody debris (FWD) (less than 7.62 cm diameter), duff, and litter also contribute to carbon stocks, provide habitat, add to nutrient cycling, and are often the most available fuels for fire, yet are regularly overlooked in studies describing the forest floor. Throughout the middle montane zone within the Intermountain West region USA, interior...

Whether intentionally or accidentally introduced, non-native woody plants now feature prominently in many ecosystems throughout the world. The dying and deadwood produced by these plants represent novel resources for saproxylic insects, but their suitability to these organisms remains poorly understood. We herein review existing knowledge about the utilization of non-native wood species by saproxylic insect communities and also provide several previously unpublished case studies from the USA, Germany, Portugal/Spain, and New Zealand. The first case study suggests that the relative number of...

Enhanced understanding of subsurface water storage will improve prediction of future impacts of climate change, including drought, forest mortality, wildland fire, and strained water security. Previous research has examined the importance of plant‐accessible water in soil, but in upland landscapes within Mediterranean climates, soil often accounts for only a fraction of subsurface water storage. We draw insights from previous research and a case study of the Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory to define attributes of subsurface storage; review observed patterns in their distribution;...

Climate change has changed the phenologies of species worldwide, but it remains unclear how these phenological changes will affect species interactions and the structure of natural communities. Using a novel approach to analyse long-term data of 66 amphibian species pairs across eight communities, we demonstrate that phenological shifts can significantly alter the interaction potential of coexisting competitors. Importantly, these changes in interaction potential were mediated by non-uniform, species-specific shifts in entire phenological distributions and consequently could not be...

National forests and grasslands in the United States are governed by land and resource management plans that should be updated every 15 years to reflect changing social, economic, and environmental conditions and to address new priorities. A new forest planning rule finalized in 2012 introduces new planning approaches and requirements, and several forests have completed the forest assessment phase of their planning process. Using document analysis and interview data, we analyzed four completed forest assessments to gain insights into early forest planning efforts under the 2012 rule. We...

This article describes how GIS is increasingly being used to explore, analyze, and visualize qualitative social data across space. The authors applied a number of geovisualization and analysis approaches to spaces identified on maps by survey participants, in the context of a Human Ecology Mapping (HEM) project in western North Carolina. HEM is an applied research endeavor that has been used in a number of other locations to tease out relationships between people and landscapes by identifying both the activities people do in certain locations and the values they hold about those locations....

There has been a recent increase in use of an organized, forest ‘collaborative’ group approach for multi-stakeholder input on federal forestlands in the U.S. West. This approach relies on the creation of shared trust to achieve social agreement. Yet growing critiques suggest a lack of trust in the U.S. Forest Service [Forest Service], between stakeholders, and the collaborative process itself. We conducted three comparative case studies of established forest collaborative groups in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho to ask how trust is created and damaged or broken in this context. We found...

Previous studies have proven that short-day treatment is an effective means to regulate shoot growth and abiotic stress resistance in conifers. However, the effects on Chinese pine (Pinus tabuliformis) seedlings are less well known. In this study, short-day treatments were applied to container-grown Chinese pine seedlings by artificially reducing day length to 8 or 10 h for 3 weeks. Growth and physiological responses of the seedlings were evaluated. In addition, proteome analysis using two-dimensional electrophoresis in combination with MALDI-TOF/TOF MS analysis was performed on needles of...

This article reviews current data on forest wetlands and their economic contributions in the South, ranging from Texas to Virginia. Based on USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data, the wetland category comprised 17.7% of timber land area on all private and public lands in the South. This included 4.25 million ha of hydric sites; 0.77 million ha mesic wet; 9.55 million ha mesic, with only seasonal access; for a total of 14.57 million ha. The Natural Resource Inventory (NRI) for 2012 on private lands estimated that there were 14.71 million ha forested wetlands, which...

Historical forests in the Southeastern Mixed Forest province of the United States have been less researched than other regions using historical tree surveys. We used 81,000 tree records from surveys during the 1800s to quantify composition of this ecological province. Upland oaks and pines comprised about 75% of all trees, with relatively equal composition. Oak composition may have comprised ≥ 45% to the northern and eastern sides of the province. Hickories were about 10% of composition and a few species were present at 1% to 2% composition. Currently, pine has increased to 49% composition;...