Treesearch

This science update contains the findings of a 2015 canvass of all primary wood-using plants in South Carolina, and presents changes in product output and residue use since 2013. It complements the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) annual inventory of volume and removals from the State’s timberland. The canvass was conducted to determine the amount and source of wood receipts and annual timber product drain, by county, in 2015 and to determine interstate and cross-regional movement of industrial roundwood. Only primary wood-using mills were canvassed. Primary mills are those that process...

This science update contains the findings of a 2015 canvass of all primary wood-using plants in Oklahoma, and presents changes in product output and residue use since 2013. It complements the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) annual inventory of volume and removals from the State’s timberland. The canvass was conducted to determine the amount and source of wood receipts and annual timber product drain, by county, in 2015 and to determine interstate and cross-regional movement of industrial roundwood. Only primary wood-using mills were canvassed. Primary mills are those that process...

This science update contains the findings of a 2015 canvass of all primary wood-using plants in Mississippi, and presents changes in product output and residue use since 2013. It complements the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) annual inventory of volume and removals from the State’s timberland. The canvass was conducted to determine the amount and source of wood receipts and annual timber product drain, by county, in 2015 and to determine interstate and cross-regional movement of industrial roundwood. Only primary wood-using mills were canvassed. Primary mills are those that process...

Riparian areas are hotspots of biological diversity that may serve as high quality habitat for fish and wildlife. The National Riparian Core Protocol (NRCP) provides tools and methods to assist natural resource professionals in sampling riparian vegetation and physical characteristics along wadeable streams. Guidance is provided for collecting basic information on riparian vegetation composition and physical structure in fluvial riparian ecosystems. The NRCP provides a foundation to assess the characteristics and condition of channels and riparian vegetation at a single point in time or in...

Forests play critical roles in global ecosystem processes and provide numerous services to society. But forests are increasingly affected by a variety of human influences, especially those resulting from biological invasions. Species invading forests include woody and herbaceous plants, many animal species including mammals and invertebrates, as well as a variety of microorganisms such as fungi, oomycetes, bacteria and viruses. These species have diverse ecological roles including primary producers, herbivores, predators, animal pathogens, plant pathogens, decomposers, pollinators and...

Forests in virtually all regions of the world are being affected by invasions of non-native insects. We conducted an in-depth review of the traits of successful invasive forest insects and the ecological processes involved in insect invasions across the universal invasion phases (transport and arrival, establishment, spread and impacts). Most forest insect invasions are accidental consequences of international trade. The dominant invasion 'pathways' are live plant imports, shipment of solid wood packaging material, "hitchhiking" on inanimate objects, and intentional introductions of...

The world's forests are crucial biological resources that provide a variety of ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling and provisioning of resources to society. But forests are particularly affected by biological invasions, with regions around the world experiencing invasions by species from virtually every kingdom. Many of these species have severely disrupted forest ecosystem processes, thereby interrupting the provisioning of ecosystem services that societies depend upon. The problem of biological invasion in forests has many facets, and a large diversity of scientific disciplines...

In this article, we describe how protecting vernal pools was discussed by experts in the northeastern United States (U.S) within the context of a theoretical policy framework. We offer insight about characteristics of feasible vernal pool policy solutions, and identify gaps in our understanding, particularly regarding conditions in states currently lacking specific vernal pool protections. Vernal pools are geographically isolated, intermittent wetlands that provide important habitat for a variety of plants and animals. Many may not be federally protected as a result of judicial decisions...

Cattle production capacity on western rangelands is potentially vulnerable to climate change through impacts on the amount of forage, changes in vegetation type, heat stress, and year-to-year forage variability. The researchers in this study projected climate change effects to rangelands through 2100 and compared them to a present-day baseline to estimate vulnerability of cattle operations.

As a component of urban food systems, foraging—the collection of plant or fungal materials, such as berries and nuts, not deliberately cultivated for human use—may promote positive cultural, ecological, economic, and health outcomes. Foraging behaviors, motivations, and barriers in the urban context remain under-characterized despite emerging literature on the subject. We surveyed 105 self-identified foragers in Baltimore, Maryland about species, quantity, seasonality, and preparation of collected materials; frequency and locations of foraging activities; foraging experience; motivations...