Treesearch

In Nordamerika sind Wälder infolge von Einwandernden, internationalem Handel und Tourismus traditionell stark von Einschleppungen gebietsfremder invasiver Schadorganismen betroffen. Infolge von Globalisierung und Klimawandel gibt es aufgrund der Ähnlichkeiten von Klima, Flora und Fauna zwischen Europa und Nordamerika viele Parallelen.

We report the discovery of the hydrotropic properties of a recyclable aromatic acid, p-toluenesulfonic acid (p-TsOH), for potentially low-cost and efficient fractionation of wood through rapid and near-complete dissolution of lignin. Approximately 90% of poplar wood (NE222) lignin can be dissolved at 80°C in 20 min. Equivalent delignification using known hydrotropes, such as aromatic salts, can be achieved only at 150°C or higher for more than 10 hours or at 150°C for 2 hours with alkaline pulping. p-TsOH fractionated wood into two fractions: (i) a primarily cellulose-rich water-insoluble...

In this article we examine in-depth interviews with farmers (n=159) from nine Corn Belt states. Using a grounded theory approach, we identified a “soil stewardship ethic,” which exemplifies how farmers are talking about building the long-term sustainability of their farm operation in light of more variable and extreme weather events. Findings suggest that farmers’ shifting relationship with their soil resources may act as a kind of social-ecological feedback that enables farmers to implement adaptive strategies (e.g., no-till farming, cover crops) that build resilience in the face of...

Throughout the late 19th century and most of the 20th century, risks associated with wildfire were addressed by suppressing fires as quickly as possible. However, by the 1960s, it became clear that fire exclusion policies were having adverse effects on ecological health, as well as contributing to larger and more damaging wildfires over time. Although federal fire policy has changed to allow fire to be used as a management tool on the landscape, this change has been slow to take place, while the number of people living in high-risk wildland–urban interface communities continues to increase....

In order for agricultural systems to successfully mitigate and adapt to climate change there is a need to coordinate and prioritize next steps for research and extension. This includes focusing on “win-win” management practices that simultaneously provide short-term benefits to farmers and improve the sustainability and resiliency of agricultural systems with respect to climate change. In the Northwest U.S., a collaborative process has been used to engage individuals spanning the research-practice continuum. This collaborative approach was utilized at a 2016 workshop titled “Agriculture in...

Forest genetics research in the Pacific Northwest began in the early 20th century with the establishment of the Douglas-Fir Heredity Study and the Wind River Arboretum. These early studies led to preference for native species for refoestation, and the delineation of seed collection guidelines and seed zones in the 1940s. The 1950s saw an increased interest in forest genetics and tree improvement as increased harvests led to an interest in production forestry and potential gains from applied genetics. Later decades saw the growth of tree improvement programs and the formation of cooperatives...

Summary 1. We investigated the potential of cross-scale interactions to affect the outcome of density reduction in a large-scale silvicultural experiment to better understand options for managing forests under climate change. 2. We measured tree growth and intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) based on stable carbon isotopes (δ13C) to investigate impacts of density reduction across a range of progressively finer spatial scales: site, stand, hillslope position and neighbourhood. In particular, we focused on the influence of treatments beyond the boundaries of treated stands to include...

Coupled human and natural systems (CHANS) research highlights reciprocal interactions (or feedbacks) between biophysical and socioeconomic variables to explain system dynamics and resilience. Empirical models often are used to test hypotheses and apply theory that represent human behavior. Parameterizing reciprocal interactions presents two challenges for social scientists: (1) how to represent human behavior as influenced by biophysical factors and integrate this into CHANS empirical models; (2) how to organize and function as a multidisciplinary social science team to accomplish that...

Identification of spatially varying stiffness is a challenging, but important, research topic in the mechanics of materials and can provide the necessary information for material suitability, damage, and process control, especially for high‐value applications. One homogeneous and 3 heterogeneous virtual field method (VFM) formulations were used to create a methodology for varying stiffness identification. Two finite element method simulations were used to demonstrate the validity and capability of the formulations. A tensile test protocol was implemented to identify spatially varying...

Management of forest carbon stocks on public lands is critical to maintaining or enhancing carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere. Acknowledging this, an array of federal regulations and policies have emerged that requires US National Forests to report baseline carbon stocks and changes due to disturbance and management and assess how management activities and forest plans affect carbon stocks. To address these requirements with the best-available science, we compiled empirical and remotely sensed data covering the National Forests (one fifth of the area of US forest land) and analyzed...