Treesearch

There is a growing need within the insular Caribbean for technical assistance in planning forest-monitoring projects and data analysis. This paper gives an overview of software tools developed by the USDA Forest Service’s National Inventory and Monitoring Applications Center and the Remote Sensing Applications Center. We discuss their applicability in the efficient planning of national forest inventories and their use for analyzing forest dynamics. By focusing on the specific targets of inquiry of the 16th Caribbean Foresters Meeting, we make use of the Design Tool for Inventory and...

Context Fine-scale ecological data collected across broad regions are becoming increasingly available. Appropriate geographic analyses of these data can help identify locations of ecological concern. Objectives We present one such approach, spatial association of scalable hexagons (SASH), whichidentifies locations where ecological phenomena occur at greater or lower frequencies than expected by chance. This approach is based on a sampling frame optimized for spatial neighborhood analysis, adjustable to the appropriate spatial resolution, and applicable to multiple data types. Methods We...

Aims While lateral root mass is readily detectable with ground penetrating radar (GPR), the roots beneath a tree (below-stump) and overlapping lateral roots near large trees are problematic for surface-based antennas operated in reflection mode. We sought to determine if tree size (DBH) effects GPR root detection proximal to longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill) and if corrections for could be applied to stand-level estimates of root mass. Methods GPR (1500 MHz) was used to estimate coarse root mass proximal to 33 longleaf pine trees and compared to the amount of biomass excavated from pits...

European and American chestnut species (Castanea) have been decimated by exotic species, most notably chestnut blight (Cryphonectria parasitica), since the early nineteenth century. Backcross breeding programs that transfer blight disease resistance from Chinese chestnut (C. mollissima) into American chestnut (C. dentata) offer promise for chestnut restoration, particularly for the American chestnut which was a keystone species in eastern North America. Nursery prescriptions and conformity to desired American chestnut traits following planting must be tested, however, before blight...

Lignins are complex and heterogeneous natural polymers in which the major units are characterized by certain prominent interunit linkages. Previous attempts to identify and quantify 4−O−5-linked units in softwood lignins by NMR were not successful. In this work, various lignin model compounds, including the tetramers formed by the 4−O−5- coupling of β−O−4-, β−β-, and β−5-model dimers, were synthesized. Such compounds are better able to model the corresponding structures in lignins than those used previously. 4−O−5-Linked structures could be clearly observed and identified in real softwood...

Background: Valorization of lignin from biofuel production is the key to developing biorefinery technologies for sustainable and economic utilization of lignocellulosic biomass. Here we present isolating lignosulfonate from the spent liquors of Sulfite Pretreatment to Overcome the Recalcitrance of Lignocelluloses (SPORL)-pretreated lodgepole pine and Douglas-fir forest residue as a dispersant for coal water slurry. The two SPORL pretreatments were conducted at a pilot scale and resulted in very high ethanol yield from the pretreated biomass. Therefore, demonstrating the commercial utility...

A greater diversity of native legumes and forbs is desirable for rangeland restoration practice in the Intermountain Region of the western United States. But for such diversity to materialize in the seed marketplace and to be effective in restoration practice, seeds that germinate reliably in seed fields and on restoration sites are needed. We measured germination response of two native legumes, basalt milkvetch (Astragalus filipes Torr. ex A. Gray) and western prairie clover (Dalea ornata [Douglas] Eaton & Wright), after eight germination treatments. Treatments were a factorial combination...

Studies of symbioses have traditionally focused on explaining one-to-one interactions between organisms. In reality, symbioses are often much more dynamic. They can involve many interacting members, and change depending on context. In studies of the ambrosia symbiosis—the mutualism between wood borer beetles and fungi—two variables have introduced uncertainty when explaining interactions: imprecise symbiont identification, and disregard for anatomical complexity of the insects. The black twig borer, Xylosandrus compactus Eichhoff, is a globally invasive ambrosia beetle that infests...

This paper examines how wood decay fungi affect the electrical resistance (resistivity) of wood to determine whether an electrical resistance probe could be deployed as a remote sensor in a wall to detect wood decay. Electrical resistance measurements were taken on wood blocks exposed to Gloeophyllum trabeum in a standard soil bottle tests (AWPA E10) as a function of time. To understand how and why resistance changed with time, results were compared against resistance measurements taken in sterilized, un-inoculated wood at high moisture contents; concentrations of certain mineral ions in...

Bronze leaf disease (BLD) of species and hybrids of aspens, grey and white poplars (Genus Populus, section Populus) is a systemic disease incited by the fungus Apioplagiostoma populi (E.K. Cash & A.M. Waterman) M.E. Barr that results in a characteristic bronze to dark brown pigmentation of infected leaves in late summer and early fall. Branches on affected trees die over a period of several years, disfiguring trees and eventually leading to mortality of susceptible trees planted in landscapes. In this study, we describe the histopathology of the disease and fungus development relative to...