Treesearch

Prescribed fire has become a commonly used forest management tool for reducing the occurrence of severe wildfires, decreasing fuel loads and reestablishing the historic ecological influences of fire. Investigating population-level wildlife responses to prescribed fire is important for evaluating the effects of fire management on animals, but in order to predict and simulate wildlife responses to potential management actions, mechanistic studies that elucidate individual-level responses are also necessary. We used radio-frequency identification to investigate individual-level responses of...

The use of video to monitor nests has increased in frequency over the past 25 years and new research using this technology has shed light on many aspects of the interactions between predators and nesting birds. We used video cameras to describe the timing of nest predation events for Acadian Flycatchers (Empidonax virescens), Indigo Buntings (Passerina cyanea), and other forest-dwelling songbird species. Seventy-four percent (111 of 151) of nest predation events occurred during diurnal hours for both focal species. Although some of our observations were unexpected (e.g., Barred Owls [Strix...

Forest inventory data often consists of measurements taken on field plots as well as values predicted from statistical models, e.g., tree biomass. Many of these models only include fixed-effects parameters either because at the time the models were established, mixedeffects model theory had not yet been thoroughly developed or the use of mixed models was deemed unnecessary or too complex. Over the last two decades, considerable research has been conducted on the use of mixed models in forestry, such that mixed models and their applications are generally well understood. However, most of...

Childspace represents three separate but closely connected organizations operating in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Childspace Management Group (CMG), a for-profit worker cooperative; Childspace Day Care Centers (CDCC), comprised of three nonprofit childcare centers in the Mount Airy, Germantown, and West Philadelphia neighborhoods; and Childspace Cooperative Development, Inc. (CCDI), a nonprofit organization focused on policy advocacy, training, and leadership development among childcare center owners, directors, and workers. This case study focuses on the structure, collaboration, and...

Dam removal is becoming an increasingly important component of river restoration, with >1100 dams having been removed nationwide over the past three decades. Despite this recent progression of removals, the lack of pre- to post-removal monitoring and assessment limits our understanding of the magnitude, rate, and sequence of geomorphic and/or ecological recovery to damremoval. Taking advantage of the November 2012 removal of an old (~190 year-old) 6-mhigh, run-of-river industrial damon Amethyst Brook (26 km2) in centralMassachusetts, we identify the immediate eco-geomorphic responses to...

Understanding how multiple extrinsic (density-independent) factors and intrinsic (density-dependent) mechanisms influence population dynamics has become increasingly urgent in the face of rapidly changing climates. It is particularly unclear how multiple extrinsic factors with contrasting effects among seasons are related to declines in population numbers and changes in mean body size and whether there is a strong role for density-dependence. The primary goal of this study was to identify the roles of seasonal variation in climate driven environmental direct effects (mean stream flow and...

Swiss needle cast (SNC) and its causal organism, Phaeocryptopus gaeumannii, were first detected in New Zealand in 1959 on the North Island near Taupo. Approximately 10 years later, the disease made its first appearance on the South Island (Kimberley et al. 2011). While the environmental factors influencing SNC severity in New Zealand have been well studied (Hood and Kimberley 2005, Stone et al. 2007, Watt et al. 2010, Watt et al. 2011), this study represents the first assessment of population genetic structure and diversity for introduced populations of P. gaeumannii.

The ascomycete fungus Phaeocryptopus gaeumannii is the causal organism of Swiss needle cast (SNC), a foliage disease of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). The disease was first described in forest plantations in Europe in the 1920s (Boyce 1940). It has since been determined that P. gaeumannii is endemic to western North America and the native range of Douglas-fir in the northwestern United States. Initial assessments of genetic diversity and population structure performed using molecular markers known as single strand conformation polymorphisms (SSCPs) indicated the presence of two...

Swiss needle cast (SNC) is a foliar disease of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) caused by Phaeocryptopus gaeumannii (Rohde) Petrak. This fungus is endemic to western North America, where it has historically had little impact in native forests. However, increasing disease severity in western Oregon since the 1990s has prompted renewed interest in P. gaeumannii and SNC. For this study, we analyze multilocus microsatellite genotypes from 482 single-spore isolates from 68 trees across 14 sites in the western Coast Range of Oregon and southwestern Washington. This study assesses genotypic...

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is a relatively new heavy timber construction material (also referred to as massive timber) that origi-nated in central Europe and quickly spread to building applications around the world over the past two decades. Using dimension lumber (typically in the range of 1× or 2× sizes) glue laminated with each lamination layer oriented at 90° to the adjacent layer, CLT panels can be manufactured into virtually any size (with one dimension limited by the width of the press), precut and pre-grooved into desirable shapes, and then shipped to the construction site for...