Treesearch

This article describes a facile route, which combines mild maceration of waste pulp sludge and a mechanical shearing process, to prepare microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) with a high storage modulus. In the maceration, the mixture of glacial acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide was used to extract cellulose from never-dried waste pulp sludge. Then, two different mechanical processes including disc refining (DR) and ultrasonication plus homogenization (UH) were applied to the cellulose after maceration and resulted in MFC with a highly tangled fibril network. All of the resultant cellulosic...

Two biorefinery lignosulfonates (LSs), Ca-LS-DF and Na-LS-LP were, respectively, isolated from pilot-scale sulfite-pretreated spent liquor of lodgepole pine and fermentation residue of Douglas-fir harvest forest residue. The molecular weights of Na-LS-LP and Ca-LS-DF were approximately 9 000 and 11 000 Da, respectively. The two LSs were applied as dispersant for graphite in aqueous suspensions. The dispersion stability was evaluated by a scanning electron microscope and Turbiscan Lab Expert. LS performance in modifying graphite was better than that of a commercial dispersant Reax-85A as...

We analyze the cultural and environmental dimensions of foraging the wild edible fruit cachichín (Oecopetalum mexicanum) in the Sierra de Misantla in central Veracruz, Mexico, including gathering practices, social organization, subsistence, commerce, and consumption. Gathering cachichín brings together generations and genders in practices that provide amusement, as well as resources for economic income and personal consumption. Socialization during the gathering of cachichín renews and strengthens family bonds, friendships, and a sense of belonging. This study provides valuable insights...

The dynamics of land-use practices (for example, forest versus settlements) is often a major driver of changes in terrestrial carbon (C). As the management and conservation of forest land uses are considered a means of reducing future atmospheric CO2 concentrations, the monitoring of forest C stocks and stock change by categories of land-use change (for example, croplands converted to forest) is often a requirement of C monitoring protocols such as those espoused by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (that is, Good Practice Guidance and Guidelines). The identification of land...

Deadwood can represent a substantial portion of forest ecosystem carbon stocks and is often reported following good practice guidance associated with national greenhouse gas inventories. In high-latitude forest ecosystems, a substantial proportion of downed deadwood is overgrown by ground vegetation and buried in the humus layer. Such burial obfuscates the important process of deadwood carbon transfer to other pools (e.g., litter and soil) and emission to the atmosphere (i.e., rates of decay). Using data from the Swedish National Forest Inventory, we found that the proportion of downed...

Shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata Mill.) is an important commercial timber resource and forest ecosystem component in the southeastern USA. The species occurs in mainly drier sites as an early- to mid-successional species, is fireadapted, and it plays an important role in the fire ecology of the region. However, shortleaf pine genetics are not well-studied, especially in this era of molecular genetics and genomics. Most genetics research about the species has focused on provenance testing. Generally, shortleaf pine performs well in colder areas, when compared to loblolly pine (Pinus taeda...

The Forest Landscape Assessment Tool (FLAT) is a set of procedures and tools used to rapidly determine forest ecological conditions and potential threats. FLAT enables planners and managers to understand baseline conditions, determine and prioritize restoration needs across a landscape system, and conduct ongoing monitoring to achieve land management goals. The rapid assessment process presents a cost-effective opportunity for landowners that include local governments, private owners, and nongovernmental organizations to use ecological data to guide decisionmaking and improve environmental...

This report traces the flow of Oregon’s 2013 timber harvest through the primary wood products industry and provides detailed description of the structure, timber use, operations, and condition of Oregon’s forest products sector. It is the third in a series of reports that update the status of the industry every 5 years, and is based on a census of timber-using facilities conducted during 2014. Historical forest products industry changes are discussed, as well as trends in harvest, production, mill residue, and sales. Also examined are employment and worker earnings in the state’s primary...

Outdoor recreation is a central way that people interact with the natural environment. Federal land agencies are key providers of settings, facilities, and landscapes for recreation. Outdoor recreation is also an important driver of economic activity in rural communities near recreation destinations and across the United States. Future participation in outdoor recreation, and associated economic activity, will be influenced by demographic changes in population, lowering per capita land available for recreation, and changing recreation resource conditions, influenced partially by climate...

This book is intended to help people better understand how wood energy is helping to revitalize rural Alaskan communities by reducing energy costs, creating jobs, and helping to educate the next generation. The village of Koyukuk shows how modern wood energy systems can meet the challenges of remote rural Alaska. To fully succeed, however, these systems need to become part of the fabric of community life. Remote rural villages have become part of a much broader Internet-enabled community. Alaskans have always been pioneers in using the latest telecommunication technology for telemedicine...