Treesearch

A variety of techniques for collecting and processing samples to determine moisture content of wildland fuels in support of fire management activities were evaluated. The effects of using a chainsaw or handsaw to collect samples of largediameter wood, containers for storing and transporting collected samples, and quick-response ovens for estimating moisture content were evaluated against the ASTM standard method D4442 to determine the moisture content of wood. Saw type and most sample containers did not influence the moisture content; however, polyethylene bags lost moisture owing to poor...

Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) heartwood extractives were investigated for antitermitic activities against Heterotermes indicola and Reticulitermes flavipes. Heartwood extractives were removed from wood shavings by soxhlet extraction using (2:1) ethanol: toluene as the solvent system. Filter paper bioassays were conducted against both species to observe concentration dependent feeding response and mortality of termites. Results indicated that the highest termite mortality occurred at 10 mg/ml with a LC50 at 5.54 and 3.89 mg/ml against H. indicola and R. flavipes, respectively. Shisham extractiv...

The sourcing of food plays a significant role in assessing the sustainability of a city, but it is unclear how much food a city can produce within its city limits. In this study, we propose a method for estimating the maximum food crop production capacity of a city and demonstrate the method in Seattle, WA USA by taking into account land use, the light environment, and a mix of food crops necessary to supply a year-round vegetarian diet. By artificially removing trees from the city, we estimate the effect of tree shading on food crop production capacity. We find that at maximum food...

Atmospheric nitrogen deposition is one of the main threats for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Measurement techniques like ion-exchange resin collectors (IECs), which are less expensive and time-consuming than conventional methods, are gaining relevance in the study of atmospheric deposition and are recommended to expand monitoring networks. In the present work, bulk and throughfall deposition of inorganic nitrogen were monitored in three different holm oak forests in Spain during two years. The results obtained with IECs were contrasted with a conventional technique using bottle...

tManagement of ecological conditions and processes in multiownership landscapes requires cooperationby diverse stakeholder groups. The structure of organizational networks – the extent to which networksallow for interaction among organizations within and across ideological and geographic boundaries –can indicate potential opportunities for cooperation on landscape-scale problems. In the arid landscapesof the western United States, where increasingly large wildfires burn irrespective of property boundariesand land designations, organizations involved in the restoration of forests and the...

Forest management activities can have substantial effects on forest structure and community composition and response of wildlife therein. Bats can be highly influenced by these structural changes, and understanding how forest management affects day-roost and foraging ecology of bats is currently a paramount conservation issue. With populations of many cave-hibernating bat species in eastern North America declining as a result of whitenose syndrome (WNS), it is increasingly critical to understand relationships among bats and forest-management activities. Herein, we provide a comprehensive...

Climate change velocity is a vector depiction of the rate of climate displacement used for assessing climate change impacts. Interpreting velocity requires an assumption that climate trajectory length is proportional to climate change exposure; longer paths suggest greater exposure. However, distance is an imperfect measure of exposure because it does not quantify the extent to which trajectories traverse areas of dissimilar climate. Here we calculate velocity and minimum cumulative exposure (MCE) in degrees Celsius along climate trajectories for North America. We find that velocity is...

This resource update provides an overview of forest resources in Virginia. Information for this factsheet was updated by means of the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) annualized sample design. Each year, 20 percent of the sample plots (one panel) in Virginia are measured by field crews, the data compiled, and new estimates produced. After 5 years of measurements, the full sample complement (a cycle) is complete and a new survey cycle begins. The most reliable trend information (especially that concerning magnitude of change) comes from comparing two full cycles of data.

Although more on-farm storage ponds have been constructed in recent years to mitigate groundwater resources depletion in Mississippi, little effort has been devoted to estimating the ratio of on-farm water storage pond size to irrigated crop land based on pond metric and its hydrogeological conditions. In this study, two simulation scenarios were chosen to determine such a ratio as well as to investigate pond hydrological processes using a STELLA (Structural Thinking, Experiential Learning Laboratory with Animation) model, one scenario with and the other without using pond water for...

Trend analysis and estimation of monthly and annual precipitation, reference evapotranspiration ET, and rainfall deficit are essential for water-resources management and cropping-system design. Rainfall, ET, and water-deficit patterns and trends at Macon in eastern Mississippi for a 120-yr period (1894-2014) were analyzed for annual, seasonal, and monthly periods. The analysis showed historical average annual rainfall, ET0, and dryness index (DI) in the location to be 1307 mm, 1210 mm, and 0.97, respectively. Monthly rainfall and ET, ranged from 72to118 mm and from 94to146 mm, respectively,...