Treesearch

Sensitivity to wind behaviors has been observed in marginal fire behavior in the field and using high-complexity fire models. Here we use the coupled atmospheric hydrodynamic-fire behavior model FIRETEC to simulate a marginal fire and develop 2028 one-dimensional time series from the temperature of the solid fuel, the convective heat transfer, the magnitude of the horizontal winds, and the vertical wind velocity on and around the leading edge of the fireline. We test each of these time series for chaotic signals using the Chaos 0-1 test that distinguishes between chaotic and non-chaotic...

Urban tree canopy (UTC) measures the spatial extent of the layer of leaves, branches, and stems of trees that cover the ground when viewed from above. It provides a measure of coverage, often expressed as a percentage of land area. The spatial distribution of urban tree canopy is heterogeneous: neither uniform nor random. Trees provide ecosystem services, and the uneven distribution of trees results in the uneven and inequitable distribution of ecosystem services and environmental, economic, and social benefits of urban trees.Although there are many ways to measure tree canopy cover in...

We field-collected Thanasimus dubius (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Cleridae) adults during spring, maintained them separately in the laboratory, and initially gave them four bark beetle adults [Ips grandicollis (Eichhoff) or Tomicus piniperda (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)] daily as prey. Using a subset of the female clerids (N = 41), we assigned them to one of four feeding groups that varied in the number of prey provided daily. For the first four weeks of a 12–week study, the four diets were: four prey daily, two prey daily, one prey daily, and one prey every 2 days. After four...

Hylesinus aculeatus Say (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) commonly infests the trunks and limbs of recently dead, dying, or cut ash (Fraxinus spp.) trees in eastern North America. In the Great Lakes region, H. aculeatus is univoltine, overwinters as adults, breeds in late spring and early summer, and constructs transverse biramous egg galleries. I sampled trunk and branch sections from three small-diameter white ash (F. americana L.) trees that were cut in April 1986 in Ingham County, Michigan, and then naturally infested by H. aculeatus and associates. Bolts cut from these trees and...

A federal quarantine was enacted in the United States (US) in the fall of 1992 in response to discovery of the Eurasian pine shoot beetle, Tomicus piniperda (L.) (Coleoptera: Scolytinae), in July 1992 in Ohio. The quarantine regulated movement of pine products (e.g., Christmas trees, nursery stock, and logs) at the county level from infested to uninfested US states. A classical biological program was considered for T. piniperda starting in 1995, focusing on the Eurasian clerid beetle Thanasimus formicarius (L.), an important predator of T. piniperda. Concerns were raised in 1996 that if T....

Minnesota moose are heat‐stressed during summers, which is adversely impacting their survival. We used both movement and activity data to explore the behavioral responses of Minnesota moose experiencing heat stress, termed ‘hot moose events' or HMEs, to understand how both ambient temperature and available habitat contribute to the ability of these moose to thermoregulate. Hot moose (≥ 39.17°C, as determined by internal biologgers that continuously recorded body temperature), failed to adopt the behavioral switch to foraging habitats during nocturnal activity displayed by moose maintaining...

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent synthetic pollutants that resist degradation due to strong carbon–fluorine bonds, posing risks to ecosystems and human health through bioaccumulation, toxicity, and carcinogenicity. Adsorption has emerged as a cost-effective remediation approach, with biomass-based adsorbents offering sustainable alternatives to conventional materials due to their low cost and tunable surface chemistry. Reported adsorption capacities vary widely depending on material design. This review critically examines recent advances in the functionalization...

Most research into post-fire geomorphology has been conducted in regions with frequent fire, such as in dry Mediterranean and temperate climates and less has been conducted in wet forests where wildfire is now expanding with climate change. Because climate, soils, topography, vegetation, management legacies and fire history influence post-fire geomorphic processes, research into post-fire erosion and debris flow hazards across a broader set of climatologies is needed. The western Pacific Northwest (wPNW) of the United States is susceptible to multiple types of post-fire debris flows (i.e....

Buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare) is a perennial bunchgrass, invasive in arid ecosystems of the United States, Australia, and Mexico. Buffelgrass invasion detrimentally affects ecosystems, but it is unclear how the amount of invasion affects ecological impact. Here, we investigated how buffelgrass abundance affects: plant diversity, aboveground biomass carbon, and surface soil (0-10 cm) carbon. We established 13 plots in unburned areas, across a range of buffelgrass cover (0-68%) in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, USA. Shannon diversity decreased significantly with buffelgrass cover....

This study explores how anhydride esterification of kraft lignin (KL) influences an “eco-foaming” process that transforms 100% KL into rigid foams. KL was reacted with maleic (MA), succinic (SA), or phthalic (PA) anhydride in acetone. FTIR analysis confirmed hydroxyl consumption (diminished 3496/3372/ 3280 cm−1 bands) and formation of ester bonds at approximately 1712/1267/1130/1030 cm−1. The degrees of esterification (DE) ranged around 8.2% for MA, 7.9% for SA, and 6.3% for PA. Thermal analysis showed slightly higher glass-transition temperatures (Tg) and greater stability above 300 °C....