Treesearch

The objective of large landscape conser vation is to mitigate complex ecological problems through interventions at multiple and overlapping scales. Implementation requires coordination among a diverse network of individuals and organizations to integrate local-scale conservation activities with broad-scale goals. This requires an understanding of the governance options and how governance regimes achieve objectives or provide performance evaluation across both space and time. However, empirical assessments measuring network-governance performance in large landscape conservation are limited....

Over the last several decades, bottomland restoration efforts have established hundreds of thousands of acres of planted hardwood stands throughout the Southeastern U.S. Much of the initial research focused on planting approaches and early growth and survival, contributing to more effective establishment methods. However, less research attention has been focused on stand development and treatment options for these planted stands as they age. Given that many afforestation stands are approaching 20 years of age or greater and undergoing crown closure, an improved knowledge of stand conditions...

The use of herbicides in hardwood management presents special problems in that many of the most effective herbicides are either designed to control hardwoods or the product is not labeled for such applications. Numerous studies involving herbicide application in hardwoods have been completed at Mississippi State University. This paper is a compilation of results from research projects which provides the latest information for such applications which we have to make available.

Successful oak (Quercus spp.) regeneration requires the presence of competitive sources of oak reproduction before parent oaks are harvested. Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) in the understory of many Appalachian forests prevents new oak seedlings from receiving adequate sunlight to survive and grow into competitive size classes. This study examined the efficacy of three herbicides (triclopyr, glyphosate, or imazapyr) applied as a foliar spray on mountain laurel in a mature mixed-oak forest. Each herbicide was applied at three rates, expressed as quarts per acre. The herbicides were...

Landowners have experienced a dizzying array of timber prices over the past several years. At one time, hardwood pulpwood brought very little per ton and today it brings as much or more than pine pulpwood. In some markets in the Southeast today, oak sawtimber is bringing more than pine poles. Many landowners, who previously said they wanted their hardwood stands left alone because of the perceived wildlife value, are expressing an interest in upland hardwood management and regenerating their stands. Very few demonstrations are available to show landowners how they might work towards this...

Epicormic development has been traditionally thought to be a response to increased light and to varying vigor and genetics among individuals within a species, but epicormic ontogeny has increasingly been shown to be a more fundamental factor. Previous studies have quantified the impact of tree vigor on epicormic sprouting and epicormic branch size following silvicultural treatments, but few assessed the genetic component of development. In this study, data from a crop tree release treatment in a 25 year old white oak (Quercus alba L.) progeny test in Indiana was used to isolate the...

Estuarine condition is a function of the nature of the estuary, ocean, and atmospheric systems, and the upstream watershed. To fully understand and predict how an estuary will respond to drivers and pressures, each compartment must be characterized. For example, eutrophication effects on estuarine condition are generally well known; less understood is how the attributes of estuarine watersheds, and their spatial distributions, relate to estuarine condition.

The potential impact of climate change on wetland-provided ecosystem services has been largely unspecified because of the difficulty in predicting changing hydrologic conditions, which are a major driver of structure and function in these ecosystems. The Penn State Integrated Hydrologic Model (PIHM), constructed and calibrated using nationally available data sets (e.g., soils, topography, national wetlands inventory (NWI) wetlands, USGS stream gages), was used to generate groundwater depth conditions for multiple hydrogeomorphic (HGM) wetland types (depression, slope, riverine), across a...

Future changes in climatic conditions may affect variations in watershed processes (e.g., hydrological, biogeochemical) and surface water quality across a wide range of physiographic provinces, ecosystems, and spatial scales. How such climatic shifts will impact watershed mercury (Hg) dynamics and hydrologically-driven Hg transport is a significant concern.

Excessive sediment and nutrient loading are among the leading causes of impairment in water bodies of the United States due to their effect on biologic productivity, water quality, and aquatic food webs. Understanding the nutrient and suspended sediment loads affecting estuarine waters is fundamental to the assessment of the physical, chemical, and biological processes governing the aquatic system and essential for establishing watershed management strategies.