Treesearch

Benjamin Franklin once said “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” It is with that in mind that the Southern Research Station (SRS) Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program jumps feet first into exploring alternative methods of communicating the knowledge that is discovered through broad-scale data collection of the forest resources of the Unite States. One major aspect of our current explorations is the utilization of the esri ArcGIS Online (AGOL) platform and the numerous tools found therein. We describe the efforts of the SRS-FIA program to generate...

The mean climatology, seasonal and interannual variability and trend of wind speeds at the hub height (80 m) of modern wind turbines over China and its surrounding regions are revisited using 33-year (1979–2011) wind data from the Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) that has many improvements including higher spatial resolution over previous global reanalysis products. Mean 80-m wind speeds are consistently higher over China Seas and the ocean areas than over land, and inside China high winds are found in areas of Inner Mongolia and the Tibetan Plateau. There is a considerable...

Many factors contribute to parasites varying in host specificity and distribution among potential hosts. Metagonimoides oregonensis is a digenetic trematode that uses stream-dwelling plethodontid salamanders as second intermediate hosts in the Eastern US. We completed a field survey to identify which stream salamander species, at a regional level, are most likely to be important for transmission to raccoon definitive hosts. We surveyed six plethodontid species (N=289 salamanders) from 23 Appalachian headwater sites in North Carolina: Desmognathus quadramaculatus (n=69), Eurycea wilderae...

We used a stratified random sampling design to inventory the mangrove vegetation within the Zambezi River Delta, Mozambique, to provide a basis for estimating biomass pools. We used canopy height, derived from remote sensing data, to stratify the inventory area, and then applied a spatial decision support system to objectively allocate sample plots among five strata. Height and diameter were measured on overstory trees, saplings and standing dead trees in nested plots, and biomass was calculated using allometric equations. Each of the eight mangrove species occurring in Mozambique exist...

Interbasin water transfers are globally important water management strategies, yet little is known about their role in the hydrologic cycle at regional and continental scales. Specifically, there is a dearth of centralized information on transfer locations and characteristics, and few analyses place transfers into a relevant hydrological context. We assessed hydrological characteristics of interbasin transfers (IBTs) in the conterminous US using a nationwide inventory of transfers together with historical climate data and hydrological modeling. Supplying and receiving drainage basins share...

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of air pollutants linked to a wide range of adverse health outcomes, including asthma, cancers, cardiovascular disease, and fetal growth impairment. PAHs are emitted by combustion of organic matter (e.g. fossil fuels, plant biomass) and can accumulate in plant and animal tissues over time. Compared to criteria pollutants, such as O3 or NO2, less is known about PAHs in air inhaled by the general population because PAH monitoring is more technically challenging and costly (in Portland, for example, PAHs are measured by only one monitor)....

Lichen chemistry can be used to estimate concentrations of environmental contaminants, ranging from heavy metals and fertilizers to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins, pesticides, herbicides, and flame retardants. We conducted a pilot looking at 26 metals and nutrient anions in 5 widespread lichen species across the upper Midwest, including: As, Al, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, N, Na, Ni, P, Pb, S, Se, Si, Sr, and Zn. FIA crews collected 135 lichen samples from 75 plots across IL, IN, IA, MI, MN, WI and an expert collected 128 additional samples near 11 air...

Palau is well known as an area of high plant diversity; indeed, it is considered the most species rich island group within Micronesia (Kitalong et al., 2008). The Palauan archipelago covers only about 535 km² of land area and yet contains an estimated 730 native plants, including 151 endemic species (Kitalong et al., 2008). Broader scientific interest in Palauan forest health and biodiversity is mirrored locally by residents and land managers who seek baseline information to inform resource management decisions. With these concerns in mind, the Data Collection Team at the Pacific Northwest...

Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) is an ecologically important species in high-altitude, mid-latitude areas of western North America due to the habitat and food source it provides for many wildlife species. Recent concerns about the long-term viability of whitebark pine stands have arisen in the face of high mortality due to a combination of fire suppression, white pine blister rust, and mountain pine beetle outbreaks. Most previous studies of whitebark pine have focused on pure stands, yet the spatially representative Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) dataset shows that whitebark pine...

Pinyon jays (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) are the principal dispersal agent for pinyon pine seeds in the Great Basin region of the Intermountain West. However, Pinyon jays have exhibited significant population declines over much their range in recent decades, even as pinyon-juniper woodlands appear to have been expanding over the past 150 years. In order to identify and quantify habitat preferences for nesting, seed caching, and general foraging within the woodlands of the Great Basin, we measured stand and tree parameters of Pinyon jay nest, forage and cache sites in Idaho and Nevada using...