Treesearch

Ethical issues are intrinsic to conducting research regarding society and natural resources, but they often become poignant when engaging in Participatory Action Research. We compiled common and persistent challenges into a list of "Questions That Won't Go Away" or "QTWGAs" that are relevant to people interested in conducting participatory research to benefit communities. We discuss these questions in the context of previously published literature and share examples from the experience of graduate student Fellows who conducted research with various communities around the United States. The...

The subalpine forests of California comprise the highest elevation ecosystems that are dominated by upright trees. They are defined as a zone influenced primarily by abiotic controls, including persistent snowpack, desiccating winds, acute and chronic extreme temperatures, soil moisture and evapotranspirative stresses, and short growing seasons. Bounded at the upper elevation by the forest-alpine treeline ecotone, the forests persist under conditions of deep snows and exposure to severe winds and high solar radiation. Disturbances such as fire and biotic interactions are less important...

Alpine ecosystems are typically defined as those areas occurring above treeline, while recognizing that alpine ecosystems at a local scale may be found below this boundary for reasons including geology, geomorphology, and microclimate. The lower limit of the alpine ecosystems, the climatic treeline, varies with latitude across California, ranging from about 3500 m in the southern California mountains and southern Sierra Nevada to 3200 m in the Yosemite region, 3000 m near Donner Pass, 2800 m at Lassen Peak, and finally 2700 m on Mount Shasta. Alpine ecosystems extend beyond the typically...

The history of California's vegetation, from origins in the Mesozoic through Quaternary is outlined. Climatic and geologic history and the processes driving changes in vegetation over time are also described.

John C. Moser’s career spans over 50 years, and his research has focused on understanding the biology of town ants (Atta texana) and phoretic mites and other associates of ants and pine bark beetles. His approach to developing methods for the control of these pests has been to understand more completely the biology of these organisms. This research approach has established Moser as an internationally recognized expert in leaf-cutting ant biology and as a premier authority on phoretic mites and other associates of pine bark beetles. John’s efforts have led to the largest collection (over...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18-25. A part of the New Deal of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, it provided unskilled manual labor jobs related to the conservation and development of natural resources on the Nation’s forest and agricultural lands. The CCC was designed to provide employment for young men in relief families who had difficulty finding jobs during the Great Depression while at the same time implementing a general natural...

Philip C. Wakeley, a pioneer research scientist for the U.S. Forest Service, Southern Forest Experiment Station in New Orleans, LA, began his career in 1924. He had an illustrious career with the Southern Station, and his research became the basis for the reforestation of the South's devastated forests. Upon his retirement in 1964, he presented the Station a personal overview of his early research, station programs, and personalities of many early scientists. Never before published, this history presents an intriguing look at the development of forestry research in the South from the eyes...

Early in the 20th century, the forests in the South were devastated by aggressive harvesting and many millions of acres of forest land needed reforestation. Foresighted individuals began a committed effort to restore this land to a productive condition. This effort required dedication, cooperation, and leadership. A small cadre of individuals led the restoration of the South’s forests that became the basis of the South’s economy. Many of these individuals are profiled in this document.

Forestry has contributed many problems to the Operations Research (OR) community. At the same time, OR has developed many models and solution methods for use in forestry. In this article, we describe the current status of research on the application of OR methods to forestry and a number of research challenges or open questions that we believe will be of interest to both researchers and practitioners. The areas covered include strategic, tactical and operational planning, fire management, conservation and the use of OR to address environmental concerns. The paper also considers more...

Tiller recruitment from the belowground bud bank of caespitose grasses influences their ability to monopolize local resources and, hence, their genet fitness. Differences in bud production and outgrowth among tiller types within a genet and among species may explain co-occurrence of caespitose grasses. This study aimed to characterize genet bud-bank and tiller production and dynamics in two co-occurring species and compare their vegetative reproductive strategies.