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Human actions must be well planned and include consideration of their potential influences on water and aquatic ecosystems - such consideration is the foundation of watershed management. Watersheds are the ideal land unit for managing and protecting water resources and aquatic health because watersheds integrate the physical, biological and chemical processes within their boundaries. Managed forested watersheds tend to have more natural watershed functions and better water quality than other land uses. Land uses with greater amounts of soil disturbance and permanent reductions in infiltrati...

Eight poorly known or unusual crustose and pileate basidiomycete species were studied. These included the type specimens of three monotypic genera: Chrysoderma alboluteum from Réunion is conspecific with Cerocorticium molle; Dendrophysellum amurense from the Russian Far East is a species of Vararia; and Hyphoradulum conspicuum belongs in Pseudolagarobasidium and is the first representative of the genus from Europe. Corticium murrillii, from Mexico, is congeneric with Corneromyces kinabalui. New combinations Vararia amurensis, Pseudolagarobasidium conspicuum, and Corneromyces murrillii are...

Sealants are a vital part of a building’s environmental barrier envelope. Their ability to bond to numerous dissimilar substrates and form cure-in-place seals results in their widespread use throughout single story and high rise buildings. A typical 40 story concrete and glass facade building can have 70 miles of sealant bonds. Failure of sealants can lead to energy loss and widespread moisture ingression resulting in cosmetic and structural damage as well as the potential for mold colonization. Therefore, increasing the durability of sealants is of significant economic value. In this...

Payments for watershed services (PWS) as a policy tool for enhancing water quality and supply have gained momentum in recent years, but their ability to lead to sustainable watershed outcomes is uncertain. Consequently, the demand for effective monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of PWS impacts on coupled human and natural systems (CHANS) and their implications for watershed sustainability (WS) is increasing. The theoretical foundations and practical applications of WS frameworks, which integrate biophysical and socioeconomic indicators to assess progress toward WS goals, have been extensively...

There are various definitions for savanna and woodland in the ecological literature. Characteristic elements of each community are broadly defined and often overlap according to the authorities (Curtis 1959; Nuzzo 1986; Nelson 2010). Some confusion is inevitable when categorizing what is in reality a continuum of states from prairie to forest in which there can be much variation. Additional variation arises within each of these community types producing unique associations where composition and structure are further modified by site factors such as soil texture, depth, drainage, and parent...

The principal findings from five panels of the ninth forest survey of North Carolina are presented. In 2013, forests covered 18.6 million acres of the State, of which 17.9 million were classified as timberland. Oak-hickory was the most common forest-type group and covered 7.0 million acres of the timberland. The second most common forest-type group was loblollyshortleaf pine, which covered 5.5 million acres of timberland. Nonindustrial private forest ownerships controlled 80 percent of the State’s timberland. Hardwood tree species accounted for 65 percent of the 38.4 billion cubic feet of...

This paired watershed study tested the effects of timber harvest on water quantity and quality in the North Carolina Piedmont physiographic region. Four headwater watersheds at Hill Demonstration Forest (HF1, HF2, HFW1, and HFW2) and two at Umstead Research Farm (UF1 and UF2) were continuously monitored for discharge and water quality from 2007 to 2013. The HF1 and UF1 watersheds were clearcut (treatment), leaving a 15.2-m vegetated riparian buffer around the streams to protect water quality as described in the North Carolina Neuse River Basin Riparian Buffer Rule. HF2 and UF2 were uncut...

Bioenergy crops have the potential to enhance soil carbon (C) pools from increased aggregation and the physical protection of organic matter; however, our understanding of the variation in these processes over heterogeneous landscapes is limited. In particular, little is known about the relative importance of soil properties and root characteristics for the physical protection of particulate organic matter (POM). We studied short-term (3-year) changes in aggregation and POM-C pools under three cropping systems (switchgrass, a triticale/sorghum double crop, continuous corn) replicated...

Litter decomposition is mediated by multiple variables, of which climate is expected to be a dominant factor at global scales. However, like other organisms, traits of decomposers and their communities are shaped not just by the contemporary climate but also their climate history. Whether or not this affects decomposition rates is underexplored. Here we source decomposer communities from three forest sites contrasting in climate (tropical, temperate, boreal), and, using experimental microcosms, quantify decomposition of a common litter under a factorial combination of four temperature (15,...

The College of Menominee Nation Sustainable Development Institute's theoretical model (SDI model) conceptualizes sustainable development as the process of maintaining the balance and reconciling the inherent tensions among six dimensions of sustainability: land and sovereignty; natural environment #including human beings); institutions; technology; economy; and human perception, activity, and behavior. Each dimension is understood to be dynamic, both internally and in relationship to each of the other five dimensions. Change within one dimension will impact other dimensions in a continual...