Treesearch

While there are many definitions of rangeland, the central theme of all these is that it is land on which the dominating vegetation is mainly grasses, grass-like plants, forbs, shrubs and isolated trees (De Cauwer et al., 2024; Arogoundade et al., 2023; Feizizadeh et al., 2023; Sharifi and Felegari, 2023; McCord and Pilliod, 2022; Matongera et al., 2021; Zhou et al., 2020; Hadian et al., 2019; Al-bukhari et al., 2018; Eddy et al., 2017; Gökalp et al., 2017). Rangelands include shrublands, natural grasslands, woodlands, savannahs, tundra and many desert regions. A distinguishing factor of...

Mast seeding, the synchronous and highly variable production of seed crops by perennial plants, is a population-level phenomenon and has cascading effects in ecosystems. Mast seeding studies are typically conducted at the population/species level. Much less is known about synchrony in mast seeding between species because the necessary long-term data are rarely available. To investigate synchrony between species within communities, we used long-term data from seven forest communities in the U.S. Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) network, ranging from tropical rainforest to boreal forest....

The transformation of roundwood into sawn timber is crucial in Mexico, where the industry faces challenges in both the quality and quantity of products, requiring technological improvements to minimize waste and enhance competitiveness. In this context, the objective of this study was to compare the production of traditional and modern sawmills based on the sawing coefficient, total product yield, and the economic revenues generated. The study was conducted in Guachochi, Chihuahua, a region with cold temperate forests. Two types of sawmills were evaluated: traditional (private company) and...

A timber lateral force resisting system (LFRS) with timber buckling-restrained braces (TBRB) is proposed to improve the seismic performance of timber buildings. Using a similar design approach for conventional buckling-restrained braced frames (BRBF) and established design methods for timber connections, a timber buckling-restrained braced frame (TBRBF) was designed and tested under a series of quasi-static cyclic loading protocols. During the tests, the level of axial load applied to the column was varied to simulate gravity loads. Additionally, some of the tests included an out-of-plane...

Sanddune wallflower (Erysimum capitatum [Douglas ex Hook] Greene) belongs to the Erysimeae tribe of the Brassicaceae or mustard family (Al-Shehbaz 2010).

Members of the U.S. Climate Alliance, a coalition of 24 states committed to achieving the emissions reductions outlined in the 2015 Paris Agreement, are considering policy options for inclusion of forest carbon in climate mitigation plans. These initiatives are generally limited by a lack of relevant data on forest carbon stocks and fluxes past-to-future. Previously, we developed a new forest carbon modeling system that combined high-resolution remote sensing, field data, and ecological modeling to estimate contemporary above-ground forest carbon stocks, and projected future forest carbon...

Surface-functionalized cellulose materials are developed for various purposes, including food additives and food contact materials. A new biologically relevant testing strategy has been developed based on guidance from the European Food Safety Authority to demonstrate the safety of several next-generation surface-functionalized cellulose materials. This strategy involves a complex three-stage simulated digestion to compare the health effects of thirteen novel different types of cellulose. The physical and chemical properties of surface-functionalized fibrillated celluloses differed...

The United States harbors high crayfish diversity, with over 394 species and subspecies of native crayfishes currently recognized (Taylor et al. 2019. Hydrobiologia 846:39–58), and the southeastern USA is a center of endemism (Crandall et al. 2008. In Balian et al. [eds.], Freshwater Animal Diversity Assessment, pp. 295–301. Springer, Dordrecht, Netherlands). In this region, numerous crayfish species construct intricate burrows in intermittently wet habitats (Welch and Eversole 2006. Biol. Conserv. 130:458–464). These burrows fulfill many purposes, such as providing shelter and serving as...

Changing climate dynamics have been forecasted worldwide, including in some regions of the United States (U.S.), leading to potentially significant damage to forest ecosystems. To better understand how natural disturbances may affect forests, we analyzed trends in frequency and area of tornado damage for 1995–2021, damage area within forested ecosystems, and assessed data limitations for the contiguous U.S. for 1950–2021. We found that recent, more uniform data collection periods from 1995-present showed stable to declining numbers of tornadoes nationally. However, our results indicate...

Solid waste incineration (SWI) can release numerous air pollutants although the geographic reach of emissions is not routinely monitored. While many studies use moss and lichens for biomonitoring trace elements, including around SWIs, few investigate the complex, multi-element footprint expected from SWI emissions. This study develops using native moss as a screening tool for SWI while also informing community concerns about an aging incinerator in rural Oregon, USA. Trained community volunteers helped collect 36 composite samples of epiphytic moss (Orthotrichum s.l.) along a 32-km...