Treesearch

Residential development is a leading driver of land-use change, with important implications for biodiversity, ecosystem processes, and human well-being. We reviewed over 500 published scientific articles on the biophysical, economic, and social effects of residential development and open space in the US. We concluded that current knowledge of the effects of this type of development on social and natural systems is inadequate for achieving key objectives of sustainability, including a viable environment, a robust economy, and an equitable society. Most biophysical studies measured species-...

Our objectives are (1) to compare tree sap flux density (Js in g cm
2 d
1) and stomatal conductance (Gs in mmol m
2 s
1 ) across five dominant species, red maple (Acer rubrum), sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), and oak species (Quercus spp.), (2) to quantity riparian buffer stand transpiration (Es in mm d
1), and (3) to link riparian buffer Es of residual trees to stream discharge. In June 2010, the above species were instrumented with sap flow sensors in a pair (HF1 and HF2) of 12 hectare gauged watersheds. HF1 was...

This report highlights general ownership patterns and key information about private owners of trees, woods, and forests from the 2011-2013 National Woodland Owner Survey, which is conducted by the U.S. Forest Service, to help us better understand: who owns the woods and forests of the United States, why they own it, how they use it now, and how they intend to use it.

This chapter discusses the study of disturbance and succession as they relate to wildlife. As such, the discussion is confined to those disturbance processes that change the physical attributes of habitat, leading to a postdisturbance trajectory. However, even with this narrowing of the scope of disturbances discussed, there remain formidable obstacles prior to any coherent discussion of disturbance. The first, and most fundamental, is definitional: what constitutes disturbance and succession, and what is habitat? The concepts of disturbance, habitat, and succession are highly scale-depende...

Freshwater marshes are well-known for their ecological functions in carbon sequestration, but complete carbon budgets that include both methane (CH4) and lateral carbon fluxes for these ecosystems are rarely available. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first full carbon balance for a freshwater marsh where vertical gaseous [carbon dioxide (CO2) and CH4] and lateral hydrologic fluxes (dissolved and particulate organic carbon) have been simultaneously measured for multiple years (2011–2013). Carbon accumulation in the sediments suggested that the marsh was a long-term carbon sink and...

Rice paddy fields provide important ecosystem services (e.g., food production, water retention, carbon sequestration) to a large population globally. However, these benefits are declining as a result of rapid environmental and socioeconomic transformations characterized by population growth, urbanization, and climate change in many Asian countries. This case study examined the responses of streamflow and watershed water balances to the decline of rice paddy fields due to urbanization in the Qinhuai River Basin in southern China where massive industrialization has occurred in the regiondurin...

Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) is one of the most widespread and abundant plant species in the intermountain regions of western North America. This species occupies an extremely wide ecological niche ranging from the semi-arid basins to the subalpine. Within this large niche, three widespread subspecies are recognized. Montane ecoregions are occupied by subspecies vaseyana, while subspecies wyomingensis and tridentata occupy basin ecoregions. In cases of wide-ranging species with multiple subspecies, it can be more practical from the scientific and management perspective to assess...

Ecological research is increasingly concentrated at particular locations or sites. This trend reflects a variety of advantages of intensive, site-based research, but also raises important questions about the nature of such spatially delimited research: how well does site based research represent broader areas, and does it constrain scientific discovery? We provide an overview of these issues with a particular focus on one prominent intensive research site: the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF), New Hampshire, USA. Among the key features of intensive sites are: long-term, archived...

This research note compiles 43 years of research and monitoring data to produce the first comprehensive checklist of the dry forest avian community found within the Guánica Biosphere Reserve. We provide an overview of the reserve along with sighting locales, a list of 185 birds with their resident status and abundance, and a list of the available bird habitats. Photographs of habitats and some of the bird species are included.

The federal crop insurance program has been a major fixture of U.S. agricultural policy since the 1930s, and continues to grow in size and importance. Indeed, it now represents the most prominent farm policy instrument, accounting for more government spending than any other farm commodity program. The 2014 Farm Bill further expanded the crop insurance program and introduced a number of new county-level revenue insurance plans. In 2013, over $123 billion in crop value was insured under the program. Crop revenue insurance, first introduced in the 1990s, now accounts for nearly 70% of the...