Treesearch

Ice storms are part of nature, particularly in northeastern North America. The combination of air and surface temperatures, precipitation, and wind that result in damaging layers of ice is very specific, occurring infrequently at any given location. Across the region however, damaging ice is formed in fragmented areas every year. Occasionally as in December 2013 and January 1998, a closely-spaced series of ice storms severely damaged large rural and urban areas in Ontario and adjacent provinces and states.

Critical Height Sampling (CHS) (Kitamura 1964) can be used to predict cubic volumes per acre without using volume tables or equations. The critical height is defined as the height at which the tree stem appears to be in borderline condition using the point-sampling angle gauge (e.g. prism). An estimate of cubic volume per acre can be obtained from multiplication of the sum of the critical heights at a sample point by the point sampling basal area factor. One of the most serious problems with practical implementation of critical height sampling is that trees near the sample point have a...

The Rough MIll simulator (ROMI Version 4.0) is a computer software package for personal computers (PCs) that simulates current industrial practices for rip-first, chop-first, and rip and chop-first lumber processing. This guide shows how to set up the software; design, implement, and execute simulations; and examine the results. ROMI 4.0 accepts cutting bills with as many as 600 solid and/or panel part sizes. Plots of boards processed are easily viewed or printed as are detailed summaries of processing data (number of rips and crosscuts) and yields for each grade. ROMI 4.0 optimization...

Forest industry has invested in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) genetics to improve growth, branching, and form. Until recently, superior families were destined for industry lands with little of this superior genetic material available for other landowners.Seedlings of superior families are now available to non-industrial private forest (NIPF) landowners at a greater cost than seedlings from first generation selections. The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture conducts variety and verification trials for agronomic crops and serves as a source of unbiased information on crop...

Tree profile equations are effective volume predictors. Diameter data for building these equations are collected from felled trees using diameter tapes and calipers or from standing trees using optical dendrometers. Developing and implementing a profile function from the collected data is a tedious and error prone task. This study created a computer program, Profile Data Calculator (www.timbercruise.com/Downloads/TProfile/TProfileSetup.exe) that calculates diameters and heights directly from dendrometer outputs, negating the necessity for intermediate calculations and allowing for improved...

Interest in uneven-aged silviculture has increased since advent of ecosystem management programs, which place greater emphasis on ecological values and ecosystem services while also harvesting timber from the forest. However, traditional uneven-aged approaches (e.g., BDq) are often criticized as too complex, costly, and requiring highly-trained staff. The Proportional-B method (Pro-B) addresses these concerns, making uneven-aged silviculture a practical management option. In an operational-scale study, Pro-B was successfully used, by forest staff from a range of professional backgrounds,...

Historical land-use and management practices in the southeastern United States have resulted in the widespread conversion of many upland sites from dominance of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) to loblolly pine (P. taeda L.) in the time following European settlement. Given the ecological, economic, and cultural significance of the longleaf pine ecosystem, there is current interest in restoring longleaf pine and its associated plant communities on sites across the historical longleaf pine range.

The original longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) forest was self-perpetuating where seedlings always had to be present. It reproduced itself in openings in the overstory where dense young stands developed. These openings would range from a few tenths of an acre to large openings of several thousand acres. Regardless of the event size, longleaf pine was able to regenerate these openings. In 1964, the USDA Forest Service established the Regional Longleaf Pine Growth Study (RLGS) in the Gulf States. The original objective of the study was to obtain a database for the development of growth...

Restoring longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) savanna is a goal of many southern land managers, and longleaf plantations may provide a mechanism for savanna restoration. However, the effects of silvicultural treatments used in the management of longleaf pine plantations on wildlife communities are relatively unknown. Beginning in 1994, we examined effects of longleaf pine restoration with plantation silviculture on avian and small mammal communities using four treatments in four 8- to 11- year-old plantations within the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. Treatments included prescribed...

The 2004 management plan for the Chattahoochee National Forest states that many future resource objectives and goals have an ecological basis. Assessment of resource needs in the Cooper Creek watershed area of the southern Appalachian Mountains of north Georgia were identified with awareness of ecological constraints and suitability. An interdisciplinary team of resource specialists developed a land-classification system for the watershed that identifies and maps 28 recurring land and water units with unique ecological characteristics. The classification will provide a basis to plan and...