Treesearch

This publication contains background information and guidance for resource management professionals and landowners to understand and manage sudden oak death (SOD) in California forests. The publication is divided into three chapters: Chapter 1 discusses the epidemiology of SOD in California and includes information on biology of the pathogen Phytophthora ramorum, host-pathogen interactions, disease spread, and environmental conditions that affect disease development. An understanding of these relationships is needed to choose the most appropriate strategies for managing SOD at a given...

Phylogenetic relationships among members of the antrodia clade were investigated with molecular data from two nuclear ribosomal DNA regions, LSU and ITS. A total of 123 species representing 26 genera producing a brown rot were included in the present study. Three DNA datasets (combined LSU-ITS dataset, LSU dataset, ITS dataset) comprising sequences of 449 isolates were evaluated with three different phylogenetic analyses (maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony, Bayesian inference). We present a phylogenetic overview of the five main groups recovered: the fibroporia, laetiporus, postia,...

The harvest of non-timber forest products (NTFP) for personal uses such as hobbies and handicrafts, cooking and canning, and recreation is an important pursuit for many residents in Alaska (Pilz and others 2006). Five categories of NTFP have been designated by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization: (1) foods; (2) medicinal plants; (3) floral greenery and horticulture products; (4) fiber and dye plants, lichens, and fungi; and (5) oils, resins, and chemicals extracted from plants, lichens, and fungi (McLain and Jones 2002). As noted by Alexander and others (2002), interest...

Over the past 50 years, Colorado has experienced an increase in the number and size of wildfires on its public and private lands. Nationwide, expenditures on wildfire suppression have increased for decades and now are measured in the billions of tax dollars. Current trends in climate changes, fuel accumulation from past wildfire suppression, and expansion of the wildland-urban interface (WUI), which means more development within areas of heightened wildfire potential, all suggest that continued increases in the costs of wildfires are likely.

The climate has always been changing, but the rapid rate of climate change, as projected by the IPCC (2007) will likely place unique stresses on plant communities. In addition, anthropogenic barriers (e.g., fragmented land use) present a significant modern constraint that will limit the ability of species migration in responses to a changing climate. As such, managers are faced with four options that lay along a continuum when managing species in the face of climate change: (1) They can do nothing, and therefore allow existing landscapes to change without active intervention, accepting...

Experimental wood–plastic composites (WPCs) were made so that they matched the manufacturing process, dimensions, and water absorption of some commercial decking boards. WPC samples from selected formulations were divided into two identical groups. The first group was exposed in exterior conditions in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Hilo, Hawaii, at sun and shadow sites. Water absorption and biological activity were monitored by field inspection, density change measurement, and optical and scanning electron microscopy. The second group was used for soil block culture testing performed...

Understanding how climate change may influence forest carbon (C) budgets requires knowledge of forest growth relationships with regional climate, long-term forest succession, and past and future disturbances, such as wildfires and timber harvesting events. We used a landscape-scale model of forest succession, wildfire, and C dynamics (LANDIS-II) to evaluate the effects of a changing climate (A2 and B1 IPCC emissions; Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory General Circulation Models) on total forest C, tree species composition, and wildfire dynamics in the Lake Tahoe Basin, California, and...

We reviewed energy efficiency measures in facilities across the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, examining opportunities and obstacles, and identifying factors of project success. The adoption of energy efficiency measures at Forest Service sites was seen to be most likely when decision control was local to the site and when budget timing and structures were familiar to decisionmakers and planned for in advance. The role of information diffusion is an important factor in both the planning and demonstration phases of energy efficient projects. The findings presented can help...

This science update provides an overview of forest resources in Mississippi based on an inventory conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program at the Southern Research Station in cooperation with the Mississippi Forestry Commission. Data estimates are based on field data collected using the FIA annualized sample design and are updated yearly. The estimates presented in this update are for the measurement year 2012 with comparisons made to data reported in 2011. The sample plot population in Mississippi consists of 3,667 plots,...

Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) factsheets are produced periodically to keep the public updated on the extent and condition of forest lands in each State. Estimates in the factsheets are based upon data collected from thousands of sample plots distributed across the landscape in a systematic manner. In North Carolina, this process is a collaborative effort between the United States Forest Service and the North Carolina Forest Service. This factsheet is an annualized update of the last complete survey collected from 2003 to 2007 and refreshed by reprocessing with data collected in 2009,...