Treesearch

This study assessed the effectiveness of restoration treatments in enhancing the growth of Vaccinium scoparium transplants and plants established from seed on six closed campsites in subalpine forests in the Sawtooth Wilderness, Idaho. In the primary experiment, the soil on all plots was scarified and amended with organic matter; plots varied regarding the type and amount of organic matter in the amendments, whether or not they were fertilized, and whether or not they were covered with a mulch blanket. In the second experiment, plots varied regarding whether or not they were scarified,...

Over the past century, white ash (Fraxinus americana) populations throughout its range have deteriorated as a result of declining tree health and increased mortality rates. Although co-occurring factors including site nutritional deficiencies and punctuated stress events (e.g., defoliations, drought) are hypothesized to trigger white ash decline, there are no empirical assessments of these factors at regional scales. In this study, we evaluated ash crown dieback, crown health condition, and mortality on 190 plots paired along a topographic gradient known to differ in site nutrition across...

The survival and growth of oak advance regeneration is often limited by shade-tolerant species that are abundant in the understory of oak stands. Evidence of historic burning has prompted the use of prescribed fire as a tool to improve the competitive status of oak regeneration in mature stands. A primary shortfall of fire effects research in oak forests has been a lack of long-term studies on the effects of multiple fires. Here we describe the effects of repeated fires on stand structure and tree regeneration over a 13-year period in mature mixed-oak forests located in southern Ohio, USA....

Extended abstracts in the proceedings of the 4th fire in eastern oak forests conference.

Additional presentation abstracts in the proceedings of the 4th fire in eastern oak forests conference.

This guide describes the benefits, opportunities, and trade-offs concerning fuel treatments in the dry mixed conifer forests of northern California and the Klamath Mountains, Pacific Northwest Interior, northern and central Rocky Mountains, and Utah. Multiple interacting disturbances and diverse physical settings have created a forest mosaic with historically low- to mixed-severity fire regimes. Analysis of forest inventory data found nearly 80 percent of these forests rate hazardous by at least one measure and 20 to 30 percent rate hazardous by multiple measures. Modeled mechanical...

Laetiporus caribensis is described as a new species, causing brown rot on hardwoods in the Caribbean basin. Laetiporus caribensis is distinguished from described species in the genus by smaller basidiospores. In addition, single spore isolates of L. caribensis are incompatible with those of the known species of Laetiporus from North America and Japan. The ITS sequence of L .caribensis is divergent from other members of the genus, being at least 50 base pairs different from L. gilbertsonii, the most closely related species.

Forest managers are seeking practical guidance on how to adapt their current practices and, if necessary, their management goals, in response to climate change. Science-management collaboration was initiated on national forests in eastern Washington where resource managers showed a keen interest in science-based options for adapting to climate change at a 2-day workshop. Scientists and managers reviewed current climate change science and identified resources vulnerable to expected climate change. Vulnerabilities related to vegetation and habitat management included potential reductions in...

Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) in the Inland Northwest region of the USA are nitrogen (N) deficient; however stem growth responses to N fertilizers are unpredictable, which may be due to poor accounting of other limiting nutrients. Screening trial experiments, including potassium (K), sulfur (S), and boron (B) multiple nutrient treatments, have been conducted to learn about Douglas-fir nutritional status and fertilizer growth response. The data from the screening trial experiments were compiled to test whether the soil parent materials of the region could be used to...

The Spring Mountains National Recreation Area (SMNRA) includes approximately 316,000 acres of National Forest System lands managed by the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Clark and Nye Counties, Nevada (see Figure 1-1). The Spring Mountains have long been recognized as an island of endemism, harboring flora and fauna found nowhere else in the world. Conservation of the species endemic to and resident in the Spring Mountains is a goal described in the Organic Act for the SMNRA (Public Law 102-63, August 4, 1993). Management direction for the SMNRA was established in an amendment (USFS...