Treesearch

Tension wood (TW), a type of reaction wood that develops in angiosperm trees in response to gravistimulation, serves as an ideal model for investigating the regulatory mechanisms underlying xylem cell differentiation and cell wall deposition. The initial biological signals that induce the formation of reaction wood in response to gravitational stimuli remain poorly understood. In this study, we utilized pharmacological and genetic approaches to modulate Ca 2+ levels in hybrid white poplar ( Populus alba × P . glandulosa ) and examine the role of calcium signaling during the early stages of...

Though a minor forest pest in its native range in Asia, the emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, causes widespread ash (Fraxinus spp) mortality throughout its invaded range in North America and Europe. The rapid range expansion demonstrated by EAB suggests this beetle possesses extraordinary tolerance for a broad range of climatic conditions. While previous studies have measured the cold tolerance of overwintering EAB larvae, none have considered the effect of developmental stage or diapause condition on cold hardiness. By testing the supercooling point (SCP) of lab-reare...

The influence of invasive plant species (IPS) on forest ecosystems has been of sufficient concern to warrant data acquisition on their presence and abundance. These data are needed at various spatial scales for both land management and policy purposes. One potential source of data are national forest inventories (NFIs) that often record IPS observations on sample plots that span relatively large spatial and temporal extents, thus providing data users with a wide range of analytical opportunities to meet desired information needs. In the NFI of the USA, which is conducted by the USA Forest...

Did you know your cellphone’s GPS locations can help us decipher how recreationists and wildlife overlap in time and space? Mark Ditmer, a research ecologist at the Rocky Mountain Research Station, and colleagues harnessed this cellphone-derived human mobility data to explore how managers can enhance recreation and protect wildlife in sensitive habitats.

In early 2024, Michael Caggiano, a wildland firefighter and regional fire analyst with the Forest Service, approached David Flores, a research social scientist with the Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station, with a proposal: what about conducting a research study on the perspectives of wildland firefighters around food catering?

For nearly 100 years, the Forest Service has inventoried America’s forest resources to provide a scorecard of forest health, vitality, and sustainability. Born out of the McSweeney-McNary Forest Research Act of 1928, the Forest Inventory and Analysis Program is nationally coordinated by regional experts and now consists of more than 355,000 survey plots across public and private land.

The International Nondestructive Testing and Evaluation of Wood Symposium series was initiated by Washington State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) in 1963 with the convening of a symposium on the topic of nondestructive testing of wood at FPL. Including that meeting, 23 symposia focused on nondestructive testing and evaluation of wood have been held over the last 60 years at various sites around the world. The technical content of these symposia has been captured and published in proceedings. The proceedings from...

U.S. softwood lumber demand is intrinsically linked to residential construction. However, most previous studies have not adequately accounted for this key demand driver when projecting lumber demand. This study links projected housing activity under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) to softwood lumber demand by explicitly incorporating housing starts into the Forest Resource Outlook Model (FOROM). To support this integration, we first estimate updated demand elasticities using quarterly U.S. data from 2000 to 2024 within an instrumental variables framework. Results show that housing...

The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) requires plot-level geolocation and full supply chain traceability—requirements that pose distinctive challenges for pellet supply chains where fiber origins cannot be distinguished after blending. We use a dynamic spatial equilibrium model covering fourteen regions to assess how these compliance requirements affect global wood pellet production, prices, and trade from 2026 to 2030. We compare four policy scenarios—EU-only and joint EU-UK implementation, each with static or rising compliance costs—against a no-regulation baseline. Results...

Concepts and models of fire refugia are increasingly important components of forest management and adaptation discussions in the context of wildland fire, forest and habitat conservation, and global change. Recent stand-replacing fires in mature and old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest (PNW) region of the western United States have increased land manager and scientific interest in fire refugia that can provide important ecosystem services. Here we provide an overview of fire refugia concepts and products being actively developed and applied in forests of the PNW (Washington, Oregon,...