Treesearch

Objective We sought to measure a step-pool restoration project's effects on a steelhead Oncorhynchus mykisspopulation and explore the capability of process-based modeling to enhance understanding of the results. Methods We used before-after–control-impact monitoring in combination with a process-based, individual-based, spatially explicit fish population model to evaluate a stream restoration project that reconfigured the channel and primarily added step pools to a reach of a second-order stream in northwestern California. Result Five years of monitoring both before (2012–2016) and after...

The benefits and functions of urban trees are well-studied, and stewardship groups, non-governmental organizations, tree professionals, and municipal leaders aim to increase canopy cover and expand planting programs. However, urban trees also present variable risks to human safety and infrastructure based on tree species, size, age, health, and maintenance history. Furthermore, changing global climate conditions and increased storm frequency and intensity make it imperative for urban forestry professionals to mitigate risk and collaborate with stakeholders. In this qualitative study, we...

The summers of 2022 and 2023 in the northern hemisphere have demonstrated that extreme heat events are an urgent, real problem that cities must address. Among the many aspects of urban planning that relate to human thermal comfort, a major aspect that can contribute to the solution is maintaining and increasing urban tree canopy cover. However, the scientific evidence for the magnitude of cooling benefit is sparse and highly variable. In reviewing the empirical evidence on the extent to which urban trees can cool the environment, we argue that there are still significant knowledge gaps,...

Expanding geographic distribution and increased populations of ticks has resulted in an upsurge of human-tick encounters in the United States (US), leading to an increase in tickborne disease reporting. Limited knowledge of the broadscale spatial range of tick species is heightened by a rapidly changing environment. Therefore, we partnered with the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program of the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture and used passive tick surveillance to better understand spatiotemporal variables associated with foresters encountering three tick species (Amblyomm...

The Northwest - Washington, Oregon, and Idaho - encompasses diverse communities, economies, and ecosystems, with almost 14 million residents.1 From western coastal regions to forested mountains to arid shrub-steppe, the Northwest is home to numerous culturally and economically important native plants and animals. Northwest ecosystems provide housing, recreation, food, and income that support the collective health and well-being of the region’s communities and economies. The 43 Federally Recognized Tribes in the Northwest also rely on the region’s ecosystems to sustain their livelihoods....

Residents and visitors in the Southern Great Plains - Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas - benefit from the region’s working coasts, sandy beaches, southern forests, grasslands, urban areas, rural towns, scrublands, rangelands, and croplands. The region spans 20 ecoregions, each with distinct and diverse species of plants and animals. Those ecosystems provide clean air and water, healthy soils, landscapes for recreation and tourism, habitats for wild plants and animals, and other benefits. The region’s 47 Federally Recognized Tribes were forcibly relocated to the region from elsewhere or constrict...

Background. Boreal regions are warming at more than double the global average, creating opportunities for the northward expansion of agriculture. Expanding agricultural production in these regions will involve the conversion of boreal forests to agricultural fields, with cumulative impacts on soil microbial communities and associated biogeochemical cycling processes. Understanding the magnitude or rate of change that will occur with these biological processes will provide information that will enable these regions to be developed in a more sustainable manner, including managing carbon and...