Treesearch

Introduction: Mounting evidence suggests that geographic ranges of tree species worldwide are shifting under global environmental changes. Little is known, however, about if and how these species' range shifts may trigger the range shifts of various types of forests. Markowitz’s portfolio theory of investment and its broad application in ecology suggest that the range shift of a forest type could differ substantially from the range shifts of its constituent tree species. Methods: Here, we tested this hypothesis by comparing the range shifts of forest types and the mean of their constituent...

Scientists have spent decades trying to understand how to best promote resilient forests and reduce fuels. A golden endeavor certainly. Is the best approach using a series of prescribed burns? Or is it mechanically cutting trees? Or does the additive effect of both cutting and burning provide the best alchemy?

We argue that walking as a method provides an integrative approach to advance epistemic justice in sustainability research. The theory and practice of walking as a method has grown quickly within the social sciences and arts but remains underrepresented in sustainability research, where walking is typically an object of study (e.g., urban walkability). We argue that walking should be valued as an important mode of knowledge production that simultaneously widens sustainability knowledge, integrates diverse knowledge systems, and supports transdisciplinary sustainability solutions. In this...

Understanding the percolation threshold is essential for determining the performance of particle-reinforced polymer composites. Spray-dried cellulose nanocrystals (SDCNC) of micrometer size reinforced homopolymer polypropylene (HPP) composites at 20, 30, 40, and 50 wt.% were prepared to investigate the percolation threshold of SDCNC particles in HPP. The effect of a compatibilizer (maleic anhydride polypropylene (MAPP)) at 3, 5, and 7 wt.%, on the SDCNC percolation networks and composites performance were also studied. The results indicated that SDCNC particle percolation networks in HPP...

Greenspaces are increasingly valued for supporting biodiversity in urbanized landscapes. Previous research efforts have emphasized the importance of public land such as parks and nature preserves for biodiversity, yet private yards in residential neighborhoods also have great potential for species conservation. Our study considered the importance of adjacent public and private greenspaces for urban bird diversity. We surveyed birds in public parks (n = 39) and private yards (n = 41) distributed across neighboring twin cities (Champaign and Urbana) in Illinois, USA, to assess potential...

Like many other fields, ornithology and birding are addressing their legacy of colonialism, including reexamining their naming practices. Discussions about eponyms, when species are named to honour people, sit at the intersection of nomenclatural stability and social justice concerns. In response to a charged debate about the future of eponymous common names, members of the American Ornithological Society (AOS)'s Diversity and Inclusion Committee held one-on-one listening sessions in 2020 with stakeholder groups across the birding and ornithology community and, in 2021, organized a...

Wildfire size and severity have increased in recent decades prompting scientists to take a closer look at where fire refugia - forested locations that are burned less frequently or severely than their surroundings - occur on a given landscape. Recently published research to identify potential refugia across upland conifer forests sheds light on the factors that influence where tree survival and recruitment are likely.

This report summarizes the third full annualized inventory of West Virginia forest land. The inventory was conducted from 2012 to 2018 by the Forest Inventory and Analysis program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station in cooperation with the West Virgina Division of Forestry. West Virginia has nearly 12 million acres of forest land with an average of 507 trees (at least 1.0-inch in diameter) per acre. Hardwoods are the dominant tree species in West Virginia. Forest land is dominated by the oak/hickory forest type group, which occupies 73 percent...

Changing fire regimes have the potential to threaten wildlife populations and communities. Understanding species’ responses to novel fire regimes is critical to formulating effective management and conservation strategies in an era of rapid change. Here, we examined the empirical effects of recent and historical wildfire activity on Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida) populations in the southwestern United States. Using region-wide, standardized detection/ non-detection data of Mexican spotted owl breeding pairs collected from 2015 to 2022, we found (i) higher rates of pair...

Non-native- dominated landscapes may arise from invasion by competitive plant species, disturbance and invasion of early-colonizing species, or some combination of these. Without knowing site history, however, it is difficult to predict how native or non-native communities will reassemble after disturbance events. Given increasing disturbance levels across anthropogenically impacted landscapes, predictive understanding of these patterns is important. We asked how disturbance affected community assembly in six invaded habitat types common in dryland, grazed landscapes on Island of Hawai‘i....