Treesearch

Rapid warming of high-latitude ecosystems is increasing microbial activity and accelerating the decomposition of permafrost soils. This proliferation of microbial energy could restructure high-latitude food webs and alter carbon cycling between above-ground and below-ground habitats. We used stable isotope analysis (δ13C) of amino acids to trace carbon flow through food webs exposed to warming and quantified changes in the assimilation of microbial carbon by Arctic tundra and boreal forest consumers. From 1990 to 2021, small mammals in boreal forests exhibited a significant reduction in...

The reproductive phenology of plants has profound influence on ecosystem dynamics including plant–animal interactions. Broad phenological patterns, especially the timing of reproduction, may result from long-term climate trends and co-evolution between plants and their pollinators, dispersers, and predators. Yet, interannual climate variation and local abiotic conditions may also affect the timing and magnitude of plant reproduction. Understanding the patterns of and controls on plant reproduction are crucial for conservation efforts under a changing global climate and rapidly expanding...

Bark beetle outbreaks result in massive amounts of deadwood which are a significant carbon reservoir that can impact forest ecosystems. Additionally, bark beetle-introduced symbiotic fungi in beetle-generated deadwood can increase termite presence and feeding. This could alter decomposition rates and saproxylic communities of bark beetle-generated deadwood. However, the fate of bark beetle-generated deadwood after tree mortality has received little attention despite the possibility bark beetles could alter decomposition processes and deadwood residence times at landscape scales following...

Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii) is an important species in the Pacific Northwest including California forests. Due to the increasing need for reforestation in this region after widespread disturbances related to changes in climate (i.e., drought, megafires, beetle mortality), it is necessary to examine the factors that contribute to performance and survival of planted seedlings in reforestation projects. While most conifer planting in northern California is done in spring, fall planting is also an alternative practice used. With the recent increase in demand of seedlings...

Forest management decisions can have both positive and negative impacts on biodiversity, including bird species. Silvicultural treatments such as thinning, single-tree selection, and other methods can influence bird abundance and diversity because different species have different habitat, diet, breeding, and migration needs. To better understand how forest management activities affect bird populations, researchers conducted a meta-analysis that focused on two types of species in eastern North America during the breeding season: mature-forest species and shrubland species. The research team...

To explore the carbon sequestration potential of hardwood forests in the eastern United States, the forest vegetation simulator (FVS) and life cycle assessment (LCA) were integrated to analyze the forest carbon dynamics for the four subregions of the eastern United States: northeast (NE), mid-Atlantic (MA), southeast (SE), and north central (NC). This study quantitatively assessed current forest management practices for timber production and their associated life-cycle environmental impacts. The system boundary was selected to be consistent with the A1 module (extraction and upstream...

Stated preference valuation of ecosystem services involves participants answering hypothetical questions to express preferences. Participants tend to respond to the hypothetical questions separately, without any deliberation (the process of considering and discussing within a group). However, a relatively recent development in deliberation research involves asking participants to state preferences via deliberation. Deliberation is historically conducted in-person but can now also be done online. This paper covers the strengths and limitations of integrating online deliberation into stated...

American black bears (Ursus americanus) may be more social than currently understood. We used long-term video and genetic data to evaluate social interactions among wild, independent-aged black bear on a conservation property in western Montana, USA. We used multinomial logistic regression to evaluate predictions about male-male interactions within the context of individual fitness, female-female interactions within the context of inclusive fitness, and male-female interactions within the context of female counterstrategies to infanticide. Overall, our findings challenged the assumption...

Many trees exhibit masting – where reproduction is temporally variable and synchronous over large areas. Several dominant masting species occur in tropical cyclone (TC)-prone regions, but it is unknown whether TCs correlate with mast seeding. We analyzed long-term data (1958–2022) to test the hypothesis that TCs influence cone production in longleaf pine (Pinus palustris). We integrate field observations, weather data, satellite imagery, and hurricane models to test whether TCs influence cone production via: increased precipitation; canopy density reduction; and/or mechanical stress from...

As in the previous reports on the status of Virginia’s forests, forest land and timberland acreage remains stable. We continue to see a gradual increase in the proportion of stands comprised of larger trees, and with that, more wood volume than previously and a greater percentage of that volume in is sawtimber-sized trees. Hardwood average annualized growth had been increasing during the previous three periods of annualized forest inventory but now shows little change since 2016. Softwood growth, however, continues to increase. Removals in both softwood and hardwood species groups have...