Treesearch

The role of forests in the global carbon cycle and opportunities to use natural climate solutions to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions have gained attention for a number of reasons including the Trillion Trees Initiative, California's cap and trade legislation, corporate net-zero pledges, and recent federal and state policy initiatives. Forest carbon sequestration is an essential part of natural climate solutions, and understanding the dynamics of carbon sequestration is crucial for developing guidelines to manage forest carbon sinks.

Red turpentine beetle, Dendroctonus valens LeConte (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), previously responded more strongly to (—)-β-pinene + ethanol than (+)-3-carene + ethanol lures at sites burned the prior year by wildfire in Oregon and northeastern California, whereas at a thinned-unburned Arizona site (+)-3-carene + ethanol was the stronger attractant. This discrepancy was further examined to tease apart whether D. valens attraction varies by region or previous forest disturbance types. Here, (—)-β-pinene + ethanol and (+)-3-carene + ethanol lures were tested in pine stands at two...

Updating predictions of the response of high-profile, at-risk species to climate change and anthropogenic stressors is vital for informing effective conservation action. Here, we review two prior generations of Bayesian network probability models predicting changes in global polar bear (Ursus maritimus) population status, and provide a contemporary update based on recent research findings and sea-ice projections by newer climate models. We compare predictions of polar bear population response from all 3 models among four circumpolar Arctic ecoregions, using sea ice projections based on...

Protecting the future of forests relies on our ability to observe changes in forest health. Thus, developing tools for sensing diseases in a timely fashion is critical for managing threats at broad scales. Oak wilt —a disease caused by a pathogenic fungus (Bretziella fagacearum)— is threatening oaks, killing thousands yearly while negatively impacting the ecosystem services they provide. Here we propose a novel workflow for mapping oak wilt by targeting temporal disease progression through symptoms using land surface phenology (LSP) from spaceborne observations. By doing so, we hypothesize...

Context: Land-use change, including agricultural expansion, is one of the major drivers of biodiversity loss globally. Given the rapid pace of land-use change, data-driven, strategic, and dynamic conservation planning is imperative.Objectives: We present an exemplar application of using existing data to inform conservation planning. Specifically, we developed a systematic approach for identifying areas of conservation concern due to cannabis cultivation in California, USA.Methods: We used three existing datasets: (1) camera trap data from ten projects (n = 1186); (2) the locations of...

Iran is located in a dry climate zone, and climate change has substantially reduced its precipitation and water resources. Reusing wastewaters from urban communities can meet some requirements for irrigation and fertilization of tree plantations in arid environments, leading to sustainable wastewater recycling, enhanced biomass production, and reduced land degradation. The objective of this study was to test the growth, biomass, nutrition, and heavy-metal accumulation of poplars [Populus nigra L. “62/154,” P. alba L. “20/45,” P. euramericana (Dode) Guinier “92/40”], and willow (Salix...

Tree improvement research is a long-term commitment that is subject to challenges from environmental and human-induced change. Over time, tree health, culture, and economics can be negatively affected by change factors including climate change, pests and/or diseases, regulatory actions, and shifting economic circumstances. In the current paper we describe strategies to leverage short- and long-term field trials for managing different types of change that impact tree improvement. Field trials like those presented here could be used to test new materials and processes, as well as serve as an...

Poplars (Populus L. spp.) are versatile, productive trees that are used in environmental systems worldwide to provide a variety of benefits. Though poplars are recognized for their elevated water use, summaries of existing data on poplar water use, its influencing factors, and the methodologies used to measure it, are lacking. We sought to 1) summarize the sap flow methodologies used to quantify poplar water use, 2) review sap flow-derived water use data reported in the literature for Populus hybrids and non-hybrids, and 3) assess the effects of different intrinsic factors (plant variables)...

Imagine being able to take a bird’s eye view of the forest: you could see the forest structure, how the trees are grouped, the height and size of each tree in a matter of moments as you cruise over. You could fly over the stand today, then again next year and examine the effects of a treatment or a wildfire or an insect outbreak. Uncrewed aerial systems (UAS - aka drones) are starting to allow managers to do just that.