Treesearch

Land cover and extreme weather events are closely connected to ecosystem services like water yield and carbon sequestration. Understanding how carbon and water respond to human disturbances is critical for managing these resources and realize desired ecosystem services at the national llevel. The monthly scale ecosystem model, Water Supply Stress Index (WaSSI), was tested and applied across Germany for mapping carbon and water balances from 2001 to 2019. We estimated that ecosystems in Germany generate 84.86 billion m3 of water yield and sequester 106.03 Tg of carbon annually on average....

The “Nature‐based Solutions” strategy for combatting global land degradation and climate change through forestation has drawn increasing concerns regarding its potential tradeoffs with water resources, especially in dry regions. China is “greening up” due to decades of large‐scale tree planting and ecological restoration campaigns. However, national‐level assessments of the individual and combined effects of forest cover and climate changes on water yield at a fine scale are still lacking. Here, we show several lines of evidence indicating that the unprecedented forestation has exacerbated...

Resource pulses are ecologically important events that occur in most ecosystems, yet most of our previous knowledge about their effects comes from relatively simple single pulse systems. In reality, many consumers likely attempt to track multiple, sometimes overlapping, resource pulses through space and time. Indeed, pulses of food resources at lower trophic levels have been shown to decouple the response of large omnivorous predators to pulses of vertebrate prey, with implications for predator–prey interactions more broadly. However, to date, the impact of these alternative food pulses on...

Density estimation is central to wildlife management efforts but can be challenging in anthropogenically‐dominated landscapes due to small parcel sizes, access restrictions, and limited green space. Reliable density estimates are especially important for managing white‐tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ), whose high abundance in urbanized areas increases the need for accurate population assessments to guide management and reduce negative human–wildlife interactions. Herein, we evaluated (a) the use of a plot‐based spatial capture‐recapture sampling design to estimate deer density in...

Riparian forest buffers are used in the United States for multiple conservation, cultural, and socio-economic benefits. To date, no comprehensive national survey has been conducted on producers with riparian forest buffers, limiting understanding of how they establish, manage, and value these systems. The National Agroforestry Producer Survey was conducted to address this knowledge gap. The survey was completed by 5,682 producers with agroforestry (52% response rate). This study provides results from the 2,433 producers who reported using riparian forest buffers, one of the five agroforestr...

Welcome to the first monograph in the Fire Series! In this research, scientists were interested in understanding the impacts of different forest treatments, like thinning and prescribed fire, on forest conditions. Setting up an experimental design to test these treatments' impacts during a wildfire was impossible, but when a real wildfire burned through the study plots unexpectedly, scientists were able to see how these treatments affected forest resilience. The monograph also features a spotlight on Smokey Bear and his wildfire prevention message, activities, a glossary, and national...

Over the past several decades, research has documented increased adoption of silvopasture in the United States. However, no national survey has been conducted on silvopasture use, limiting understanding of key information needed to inform technical assistance and research. The National Agroforestry Producer Survey was conducted to address this gap. The survey was completed by 5,682 producers with agroforestry (52% response rate). This study provides results from the 1,747 producers who reported using silvopasture, one of the five agroforestry practices covered in the survey. The average...

Tornadoes drastically impact managed forest landscapes, altering structure, composition, and economic valuation. Tornadoes occur frequently in the US and are projected to increase in the southeastern region, which is a substantial timber-producing region. Quantifying tornado damage in managed forest landscapes is important for guiding management decisions and modeling recovery efforts to recoup economic losses. We assessed the spatiotemporal effects on forest structure, volume, and carbon in 13–17 year old loblolly pine ( Pinus taeda L.) stands after an EF-3 tornado, with a path length of...

This report provides detailed estimates and highlights key findings from U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data collected across its Alaska Susitna-Copper FIA unit in 2019 and 2020. The Susitna-Copper FIA unit encompasses much of the Susitna River and upper Copper River watersheds and is one of six FIA inventory units designed to measure the expansive boreal forests of Alaska. Estimates of forest area, volume, aboveground biomass, and ecosystem carbon are provided across land ownerships, forest types, and forest demographics throughout the...