Treesearch

Beginning in 1973, the National Silviculture Workshop (NSW) purposely brought together USDA Forest Service scientists from Research and Development and forest managers from the National Forest System to meet face-to-face to build a science and management partnership in silviculture. Recently, scientists from universities and other partners have joined this annual gathering. The 2022 NSW theme is “Foundational Concepts in Silviculture: Emphasis on Reforestation and Early Stand Improvement.” In 2022, the workshop is scheduled to take place in Kellogg, Idaho and is being jointly hosted by the...

Mountain watersheds often contain a mosaic of glacier-, snow-, and rain-fed streams that have distinct hydrologic, temperature, and biogeochemical regimes. However, as glaciers diminish and precipitation shifts from snow to rain, the physical and chemical characteristics that make glacial or snowmelt streams distinct from rain-fed streams will fade. Among the unforeseen consequences of this hydrologic homogenization could be the loss of unique food webs that sustain aquatic consumers. To explore the impacts of a melting cryosphere on stream food webs, we parameterized an aquatic food web...

Degraded floodplains and valley floors are restored with the goal of enhancing habitat for native fish and aquatic-riparian biota and the protection or improvement of water quality. Recent years have seen a shift toward “process-based restoration” that is intended to reestablish compromised ecogeomorphic processes resulting from site- or watershed-scale degradation. One form of process-based restoration has developed in the Pacific Northwest, United States, that is intended to reconnect rivers to their floodplains by slowing down flows of sediment, water, and nutrients to encourage lateral...

This publication provides an introduction to the concepts that are important to understanding fire in the ecology and management of oak forests in the eastern United States. Fire historically was common in eastern oak forests and woodlands but perceptions of fire changed and suppression became the norm. Research has demonstrated how fire-maintained woodlands and savannas are occupied by plant and wildlife species that require more open conditions than that in closed-canopy forests. Fire is essential to maintaining oak forests. In addition to favoring oaks, fire creates an environment that...

Climate change is affecting natural resources globally, altering ecosystems that support outdoor recreation. In the western United States, effects such as warming temperatures, increased drought, reduced snowpack, and widespread wildfires will change the outdoor recreation landscape. In this article, we synthesize the state of science regarding the effects of climate change on outdoor recreation in the western US and summarize adaptation options that can reduce the consequences of climate change, considering the adaptive capacities of recreationists and managers. We draw from a series of...

This is the fourth in a series of periodic monitoring reports on status and trends of forests used by northern spotted owls (Strix occidentalis caurina; NSO) for nesting, roosting, and dispersal on federally administered lands within the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) area (NSO range in the United States) since its implementation in 1994. The objective of this monitoring is to determine if federal forest lands are providing sufficient conservation of forests that are important elements of NSO habitat, and thus populations. Here we present models on the amount, distribution, and spatial...

High density polyethylene (HDPE) is widely used in composite industry as a host polymer because of its low cost and competitive mechanical properties. However, the addition of hydrophilic reinforcing nanofillers in HDPE-based composites is challenging and often requires chemical treatment. This study explored the addition of coupling agent maleic anhydride (MA) for improving the dispersion of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and nano zinc oxide (ZnO) in HDPE matrix, using two separate methods. MA grafted HDPE (MAPE) and HDPE with MA powder (HDPE-MA) were melt compounded with CNCs and ZnO....

Recent increases in area burned, combined with poor natural regeneration in some areas, have promoted concerns about widespread forest losses throughout the western U.S. Postfire reforestation is one strategy commonly employed by land managers and land owners to facilitate forest recovery, but the area in need of planting only becomes larger each year. The Southern Rockies Reforestation Tool (SRRT) is a simple web-mapping tool that was developed to help prioritize sites for postfire reforestation. This tool can be used to develop maps of fire severity and seedling suitability for ponderosa...

This study compared oxidative delignification of birch kraft pulp fibers to pulp fibers from acid hydrotropic fractionation (AHF) using p-toluenesulfonic acid (p-TsOH). Under oxygen delignification at 20% consistency, AHF pulps with lower hemicellulose content showed higher delignification than kraft pulps with similar lignin content despite its residual lignin (cellulosic enzymatic lignin, CEL) being less reactive with fewer β-O-4 ether aryl linkages based on 2D13C-1 H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The water retention value (WRV) of AHF pulp fibers, a measure of fiber...