Treesearch

Forest managers in the eastern United States need to decide which species and seed sources will be best adapted to current and future climates. This guidebook will synthesize information on genetics, silviculture, and forest health to assist land managers on decisions to seed transfer for major tree species in the eastern U.S.

Sea-level rise and climate change stresses pose increasing threats to coastal wetlands that are vital to wildlife habitats, carbon sequestration, water supply, and other ecosystem services with global significance. However, existing studies are limited in individual sites, and large-scale mapping of coastal wetland degradation patterns over a long period is rare. Our study developed a new framework to detect spatial and temporal patterns of coastal wetland degradation by analyzing fine-scale, long-term remotely sensed Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data. Then, this framework...

Coastal wetlands provide the unique biogeochemical functions of storing a large fraction of the terrestrial carbon (C) pool and being among the most productive ecosystems in the world. However, coastal wetlands face numerous natural and anthropogenic disturbances that threaten their ecological integrity and C storage potential. To monitor the C balance of a coastal forested wetland, we established an eddy covariance flux tower in a natural undrained bottomland hardwood forest in eastern North Carolina, USA. We examined the long-term trends (2009–2019) in gross primary productivity (GPP),...

Habitat restoration to recover fish populations takes place worldwide, yet studies of its efficacy are fraught with challenges. One difficulty comes from studies of fish responses that are too focused on whether abundance has increased in the restored habitat, limiting the methodology to observational data of fish density. However, many other tools are available for evaluation of restoration. I review a set of conceptually based methods that colleagues and I used to assess restoration efficacy in a model river system to show the strength of considering alternative approaches. Although it...

Reforestation following harvest, and/or natural disasters, is critical to sustaining healthy forests. Recent increases in frequency, scale, and severity in wildfires in the West combined with ongoing turnover in personnel make the National Silviculture Workshop an ideal venue to review the laws and policies that direct reforestation on National Forest System Lands.

The National Forest Management Act of 1976 (NFMA) mandates prompt reforestation. Passage of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) included the Repairing Existing Public Land by Adding Necessary Trees Act (REPLANT Act), which removes the cap on the Reforestation Trust Fund, indefinitely increasing annual funding for reforestation from $30 million to $140 million or more.

Meeting forest restoration goals requires establishment and growth of seedlings that can thrive for many decades. Often, this requires use of nursery-grown plants. Despite their obvious role, however, nurseries can be considered a low priority and/or overlooked during the planning process.

On the USDA Forest Service National Forest System, reforestation and restoration plans often require tree seedlings and native plant seed to expedite achieving a desired future condition following timber harvests, wildfires, and outbreaks of disease and insect pests. The seed and seedlings used by the agency for these purposes are produced by its Genetic Resource Program and its Nursery System, State forestry offices and other public agencies, and the commercial forest nursery and native seed industries. The Forest Service National Seed Laboratory (NSL) was established in 1954 to support...

At a fundamental level, smoke from wildland fire is of scientific concern because of its potential adverse effects on human health and social well-being. Although many impacts (e.g., evacuations, property loss) occur primarily in proximity to the actual fire, smoke can end up having a significant social impact far from the source. This dynamic, combined with lengthening fire seasons, suggests that understanding how wildland fire smoke affects diverse social values will be increasingly critical. This chapter reviews the existing scientific knowledge related to wildland fire smoke with...

Smoke from wildland fire is a significant concern to resource managers who need tools, knowledge, and training to analyze, address, and minimize potential impacts; follow relevant rules and regulations; and inform the public of possible effects. Successful navigation of competing pressures to appropriately use fire on the landscape to manage fire-adapted and fire-dependent ecosystems, while protecting public health and other air quality values, depends on credible science and tools conceived of and developed in partnership between managers and the research community. Fire and smoke...