Treesearch

Research suggests that social cohesion partially mediates the health benefits of being exposed to the natural environment. However, past studies have relied on self-reported measures of social cohesion that have well documented limitations. Therefore, we evaluate the impact of tree planting on social cohesion using voter turnout data as an objective metric of social cohesion. Our study area is the 141 Census tracts in Multnomah County, Oregon that fall within (>50% area) the City of Portland. We used biennial primary and general-election turnout data from 2002 to 2020, and tree-planting...

The University of Colorado Airborne Solar Occultation Flux (CU AirSOF) instrument conducted the first suborbital carbon monoxide (CO) mass flux measurements on the scale of large wildfires, showing that the destructive fires in northern California in October 2017 emitted 2,040 ± 316 tonnes CO hr−1. Pyrogenic estimates from seven satellite-based emission inventories bracket the observed flux, but their range spans a factor of 83. The simulated air quality impacts in the form of ozone and fine particulate matter scale primarily with these uncertain emission amounts, and range from insignifica...

The Latinx population in the United States, estimated to compose 28% of the country’s population by 2050, has a long history of public land use. Yet while research on Latinx outdoor recreation in urban green spaces has increased over the past 20 years, research on Latinx outdoor recreation on federal and state public lands has waned. This study synthesizes the literature on public land use and outdoor recreation on federal and state public lands by the Latinx population in the United States to assess the state of knowledge and to strategically identify research needs in Latinx public land...

The Great American Outdoors Act (AGOA) fully and permanently funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the first time since it was created in 1964. This is a boon for purchasing conservation lands, but equally important, the act provides funding to address massive federal agency recreation infrastructure backlogs. The last major overhaul of the U.S. parks and outdoor recreation system was over 50 years ago, during the era of Mission 66 and related programs. Since that time, a host of environmental and societal changes necessitates new approaches for updating conservation and recreation...

The well-documented and forced migration of Indigenous Peoples from ancestral lands has fragmented connections to, and understandings of place. Yet Indigenous Peoples are reconceptualizing and revitalizing these connections including by leading forest landscape restoration efforts. Indigenous and Local Knowledge (ILK) supports the design and practice of ecological restoration across rural to urban gradients – including both ancestral lands and contemporary places, with thought leaders advocating for biocultural approaches to address biodiversity loss, land occupation, and the colonial...

Riparian-management zones protect aquatic species and their habitats in managed forests, yet the effects of riparian-management alternatives warrant further study. We examined effects of alternative riparian-buffer widths on fish and amphibians in small headwater streams with upland forest thinning in western Oregon, USA. Previously, we reported apparent lag-time effects developing 10 years after thinning of upland second-growth forest, and additional effects 1–2 years after a second-thinning harvest. Here, we analyze effects on fish and amphibian abundances, body-size metrics, and...

Quantifying the demography of wildlife populations is imperative to evaluating population trends. Understanding patterns of influential demographic parameters often requires investigation of mechanisms influencing demography, which can be difficult to determine for cryptic species. We radio-tracked Pacific martens (Martes caurina), a small-bodied and elusive mesocarnivore, to estimate survival, determine causes of mortality, and assess co-occurring pathological conditions. We tracked 18 female and 33 male martens for an average (±SD, range) of 16.35 months (±8.7, 1–41) from 2009–2013 and...

Invasive species alter hydrologic processes at watershed scales, with impacts to biodiversity and the supporting ecosystem services. This effect is aggravated by climate change. Here, we integrated modelled hydrologic data, remote sensing products, climate data, and linear mixed integer optimization (MIP) to identify stewardship actions across space and time that can reduce the impact of invasive species. The study area is the windward coast of Hawai'i Island (USA) across which non-native strawberry guava occurrence varies from extremely dense stands in lower watershed reaches, to low...

The protection and expansion of forest carbon sinks are critical to achieving climate-change mitigation targets. Yet, the increasing frequency and severity of forest disturbances challenge the sustainable provision of forest services. We investigated patterns of forest disturbances’ impacts on carbon sinks by combining spatial datasets of forest carbon sequestration from biomass growth and emissions from fire and bark beetle damage in the western United States (U.S.) and valued the social costs of forest carbon losses. We also examined potential future trends of forest carbon sinks under...

Metrosideros polymorphaGaud. (‘ōhi‘a) is the most abundant native forest tree in Hawai‘i and a keystone species of cultural, ecological, and economic importance. ‘Ōhi‘a forests, particularly on Hawaiʻi Island, are being severely impacted by Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death (ROD), which is caused by the fungal pathogens Ceratocystis lukuohiaand C. huliohia. ROD is characterized by branch dieback, crown wilting, and mortality. Initial disease resistance screening of four varieties of M. polymorphawith C. lukuohiademonstrated that varieties may differ in susceptibility. Several survivors of field or...