Treesearch

Oak wilt caused by Bretziella fagacearum is an important disease of Quercus spp.; however, its diagnosis may be confused with damage resulting from other diseases, insects, or abiotic factors. Laboratory diagnosis is important in such situations and when disease control action is desired. PCR tests can provide accurate lab diagnosis within 2 days. Two variations of a simple DNA extraction protocol using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) were compared with that of the proprietary protocol of a commercially available kit (CK) for nested PCR to detect the pathogen in oak sapwood. High frequencies of...

We developed a new online interface for the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model (WEPPcloud) with a framework that allows the incorporation and development of several other models and applications to make hydrologic models more accessible to land managers and facilitate the decision-making process. All inputs to WEPP, such as topography, soils, land use, and weather, are automatically created from publicly available online international databases and converted into input formats readable by the model. The WEPPcloud interface can be applied to forested, cropland, and rangeland...

The month-over-month housing data for June were predominantly positive year-over-year and month-over-month. However, housing permit and housing completions (all subcategories) and new housing sales were negative on a month-over-month basis.

The month-over-month and year-over-year housing data for August were predominantly positive. Single-family starts were negative month-over-month, and permits were negative year-over-year. Completions remained slowed due to the unavailability of building materials and products, among other factors. Thus, certain builders may be reluctant to start new projects while waiting to complete units under construction.

Beet curly top virus (BCTV) mediated yield loss in sugar beets is a major problem worldwide. The circular single-stranded DNA virus is transmitted by the beet leafhopper. Genetic sources of BCTV resistance in sugar beet are limited and commercial cultivars rely on chemical treatments versus durable genetic resistance. Phenotypic selection and double haploid production have resulted in sugar beet germplasm (KDH13; 13 and KDH4-9; 4) that are highly resistant to BCTV. The molecular mechanism of resistance to the virus is unknown, especially the role of small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) during...

Mean annual air temperatures are projected to increase, while the winter snowpack is expected to shrink in depth and duration for many mid- and high-latitude temperate forest ecosystems over the next several decades. Together, these changes will lead to warmer growing season soil temperatures and an increased frequency of soil freeze–thaw cycles (FTCs) in winter. We took advantage of the Climate Change Across Seasons Experiment (CCASE) at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, USA, to determine how these changes in soil temperature affect foliar...

Neighborhoods play a central role in health and mental health, particularly during disasters and crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined changes in psychological distress following the pandemic, and the potential role of neighborhood conditions among 244 residents of New Orleans, Louisiana. Using modified linear regression models, we assessed associations between neighborhood characteristics and change in psychological distress from before to during the pandemic, testing effect modification by sex and social support. While higher density of offsite alcohol outlets (β = 0.89; 95%...

The use of bio-indicators is an emerging, cost-effective alternative approach to identifying air pollution and assessing the need for additional air monitoring. This community science project explores the use of moss samples as bioindicators of the distribution ofmetal air particulates in two residential neighborhoods of the industrial Duwamish Valley located in Seattle,WA(USA).We applied geographically weighted regression to data from 61 youth-collected samples to assess the location-specific area-level spatial predictors of the concentrations of 25 elements with focus on five heavy...

Cherry plum (Prunus divaricata Ledeb.) is a promising species as a new rootstock for the Prunus genus. In the current study, phenotypic diversity among 43 accessions of this wild species from Hyrcanian forests in Golestan province from Iran was investigated. The selected accessions revealed significant differences in all the measured characteristics. Fruit length ranged from 10.90 to 16.40 mm with an average of 14.30. Ten-fruit weight varied from 5.53 to 33.50 g with an average of 17.70. Leaf length ranged from 19.10 to 44.60 mm with an average of 31.50. Leaf width varied from 8.43 to...

Landscape change occurs as a result of both human and natural forces. When changes are abrupt and drastic, they can negatively impact people who had become attached to a landscape's prior character. Place-based models of landscape change assert that the strength of people's attachments can influence their experience of and response to change. We apply a qualitative deductive-inductive approach to examine rapid change experienced by family forest owners in the northern Great Lakes region of the U.S. (N = 17), whose densely forested property was in the path of a major windstorm and near an...