Treesearch

This chapter reviews and synthesizes research on factors associated with stream water quality at the Priest River Experimental Forest (PREF). In particular, it is intended to inform regional water quality regulatory agencies, such as Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (IDEQ) and Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) on PREF’s available resources and its potential usefulness for conducting synthetic and field research designed to increase science-based knowledge on factors associated with stream water quality.

This chapter is a review and synthesis of research on stream nutrients from the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest (HJA) located in the western Cascade Mountains of Oregon. This research includes studies, some of which originated in the 1960s, in streams through reference forests and harvested watersheds. In addition to providing foundational information for researchers and managers, the information in this chapter serves to inform national and regional water quality regulatory agencies about results of relevant scientific studies at HJA. The chapter also identifies questions of potential...

Anoplophora chinensis (Forster) is a xylophagous invasive cerambycid whose larvae feed on the lower bole and exposed roots of many tree species in orchard, urban, and forested habitats. Larval survival and development of A. chinensis from Italy and China were evaluated at eight constant temperatures (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40°C). Development was slow or did not occur at temperatures ≤10 and >35°C. The TMin for the first six instars and the pupa was <10°C, while TMin for the higher instars was closer to 12°C. The ultimate instar for both populations was insensitive to temperature....

In this study, cellulose nanofbrils (CNFs) were modified by catalyzed lactic acid esterification in an aqueous medium with SnCl2 as a catalyst. Films were made from unmodified and lactic acid-modified CNF without a polymer matrix to evaluate the effectiveness of the modification. Ungrafted and lactic acid-grafted CNF was also compounded with poly(lactic acid) (PLA) to produce composites. Mechanical, water absorption, and barrier properties were evaluated for ungrafted CNF, lactic acid-grafted CNF films, and PLA/CNF composites to ascertain the effect of lactic acid modification on the...

Lignocellulose is a potential sustainable feedstock for the production of renewable biofuels and bioproducts. Nature embeds cellulose microfibrils within hemicelluloses and lignin, creating a robust nano-scale structure that is resistant to insects, pathogens, and harsh environments. This resilient lignocellulose structure, in turn, thwarts bioprocessing by preventing cellulolytic enzymes access to the cellulosic substrates and the subsequent release of sugars. Thus, bioprocessing requires a pretreatment process to disrupt the intimately bound polymers in the lignocellulose structure....

Trying to monitor changes in the size of a bear population and frustrated with the small sample size due to budget constraints? Have you considered that many species provide easy-to-obtain samples by rubbing on all sorts of things and leaving hair throughout their range? Surveys conducted annually in Glacier NP, USA, 1983-1997 to investigate the use of passive bear sign deposition to monitor bear population trend revealed the high prevalence and wide geographic extent of bear rubbing and resulting hair deposition (K. Kendall, unpublished data). Further, bears like to use trails and roads,...

A warming climate and extended growing season may confer competitive advantages to temperate conifers that can photosynthesize across seasons. Whether this potential translates into increased growth is unclear, as is whether pollution could constrain growth. We examined two temperate conifers—eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.) and eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carrière)—and analyzed associations between growth (476 trees in 23 plots) and numerous factors, including climate and pollutant deposition variables. Both species exhibited increasing growth over time and eastern white...

Although Dutch elm disease (DED) is the primary threat to American elm (Ulmus americana L.), we hypothesized that shoot freezing injury may also limit tree productivity and survival in the north. We assessed shoot cold tolerance and field winter injury of American elm bred for DED tolerance planted in Lemington, Vermont. We tested for differences in cold tolerance associated with date, maternal DED tolerance sources, paternal sources from plant hardiness zones 5a, 6a, and 6b (determined using data from 1996 to 2005), and the interactions of these. Cold tolerance was greatest in the winter,...

The Forest Sector Outlook Study 2020-2040 for the UNECE region provides information that supports decision making by showing the possible medium and long term consequences of specific policy choices and structural changes using scenario analyses whenever possible. The study is the first to cover the entire region and provides results for the main UNECE sub regions of Europe, North America and the Russian Federation. The study provides insight on six priority questions which were identified through a transparent and participatory process: (i) How would different demand changes affect the...

Dispersal is a key process that impacts population dynamics and structures biotic communities. Dispersal limitation influences the assembly of plant and microbial communities, including mycorrhizal fungi and their plant hosts. Mycorrhizal fungi play key ecological roles in forests by feeding nutrients to plants in exchange for sugars, so the dispersal of mycorrhizal fungi spores actively shapes plant communities. Although many fungi rely on wind for spore dispersal, some fungi have lost the ability to shoot their spores into the air and instead produce enclosed belowground fruiting bodies...