Treesearch

To understand the influence of competition indices and post-thinning effects in predicting individual tree mortality, we developed two models, one without the effect of thinning and another, with the effect of thinning for naturally occurring even-aged natural shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata Mill.) stands in the Ozark and Ouachita National Forests in Oklahoma and Arkansas, USA. Over the period of 25 years, six re-measurements of an individual tree from each plot were collected between 1985 and 2014. The logistic function was used to model the probability of mortality for which the binary...

Life-history timing, trophic interactions, and colonization potential of stream benthos are linked to a stream’s flow regime. Modifications to flow regimes often alter the composition of benthic assemblages. We assessed the impacts of relatively large storage dams (>15 m in height, >400-ha impoundments) on crayfish assemblages in southern Appalachian Mountain streams, Alabama, USA. We sampled crayfishes at multiple sites in flowing sections upstream and downstream of dams in 3 impounded streams and along similar lengths of 2 unimpounded streams in the Bear Creek and Cahaba River drainages....

The western pine beetle, Dendroctonus brevicomis LeConte (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae), is a bark beetle native to parts of western North America. The beetle colonizes and kills ponderosa (Pinus ponderosa) and Coulter (P. coulteri) pines. Western pine beetle prefers to colonize larger diameter trees (>20 inches [50 centimeters (cm)] diameter at breast height [DBH]) but will attack and kill trees of most ages and sizes during outbreaks. Rarely is slash or other logging debris colonized. The beetle may cause mortality of 60 to 90 percent of host trees in some landscapes (fig. 1)....

Southern yellow pine specimens collected from historical structures, stumps, and coarse woody debris in forests have been difficult to identify at the species level due to similar wood anatomy. This can be problematic for dendrochronologists when identifying the correct species used in the construction of historical structures, or reconstructing forest history on the landscape and using those specimens in the context of that history. We applied a quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA) to update a century-old method plotting pith diameters against second annual ring diameters to discern one...

To improve the compatibility of an organosolv lignin (OL) in polylactic acid (PLA) blends, a green approach was pursued whereby the lignin was modified with propylene carbonate (PC) to increase its aliphatic hydroxyl content, and thereby, its reactivity. The oxyalkylated organosolv lignin (OOL, synthesized at 170 C) was analyzed by quantitative 31P NMR and showed the number of phenolic hydroxyls decreased from 4.73 to 0.16 mmol g 1 , and the number of aliphatic hydroxyls increased from 3.56 to 3.92 mmol g 1 . OOL-g-PLA copolymer (OOLPC) samples were prepared by graft polymerization of...

Copper is a common component in wood preservatives and is used to protect the wood against fungal degradation. Previous research has shown that the Cu++ oxidation state provides the best wood protection, and Cu++ is widely believed to be the oxidation state of most copper within treated wood. A recent study using X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) reported high amounts of Cu+ in wood that had been in contact with corroded fasteners. This study uses XANES to examine the copper oxidation states in wood treated with several different wood preservatives as a function of time after...

Analysis of the pandemic’s effect on the forest products sector,including lumber pricing and demand, reduction of labor.

Wildfires in the western United States (US) are increasingly expensive, destructive, and deadly. Reducing wildfire losses is particularly challenging when fires frequently start on one land tenure and damage natural or developed assets on other ownerships. Managing wildfire risk in multjurisdictional landscapes has recently become a centerpiece of wildfire strategic planning, legislation, and risk research. However, important empirical knowledge gaps remain regarding cross-boundary fire activity in the western US. Here, we use lands administered by the US Forest Service as a study system...

This resource update is a brief look at some of the basic metrics that describe the status of and changes to forest resources in Iowa. This information is based on field data collected using the USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) annualized sample design, and it is updated yearly.Tables for Forests of Iowa, 2020 can be found at https://doi.org/10.2737/FS-RU-327-TablesThe FIA one-click application that generated this report can be found at https://doi.org/10.2737/FIA-One-Click-State-Report-v1.2.

Decision-making resource stewardship models rely on statistical relationships between management actions and ecosystem services provisioning. The operationalization of management actions benefits from models capable to isolate synergic statistical relationships from trade-offs. We showcase two existing watershed planning studies requiring spatiotemporal operationalization to better schedule management actions. The study in Hawai'i Island (USA) focused on invasive species while another in Babeldaob Island (Republic of Palau) tackled wildfire management. Both planning exercises relied on...