Treesearch

Sandy outwash and glacial till soils compose large amounts of public forestland due to historically poor agricultural yields. The outwash soils have low fertility, poor nutrient retention and are restricted from whole-tree harvesting (WTH) in some states, whereas the glacial till has medium nutrient retention and fertility, and is unrestricted from WTH. To assess the long-term sustainability of harvesting, a nutrient budget was constructed from field measurements, the National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS) database, and literature values for stem-only harvesting (SOH) and WTH at a 45-year...

Non-native plants typically benefit from enemy release following their naturalization in non-native habitats. However, over time, herbivorous insects specializing on such plants may invade from the native range and thereby diminish the benefits of enemy release that these plants may experience. In this study, we compare rates of invasion spread across Europe of three North American insect folivores: the Lepidoptera leaf miners Macrosaccus robiniella and Parectopa robiniella, and the gall midge Obolodiplosis robiniae, that specialize on Robinia pseudoacacia. This tree species is one of the...

Peatland carbon cycling is critical for the land–atmosphere exchange of greenhouse gases, particularly under changing environments. Warming and elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (eCO2) concentrations directly enhance peatland methane (CH4) emission, and indirectly affect CH4 processes by altering hydrological conditions. An ecosystem model ELM-SPRUCE, the land model of the E3SM model, was used to understand the hydrological feedback mechanisms on CH4 emission in a temperate peatland under a warming gradient and eCO2 treatments. We found that the water table level was a critical regulator...

This resource bulletin is part of a series of reports presenting findings from a University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) census of Alaska’s primary forest products industry. Part 1 of this series presents information on the volume of timber harvested in Alaska during 2015 by product, ownership, species, and resource area. It also describes the flow of timber within the state, across state lines, and exports to countries outside the United States.

Maintained green space in underserved urban neighborhoods may be an important environmental pathway to improving community health and safety, though effects may vary across population subgroups and by time of day. We examined survey responses from 442 participants (178 men and 264 women), living near vacant lots in a cluster-randomized controlled trial of a cleaning and greening intervention, on perceived safety during the day and at night. At the intervention sites after the intervention, only men reported feeling less unsafe during the day. Women reported more fear, and men reported less...

Elevated atmospheric CO2 (eCO2) typically increases aboveground growth in both growth chamber and free-air carbon enrichment (FACE) studies. Here we report on the impacts of eCO2 and nitrogen amendment on coarse root biomass and netprimary productivity (NPP) at the Duke FACE study, where half of the eight plots in a 30-year-old loblolly pine (Pinus taeda, L.) plantation, including competing naturally regenerated broadleaved species, were subjected to eCO2 (ambient, aCO2 plus 200 ppm) for 15–17 years, combined with annual nitrogen amendments (11.2 g N m−2) for 6 years. Allometric equations...

Oak-pine forests in the U.S. Central Hardwood Forests are recovering from exploitative harvesting and clearing in the early twentieth century and are undergoing rapid succession changes. Unprecedented red oak borer (ROB, Enaphalodes rufulus) outbreaks in 1999-2003 are associated with the largest oak mortality event reported in the Central Hardwood Region since the arrival of Europeans. Predicting and evaluating the efects of ROB disturbance on forest composition has practical value for forest management plans that aims to minimize ecological and economic loss from ROB disturbances....

This report reviews existing research and datasets from 17 U.S. Forest Service-affiliated experimental forests and ranges (EFRs) that are relevant to science needs of state and federal water quality regulatory agencies. A focus group of regulatory personnel chose “biological responses to stream nutrients” as the focus for this synthesis, and identified a broader array of science topics that could be of regulatory interest. Additional research needs of regulators that could potentially be filled by future studies at these sites were identified as (1) the composition of biotic communities...

The ecotone between the Great Plains and the Eastern Deciduous Forest region is characterized by transitional grassland-forest ecosystems with a robust history of frequent fire regimes and fire-adapted natural communities. Historically, fires created a mosaic of prairies, savannas, woodlands, and forests juxtaposed by landscape controls. Humans have been strong determinants of fire regimes, causing frequent fires in historical times and an extended period of fire exclusion for nearly the last century. In recent decades, interest has increased in understanding the region’s fire ecology and...

Wildfire affects many types of communities and is a particular concern for communities in the wildland urban interface (WUI), such as Chalk Creek in Chaffee County. The core intent of this project was to provide evidence to support Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) Salida Field Office’s wildfire mitigation and education program. This report analyzes existing wildfire risk data collected in late 2017 through 2019 and pairs it with social data collected in the summer of 2019, in order to better understand Chalk Creek residents’ knowledge, experiences, and perceptions about wildfire risk....