Treesearch

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change requires annual estimates for forestry and ecological indicators to monitor the change in forest resources, the sustainability of forest management, and the emission and sink of forest carbon. It is particularly important to update estimates of forestland area in a timely fashion and at flexible geographical scales, not only for its value in monitoring biological diversity at the ecosystem scale, but also because of its close association with other indicators such as forest biomass and carbon. However, in the US, the Forest Survey...

This report traces the flow of timber harvested in the “Four Corners” States (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah) during calendar year 2016, describes the composition and operations of the region’s primary forest products industry, and quantifies volumes and uses of wood fiber. Recent wood products industry changes are discussed, as well as trends in timber harvest, production, and sales of primary wood products.

Background: Laurel wilt disease has caused the extensive mortality of lauraceous species in the southeastern United States. The causal agent is an invasive fungus, Raffaelea lauricola, which is a symbiont of the beetle Xyleborus glabratus and causes a rapid, fatal vascular wilt. Early diagnosis of laurel wilt is imperative for efficient disease management. The current diagnostic process, however, is slow due to the lengthy laboratory procedures required to confirm pathogen presence. Methods: We tested the robustness and field-portability of a recentlydeveloped, species-specific, loop-mediat...

The South’s production of pulpwood decreased from 61.6 million cords in 2018 to 60.4 million cords in 2019. Roundwood production decreased by 499,000 cords to 46.5 million cords and accounted for 77 percent of the South’s total pulpwood production. The use of wood residue decreased 5 percent to 13.8 million cords in 2019. Alabama and Georgia led the South in total production, with 9.8 and 9.5 million cords, respectively. In 2019, 76 mills were operating and drawing wood from the 13 Southern States. October 2021 Revision: Errors occurred in the production numbers for the 2019 data. The...

This issue highlights RMRS research spanning topics including using environmental DNA in fish eradication efforts, how bark beetle outbreaks affect weeds, long-term weed dynamics after forest restoration, the Fire Effects Information System’s invasive plant species database, uncovering the importance of seed-eating small mammals on plant communities and invasions, and others. We are also excited to report publication of a national assessment of the state of science on invasive species.

Seven new Entomocorticium species (Peniophoraceae) are described based on morphology andphylogenetic analyses. Along with the type species (E.dendroctoni), Entomocorticium comprises eight species of nutritional symbionts of pine bark beetles in North America. Entomocorticium cobbii is the mycangial associate of the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis, and E. parmeteri is the mycangialassociate of the western pine beetle, D. brevicomis. Entomocorticium whitneyi, E. portiae, E. kirisitsii, E.oberwinkleri and the previously described E. dendroctoni have been isolated from galleries...

Effective invasive plant management requires collective action. However, little is known about what motivates individuals to work collectively. We conducted a mail survey of 2,600 randomly selected family forest owners in Indiana, USA to examine factors associated with community-led collective action. Specifically, we examined the role of perceived self-efficacy, perceived collective efficacy, concerns about invasive plants, and social norms associated with invasive plant management in shaping family forest owners' self-reported likelihood to work with their neighbors to remove invasive...

Every year, wildfires destroy thousands of buildings in the United States, especially in the rapidly growing wildland-urban interface, where homes and wildland vegetation meet or intermingle. After a wildfire there is a window of opportunity for residents and public agencies to re-shape patterns of development, and avoid development in locations that are inherently at higher risk of wildfire destruction. We examined 28 of the most destructive wildfires in California, the state where most buildings are destroyed by wildfires, to evaluate whether locations of rebuilt and newly constructed...

A need to quantify the impact of a particular wind disturbance on forest resources may require rapid yet reliable estimates of damage. We present an approach for combining pre-disturbance forest inventory data with post-disturbance aerial survey data to produce design-based estimates of affected forest area and number and volume of trees damaged or killed. The approach borrows strength from an indirect estimator to adjust estimates from a direct estimator when post-disturbance remeasurement data are unavailable. We demonstrate this approach with an example application from a recent...

Prescribed fire is used on more than 12 million acres (4.9 million hectares) in the United States annually. It is a critical strategic management tool for hazardous fuels reduction and the resilience of fireadapted landscapes. In recognition of its value, the President's Budget for fiscal year 2020 called for $450 million in funding for hazardous fuels reduction for USDA alone.