Treesearch

Climate change is expected to alter precipitation patterns worldwide, which can have direct effects on streamflow dynamics. In many tropical regions, climate‐driven changes in rainfall are predicted to decrease streamflow and increase flash flooding, but the implications of these changes for stream ecosystem function are poorly understood. We used a rainfall gradient on Hawaii Island that mimics projected changes in rainfall and streamflow in order to estimate how climate change affects nutrient recycling. We measured per‐capita excretion (nitrogen, phosphorus) and egestion rates of three...

Drought, ozone (O3), and nitrogen deposition (N) alter foliar pigments and tree crown structure that may be remotely detectable. Remote sensing tools are needed that pre-emptively identify trees susceptible to environmental stresses could inform forest managers in advance of tree mortality risk. Jeffrey pine, a component of the economically important and widespread western yellow pine in North America was investigated in the southern Sierra Nevada. Transpiration of mature trees differed by 20% between microsites with adequate (mesic (M)) vs. limited (xeric (X)) water availability as...

Forests in the Southern United States experience a wide variety of weather-related disturbances, from small-scale events which have management implications for one or a few landowners to major hurricanes impacting many ownerships across multiple States. The immediate impacts of catastrophic weather disturbance are obvious—trees are killed, stressed, or damaged due to wind, flooding, ice, hail, or some combination of events. How forests respond to disturbance depends on several factors such as forest types and attributes, ecoregion, local pressure from invasive plants, preexisting infestatio...

Over 90% of global commercial trade occurs between seaports, which are initial points-ofentry for nonnative, potentially invasive propagules. As such, there is a need to develop means to both rapidly intercept and identify propagules as they arrive. Here, we focus on plant propagules that are assumed to be non-native, in seed form. Because standardmorphologicaltechniquesalonearelaborious and require taxonomic expertise, we sought to address if identification through barcoding of the plastid DNA based on genetic analysis? (4) Are nonnative invasive plant species present on shipping containers...

National Scenic Trails (NSTs) connect people with the natural and cultural heritage of the United States. These trails also provide important opportunities for agencies to engage partners in trail stewardship and sponsorship. Partnership engagement ultimately promotes trails that provide outdoor experiences and learning opportunities for visitors and trail users. In the founding legislation of the National Trails System Act of 1968, Congress acknowledged the integral role of volunteers and trail groups and set out “to encourage and assist volunteer citizen involvement in the planning,...

Since its introduction in 2002, laurel wilt disease has devastated indigenous lauraceous species in the southeastern United States. The causal agent is a fungal pathogen, Raffaelea lauricola, which after being introduced into the xylem of trees by its vector beetle, Xyleborus glabratus, results in a fatal vascular wilt. Rapid detection and accurate diagnosis of infections is paramount to the successful implementation of disease management strategies. Current management operations to prevent the spread of laurel wilt disease are largely delayed by time-consuming laboratory procedures to...

Fully mechanized harvesting systems are the most productive and common harvesting systems in the United States. Stem size, stand density, species composition, silvicultural prescriptions, slope/terrain, and operator skill affect the productivity and cost of a harvesting system. Timber harvest expectations of foresters, landowners, and loggers are dependent on these factors. This article describes the factors affecting the productivity of specific harvesting machines used in whole-tree harvesting and impact on harvesting cost. Landowners will understand the common limitations of a timber...

Natural regeneration cannot be effectively evaluated by tree density because of spatial heterogeneity typically observed. A proper interpretation of natural regeneration will consider some evaluation of area stocked. However, stocking estimates for natural regeneration are plot-size-dependent. Stocking at the 1-milacre scale is not generally comparable to that on a 4-milacre scale unless a generalized relation with stand density can be established. A generalized relation was first suggested to hold in a paper by Lynch and Schumacher (1941), but this has not been confirmed in subsequent...

The wood products industry faces increasing pressure to attract the interest of young consumers and potential employees, such as the millennial generation. This study was designed to illuminate perceptions held by the millennial generation towards the wood products industry. The millennial generation or "millennials" are defined in this study as individuals born from 1980 to 2000. In February 2018, an online survey was distributed to over 1,500 millennial-aged individuals and 1,479 usable survey responses were returned. Results from this study indicate that the respondents have neutral...

As interest in alternatives to fossil fuels increases, low quality timber may become more attractive as feedstock material for biomass energy. This low-quality timber, referred to here as salvage wood, can be used to manufacture wood pellets, a densified biomass energy product which can be used for electricity and heating. The process of converting wood to pellets also results in total pest mortality in the final product, an important consideration given wood pellet’s international market and global concerns about phytosanitation, or the risk of pest spread. However, there is still...