Treesearch

This resource update is a brief look at some of the basic metrics that describe the status of and changes to forest resources in Arkansas.Tables for Forests of Arkansas, 2019 can be found at https://doi.org/10.2737/FS-RU-253-TablesThe FIA one-click application can be found here: https://doi.org/10.2737/FIA-One-Click-State-Report-v1.2

Extensive mortality of Metrosideros polymorpha (`ōhi`a) trees has been associated with Ceratocystis spp. on Hawai`i Island and was named rapid `ōhi`a death (ROD). Both C. lukuohiaand C. huliohia have been associated with ROD, although C. lukuohia appears to be the more important pathogen. Crown observations and dissections of forest trees either wound-inoculated with, or naturally-infected by, C. lukuohia were conducted to confirm pathogenicity and document patterns of host colonization. In pathogenicity trials, one of three and two of three trees inoculated with the fungus in February and...

A key assumption of epidemiological models is that population-scale disease spread is driven by close contact between hosts and pathogens. At larger scales, however, mechanisms such as spatial structure in host and pathogen populations and environmental heterogeneity could alter disease spread. The assumption that small-scale transmission mechanisms are sufficient to explain large-scale infection rates, however, is rarely tested. Here, we provide a rigorous test using an insect-baculovirus system. We fit a mathematical model to data from forest-wide epizootics while constraining the model...

Climate change has been linked to shifts in the distribution and phenology of species although little is known about the potential effects that extreme low winter temperatures may have on insect host–parasitoid interactions. In late January 2019, northern regions of the United States experienced a severe cold wave caused by a weakened jet stream, destabilizing the Arctic polar vortex. Approximately 3 mo later at six study sites in southern Michigan and three in southern Connecticut, we sampled the overwintering larvae of the emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera:...

Host utilization information is critical to managers for estimating the hosts at risk and potential geographic range for gypsy moths from different geographic origins. In this study, the development and survival of gypsy moths from all three subspecies on 13 North American conifers and three broadleaf hosts were compared. There was variation in the ability of gypsy moth larvae from different geographic origins to utilize (survive and develop on) key North American conifers. However, that variation was not consistent within gypsy moth subspecies, but instead was more consistent with...

Ecosystem accounts, as formalized by the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting Experimental Ecosystem Accounts (SEEA EEA), have been compiled in a number of countries, yet there have been few attempts to develop them for the U.S. We explore the potential for U.S. ecosystem accounting by compiling ecosystem extent, condition, and ecosystem services supply and use accounts for a 10-state region in the Southeast. The pilot accounts address air quality, water quality, biodiversity, carbon storage, recreation, and pollination for selected years from 2001 to 2015. Results illustrate how...

Much of the once-dominant longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) ecosystem has been lost from the Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States and only a few scattered remnants of primary forest remain. Despite much interest in understanding and restoring this ecosystem, relatively few studies have attempted to characterize or assess the conservation status of the longleaf bee fauna. The objective of this study was to compare the diversity and composition of bee communities between primary and mature secondary (>100 years old) fire-maintained forests in Georgia and Florida. We used...

Accurate predictions of how weather may affect a wildfire’s behavior are needed to protect crews on the line and efficiently allocate firefighting resources. Since 1988, fire meteorologists have used a tool called the Haines Index to predict days when the weather will exacerbate a wildfire. Although the Haines Index is widely believed to have value, it never received rigorous testing on the line. Even Don Haines, the U.S. Forest Service meteorologist who developed the index, has said the Haines Index needs further refinement.Recognizing that a new fire weather prediction tool was needed, a...

American beech (Fagus grandifolia) is the target of a newly emerging disease in North America called beech leaf disease (BLD) that affects and disfigures leaves and which can lead to tree mortality. Beech leaf disease may be caused by a newly recognized subspecies of the anguinid nematode Litylenchus crenatae subsp. mccannii, but the associations of this nematode with bacterial and fungal taxa are unknown. We examined microbial communities associated with beech leaves affected by BLD in a 16-year-old American beech plantation using molecular methods. We detected L. crenatae subsp. mccannii...