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Optimal Mating of Pinus taeda L. Under Different Scenarios Using Differential Evolution Algorithm For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2024-03-12 Khushi Goda, Fikret Isik
A newly developed software, AgMate, was used to perform optimized mating for monoecious Pinus taeda L. breeding. Using a computational optimization procedure called differential evolution, AgMate was applied under different breeding population sizes scenarios (50, 100, 150, 200, and 250) and candidate contribution scenarios (maximum use of each candidate was set to 1 or 8), to assess its efficiency
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A Density Management Diagram for Pitch Pine to Illustrate Tradeoffs between Carbon and Wildfire Risk For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2024-02-21 Bernard N Isaacson, William E Zipse, Jason C Grabosky
Pitch pine (Pinus rigida Mill.) can be found across a broad range in eastern North America but assumes local dominance only on poor soils in the northeastern United States. Contemporary management goals in the Northeast for areas dominated by pitch pine are focused on noncommercial benefits of forests, such as carbon density, reduced wildfire risk, habitat for rare species, and water provisioning.
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Application of Infrared Spectroscopy in the Identification of Fallen Trees from the Amazon Rainforest (Myristicaceae) For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2024-02-17 Claudia Eugenio da Silva, Cristiano Souza do Nascimento, Jorge Alves de Freitas, Roberto Daniel de Araújo, Claudete Catanhede do Nascimento, Niro Higuchi
The infrared spectrum carries the so-called fingerprint of a plant, a characteristic that can help the identification of wood from an integrative perspective. Fourier-transform near-infrared spectroscopy (FT-NIRS) was evaluated for its potential use in the taxonomic identification of natural fallen trees from the Amazon rainforest (Myristicaceae). Trees found on the forest floor (Amazonas, Brazil)
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Spatial Population Structuring and Genetic Analysis of Exotic Grevillea robusta in Northwestern India For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2024-02-10 Aman Dabral, Rajendra K Meena, Rajeev Shankhwar, Rama Kant, Shailesh Pandey, Harish S Ginwal, Maneesh S Bhandari
The introduction of exotics is common in forestry, and majorly important species, like eucalypts, poplar, and Casuarina sp., occupy vast areas in the Indian subcontinent. Importantly, with the latest cost-effective sequencing techniques, genetic diversity research through molecular marker approaches on major exotics provides novel information for genetic improvement in economic traits with climatic
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Estimation of Additive and Dominance Effects in an Acacia crassicarpa Multi-Environment Progeny Trial Using Genomic Pedigree Reconstruction For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2024-02-10 Gustavo S Martins, Muhammad Yuliarto, Wong Ching Yong, Tisha Melia, Maggie V Maretha, Mukesh Sharma, Nathan Lakey, Jared Ordway, Juan José Acosta, Gary Hodge
Acacia crassicarpa is an important tree species in Southeast Asia, where hundreds of thousands of hectares of planted forests are supported by advancements in silviculture and genetic improvement. Although possible, controlled pollination is impractical for advancing breeding populations, requiring an unreasonable effort to produce more than a few crosses per year. For this reason, breeding populations
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Logging Machinery Traffic Has Greatest Influence on Soil Chemical Properties in the Amazonian Rainy Season For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2024-02-09 Daniel DeArmond, Adriano José Nogueira Lima, Niro Higuchi
In the forests of Amazonia each year, previously unentered stands are logged, which usually results in some degree of soil compaction. Consequently, the soil chemical properties in compacted areas are altered. The aim of this study was to determine how these changes may help or hinder site recovery in the context of seasonal variation and increased levels of compaction. To investigate these changes
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National-Scale Biomass Estimators for United States Tree Species For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2024-01-30 Jennifer C. Jenkins, David C. Chojnacky, Linda S. Heath, Richard A. Birdsey
Estimates of national-scale forest carbon (C) stocks and fluxes are typically based on allometric regression equations developed using dimensional analysis techniques. However, the literature is inconsistent and incomplete with respect to large-scale forest C estimation. We compiled all available diameter-based allometric regression equations for estimating total aboveground and component biomass,
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Mill and Landbase Attributes Condition Response Rates to Timber Product Output Surveys in the Western United States For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2024-01-25 David L R Affleck, George C Gaines
Since the 1940s, the USDA Forest Service has surveyed roundwood receiving facilities to report on timber products output (TPO). The TPO program provides information on forest removals, processing capacity, and wood product markets, complementing inventory estimates of status and change. The program adopted an annual state-level probability sampling design in 2019 and this research evaluates rates of
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Proportion of Nonindustrial Private Forest Lands That Potentially Can Be Leased to Bioenergy Enterprises to Grow Short Rotation Woody Crops For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-12-12 Anwar Hussain, Ian A Munn, Robert K Grala
Determining how much nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) land could potentially be allocated to growing short rotation woody crops (SRWCs) is critical for estimating the future supply of woody biomass for biofuels and overall bioenergy production. This study estimated the proportion of the land NIPF landowners would be willing to allocate to SRWC cultivation. In view of the bounded nature of the dependent
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Georgia and Florida Logging Businesses Persevere Through Pandemic, Rising Costs, and Uncertainty For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-12-09 Joseph L Conrad, W Dale Greene, Patrick Hiesl
Logging businesses in Georgia and Florida combine to harvest approximately 66 million tons of timber annually, more than 10% of the US total. Since 1987, the University of Georgia has surveyed Georgia logging business owners every 5 years. Florida logging businesses were included in 2022 to gain a better understanding of logging businesses in the region. During the first quarter of 2022, questionnaires
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Forest-Based Employment in the Southern United States amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Causal Inference Analysis For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-11-06 Stephanie Chizmar, Rajan Parajuli, Sonia Bruck, Gregory Frey, Erin Sills
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, some governments instituted mandatory stay-at-home policies. As these policies made exceptions for essential industries such as the forest sector, it is not clear a priori whether and how these policies would affect forest-based employment. This study examined the effect of mandatory stay-at-home orders on employment in the forest sector in forest dependent counties
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Forest Owners’ Intention to Safeguard Forest Biodiversity: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-10-31 Terhi Koskela, Heimo Karppinen
Private nonindustrial forest owners’ intention to safeguard biodiversity in their own forest was studied by applying the theory of planned behavior. The data were collected in a nationwide mail survey sent to 3,000 Finnish forest owners (response rate 35%). The impact of attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control on the intention to safeguard biodiversity was empirically tested by
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Tree Mastication and Helimulching: Two Alternatives for Mitigating Soil Erosion and Carbon Loss After Wildfire For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-09-05 Cristina Fernández
The use of masticated tree debris to protect burned soil from post-fire erosion is not common and very little is known about its effectiveness in reducing the risk of erosion after fire. The main objective of this research was to assess the effects of agricultural straw helimulching and tree mastication on soil and carbon losses and recovery of vegetation during 2 years after fire in two wildfire-affected
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Trends in United States Family Forest Owners’ Attitudes, Behaviors, and General Characteristics from 2006 to 2018 For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-08-25 Emma M Sass, Brett J Butler, Jesse Caputo, Emily S Huff
Family forest owners (FFOs) control a plurality of forestland in the United States, and the decisions these landowners make have a profound impact on the landscape. Most research on FFOs consists of cross-sectional studies, although many of these recognize the importance of capturing long-term trends to understand whether and how FFO attitudes, behaviors, and general characteristics are changing. We
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Nitrogen-Fixing Plants Enhance and Stabilize Rhizospheric Soil Organic Carbon in Tropical Rainforests, Hainan Island, China For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-08-09 Huai Yang, Shirong Liu, Jingxin Wang, Jamie Schuler, Yi Wang, Junwei Luan
Nitrogen (N)-fixing plants play an important role in stimulating soil nitrogen supply, but the effect of N-fixing plants on soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration has not been well documented. In this study, we measured rhizospheric carbon components and N content of first to second (1–2)-order and third to fifth (3–5)-order roots of N-fixing and non-N-fixing plants in a montane tropical rainforest
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Wood Supply from Family Forests of the United States: Biophysical, Social, and Economic Factors For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-07-18 Brett J Butler, Emma M Sass
Wood products are an essential provisioning ecosystem service with US forests providing nearly one-fifth of global wood supply. As of 2018, an estimated 46% of the annual wood harvested came from corporate forests, 42% came from family forests, and the remainder came from other private, public, and Tribal forests. The supply of wood from corporate forests is well described by traditional economic models
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Stem Profile Patterns of Pinus nigra and Pinus sylvestris Growing in Mixed Stands For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-07-18 Ramazan Özçelik, Krishna P Poudel, Felipe Crecente-Campo, Bora Kaya, Onur Alkan
Taper equations provide one of the most successful approaches of calculating tree volume to specified top diameters from standing tree measurements. This study assessed the stem profile patterns of Black pine (Pinus nigra Arnold.) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) trees growing in mixed stands in northwestern Türkiye using a segmented polynomial taper equation. Models were fitted with the continuous
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The Use and Performance of Sealed Bid versus Oral Timber Auctions by State Forestry Agencies: A Minnesota Case Study For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-07-05 Michael A Kilgore
State governments are responsible for the stewardship and management of more than 28 million ha of forest land in the United States. This study presents the findings of an in-depth examination of the characteristics and performance of sealed bid and oral auctions using records from more than a thousand tracts offered for sale by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, which administers one of
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Partial Harvest Effects on the Forest Floor at Four Northern Hardwood Sites in the Green Mountains of Vermont, USA For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-06-20 Donald S Ross, Meghan E Knowles
Harvesting activities are known to decrease forest floor carbon pools, but the response varies with harvest intensity. We examined partial harvesting (33–55% of basal area removed) effects on the forest floor at four northern hardwood sites in Vermont, USA. Six baseline quantitative samples were taken at each site and 9–36 new locations were sampled 1.5–2.6 years after harvesting. Forest soil disturbance
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Douglas-fir Exhibits High Growth Performance and Survival in Southern Chile For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-06-14 Sergio E Espinoza, Iván A Quiroz, Carlos R Magni, Marco A Yáñez, Milos Ivkovic, Roberto H Ipinza
We evaluated the potential of 19 provenances of the coastal variety of Douglas-fir for commercial plantation development in Southern Chile. Seedlings from 668 families were planted in two trials differing in site preparation and previous land use conditions. Height (H), diameter at breast height (DBH), stem volume index (VOL), and survival (SUR) were measured on all trees at the age of 10 years. Provenances
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Using LiDAR Data to Estimate Biomass in Afforested Bottomland Oak Sites in the Southern United States For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-06-08 Heidi J Renninger, Brent R Frey, Madelyn P Anderson, David L Evans
The extent of bottomland hardwood forests in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV) has diminished, and federal programs like the Conservation Reserve Program provide incentives to afforest marginal agricultural areas with oaks to provide ecosystem services. Remote sensing technologies, like light detection and ranging (LiDAR), can be used to estimate biomass of these stands to potentially allow
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Quantile Regression Analysis of the Modifying Industrial Operations Protocol’s Impact on Forestry Fire Incremental Growth For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-05-26 Kevin Granville, Shi Yu Cao, Douglas G Woolford, Colin B McFayden
Governmental legislation, regulations, and policies are used to prevent and mitigate the negative impact of human-caused wildland fires. In Ontario, Canada, the Modifying Industrial Operations Protocol (MIOP) aims to manage and limit the risk associated with fires ignited because of industrial forestry operations while maintaining flexibility in terms of daily restrictions. The MIOP was enacted in
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Seed Storage, Dormancy, and Germination Behavior in Lithocarpus glaber (Fagaceae) For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-05-20 Ganesh K Jaganathan
Knowledge of seed storage behavior and germination ecology of Fagaceae species is limited to the Quercus genus, prompting the need to investigate other genera. Using Lithocarpus glaber (Thunb.) Nakai acorns collected from China, storage behavior, dormancy type, and germination pattern were investigated by germination and desiccation experiments along with triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining
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Effectiveness of Sawdust and Rice Straw Mulch Strips to Control Runoff and Sediment Yield in Skid Trails For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-05-08 Ahmad Solgi, Artemi Cerdà, Ali Masumian, Mohammad Reza Sheykh Rabiee, Farshad Keivan Behjou, Razieh Ghasemi Vojoodi
Mulches can be effective for reducing sediment loss and erosion from forest harvesting activities. This study evaluates the use of rice straw and sawdust as mulch covers for skid trails on clay loam soil. The treatments with three replications each included combinations of two levels of slope gradient (≤ 20% and > 20%), three types of mulch cover (bare soil, sawdust, and rice straw cover), three levels
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Loblolly Pine Susceptibility to Nantucket Pine Tip Moth: Do Tree Genetics Play a Role? For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-05-02 Elizabeth McCarty, David Clabo, David Dickens, Cassandra Waldrop, Kamal J K Gandhi, Caterina Villari
The Nantucket pine tip moth (NPTM) (Rhyacionia frustrana Comstock) is a regeneration pest of young loblolly pines (Pinus taeda L.) that causes tree deformity, shoot dieback, and growth declines. Different silvicultural techniques are used to grow loblolly pine more effectively, including improved genotypes. Some scientists and growers have hypothesized that more expensive full-sibling families (control-pollinated
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Dynamic Analysis of Early Stage Pine Wilt Disease in Pinus massoniana Using Ground-level Hyperspectral Imaging For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-04-26 Jie Pan, Tianyi Xie, Cheng You, Xiuli Xia
Pine wilt disease (PWD) is caused by the pine wilt nematode and is a tremendous threat to coniferous forests. Remote sensing, particularly hyperspectral remote sensing, has been utilized to identify PWD. However, most studies have focused on distinguishing the spectra between infected and healthy pine trees and ignored further visualization of spectral symptoms, which could greatly improve the pre-visual
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Legal Environment of Adverse Possession on Forestland and Empirical Evidence from the Past 200 Years For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-04-22 Changyou Sun, Hui Wang
Private forestland has become more fragmented in the United States. Management activities on forestland are usually infrequent compared with those on other types of land (e.g., farmland), which makes forestland prone to the claim of adverse possession. In this study, the legal environment of adverse possession as a method of acquiring title to forestland in the United States is examined. Statutes in
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Predicting Impacts of Climate Change on Teak and Sal Forests in Central India Using Maximum Entropy Modeling: an Approach for Future Conservation and Silvicultural Strategies For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-04-16 Maneesh Kumar Patasaraiya, Rinku Moni Devi, Bhaskar Sinha, Jigyasa Bisaria
Climate change impacts on tropical forests and tree species have been documented as changes in distribution, growing period, phenology, habitat, productivity, species composition, and migration. This study attempts to assess the current and future habitat suitability distribution of two dominant species of Central India, teak (Tectona grandis Linn. f.) and sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn. f.) using a maximum
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Spatially Explicit Assessment of the USDA Forest Service as a Representative Bureaucracy For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-04-16 Dexter H Locke, Sonya S Sachdeva, Lynne M Westphal, Laura S Kenefic, Michael J Dockry, Cherie LeBlanc Fisher
Diverse workforce representation helps organizations achieve their goals and is important for government agencies that seek to gain public trust. Prior research has examined patterns of representation in the USDA Forest Service and found an overall lack of representation despite advances at leadership levels. Federal agencies are required to report total workforce demographics; however, representation
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Allometric Models and Biomass Conversion and Expansion Factors to Predict Total Tree-level Aboveground Biomass for Three Conifers Species in Iran For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-04-16 Hassan Ali, Jahangir Mohammadi, Shaban Shataee Jouibary
Accurate estimation of total aboveground biomass (TAGB) is an important challenge in evaluating and monitoring tree biomass. Thus, developing species-specific allometric models is essential. This study aimed to predict tree-level TAGB for Pinus brutia, Pinus pinea, Cupressus sempervirens, and the species-independent case using the most accurate allometric models, biomass conversion and expansion factor
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Determinants of Softwood Lumber Prices in the US Northwest For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-04-16 Jeffrey J Reimer, Kenneth Annan
Lumber prices can be volatile and hard to predict from month to month yet are important for many sectors of the economy, ranging from forestry and construction. An economic model of lumber prices was developed and applied to data representing multiple supply and demand determinants of lumber. Using a suite of econometric models, monthly lumber prices were related back to variables including construction
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Impacts of the Small-Tract Forestland Tax Program on Forestland Use in Oregon For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-04-12 David Rossi, Ben Rushakoff, Olli-Pekka Kuusela
Preferential tax programs for forest landowners are used to achieve land use–related environmental and social objectives. Nonindustrial landowners are likely to own forests near development boundaries, which may lead to a higher likelihood of land conversion from forests to alternative uses. This article answers the question of how preferential tax programs for small-tract forestland (STF) owners have
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Risk-Averse Importance Sampling of Tree Attributes in High-Risk Forested Areas For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-04-11 Francis A Roesch, Todd A Schroeder, Joseph M McCollum
This study develops the theory of risk-averse importance sampling and explains its potential application to forest inventory estimation through the use of a heuristic simulation. When the risk-producing elements of the landscape are known, a risk-averse sampling strategy can be created that results in fewer samples in high-risk areas. Our simulation shows that for certain high-risk populations, risk-averse
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Price Volatility Modeling for the Lumber Futures Market: A Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity-Mixed Data Sampling Approach For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-04-11 Prokash Deb, Noel Perceval Assogba, Wenying Li
Lumber is one of the most essential forest products in the United States. During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, lumber prices almost quadrupled, and fluctuations reached record levels. Although market experts have pointed to various drivers of such high price volatility, no firm conclusions have been drawn yet. Using the generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity-mixed data
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Chemical Site Preparation Mixtures, Application Timing, and Herbaceous Weed Control Impacts on Loblolly Pine Development Through Six Years For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-03-31 David C Clabo, E David Dickens
Chemical site preparation is a critical management practice for southern pine plantation establishment. Imazapyr and ester triclopyr are frequently used for chemical site preparation in the Lower Coastal Plain to control waxy leaf shrub species, yet limited information is available on optimal imazapyr and triclopyr tank mixes and individual herbicide application timing(s) to achieve maximum loblolly
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Time Lag of Stem Water Deficit in Response to Increased Vapor Pressure Deficit For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-03-30 Yuan Tian, Xuan Liu, Xin Zhang, Sa Rula, Zhibing Wan, Hanqing Zhao, Qiuliang Zhang
Vapor pressure deficit (VPD) shows a gradually increasing trend that forces trees to produce ecological memory with time-delay characteristics to drought year by year. The reversible stem diameter variation of trees can serve as an indicator for tree water status. In the context of global warming, these variations can dynamically monitor the response of stem water to the change of environmental water
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Development of Non-Timber Forest Product Industry in the Context of Trade Globalization: A Case Study in Wuyishan, China For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-03-18 Yixuan Luo, Xiao Feng
With the trend of trade globalization, developing countries have an indispensable role in the global value chain. In China, production and trade of forest products appear to be considerably sensitive in balancing industry development and ecological conservation. Simultaneously, increased trade in non-timber forest products (NTFPs) has merged as a new direction for sustainable forestry development.
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Silvicultural Treatments Affect Growth and Foliar Nutrients in a Young Ponderosa Pine Stand For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-03-16 James A Moore, Zhaofei Fan, Terry M Shaw
Foliar nutrient status, diameter, and height growth were investigated for young ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) stands grown under six fertilizer and herbicide treatments (including control) in southeast Washington to diagnose foliar nutrient status and evaluate the effects of silvicultural treatments on growth rates. Two application methods of fertilizer (one “best guess” multi-nutrient fertilizer
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Genetic Parameter Estimates from a Polymix Breeding Population of Pinus taeda L. For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-03-08 Murat Alan, Kitt Payn, Steve Mckeand, Fikret Isik
Estimation of genetic parameters from progeny testing is essential for many important decisions in forest tree breeding. In this study, we estimated heritabilities, trait-trait genetic correlations, and genotype by environment (GxE) interactions using a large multi-environmental data set of Pinus taeda L. in the southern United States. In the study, 284 parents were pollinated with a pollen mix and
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Predictors of Landowners’ Intention to Manage Emerald Ash Borer in Kentucky For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-02-27 Ram K Adhikari, Neelam C Poudyal, Thomas O Ochuodho, Rajan Parajuli, Omkar Joshi, Sayeed R Mehmood, John F Munsell, Gaurav Dhungel, William Thomas, Ellen Crocker, Mo Zhou
Native ash species in the central hardwood region of the United States have been threatened by infestations of emerald ash borers (EAB), which have caused significant damage to the forests’ ecological and economic value. Because private landowners own most of these forestlands, their knowledge, attitudes, and behavior are important in managing EAB effectively across the landscape. We conducted a mail
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Evaluation of the Occurrence of Hollows in Trees in Managed Forest in the Eastern Brazilian Amazon For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-02-24 Misael Freitas dos Santos, Afonso Figueiredo Filho, João Ricardo Vasconcellos Gama, Fabiane Aparecida de Souza Retslaff, Daniele Lima da Costa
This study proposed to generate information related to the abundance and the structural characteristics of hollows at the tree and species levels in an area of managed forest in the Amazon. A database was used that was composed of 29,899 trees from thirty-eight species that were inventoried, harvested, and measured in ten annual production units that were managed between 2008 and 2017 in the Tapajós
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Building Ecosystem Resilience and Adaptive Capacity: a Systematic Review of Aspen Ecology and Management in the Southwest For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-02-23 Connor D Crouch, Paul C Rogers, Margaret M Moore, Kristen M Waring
Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) has high conservation value on the southwestern edge of its range, which extends from the southwestern United States (i.e., Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas) to central Mexico. This value is driven by aspen’s ecological importance, positive impact on local economies, and aesthetic and cultural values. Generally, the scant aspen populations that remain in the
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USDA Forest Service Timber Products Output Survey Item Nonresponse Analysis For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-02-22 Marla Markowski-Lindsay, Consuelo Brandeis, Brett J Butler
The Timber Products Output (TPO) survey is used to determine industrial uses of roundwood, reporting on volumes of roundwood received and residues generated by the primary forest industry by tree species and counties of harvest. This knowledge aids stakeholders in making informed decisions about available forest resources and/or harvest intensity. The widespread use of TPO estimates makes it important
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Woodboring Beetle (Buprestidae, Cerambycidae) Responses to Hurricane Michael in Variously Damaged Southeastern US Pine Plantations For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-02-09 Chelsea N Miller, Brittany F Barnes, Sarah Kinz, Seth C Spinner, James T Vogt, Elizabeth McCarty, Kamal J K Gandhi
In October 2018, catastrophic Hurricane Michael caused $1.7 billion in damage to standing timber in Florida, USA. To inform recovery efforts, varying levels of damaged (low, moderate, and high) slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm) stands were sampled for woodboring beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae; Cerambycidae). These beetles generally colonize stressed and damaged trees, and their larval tunneling
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Soil Carbon Dioxide Emission along a Permafrost Hillslope in Larix gmelinii Forest in China For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-02-04 Yuyang Luo, Shangyuan Li, Yingmei Ma, Fanxu Meng, Bo Wang, Xu Wang, Shusen Wang
Quantification of regional soil carbon changes in boreal forests in China is difficult for high spatial heterogeneity, especially considering soil CH4 fluxes in permafrost regions. This study attempted to quantify the variation of soil CO2 emission and its relationship with other soil properties along a permafrost hillslope in Larix gmelinii Kuzen. forest. Using a closed-chamber method, the soil CO2
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Performance Based on Measurements from Individual-Tree Progeny Tests Strongly Predicts Early Stand Yield in Loblolly Pine For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-02-03 Mohammad Nasir Shalizi, Trevor D Walker, Austin J Heine, Kitt G Payn, Fikret Isik, Bronson P Bullock, Steven E McKeand
To facilitate the utility of genetic improvement in loblolly pine, individual-tree volume (productivity) scores estimated from single-tree plot or row-plot progeny test designs were compared with stand-level volume per unit area from block plots. A large number of families representing a wide range of progeny test scores for volume were established in growth and yield trials to generalize the results
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The Decision Trees Method to Support the Choice of Economic Evaluation Procedure: The Case of Protection Forests For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-01-21 Stefano Bruzzese, Simone Blanc, Filippo Brun
The adoption of nature-based solutions, such as forests, is playing an increasingly important role in risk analysis and related decision-making. However, decision-makers struggle to put a value on the services provided by these solutions, as there is no reference market, and are thus faced with several challenges, which relate to the choice of the best forest management program or the interventions
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Revealing the Permanent and Transient Plant Understory in Gallery Forests in the Cerrado of Central Brazil For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-01-19 Ana Carolina Tavora, Micheline Carvalho-Silva, Eliel de Jesus Amaral, Mônica A Cupertino-Eisenlohr, Eloisa V Nogueira, Cássia Beatriz R Munhoz
The understories of tropical forests comprise complex communities and can be divided into permanent understory, where the generally shade-tolerant plant growth forms are less developed in height, and transient understory, where young tree individuals are only temporarily present. Despite a high contribution to species richness in tropical forests, the understory is poorly studied. Here, we examined
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Spatial Spillover Effects of Pine Sawtimber Stumpage Prices in the US South For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-01-08 Sabhyata Lamichhane, Bin Mei, Jacek Siry
Timberland returns have three main drivers: biological growth, timber price, and land value. Among three of these drivers, timber price is the most volatile. Therefore, modeling and predicting timber prices has been of great concern for timberland investors and other stakeholders. In this study, the spatial dependency and spillover effect of sawtimber prices were investigated across 11 southern states
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Modeling Potential Economy-Wide Impacts of Increased Demand for Forest Products in Kentucky For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-01-03 Domena A Agyeman, Thomas O Ochuodho
This study applies a static single-region computable general equilibrium model to provide a snapshot of the economy-wide impacts of anticipated increase in wood products demand in Kentucky. Two counterfactual scenarios of supply increase in the forest sector are simulated. Results show an increase in welfare of high-income households, whereas welfare of low-income households declines marginally due
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Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Forest Bioenergy Production at Combined Heat and Power Projects in Nova Scotia, Canada For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2023-01-02 James W N Steenberg, Jérôme Laganière, Nathan W Ayer, Peter N Duinker
Forest bioenergy production can represent a renewable energy supply while benefiting the forest sector. However, greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions are often not immediate. The point of carbon parity where bioenergy starts delivering GHG benefits may be years to decades in the future. This study examined the life-cycle emissions associated with bioenergy production at combined heat-and-power (CHP) projects
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Incidence and Effect of Heart Rot in Marayur Sandalwood (Santalum album L.) Reserve, Kerala, and Its Natural Durability Against Fungi For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-12-31 Ramachandran Sundararaj, Purushotham Swetha, Soma Mondal, Mustypally Kantha Reddy, Rajappan Raja Rishi, Narayanaswamy Mamatha
Indian sandalwood (Santalum album L.) is a semi-parasitic tree, well known for its valuable sandalwood oil extracted from heartwood and roots. Extensive loss of heartwood as a result of its decay is observed in living trees and this has inspired the current study, to investigate the health of sandalwood in Marayur sandalwood forest reserves. Located in Kerala, India, the majority of the trees in Marayur
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A Least-Cost Dynamic Optimization Approach for Obtaining a Desired Balanced Uneven-Aged Structure For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-12-22 Basanta Lamsal, John E Wagner, René Germain
There has been increasing interest among foresters and landowners in modifying existing even-aged forest structures to multi-aged or uneven-aged structures. Maintaining a continuous forest structure often provides a wider array of forest values over the long term. The conversion process is challenging in regions of the Northeast United States characterized by forests composed of dense diseased beech
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Verges Along Forest Roads Promote Wild Bees For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-12-21 Tristan Eckerter, Jörn Erbacher, Wanja Wolf, Veronika Braunisch, Alexandra-Maria Klein
Forests in Germany are occupied with roads, paths, and trails with a density of 5.03 km/km². Their construction and maintenance create a network of verges promoting flowering plants. Whether these verges are visited by bees, which factors are determining their abundance, diversity, and composition, and which flowering resources are used is unknown. We selected 13 verges in the Black Forest (Germany)
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Developing a Roadmap to Define a Potential Ideotype for Drought Tolerance in Eucalyptus For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-12-21 Alice Pita-Barbosa, Leonardo Araujo Oliveira, Nairam Félix de Barros, Bárbara Elias Reis Hodecker, Franciele S Oliveira, Wagner L Araújo, Samuel C V Martins
Climate change is escalating the water crisis worldwide, leading to unpredictable water availability and water scarcity, which is among the main environmental factors affecting plant growth and yield, severely affecting the productivity of planted forests, most of them composed of Eucalyptus species. The selection of genotypes capable of growing and surviving under water scarcity is required for eucalypt
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Mastication Fuels Did Not Alter Fire Severity or Stand Structure in an Upland Oak Woodland For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-12-19 Mary A Arthur, Beth Blankenship, Wendy Leuenberger, Jordan Winkenbach, Devin E Black
In the eastern deciduous forest region, open oak woodlands once occupied significant areas that are now closed-canopy forests, negatively affecting wildlife habitat and biodiversity. We superimposed midstory mastication and prescribed fire treatments onto sites with ice storm damage, subsequently subjected to sanitation thinning for management restoration. Mastication reduced stem density and basal
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Stand Inventories as an Early Detection System for Forest Health Threats For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-12-19 Paul A Klockow, Christopher B Edgar, Marcella A Windmuller-Campione, Fred A Baker
Pest-specific inventories require substantial resources and are often infeasible, creating a need for alternative means of early pest detection. We examined the potential for stand inventories to detect forest health threats by using a unique dataset of mapped eastern spruce dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium pusillum Peck.) infestations in black spruce (Picea mariana Mill. B.S.P) stands of northern Minnesota
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Quantitative Assessment of Climate Change Impacts on Forest Ecosystems For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-12-19 Dan Liu, Hao Yan, Cheng Long Yu, Shi Ping Yin, Cheng Wei Wang, Li Juan Gong
Characterizing and predicting the response of terrestrial ecosystems to global change is part of the fundamental challenges of contemporary ecology and ecological conservation. The assessment of climate change impact on forest ecosystems has rarely used a multi-index fusion method for quantitative evaluation. We used forest distribution, net primary productivity, and vegetation coverage to establish
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Crown Lifting of Low-Density Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) Plantations on Nonindustrial Private Forest Lands For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-12-19 Darcey Collins, Joshua J Granger, Stephen Dicke, Krishna P Poudel, Adam Polinko, John L Willis
Pruning or the physical removal of lower branches, in combination with wider tree spacing, offers an alternative management scheme for small nonindustrial private forest landowners in areas lacking markets for small diameter wood. A 5-year-old loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantation was thinned to 495 trees/ha (200 trees/ac). Four crown-lifting treatments of 35%, 40%, 45%, and 50% live crown ratio (LCR)
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Subculture and Etiolation Treatment Promotes Rooting Ability of Upper Branches of Black Locust Crown For. Sci. (IF 1.4) Pub Date : 2022-12-17 Jie Zhang, Ye Zhao, Anan Duan, Wei Wang, Yuhan Sun, Li Dong, Sen Cao, Xiuyu Li, Xiaodi Liu, Chao Han, Saleem Uddin, Wei Bi, Ruohan Wang, Yun Li
The black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) is an economically and ecologically important tree worldwide. However, maturation and position effects affect its asexual reproduction. Despite etiolation treatment and successive subcultures promoting the plant cutting’s rooting rate, whether the promoting effects of aging (upper) branches and young (lower) branches are consistent is unknown. Therefore, we