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Browse subject: forest health
Number of records: 233

Forest Vegetation Management | USDA-Forest Service
About this Resource: A website, published by the Forest Service. Provides innovative vegetation management tools. Involves a grass-roots approach to the sharing of information and project data that is used to restore and maintain forest health. Sections of the website identify resources that emphasize: specific tools; scientific aspects, data and monitoring; palnning; business applications; techniques. Includes an events calendar.

Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
About this Resource: The site provides information about the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry. There is information about recreation, forest health, private forest landowners, forest fire protection, education and information, and state forest management. Quick links include: common trees of Pennsylvania; Hemlock Woolly Adelgid; search and rescue; Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program; state forest regulations; Pennsylvania urban and Community Forestry Council; research guidelines, and leased forest campsites. There is also a state forest index and information about outdoor activities.

Massachusetts Bureau of Forestry
About this Resource: This site provides information on several of the Bureau's programs, including: the Service Forestry Program; the Urban and Community Forestry Program; the Management Forestry Program; the Forest Health Program; the Utilization and Marketing Program; and the Forestry Legacy Program. There are links to annual reports, directories and listings, and forestry laws and regulations. There are also links to state forest land and resource management plans.

Arborea : A project in Functional Genomics of Regulation in Forest Trees
About this Resource: Descriptive details on forest genomic topics are available from this home page link. Provided by the Forest Biology Research Centre at Laval University. Research in these areas also involves researchers at the Canadian Forestry Service, Carleton University and the Center for Computational Genomics and Bioinformatics at the University of Minnesota. The website describes this collaborative research, offering a project overview and is a source for research output (which is available in full text).

North East State Foresters Association
About this Resource: The NEFA's website allows users to obtain information about the Association's goals and mission, their board of directors and staff, the small-grants program, and the Northern Forest Lands Council conference. The site also provides links to other forestry sites and online publications from the Association.

Krasnoyarsk Center for Forest Protection
About this Resource: The expertise of the Center is mainly in the ecological monitoring of large forests, including forecasting of mass outbreaks of forest insect pests and infectious diseases caused by phytopathogenic microbes. This site provides general information about the organization, a colored guide to insect pests of Siberian forests, and maps showing population density of the major pests.

Global Forest Information System
About this Resource: GFIS is an Internet gateway to forest information resources from around the world. Users can locate maps, datasets, web resources, journal articles, books and other resources relevant to their forest information needs.","GFIS is an internet gateway that provides access to various types of information resources through partnerships with information providers. GFIS search facilities (in the style of commonly used Internet search facilities), allows the user to locate forest related information through a single entry point based on the different search options.","* An updated version of a previous GFIS metadata search provides users with the ability to search the catalogues of information resources (a total of 130,000 metadata records) provided by GFIS partners. The metadata search allows users to search all metadata fields for specific terms or phrases.","* Browsing is a way of navigating among categories and their subcategories to pinpoint the resources that you want to search. GFIS offers browsing among selected information sources from its partners, organized by key types of resources.","* A GFIS Online resource search service uses the Google Web APIs, which is an experimental and free program. The Google API currently makes it possible to carry out 1,000 queries per day with a maximum of 10 keywords. Each query is confined to one single domain.","To describe the content of this information GFIS uses a standardized metadata format and provides conversion facilities for metadata submitted in other formats. In addition a universally accepted terminology facilitates the search operations and the respective results.

Potential water yield reduction due to forestation across China
About this Resource: It is widely recognized that vegetation restoration will have positive effects on watershed health by reducing soil erosion and non-point source pollution, enhancing terrestrial and aquatic habitat, and increasing ecosystem carbon sequestration. However, the hydrologic consequences of forestation on degraded lands are not well studied in the forest hydrology community as a whole. China has the largest area of forest plantations in the world now, and the hydrologic consequences of massive forestation are unknown. We applied a simplified hydrological model across the diverse physiographic region to estimate the potential magnitude of annual water yield response to forestation. Our study suggests that the average water yield reduction may vary from about 50 mm/yr (50%) in the semi-arid Loess Plateau region in northern China to about 300 mm/yr (30%) in the tropical southern region. We conclude that forestation in China that often involves a combination of tree planting and engineering (e.g., terracing) may have even a higher potential to greatly reduce annual water yield in headwater watersheds, especially in the semi-arid Loess Plateau region. However, the forestation area is relatively small for most large basins with mixed landuses in China, thus the regional effects of forestation on water resource management may not be of major concern. Comprehensive science-based evaluation of roles of forests on regulating regional water resources is critical to the current forestation endeavors in China.

New Zealand Forest Research Institute
About this Resource: The New Zealand Forest Research Institute site contains information about biomaterials and other research projects the institute is working on. The site also provides links to products and services, software, and publications, some of which are free online. Also, there is an area entitled "Targeted Knowledge" where the site discusses specific aspects of forest research.

Forest Inventory and Analysis National Program | USDA-Forest Service
About this Resource: A link to the research and development organization within USDA's forest Service responsible for assessing the America's forests. Presents information that allows site visitors to develop, analyze and maintain forest resource information. The program allows for projections into how the National firest system will appear in the future. Visitors can develop upon specific indices. The website features various tools and databases, data tables and data services. The FIA Library is a source for a publications; fact sheets; briefings; summaries; overviews; scientific papers; presentations; maps and field guides. External links are also online.

Healthy Forests Initiative | USDA-FS
About this Resource: The Healthy Forests Initiative, enacted as a consequence of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003, is designed to improve the health of our nation's forests and rangelands. This website furnishes background on the Initiative; it also provides details of examples where improvements are being made. Documentation related to the science behind the Initiative is included; there are fact sheets available; along with guidance documents as to how the Initiative improves efforts related to work associated with endandgered species, environmental assessments and related endeavors. The website is also a source for news; it identifies accomplishments; is a source for communication materials and also links to additional sites related to the Initiative.

Canadian Forest Industries
About this Resource: Canadian Forest Industries focuses on leading edge technology as it is applied in the most remote sites from British Columbia to Newfoundland. Some featured articles are available from the current issue online. Free Subscriptions are available to Canadian individuals or businesses involved in logging companies & logging contractors, woodlands department of pulp & paper company including pulpwood contractors, combined logging and sawmill, truck hauling, equipment manufacturer, dealer or distributor and others aligned to the forest industry. A form is available online to order a paying subscription.

Patterns and general characteristics of severe forest dieback from 1950 to 1995 in the northeastern United States.
About this Resource: US national and state forest insect and disease surveys provide plentiful information on forest dieback. These data, however, have not been quantified and analyzed systematically to address outstanding questions on the etiology of dieback. This study quantified long-term (1950-1995) trends in the severity of dieback on Acer saccharum Marsh., Fraxinus spp., Betula spp., and Picea rubens Sarg. in US northern hardwoods. A numeric index (0-10 scale) of the severity and extent of dieback was applied using key words frequently found in the surveys. The 18 episodes identified showed considerable variability among species at the local scale, yet systematic, repetitive patterns of dieback at the scale of the region and multidecadal time frame. Six dieback characteristics were evident: episodes showed abrupt onset and subsidence, endured 13.6 years on average, were cyclical, with a frequency of 22.3 years between recurrence, and averaged about two-thirds of maximum possible severity. In contrast to the perception that dieback is happenstance and chaotic, this study supports the hypothesis that, by addressing issues of spatial scale and long-term population dynamics, coherent, generic patterns emerge that are cyclic and predictable. Limitations and advantages of the approaches were discussed in terms of meeting needs of the US Forest Health Monitoring Program for innovative approaches to the analysis of the voluminous field data being assembled nationwide. By developing a quantitative database, environmental correlation and modeling of dieback now become possible.

Forestry AgNIC
About this Resource: This web site provides significant information, resources, associations, databases, and links on forestry and the related sciences such as agroforestry, wilderness management, and outdoor recreation.

North Carolina Division of Forest Resources
About this Resource: This site provides information about starting a forest, urban forestry, fire, water quality, careers with NCDFR, forms and grants, tending your forest, forest health, education and training opportunities, news, and publications. There are also resources for kids, such as the Junior Forest Ranger Program, forest facts, and a Smokey Bear Slide Puzzle.

North Carolina Division of Forest Resources
About this Resource: The Division of Forest Resources' primary purpose is to ensure adequate and quality forest resources for the state by providing forest management assistance to private landowners and aiding with reforestation, forest fire prevention and suppression, and insect and disease control. Their website provides information about starting a forest, urban forestry, fire, forest health, and water quality. They also provide access to information about careers, publications, forms and grants. There are links to burning permits, fire weather updates, wildfire updates, and a list of educational state forests.

National Forest Health Monitoring | USDA-Forest Service
About this Resource: A website that provides background on the Forest Health Monitoring (FHM) Plan. By combining data from ground plot and aerial surveys, along with various biotic/abiotic data sources , USDA's Forest Service can focus on - and define/refine - upon matters involving forest health and sustainabilty. Working with state foresters, state and federal agencies, and academic groups, USDA is generating data related to the topic. The website is a source of a detail on the National Forest Health Plan. The Forest Service Publication Database can be accesesed from this service. The site also includes a number of related external links and elaborates upon a number of special projects emerging from FHM. A source for news and other forest related topics. Points to a variety of forest health indicators.

Nebraska Forest Service
About this Resource: The Nebraska Forest Service provides education and service to the people of Nebraska about planting, protection, care, and utilization of forest and tree resources. The site provides links to a calendar of events, reports, related publications, and news. There is information about each of their programs: Fire Control, Rural Forestry, Community Forestry, Forest Health, Pine Wilt, Forest Legacy, Forest Products, Conservation Trees, Champion Trees, and Heritage Trees. Other resources include links to Extension Forestry, the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, Arbor Day, links to students and youth, and a forestry consultant list. There is also a place where users can post a question for a forester.

Mountain Pine Beetle-Induced Changes to Selected Lodgepole Pine Fuel Complexes within the Intermountain Region
About this Resource: The mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) is a forest insect that infests lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm.) forests in the Intermountain West. The often widespread mortality caused by the mountain pine beetle has been suggested to result in significant changes to stand structure, composition, and total fuel loading; however, little quantitative information that documents these changes is available. We examined mountain pine beetle-induced changes to ground, surface, and aerial fuels in lodgepole pine stands during current epidemics and 20 years after an epidemic. Results indicated that there were statistically significant increases in the amounts of fine surface fuels in recently infested stands, i.e., those stands <=5 years past peak mortality. In the previously infested stands, there were large increases in the amounts of dead woody fuels in all but the smallest size classes, with a 7.8-fold increase in down woody fuels >=7.62 cm in diameter. Live shrubs and the amount of subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa Nutt.) regeneration were also significantly greater in the postepidemic stands. The net result of epidemic mountain pine beetle activity was a substantial change in species composition and a highly altered fuels complex in which large dead woody fuels and live surface fuels dominate.

Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Resource Management and Geomatics
About this Resource: The Department of Forest Resource Management and Geomatics focuses on education and research in the fields of statistics, forest management planning, remote sensing, forest inventory, and environmental monitoring. Courses are offered in statistics, computer science, forest management planning, forest inventry, remote sensing, GIS, and environmental monitoring. There is information about the program on the site. There are links to the Swedish National Forest Inventory and the National Inventory of Landscapes in Sweden, which is a national program for the monitoring of biodiversity.

Forestscience.info
About this Resource: ForestScience.info is an online information resource for forest and wood science. Subject coverage includes agroforestry, community forestry, forest management, forests, nonwood forest products, and wood technology. The database is updated weekly and contains content from 1939 to the present. The site also includes links to the Global Forest Information Service (GFIS) and BIOME, a guide to resources in health and life sciences. There is a link to the Society of American Foresters homepage and information on the Forestry compendium.

Western Forestry Leadership Coalition
About this Resource: A state-federal partnership, the Western Forestry Leadership Coalition (WFLC) is currently the product of a fifty year understanding. WFLC engages State and Territorial Foresters, along with USDA's Forest Service. The Coalition seeks to promote science-based forest manaagement while serving society and ensuring the health and sustainability of western forests. The website features brochures, presenations, issue briefs, reports, research and state fact sheets. An events calendar is also included.

Washington State Department of Natural Resources
About this Resource: The Washington State DNR's responsibilities include protecting and managing state land and protecting public resources through fire prevention and suppression and regulating forest practices. Their website provides information about recreation, fire and natural hazards, education, and employment. They also provide information about product sales, events, publications, programs, and divisions of the Washington State DNR.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
About this Resource: The state of California's website for forestry and fire protection gives information regarding fire and emergencies, resource management, state fire marshal, the board of forestry, Fire and Resource Assessment Program, careers, fire safety education, and the California fire plan. Also available are news, newsletters, FAQs, calendar of events, and fact sheets.

Silvicultural Options to Reduce Pine Susceptibility to Attack by a Newly Detected Invasive Species, Sirex noctilio
About this Resource: A nonnative woodwasp of Eurasian origin, Sirex noctilio F., was detected recently in Oswego, New York, infesting Scots, red, and white pine. S. noctilio has caused periodic widespread losses of pine timber resources in several Southern Hemisphere countries and may cause significant damage in pure even-aged stands and overstocked plantations in North America. However, stand management and biological control programs have successfully managed S. noctilio populations in other countries and similar programs are being developed for North America. Until the primary biological control agent, Beddingia siricidicola, a parasitic nematode, is established in North America, forest owners will have to rely solely on silvicultural treatments to reduce the susceptibility of at-risk pine stands to S. noctilio attack. Silvicultural treatments including precommercial thinning, promoting optimal growing conditions for pines on a given site, reducing numbers of susceptible hosts, and consistent monitoring of stands are suggested activities to help protect pine stands from invasion by S. noctilio.

Developing resilient ponderosa pine forests with mechanical thinning and prescribed fire in central Oregon's pumice region
About this Resource: Thinning and prescribed burning are common management practices for reducing fuel buildup in ponderosa pine forests. However, it is not well understood if their combined use is required to lower wildfire risk and to help restore natural ecological function. We compared 16 treatment combinations of thinning, prescribed fire, and slash retention for two decades across a site quality gradient of second-growth pine stands, measuring changes in forest vegetation growth, structure, and composition. Thinning alone doubled the diameter growth increment of ponderosa pine, moderately stimulated shrub production, and resulted in lower tree mortality compared with unthinned plots. In contrast, repeated fire alone did not substantially alter stand structure or increase tree vigor, herbaceous production, or plant diversity. The combined use of thinning and repeated burning reduced shrub cover, yet produced no changes in herbaceous production, plant diversity, stand structure, or tree vigor compared with thin-only treatments. Additional findings identified (1) inconsequential effects of thinning residues on site productivity, (2) the need for multiple entries of prescribed fire if the abatement of shrubs is required, (3) the ineffectiveness of repeated burning to stimulate plant growth, and (4) that the thinning treatment served as an effective surrogate to fire for managing central Oregon forest vegetation.

Variable-retention harvests in the Pacific Northwest: A review of short-term findings from the DEMO study
About this Resource: In the Pacific Northwest (PNW) region of the contiguous United States, retention of live (green) trees in harvest units is an integral part of forest management practices on federal lands, yet the ecological benefits that result from various levels or patterns of retained trees remain speculative. The Demonstration of Ecosystem Management Options (DEMO) study was established to address these informational gaps. The experimental design consists of six treatments, each 13ha in size, replicated at six locations (blocks) in western Washington and Oregon. Treatments represent strong contrasts in retention level (15-100% of original basal area) and pattern (trees dispersed vs. aggregated in 1-ha patches) in mature Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) forests. A wide variety of ecological responses and public perceptions of visual quality have been examined; this paper provides a comprehensive review of the short-term (1-7 years) results of these studies. Level of retention had a strong effect on many responses. At 15% retention, regardless of pattern, microclimate, ecological responses, and public perceptions of visual quality did not differ from those measured in the “clearcut” areas of aggregated treatments. In contrast to level of retention, pattern of retention had limited effect on most measures of biological response. Small changes within forest aggregates were balanced by large changes in adjacent harvested areas, thus on average, responses within aggregated treatments were comparable to those in dispersed treatments. Nevertheless, retaining trees in 1-ha aggregates provided several benefits over dispersed retention. Aggregates greatly reduced damage to and mortality of residual trees (particularly at lower levels of retention) and provided short-term refugia for forest organisms sensitive to disturbance or environmental stress (e.g., bryophytes and late-seral herbs). However, aggregates were susceptible to edge effects (e.g., elevated light and temperature), which may compromise their ability to serve as sources for recolonization of adjacent harvested areas. Collectively, our findings suggest that retention levels >15% are needed to effectively retain sensitive plants and animals, ameliorate harsh microclimatic conditions, and gain public acceptance of retention harvests in these forests. A combination of relatively large (>=1ha) aggregates and dispersed trees at levels considerably greater than current minimum standards in the PNW may be the most effective strategy for sustaining a broad array of forest values in managed stands.

Forest Insect and Disease Leaflets | USDA Forest Service
About this Resource: A collection of Forest Service leaflets offer extensive information concering insect pests of forest trees and the diseases they cause. Among the insects discussed are: the western pine beetle; mountain pine beetle; saratoga spittlebug; douglas-fir beetle; forest tent caterpillar; jeffrey pine beetle; fir engraver; redheaded pine sawfly; dwarf mistletoe of lodgepole pine; dwarf mistletoe of ponderosa pine in Southwest; white-pine weevil; hemlock sawfly; walnut caterpillar; southern pine beetle; western spruce budworm; southwestern pine tip moth; european pine shoot moth; variable oakleaf caterpillar; nantucket pine tip moth; locust borer; larch casebearer in western larch; pales weevil; pine engraver Ips pini (Western States); spruce beetle; eastern pineshoot borer; roundheaded pine beetle; spear-marked black moth; gypsy moth; red oak borer; saddled prominent; and twolined chestnut borer. Leaflets are also available for tree disorders related to fungi and other non-insect agents. The leafets may be Identifier-v1ed by way of a master list containing all FS leaflets or through "Western" and "Eastern" regional directories. Most leaflets contain color illustrations.

Bark beetles, fuels, fires and implications for forest management in the Intermountain West
About this Resource: Bark beetle-caused tree mortality in conifer forests affects the quantity and quality of forest fuels and has long been assumed to increase fire hazard and potential fire behavior. In reality, bark beetles, and their effects on fuel accumulation, and subsequent fire hazard, are poorly understood. We extensively sampled fuels in three bark beetle-affected Intermountain conifer forests and compared these data to existing research on bark beetle/fuels/fire interactions within the context of the disturbance regime. Data were collected in endemic, epidemic and post-epidemic stands of Douglas-fir, lodgepole pine and Engelmann spruce. From these data, we evaluated the influence of bark beetle-caused tree mortality on various fuels characteristics over the course of a bark beetle rotation. The data showed that changes in fuels over time create periods where the potential for high intensity and/or severe fires increases or decreases. The net result of bark beetle epidemics was a substantial change in species composition and a highly altered fuels complex. Early in epidemics there is a net increase in the amount of fine surface fuels when compared to endemic stands. In post-epidemic stands large, dead, woody fuels, and live surface fuels dominate. We then discuss potential fire behavior in bark beetle-affected conifer fuels based on actual and simulated fuels data. Results indicated that for surface fires both rates of fire spread and fireline intensities were higher in the current epidemic stands than in the endemic stands. Rates of spread and fireline intensities were higher in epidemic stands due, however, to decreased vegetative sheltering and its effect on mid-flame wind speed, rather than changes in fuels. Passive crown fires were more likely in post-epidemic stands, but active crown fires were less likely due to decreased aerial fuel continuity. We also discuss the ecological effects of extreme fire behavior. Information is presented on managing forests to reduce the impact of bark beetle outbreaks and the interplay between management, bark beetle populations, fuels and fire hazard and behavior.

Conversion and recovery of Puerto Rican mangroves: 200 years of change
About this Resource: Human activities have dramatically reduced the world's area of mangroves just as the ecological services they provide are becoming widely recognized. Improving the conservation tools available to restore lost mangroves would benefit from a better understanding of how human activities influence the conservation of these ecosystems. We took advantage of historical information and long-term landscape analyses to relate land use change with the area of mangroves in Puerto Rico. We found that mangroves experienced dramatic changes over the last 200 years, and four distinct eras of change were visible. During the agricultural era (1800-1940) the area of mangroves declined 45%. As the economy changed to industrial in the late 1940s the area of mangrove increase due to reduced land use pressure on the wetlands. Nevertheless, urban expansion between 1960s and 1970s produced another decline. Public concern for mangrove conservation resulted in the legal protection of all the mangroves in 1972, and since then their area has expanded. We found that past human activity altered the original proportion of mangrove species. The number and size of mangrove-forest fragments was impacted by land use, and urban areas had fewer and smaller fragments than vegetated areas. Uncontrolled expansion of urban areas emerged as a major threat to mangrove conservation. Mangroves are resilient and recover quickly when given an opportunity if the geomorphological and hydrological features of the habitat are not changed by their use. The key to conservation appears to be a combination of the type of human activity in mangrove watersheds combined with strong legal protection. The following steps are recommended: (1) identify the areas that satisfy the ecological requirements of mangrove development; (2) incorporate better zoning regulations to maintain these areas natural and to protect the fluxes of water, nutrients, and organisms in and out of the system; and (3) monitor results.

Missoula Technology & Development Center | USDA-FS
About this Resource: A link to information on the Missoula Technology & Development Center (MTDC), from a USDA server with the Forest Service. The Missoula Technology & Development Center works with federal and state agencies, universities, private corporate agencies and research groups. MTDC assists these institutions so that resource managers can improve public lands. An index from this page accesses web resources devoted to: research and development; forest health production; recreation; environmental engineering; reforestation; remote sensing; watershed management. The website points to: historical photographs and video streaming as well as key publications.

NED-2: A decision support system for integrated forest ecosystem management
About this Resource: NED-2 is a Windows-based system designed to improve project-level planning and decision making by providing useful and scientifically sound information to natural resource managers. Resources currently addressed include visual quality, ecology, forest health, timber, water, and wildlife. NED-2 expands on previous versions of NED applications by integrating treatment prescriptions, growth simulation, and alternative comparisons with evaluations of multiple resources across a management unit. The NED-2 system is adaptable for small private holdings, large public properties, or cooperative management across multiple ownerships. NED-2 implements a goal-driven decision process that ensures that all relevant goals are considered; the character and current condition of forestland are known; alternatives to manage the land are designed and tested; the future forest under each alternative is simulated; and the alternative selected achieves the owner's goals. NED-2 is designed to link with the NedLite package for field data collection using a handheld PDA, and is constructed to be easy to link to third-party applications. The NED process is being field tested to demonstrate its utility and identify weaknesses. Results of case studies are summarized for two owners, a private individual and the City of Baltimore, Maryland, and its reservoir lands.

Climate response of five oak species in the eastern deciduous forest of the southern Appalachian Mountains, USA
About this Resource: The climatic response of trees that occupy closed canopy forests in the eastern United States (US) is important to understanding the possible trajectory these forests may take in response to a warming climate. Our study examined tree rings of 664 trees from five oak species (white (Quercus alba L.), black (Quercus velutina Lam.), chestnut (Quercus prinus L.), northern red (Quercus rubra L.), scarlet (Quercus coccinea Münchh.)) from 17 stands in eastern Tennessee, western North Carolina, and northern Georgia to determine their climatic response. We dated the samples using skeleton plots, measured the cores, and compared the site- and regional-level tree-ring chronologies of each separate species with divisional climate data. The oldest trees in each chronology dated back to 203 years for black oak, 299 years for chestnut oak, 171 years for northern red oak, 135 years for scarlet oak, and 291 years for white oak. We successfully developed climate models via multiple regression analyses with statistically significant (P < 0.05) variables representing the Palmer Drought Severity Index and average monthly temperature for most of the site-species chronologies (average R2 = 0.15). All regional climate response models included the Palmer Drought Severity Index from either June or July as the most significant variable in the climate response, suggesting that growing-season drought is the most important factor limiting oak growth in the southeastern US. An increase in temperature and reduction in moisture is likely to reduce their competitiveness in their current locations and force these species to migrate to cooler climates, thereby greatly changing ecosystem health and stability in the southern Appalachians.

Gypsy Moth Slow The Spread Foundation, Inc.
About this Resource: A non-profit organization, this Foundation is working to reduce the rate of gypsy moth infestation by incorporating Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies as a control mechanism. Working with state members of the Foundation and USDA's Forest Service and Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the Foundation has created this website to describe theses efforts. Organizational information is offered as well as reports, details on grants and project and other relevant sources.

Proceedings, U. S. Department of Agriculture interagency gypsy moth research review 1990; 1990 January 22-25; East Windsor, CT. : Population Dynamics
About this Resource: The techniques and methodology for sampling gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar L., at low densities less than 100 egg masses/ha (EM/ha), are compared. Forest managers have constraints of time and cost, and need a useful, simple predictable means to assist them in sampling gypsy moth populations. A comparison of various techniques coupled with results of recent habitat research studies indicates that a series of burlap banded trees can be utilized to monitor egg-mass desity change over time. Egg masses eneath bands accurately reflect densities on unbanded trees, yet does not seem to be a mojor factor indetermining the distribution of gypsy moth egg masses; however, forest stands selected for banding should have a major oak component. Predicting a 2-year lead time to outbreak is possible based upon two consecutive years with an increase of one order of magnitude or greater of egg-mass density beneath bands.

Compaction alters physical but not biological indices of soil health
About this Resource: Current management and harvesting practices can compact forest soils and degrade soil health. However, effects of soil compaction on microbial processes and composition are poorly understood. We measured microbial community responses to compaction in a sandy loam and a clay loam soil under laboratory and field conditions. Treatments of no, moderate (approximately 20% increase in bulk density), and severe (approximately 40% increase) compaction were manually applied to intact soil cores. A 67-d laboratory experiment, punctuated by four sampling dates, was used to evaluate microbial indices (biomass, respiration, total and culturable bacteria and fungi, N mineralization, surface CO2 efflux, C use (Biolog), and phospholipid fatty acids PLFA) and their relationship to soil physical properties (bulk density, pore-size distribution, water-holding capacity WHC, gas diffusion). Macropores (>30 micrometer diam.) were reduced 50 to 90% in compacted samples. In contrast, habitable-sized pores for microorganisms (0.2-30 micrometer diam.) increased at least 40% in both soils with compaction. Despite these changes, microbial measures were either unaffected by compaction or showed inconsistent increases (e.g., fungal hyphae, C use, total PLFA) across sampling periods and soil types. Surface CO2 efflux was reduced 34 to 51% in severe compaction samples. Minimal changes in microbial respiration indicate that reduced efflux was due to restricted gas diffusion. Microbial indifference to compaction also was verified at two mixed-conifer plantations in northern California. Soil strength values, ranging from 75 to 3800 kPa (no to severe compaction), were unrelated to either microbial respiration or biomass. The results show broad tolerance of microbial communities from contrasting soil textures to compaction, and indicate a poor link between physical and biological indices of soil health.

Long-term calcium addition increases growth release, wound closure, and health of sugar maple (Acer saccharum) trees at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest
About this Resource: We surveyed and wounded forest-grown sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) trees in a long-term, replicated Ca manipulation study at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire, USA. Plots received applications of Ca (to boost Ca availability above depleted ambient levels) or Al (to compete with Ca uptake and further reduce Ca availability). We found significantly greater total foliar and membrane-associated Ca in foliage of trees in plots fertilized with Ca when compared with trees from Al-addition and control plots (P = 0.005). Coinciding with foliar Ca differences, trees exhibited a significant difference in crown vigor and in percent branch dieback among treatments (P < 0.05), with a trend towards improved canopy health as Ca levels increased. Annual basal area increment growth for the years following treatment initiation (1998-2004) was significantly greater in trees subjected to Ca addition compared with trees in control and Al treatments. Treatment-related improvements in growth were particularly evident after overstory release following a 1998 ice storm. The amount of wound closure was also greatest for trees in Ca-addition plots relative to Al-addition and control plots (P = 0.041). These findings support evidence that ambient Ca depletion is an important limiting factor regarding sugar maple health and highlight the influence of Ca on wound closure and growth following release from competition.

Rapid mortality of Populus tremuloides in southwestern Colorado, USA
About this Resource: Concentrated patches of recent trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) mortality covered 56,091ha of Colorado forests in 2006. Mortality has progressed rapidly. Area affected increased 58% between 2005 and 2006 on the Mancos-Dolores Ranger District, San Juan National Forest, where it equaled nearly 10% of the aspen cover type. In four stands that were measured twice, incidence of mortality increased from 7-9% in 2002/2003 to 31-60% in 2006. Mortality generally decreased with increasing elevation over the primary elevation range of aspen and occurred on less steep slopes than healthy aspen. Slope-weighted mean aspects of aspen cover type were northern at low elevations and generally southern at high elevations. Relative frequency of mortality was generally highest on southern to western aspects. In 31 stands measured in detail, mortality ranged from 0 to 100% (mean 32%) and was negatively correlated with stand density (P =0.033). Size of trees affected was strongly correlated with amount of current mortality (P <0.001), and current mortality was skewed toward larger diameter classes. Density of regeneration was in a low range typical of undisturbed stands and did not increase with overstory mortality. Agents that typically kill mature trees in aspen stands were unimportant in this mortality. Instead, a group of interchangeable, usually secondary agents was most commonly associated with mortality, including Cytospora canker (usually caused by Valsa sordida), aspen bark beetles (Trypophloeus populi and Procryphalus mucronatus), poplar borer (Saperda calcarata), and bronze poplar borer (Agrilus liragus). The rapidity of mortality, mortality agents involved, and probably other causal factors distinguish this phenomenon from the long-term loss of aspen cover usually attributed to successional processes operating in an altered disturbance regime (and often exacerbated by ungulate browsing). Our data are consistent with a hypothesis that (a) predisposing factors include stand maturation, low density, southern aspects and low elevations; (b) a major inciting factor was the recent, acute drought accompanied by high temperatures, and; (c) contributing factors and proximate agents of mortality are the common biotic agents observed. On sites with poor regeneration and weak root systems, clones may die, resulting in the long-term loss of aspen forest cover.

Forest Health Protection : USDA Forest Service
About this Resource: Offers color illustrations of insects of economic importance to forests. Also illustrated is the damage they cause. Images are grouped by bark beetles and wood borer (ambrosia beetles, Douglas-fir beatle, Douglas-fir engraver, Douglas-fir pole beetle, fir engraver flatheaded borers, Ips species Jeffrey pine beetle, mountain pine beetle, red turpentine beetle, roundheaded borers, silver fir beetle, spruce beetle, western balsam bark beetle, western pine beetle); defoliators (douglas-fir tussock moth, gypsy moth, larch budmoth, larch case bearer, lodgepole needleminer, loopers, pandora moth, pine butterfly, pine sheathminer, sawflies, silverspotted tiger moth, tent caterpillars, western blackheaded budworm, western spruce budworm); seed cone and nursery insects (cone moths, Douglas-fir cone midge, Douglas-fir cone moth, Douglas-fir seed chalcid, fir coneworm, western conifer seed bug); shoot twig and terminal insects (douglas-fir twig weevil, European pine shoot moth, gouty pitch midge, lodgepole terminal weevil, pine root collar weevil, western pineshoot borer, white pine weevil); sucking insects (balsam woolly adelgid, black pineleaf scale, cooley spruce gall aphid, pine needle scale western pine spittlebug); and other types of insects (gall wasps, grasshopper, ten lined june beetle).

Soil physical changes associated with forest harvesting operations on an organic soil
About this Resource: The influence of forest operations on forest soil and water continues to be an issue of concern in forest management. Research has focused on evaluating forest operation effects on numerous soil and water quality indicators. However, poorly drained forested watersheds with organic soil surface horizons have not been extensively investigated. A study was initiated in the Tidewater region of North Carolina to gain a better understanding of the impact of harvesting operations on poorly drained organic soils. Soils on the study site, having >80% organic matter (OM) content to a depth of 60 cm below the soil surface, were classified as shallow organic soils. Soil physical properties were examined by collecting soil cores from control and treatment watersheds in a nested design. Compaction caused by the harvest operation increased bulk density (D(b)) from 0.22 to 0.27 g cm(-3), decreased saturated hydraulic conductivity (k(sat)) from 397 to 82 cm h(-1), and decreased the drained volume for a given water table depth. However, D(b) following the harvest remained low at 0.27 g cm(-3). The drained volume at equilibrium following the lowering of the water table from the soil surface to a depth of 200 cm was reduced by 10% from that of control watershed as a result of harvesting.

Nitrogen and calcium additions increase forest growth in northeastern USA spruce-fir forests
About this Resource: We determined responses of red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) - balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) forests to 6 years of nitrogen (N), calcium (Ca), and N + Ca treatments (100, 160, and 260 kg·ha-1·year-1 of N, Ca, and N + Ca, respectively) in New York (NY) and New Hampshire (NH). Forest responses to Ca treatments were also determined in Vermont (VT). Nitrogen treatments increased aboveground net primary production (ANPP) by 33% and 25% above controls in NY and NH, respectively. Similarly, N + Ca treatments increased ANPP by 27% and 28% in NY and NH, respectively. Calcium treatments increased ANPP by 25% and 21% above controls in NY and VT. Calcium treatment did not increase ANPP in NH, suggesting N, but not Ca limitation. Leaf-litter quantity and quality, and soil C and N storage were greater in treated than in control plots. Fine-root mass and production did not differ among treatments. Trees, therefore, assimilated more soil nutrients without increasing root growth in treated plots. Red spruce ANPP, however, declined or remained unchanged in response to N and Ca additions. The equivalent of 68-102 years of anthropogenic N addition to soils changed forest species composition without decreasing ANPP, and Ca additions did not prevent this change.

Loss of foundation species: consequences for the structure and dynamics of forested ecosystems
About this Resource: In many forested ecosystems, the architecture and functional ecology of certain tree species define forest structure and their species-specific traits control ecosystem dynamics. Such foundation tree species are declining throughout the world due to introductions and outbreaks of pests and pathogens, selective removal of individual taxa, and over-harvesting. Through a series of case studies, we show that the loss of foundation tree species changes the local environment on which a variety of other species depend; how this disrupts fundamental ecosystem processes, including rates of decomposition, nutrient fluxes, carbon sequestration, and energy flow; and dramatically alters the dynamics of associated aquatic ecosystems. Forests in which dynamics are controlled by one or a few foundation species appear to be dominated by a small number of strong interactions and may be highly susceptible to alternating between stable states following even small perturbations. The ongoing decline of many foundation species provides a set of important, albeit unfortunate, opportunities to develop the research tools, models, and metrics needed to identify foundation species, anticipate the cascade of immediate, short- and long-term changes in ecosystem structure and function that will follow from their loss, and provide options for remedial conservation and management.

Factors influencing pine engraver (Ips pini Say) colonization of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex. Laws.) slash in Northern Arizona
About this Resource: Thinning projects have increased in recent years to reduce standing fuels and fire hazard within the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) and to improve general forest conditions through forest health restoration treatments. As a consequence, large volumes of thinning slash have been generated, increasing the potential for growth of bark beetle (Ips spp.) populations. Because slash can initiate outbreaks in standing trees, a critical examination of slash management guidelines is needed to minimize bark beetle impacts associated with thinning treatments. Specifically, we examined effects of season of slash cutting, sunlight intensity (stand density) and log size on pine engraver (Ips pini Say) reproduction in North-central Arizona, USA. Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl ex. Laws.) trees were felled and cut to 16 sizes (diameters of 10, 15, 20, and 25cm and lengths of 15, 30, 45, and 60cm) in October, January, April and July, for 2 years. The 16 logs of differing size were placed in groups in overstory stand densities of 5, 14, and 27.5m²/ha (representing high, partial, and low sunlight levels). Response variables included attack density, emergence density, and beetle population growth rate. Log length had a positive relationship with both attack and emergence density. Log diameter had a significant effect on attack and emergence density, with a preference shown for intermediate diameter bolts. During a year with above average winter precipitation, cutting date and the interaction of cutting date and light level had significant effects on attack density. Fewer beetles attacked both bolts that had been exposed for longer periods of time and logs exposed to high sunlight levels. Cutting date, and the interaction of cutting date and light level, influenced emergence density, but light level alone did not. Emergence density was lowest in spring-cut logs in both years. Cutting date also had an effect on beetle population growth rate, with fall-cut logs having the highest population growth, while light level had no effect. Extended time-since-cutting (e.g. fall cutting), high light levels and small log diameter did not consistently cause reductions in beetle attack and reproductive performance as was hypothesized. Implications of these results for slash management guidelines are discussed.

Carbon Accounting Rules and Guidelines for the United States Forest Sector
About this Resource: The United States Climate Change Initiative includes improvements to the U.S. Department of Energy's Voluntary Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. The program includes specific accounting rules and guidelines for reporting and registering forestry activities that reduce atmospheric C(O)2 by increasing carbon sequestration or reducing emissions. In the forestry sector, there is potential for the economic value of emissions credits to provide increased income for landowners, to support rural development, to facilitate the practice of sustainable forest management, and to support restoration of ecosystems. Forestry activities with potential for achieving substantial reductions include, but are not limited to: afforestation, mine land reclamation, forest restoration, agroforestry, forest management, short-rotation biomass energy plantations, forest protection, wood production, and urban forestry. To be eligible for registration, the reported reductions must use methods and meet standards contained in the guidelines. Forestry presents some unique challenges and opportunities because of the diversity of activities, the variety of practices that can affect greenhouse gases, year-to-year variability in emissions and sequestration, the effects of activities on different forest carbon pools, and accounting for the effects of natural disturbance.

Estimates of critical acid loads and exceedances for forest soils across the conterminous United States
About this Resource: Concern regarding the impacts of continued nitrogen and sulfur deposition on ecosystem health has prompted the development of critical acid load assessments for forest soils. A critical acid load is a quantitative estimate of exposure to one or more pollutants at or above which harmful acidification-related effects on sensitive elements of the environment occur. A pollutant load in excess of a critical acid load is termed exceedance. This study combined a simple mass balance equation with national-scale databases to estimate critical acid load and exceedance for forest soils at a 1-km2 spatial resolution across the conterminous US. This study estimated that about 15% of US forest soils are in exceedance of their critical acid load by more than 250 eq ha-1 yr-1, including much of New England and West Virginia. Very few areas of exceedance were predicted in the western US. This simple mass balance equation estimated that 17% of US forest soils exceed their critical acid load by more than 250 eq ha-1 yr-1, and these areas are predominantly located in the northeastern US.

Reduced-impact logging: Challenges and opportunities
About this Resource: Over the past two decades, sets of timber harvesting guidelines designed to mitigate the deleterious environmental impacts of tree felling, yarding, and hauling have become known as “reduced-impact logging” (RIL) techniques. Although none of the components of RIL are new, concerns about destructive logging practices and worker safety in the tropics stimulated this recent proliferation of semi-coordinated research and training activities related to timber harvesting. Studies in Southeast Asia, Africa, and South and Central America have clearly documented that the undesired impacts of selective logging on residual stands and soils can be substantially reduced through implementation of a series of recommended logging practices by crews that are appropriately trained, supervised, and compensated. Whether reducing the deleterious impacts of logging also reduces profits seems to depend on site conditions (e.g., terrain, soil trafficability, and riparian areas), whether the profits from illegal activities are included in the baseline, and the perspective from which the economic calculations are made. A standardized approach for calculating logging costs using RILSIM software is advocated to facilitate comparisons and to allow uncoupling RIL practices to evaluate their individual financial costs and benefits. Further complicating the matter is that while there are elements common to all RIL guidelines (e.g., directional felling), other components vary (e.g., slope limits of 17-40° with ground-based yarding). While use of RIL techniques may be considered as a prerequisite for sustaining timber yields (STY), in particular, and sustainable forest management (SFM), in general, RIL should not be confounded with STY and SFM. This confusion is particularly problematic in forests managed for light-demanding species that benefit from both canopy opening and mineral soil exposure as well as where harvesting intensities are high and controlled primarily by minimum diameter cutting limits. These qualifications notwithstanding, since logging is the most intensive of silvicultural treatments in most tropical forests managed for timber, some aspects of RIL are critical (e.g., protection of water courses) whether forests are managed for STY, SFM, or even replacement by agricultural crops.

Seedling root growth as a function of soil density and water content
About this Resource: Compaction caused by some intensive forest management practices can reduce tree growth, but growth reduction is the result of complex interactions between soil properties and tree physiological processes, which may differ by species. We used a 7 by 7 factorial greenhouse experiment to create a matrix of bulk density (rho(b)) and volumetric water content (theta(v)) to better understand soil compaction effects on seedling growth of: (i) ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws) grown on Dome and Cohasset soils; (ii) shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata Mill.) on a Clarksville soil; and (iii) loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) on an Argent soil. Models of root length density (RLD) were developed using multiple regression. The general model of RLD = b0 + b1theta(v) + b2 rho(b) + b3theta2v described rooting response for the Clarksville-shortleaf and Argent-loblolly soil-species combinations (p = 0.005). However, the ponderosa pine RLD response on Cohasset soil was linear and there was an interaction between theta(v) and rho(b) in the Dome soil. Shoot mass of seedlings growing within the least limiting water range (LLWR) was greater than those growing outside the range for all soil-species combinations except the Argent-loblolly pine (p = 0.05). The loblolly pines had greater shoot mass at theta(v) above the upper LLWR limits (aeration limiting). Least limiting water range has potential as a soil quality indicator, but seedling response was not always associated with LLWR. Root length density (RLD) response surface models in conjunction with seasonal site water data have potential for determining compaction-induced soil limitations for tree growth, but need to be field tested and calibrated for both soil and species.

Forestry Images : Forest Health, Natural Resources & Silviculture Images
About this Resource: A link to over 22,000 digital images devoted to forestry, natural resources, silviculture, incluing: forest pests, trees, understory and rangeland plants, wildlife, people, places and scenes. A substantial number of photos are public sector images; the downloading and use of which simply requires a registration. Availability results from a joint project involving The Bugwood Network, USDA's Forest Service, and the University of Georgia (engaging the Warnell School of Forest Resources and the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences).

Protection of spruce from colonization by the bark beetle, Ips perturbatus, in Alaska
About this Resource: Field bioassays were conducted in south-central Alaska in a stand of Lutz spruce, Picea x lutzii, to determine whether a semiochemical interruptant (verbenone and trans-conophthorin) and/or a defense-inducing plant hormone (methyl jasmonate, MJ) could be used to protect individual standing trees from bark beetle attack. During two experiments (initiated in May 2004 and 2005, respectively), attacks by Ips perturbatus on standing trees were induced by using a three-component aggregation pheromone (ipsenol, cis-verbenol, and ipsdienol) and prevented by using the interruptant. In 2005, treatments from 2004 were repeated and additional treatments were evaluated by using MJ spray or injection with and without the interruptant. Aggregation began before 3 or 7 June, and attack density was monitored through 3 or 16 August. During both years, tree mortality caused by I. perturbatus was recorded twice (in August, and in May of the following year). In both experiments, attack density was greatest on trees baited with the three-component attractive pheromone, but was significantly reduced by addition of the semiochemical interruptant to trees baited with the attractant. There were no significant differences in attack density between attractant+interruptant-treated trees and unbaited trees. In 2004, mortality was highest among attractant-baited trees, whereas addition of the interruptant significantly reduced the level of initial (10 week post-treatment) and final (54 week post-treatment) mortality. In 2005, no significant reduction in attack density occurred on trees baited with the attractant when MJ was sprayed or injected. The highest initial (10.6 week post-treatment) and final (49.4 week post-treatment) mortality was observed among trees that had been injected with MJ and baited with the attractant. Mortality at the final assessment was significantly lower in all other treatment groups. As in 2004, addition of the interruptant to attractant-baited trees significantly reduced the level of final mortality compared to attractant-baited trees. MJ was not attractive or interruptive to I. perturbatus or associated bark beetles in a flight trapping study. However, MJ-treated trees (sprayed or injected) exuded copious amounts of resin on the bark surface. Anatomical analyses of felled trees from four treatment groups [Tween (solvent)-sprayed, MJ-sprayed, Tween-injected, and MJ-injected+attractant baited] showed that treatment with MJ increased the number and size of resin ducts produced following treatment. These analyses also revealed a reduction in radial growth in MJ-treated trees. Our results show that during both years, treatment with a simple, two-component interruptant system of verbenone and trans-conophthorin significantly reduced I. perturbatus attack density and tree mortality on attractant-baited trees and provided a full year of protection from bark beetle attack.

Changes in stand structure and composition after restoration treatments in low elevation dry forests of northeastern Oregon
About this Resource: In many fire-dependent forests in the United States, changes occurring in the last century have resulted in overstory structures, conifer densities, down woody structure and understory plant communities that deviate from those described historically. With these changes, many forests are presumed to be unsustainable. Broad-scale treatments are proposed to promote stand development on trajectories toward more sustainable structures. Yet little research to date has identified the effects of these restoration treatments, especially in low elevation dry ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) forests of northeastern Oregon. We report changes in tree structure, coarse woody debris (logs), and understory composition from an operational-scale, replicated (N = 4), completely randomized experiment. Treatments included a single entry thin from below conducted in 1998, a late season burn conducted in 2000, a thin followed by burning (thin + burn), and a no action treatment which served as a control. Changes in live and dead tree structure and understory vascular plant community composition were compared between pre-treatment and 2004. Tree seedling density and composition and coarse woody debris structure were evaluated in 2004. Thin, burn, and thin + burn treatments reduced the density but not the basal area of live overstory trees. Thinning reduced the number of medium-diameter trees, and tended to decrease the abundance of shade tolerant, moist-site understory species yet increased the dominance of several rhizomatous species such as Calamagrostis rubescens, Symphoricarpos albus, and Spiraea betulifolia. Burning alone had little effect on large trees but reduced the number of small Douglas-fir and logs. Shade tolerant perennial species associated with fine textured soils such as S. albus, Spiraea betulifolia, C. rubescens, Carex geyeri, and Arnica cordifolia increased in frequency and average cover with burning. Conversely, cover of the bunch grass Festuca idahoensis was reduced while non-native invasive species establishment was little affected. Ordination scores suggested that burning increased the abundance of species representing greater shade tolerance and finer-textured soils. The thin + burn treatment left both ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir with modal or normal diameter distributions, and increased the abundance of understory species representing shallow, coarse texture soils. These results are discussed in the context of management options for restoration of ecosystem health in similar low elevation dry ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir forests.