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Browse subject: temperate forests
Number of records: 91

Canopy nitrogen, carbon assimilation, and albedo in temperate and boreal forests: Functional relations and potential climate feedbacks
About this Resource: The availability of nitrogen represents a key constraint on carbon cycling in terrestrial ecosystems, and it is largely in this capacity that the role of N in the Earth's climate system has been considered. Despite this, few studies have included continuous variation in plant N status as a driver of broad-scale carbon cycle analyses. This is partly because of uncertainties in how leaf-level physiological relationships scale to whole ecosystems and because methods for regional to continental detection of plant N concentrations have yet to be developed. Here, we show that ecosystem CO₂ uptake capacity in temperate and boreal forests scales directly with whole-canopy N concentrations, mirroring a leaf-level trend that has been observed for woody plants worldwide. We further show that both CO₂ uptake capacity and canopy N concentration are strongly and positively correlated with shortwave surface albedo. These results suggest that N plays an additional, and overlooked, role in the climate system via its influence on vegetation reflectivity and shortwave surface energy exchange. We also demonstrate that much of the spatial variation in canopy N can be detected by using broad-band satellite sensors, offering a means through which these findings can be applied toward improved application of coupled carbon cycle-climate models.

Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr. mortality will impact hydrologic processes in southern Appalachian forest ecosystems
About this Resource: Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr.) is one of the principal riparian and cove canopy species in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Throughout its range, eastern hemlock is facing potential widespread mortality from the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). If HWA-induced eastern hemlock mortality alters hydrologic function, land managers will be challenged to develop management strategies that restore function or mitigate impacts. To estimate the impact that the loss of this forest species will have on the hydrologic budget, we quantified and modeled transpiration over a range of tree sizes and environmental conditions. We used heat dissipation probes, leaf-level gas-exchange measurements, allometric scaling, and time series modeling techniques to quantify whole-tree and leaf-level transpiration (EL) of eastern hemlock. We monitored trees ranging from 9.5 to 67.5 cm in diameter along a riparian corridor in western North Carolina, USA during 2004 and 2005. Maximum rates of daily tree water use varied by diameter and height, with large trees transpiring a maximum of 178-186 kg H2O·tree-1·d-1. Values of EL could be predicted from current and lagged environmental variables. We forecasted eastern hemlock EL for inventoried stands and estimated a mean annual transpiration rate of 63.3 mm/yr for the hemlock component, with 50% being transpired in the winter and spring. In typical southern Appalachian stands, eastern hemlock mortality would thus reduce annual stand-level transpiration by 10% and reduce winter and spring stand-level transpiration by 30%. Eastern hemlock in the southern Appalachians has two distinct ecohydrological roles: an evergreen tree that maintains year-round transpiration rates and a riparian tree that has high transpiration rates in the spring. No other native evergreen in the southern Appalachians will likely fill the ecohydrological role of eastern hemlock if widespread mortality occurs. With the loss of this species, we predict persistent increases in discharge, decreases in the diurnal amplitude of streamflow, and increases in the width of the variable source area.

To what extent do current and projected increases in surface ozone affect photosynthesis and stomatal conductance of trees? A meta-analytic review of the last 3 decades of experiments
About this Resource: The surface concentration of ozone ([O₃]) has risen from less than 10 ppb prior to the industrial revolution to a day-time mean concentration of approximately 40 ppb over much of the northern temperate zone. If current global emission trends continue, surface [O₃] is projected to rise a further 50% over this century, with larger increases in many locations including Northern Hemisphere forests. This review uses statistical meta-analysis to determine mean effects, and their confidence limits, of both the current and projected elevations of [O₃] on light-saturated photosynthetic CO₂ uptake (Asat) and stomatal conductance (gs) in trees. In total, 348 measurements of Asat from 61 studies and 266 measures of gs from 55 studies were reviewed. Results suggested that the elevation of [O₃] that has occurred since the industrial revolution is depressing Asat and gs by 11% (CI 9-13%) and 13% (CI 11-15%), respectively, where CI is the 95% confidence interval. In contrast to angiosperms, gymnosperms were not significantly affected. Both drought and elevated [CO₂] significantly decreased the effect of ambient [O₃]. Younger trees (<4 years) were affected less than older trees. Elevation of [O₃] above current levels caused progressively larger losses of Asat and gs, including gymnosperms. Results are consistent with the expectation that damage to photosynthesis depends on the cumulative uptake of ozone (O₃) into the leaf. Thus, factors that lower gs lessen damage. Where both gs and [O₃] were recorded, an overall decline in Asat of 0.21% per mmol m⁻² of estimated cumulative O₃ uptake was calculated. These findings suggest that rising [O₃], an often overlooked aspect of global atmospheric change, is progressively depressing the ability of temperate and boreal forests to assimilate carbon and transfer water vapour to the atmosphere, with significant potential effects on terrestrial carbon sinks and regional hydrologies.

Stand- and landscape-level effects of prescribed burning on two Arizona wildfires.
About this Resource: Performance of fuel treatments in modifying behavior and effects of the largest wildfires has rarely been evaluated, because the necessary data on fire movement, treatment characteristics, and fire severity were not obtainable together. Here we analyzed satellite imagery and prescribed fire records from two Arizona wildfires that occurred in 2002, finding that prescribed fire treatments reduced wildfire severity and changed its progress. Prescribed burning in ponderosa pine forests 1-9 years before the Rodeo and Chediski fires reduced fire severity compared with untreated areas, despite the unprecedented 1860-km2 combined wildfire sizes and record drought. Fire severity increased with time since treatment but decreased with unit size and number of repeated prescribed burn treatments. Fire progression captured by Landsat 7 enhanced thematic mapper plus (ETM+) clearly showed the fire circumventing treatment units and protecting areas on their lee side. This evidence is consistent with model predictions that suggest wildland fire size and severity can be mitigated by strategic placement of treatments.

Decay of Aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) Wood in Moist and Dry Boreal, Temperate, and Tropical Forest Fragments
About this Resource: In this study, we set up a wood decomposition experiment to i) quantify the percent of mass remaining, decay constant and performance strength of aspen stakes (Populus tremuloides) in dry and moist boreal (Alaska and Minnesota, USA), temperate (Washington and Idaho, USA), and tropical (Puerto Rico) forest types, and ii) determine the effects of fragmentation on wood decomposition rates as related to fragment size, forest age (and/or structure) and climate at the macro- and meso-scales. Fragment sizes represented the landscape variability within a climatic region. Overall, the mean small fragments area ranged from 10-14 ha, medium-sized fragments 33 to 60 ha, and large fragments 100-240 ha. We found that: i) aspen stakes decayed fastest in the tropical sites, and the slowest in the temperate forest fragments, ii) the percent of mass remaining was significantly greater in dry than in moist forests in boreal and temperate fragments, while the opposite was true for the tropical forest fragments, iii) no effect of fragment size on the percent of mass remaining of aspen stakes in the boreal sites, temperate dry, and tropical moist forests, and iv) no significant differences of aspen wood decay between forest edges and interior forest in boreal, temperate and tropical fragments. We conclude that: i) moisture condition is an important control over wood decomposition over broad climate gradients; and that such relationship can be non linear, and ii) the presence of a particular group of organism (termites) can significantly alter the decay rates of wood more than what might be predicted based on climatic factors alone. Biotic controls on wood decay might be more important predictors of wood decay in tropical regions, while abiotic constraints seems to be important determinants of decay in cold forested fragments.

Comparisons of land cover and LAI estimates derived from ETM+ and MODIS for four sites in North America: a quality assessment of 2000/2001 provisional MODIS products
About this Resource: The MODIS land science team produces a number of standard products, including land cover and leaf area index (LAI). Critical to the success of MODIS and other sensor products is an independent evaluation of product quality. In that context, we describe a study using field data and Landsat ETM+ to map land cover and LAI at four 49-km2 sites in North America containing agricultural cropland (AGRO), prairie grassland (KONZ), boreal needleleaf forest, and temperate mixed forest. The purpose was to: (1) develop accurate maps of land cover, based on the MODIS IGBP (International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme) land cover classification scheme; (2) derive continuous surfaces of LAI that capture the mean and variability of the LAI field measurements; and (3) conduct initial MODIS validation exercises to assess the quality of early (i.e., provisional) MODIS products. ETM+ land cover maps varied in overall accuracy from 81% to 95%. The boreal forest was the most spatially complex, had the greatest number of classes, and the lowest accuracy. The intensive agricultural cropland had the simplest spatial structure, the least number of classes, and the highest overall accuracy. At each site, mapped LAI patterns generally followed patterns of land cover across the site. Predicted versus observed LAI indicated a high degree of correspondence between field-based measures and ETM+ predictions of LAI. Direct comparisons of ETM+ land cover maps with Collection 3 MODIS cover maps revealed several important distinctions and similarities. One obvious difference was associated with image/map resolution. ETM+ captured much of the spatial complexity of land cover at the sites. In contrast, the relatively coarse resolution of MODIS did not allow for that level of spatial detail. Over the extent of all sites, the greatest difference was an overprediction by MODIS of evergreen needleleaf forest cover at the boreal forest site, which consisted largely of open shrubland, woody savanna, and savanna. At the agricultural, temperate mixed forest, and prairie grassland sites, ETM+ and MODIS cover estimates were similar. Collection 3 MODIS-based LAI estimates were considerably higher (up to 4 m2 m-2) than those based on ETM+ LAI at each site. There are numerous probable reasons for this, the most important being the algorithms' sensitivity to MODIS reflectance calibration, its use of a prelaunch AVHRR-based land cover map, and its apparent reliance on mainly red and near-IR reflectance. Samples of Collection 4 LAI products were examined and found to consist of significantly improved LAI predictions for KONZ, and to some extent for AGRO, but not for the other two sites. In this study, we demonstrate that MODIS reflectance data are highly correlated with LAI across three study sites, with relationships increasing in strength from 500 to 1000 m spatial resolution, when shortwave-infrared bands are included.

Canopy-scale delta¹³C of photosynthetic and respiratory CO₂ fluxes: observations in forest biomes across the United States
About this Resource: The δ13C values of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) can be used to partition global patterns of CO2 source/sink relationships among terrestrial and oceanic ecosystems using the inversion technique. This approach is very sensitive to estimates of photosynthetic 13C discrimination by terrestrial vegetation (ΔA), and depends on δ13C values of respired CO2 fluxes (δ13C(R)). Here we show that by combining two independent data streams - the stable isotope ratios of atmospheric CO2 and eddy-covariance CO2 flux measurements - canopy scale estimates of ΔA can be successfully derived in terrestrial ecosystems. We also present the first weekly dataset of seasonal variations in δ13C(R) from dominant forest ecosystems in the United States between 2001 and 2003. Our observations indicate considerable summer-time variation in the weekly value of δ13C(R) within coniferous forests (4.0 ppt and 5.4 ppt at Wind River Canopy Crane Research Facility and Howland Forest, respectively, between May and September). The monthly mean values of δ13C(R) showed a smaller range (2-3 ppt), which appeared to significantly correlate with soil water availability. Values of δ13C(R) were less variable during the growing season at the deciduous forest (Harvard Forest). We suggest that the negative correlation between δ13C(R) and soil moisture content observed in the two coniferous forests should represent a general ecosystem response to the changes in the distribution of water resources because of climate change. Shifts in δ13C(R) and ΔA could be of sufficient magnitude globally to impact partitioning calculations of CO2 sinks between oceanic and terrestrial compartments.

Winter Bird Population Studies and Project Prairie Birds for Surveying Grassland Birds
About this Resource: We compared 2 survey methods for assessing winter bird communities in temperate grasslands: Winter Bird Population Study surveys are area-searches that have long been used in a variety of habitats whereas Project Prairie Bird surveys employ active-flushing techniques on strip-transects and are intended for use in grasslands. We used both methods to survey birds on 14 herbaceous-reforested sites and 9 coastal pine savannas during winter and compared resultant estimates of species richness and relative abundance. These techniques did not yield similar estimates of avian populations. We found Winter Bird Population Studies consistently produced higher estimates of species richness, whereas Project Prairie Birds produced higher estimates of avian abundance for some species. When it is important to identify all species within the winter bird community, Winter Bird Population Studies should be the survey method of choice. If estimates of the abundance of relatively secretive grassland bird species are desired, the use of Project Prairie Birds protocols is warranted. However, we suggest that both survey techniques, as currently employed, are deficient and recommend distance-based survey methods that provide species-specific estimates of detection probabilities be incorporated into these survey methods.

Modeling corewood-outerwood transition in loblolly pine using wood specific gravity
About this Resource: A modified logistic function was used for modeling specific-gravity profiles obtained from X-ray densitometry analysis in 675 loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) trees in four regeneration trials. Trees were 21 or 22 years old at the time of the study. The function was used for demarcating corewood, transitional, and outerwood zones. Site and silvicultural effects were incorporated into the model. Heteroscedasticity and within-group correlation were accounted for by specifying the variance and serial-correlation structure, respectively. The estimated transition zone was located between rings 5 and 15, and the outerwood demarcation point varied from rings 12 to 15. No effects of treatments on the demarcation points were observed; however, site preparation and fertilization affected the lower asymptotes of the curves in all sites. A geographical trend for the demarcation point was observed, with the northern site requiring more time to reach a plateau in specific gravity compared with the southern sites. The diameter of the juvenile core was increased as a result of the treatments. However, the amount of corewood was not statistically affected, ranging from 55% in the north to 75% in the south, except at one site where fertilization decreased the percentage of corewood.

Soil respiration response to prescribed burning and thinning in mixed-conifer and hardwood forests.
About this Resource: The effects of management on soil carbon efflux in different ecosystems are still largely unknown yet crucial to both our understanding and management of global carbon flux. To compare the effects of common forest management practices on soil carbon cycling, we measured soil respiration rate (SRR) in a mixed-conifer and hardwood forest that had undergone various treatments from June to August 2003. The mixed-conifer forest, located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, had been treated with thinning and burning manipulations in 2001, and the hardwood forest, located in the southeastern Missouri Ozarks, had been treated with harvesting manipulations in 1996 and 1997. Litter depth, soil temperature, and soil moisture were also measured. We found that selective thinning produced a similar effect on both forests by elevating SRR, soil moisture, and soil temperature, although the magnitude of response was greater in the mixed-conifer forest. Selective harvest increased SRR by 43% (from 3.38 to 4.82 micromol.m(-2).s(-1)) in the mixed-conifer forest and by 14% (from 4.25 to 4.84 micromol.m(-2).s(-1)) in the hardwood forest. Burning at the conifer site and even-aged harvesting at the mixed-hardwood site did not produce significantly different SRR from controls. Mean SRR were 3.24, 3.42, and 4.52 micromol.m(-2).s(-1), respectively. At both sites, manipulations did significantly alter SRR by changing litter depth, soil structure, and forest microclimate. SRR response varied by vegetation patch type, the scale at which treatments altered these biotic factors. Our findings provide forest managers first-hand information on the response of soil carbon efflux to various management strategies in different forests.

Visible and invisible effects of hurricanes on forest ecosystems: an international review
About this Resource: Hurricanes have visible and invisible effects on forests. The visible effects are dramatic, noticeable over the short-term and relatively well documented in the literature. Invisible effects are less understood as they require well-focused research both in the short- and long-term time scales. This review of the literature on hurricane effects focuses on the Neotropics and the temperate zone of North America. The material is organized according to a heuristic model that distinguishes between immediate effects (0 to 3 years), immediate responses (0 to 20 years), trajectories of responses (0 to 100 years) and long-term legacies (>100 years). It is suggested that the ecological role of hurricanes involves six principal effects: 1. they change the ecological space available to organisms; 2. they set organisms in motion; 3. they increase the heterogeneity of the landscape and the variability in ecosystem processes; 4. they rejuvenate the landscape and its ecosystems and redirect succession; 5. they shape forest structure, influence their species composition and diversity and regulate their function; and 6. they induce evolutionary change through natural selection and ecological creativity through self-organization. A new approach to hurricane research will study hurricanes at the same scale at which they operate (i.e., across latitudes and longitudes and over disturbed and undisturbed landscapes). This research will require networks of observation platforms located along expected hurricane paths to facilitate forest structure and functioning observations across gradients of hurricane frequency and intensity. This research will also require use of remote sensing and automated wireless technology, hardened to survive hurricane-strength winds and floods to assure real time measurements of the characteristics of hurricanes and ecosystem responses. No progress will be forthcoming in the understanding of hurricane effects if we do not learn to quantify objectively the energy dissipation of hurricanes on the full grid of affected forests as the hurricane passes over a landscape.

Characterizing Forest Fragments in Boreal, Temperate, and Tropical Ecosystems
About this Resource: An increased ability to analyze landscapes in a spatial manner through the use of remote sensing leads to improved capabilities for quantifying human-induced forest fragmentation. Developments of spatially explicit methods in landscape analyses are emerging. In this paper, the image delineation software program eCognition and the spatial pattern analysis program FRAGSTATS were used to quantify patterns of forest fragments on six landscapes across three different climatic regions characterized by different moisture regimes and different influences of human pressure. Our results support the idea that landscapes with higher road and population density are more fragmented; however, there are other, equally influential factors contributing to fragmentation, such as moisture regime, historic land use, and fire dynamics. Our method provided an objective means to characterize landscapes and assess patterns of forest fragments across different forested ecosystems by addressing the limitations of pixel-based classification and incorporating image objects.

Forest response to elevated CO2 is conserved across a broad range of productivity.
About this Resource: Climate change predictions derived from coupled carbon-climate models are highly dependent on assumptions about feedbacks between the biosphere and atmosphere. One critical feedback occurs if C uptake by the biosphere increases in response to the fossil-fuel driven increase in atmospheric CO2 ("CO2 fertilization"), thereby slowing the rate of increase in atmospheric CO2. Carbon exchanges between the terrestrial biosphere and atmosphere are often first represented in models as net primary productivity (NPP). However, the contribution of CO2 fertilization to the future global C cycle has been uncertain, especially in forest ecosystems that dominate global NPP, and models that include a feedback between terrestrial biosphere metabolism and atmospheric CO2 are poorly constrained by experimental evidence. We analyzed the response of NPP to elevated CO2 (approximately equal to 550 ppm) in four free-air CO2 enrichment experiments in forest stands. We show that the response of forest NPP to elevated CO2 is highly conserved across a broad range of productivity, with a stimulation at the median of 23 +/- 2%. At low leaf area indices, a large portion of the response was attributable to increased light absorption, but as leaf area indices increased, the response to elevated CO2 was wholly caused by increased light-use efficiency. The surprising consistency of response across diverse sites provides a benchmark to evaluate predictions of ecosystem and global models and allows us now to focus on unresolved questions about carbon partitioning and retention, and spatial variation in NPP response caused by availability of other growth limiting resources.

Net carbon dioxide losses of northern ecosystems in response to autumn warming
About this Resource: The carbon balance of terrestrial ecosystems is particularly sensitive to climatic changes in autumn and spring with spring and autumn temperatures over northern latitudes having risen by about 1.1 °C and 0.8 °C, respectively, over the past two decades. A simultaneous greening trend has also been observed, characterized by a longer growing season and greater photosynthetic activity. These observations have led to speculation that spring and autumn warming could enhance carbon sequestration and extend the period of net carbon uptake in the future. Here we analyse interannual variations in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration data and ecosystem carbon dioxide fluxes. We find that atmospheric records from the past 20 years show a trend towards an earlier autumn-to-winter carbon dioxide build-up, suggesting a shorter net carbon uptake period. This trend cannot be explained by changes in atmospheric transport alone and, together with the ecosystem flux data, suggest increasing carbon losses in autumn. We use a process-based terrestrial biosphere model and satellite vegetation greenness index observations to investigate further the observed seasonal response of northern ecosystems to autumnal warming. We find that both photosynthesis and respiration increase during autumn warming, but the increase in respiration is greater. In contrast, warming increases photosynthesis more than respiration in spring. Our simulations and observations indicate that northern terrestrial ecosystems may currently lose carbon dioxide in response to autumn warming, with a sensitivity of about 0.2 PgC °C-1, offsetting 90% of the increased carbon dioxide uptake during spring. If future autumn warming occurs at a faster rate than in spring, the ability of northern ecosystems to sequester carbon may be diminished earlier than previously suggested.

Seasonality of ecosystem respiration and gross primary production as derived from FLUXNET measurements
About this Resource: Differences in the seasonal pattern of assimilatory and respiratory processes are responsible for divergences in seasonal net carbon exchange among ecosystems. Using FLUXNET data (http://www.eosdis.ornl.gov/FLUXNET) we have analyzed seasonal patterns of gross primary productivity (F(GPP)), and ecosystem respiration (F(RE)) of boreal and temperate, deciduous and coniferous forests, Mediterranean evergreen systems, a rainforest, temperate grasslands, and C3 and C4 crops. Based on generalized seasonal patterns classifications of ecosystems into vegetation functional types can be evaluated for use in global productivity and climate change models. The results of this study contribute to our understanding of respiratory costs of assimilated carbon in various ecosystems. Seasonal variability of F(GPP) and F(RE) of the investigated sites increased in the order tropical<Mediterranean<temperate coniferous<temperate deciduous<boreal forests. Together with the boreal forest sites, the managed grasslands and crops show the largest seasonal variability. In the temperate coniferous forests, seasonal patterns of F(GPP) and F(RE) are in phase, in the temperate deciduous and boreal coniferous forests F(RE) was delayed compared to F(GPP), resulting in the greatest imbalance between respiratory and assimilatory fluxes early in the growing season. F(GPP) adjusted for the length of the carbon uptake period decreased at the sampling sites across functional types in the order C4 crops, temperate and boreal deciduous forests (7.5-8.3 g C m-2 per day)>temperate conifers, C3 grassland and crops (5.7-6.9 g C m-2 per day)>boreal conifers (4.6 g C m-2 per day). Annual F(GPP) and net ecosystem productivity (F(NEP)) decreased across climate zones in the order tropical>temperate>boreal. However, the decrease in F(NEP) with latitude was greater than the decrease in F(GPP), indicating a larger contribution of respiratory (especially heterotrophic) processes in boreal systems.

Apical dominance and apical control in multiple flushing of temperate woody species
About this Resource: In young plants of many woody species, the first flush of growth in the spring may be followed by one or more flushes of the terminal shoot if growing conditions are favorable. The occurrence of these additional flushes may significantly affect crown form and structure. Apical dominance (AD) and apical control (AC) are thought to be important control mechanisms in this developmental response. A two-phase AD - AC hypothesis for the factors controlling a subsequent flush is presented and evaluated on the basis of currently known studies. The first, very early phase of this additional flush consists of budbreak and the very beginning of outgrowth of the newly formed current buds on the first flushing shoot. There is evidence that this response often involves the release of AD, which is significantly influenced by the auxin:cytokinin ratio as well as by other signals including nutrients and water. This first phase is immediately followed by a second phase, which consists of subsequent bud outgrowth under the influence of apical control. Although definitive data for hormone involvement in this latter process is sparse, there is some evidence suggesting nutritional mechanisms linked to possible hormone activity. Stem-form defects, a common occurrence in multiple-flushing shoots, are analyzed via the AD-AC hypothesis with suggestions of possible means of abatement.

Interspecific divergence in foliar nutrient dynamics and stem growth in a temperate forest in response to chronic nitrogen inputs.
About this Resource: We studied the effects of excessive nitrogen (N) fertilization on foliar nutrient dynamics and stem growth in three important tree species in a mixed-deciduous forest. Stem diameter growth, foliar N concentrations, nitrogen-phosphorus (N/P) ratios, and nutrient resorption were determined for Acer rubrum L. (ACRU), Liriodendron tulipifera L. (LITU), and Prunus serotina Ehrh. (PRSE) on two 30-year-old watersheds at the Fernow Experimental Forest, West Virginia, USA: WS3, fertilized annually with 35 kg ammonium sulfate.ha(-1) since 1989, and WS7, an untreated control watershed. In an earlier (1992) study, foliar N concentrations of all three species averaged 11% higher in WS3 than in WS7. By 2000, that was no longer the case for any species; indeed N in ACRU leaves was 13% lower in WS3 that year. N/P ratios were elevated in WS3 only in PRSE in 1992 and in both ACRU and PRSE in 1997, but by 2001, mean N/P for all three species was lower in WS3. N resorption efficiencies were 30% lower in WS3 in ACRU and PRSE, but not in LITU. Stem diameter growth in WS3 was 55% lower in ACRU and 30% lower in LITU and PRSE compared with that in WS7. Results may indicate declining growth vigor in ACRU and, to a lesser extent, PRSE and LITU in the fertilized watershed. Observed interspecific differences in growth and plant nutrition responses suggest eventual changes in species composition under increasing N saturation.

Elevated CO2 and O3t concentrations differentially affect selected groups of the fauna in temperate forest soils.
About this Resource: Rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations may change soil fauna abundance. How increase of tropospheric ozone (O3t) concentration will modify these responses is still unknown. We have assessed independent and interactive effects of elevated [CO2] and [O3t] on selected groups of soil fauna. The experimental design is a factorial arrangement of elevated [CO2] and [O3t] treatments, applied using Free-Air CO2 Enrichment technology to 30 m diameter rings, with all treatments replicated three times. Within each ring, three communities were established consisting of: (1) trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) and paper birch (Betula papyrifera) (2) trembling aspen and sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and (3) trembling aspen. After 4 yr of stand development, soil fauna were extracted in each ring. Compared to the control, abundance of total soil fauna, Collembola and Acari decreased significantly under elevated [CO2] (-69, -79 and -70%, respectively). Abundance of Acari decreased significantly under elevated [O3t] (-47%). Soil fauna abundance was similar to the control under the combination of elevated [CO2+O3t]. The individual negative effects of elevated [CO2] and elevated [O3t] are negated upon exposure to both gases. We conclude that soil fauna communities will change under elevated [CO2] and elevated [O3t] in ways that cannot be predicted or explained from the exposure of ecosystems to each gas individually.

Fuels on disturbed and undisturbed sites in the southern Appalachian Mountains, USA
About this Resource: Fuel distribution in the southern Appalachian Mountain region was measured in over 1000 study plots that were stratified by topographic position (aspect and slope position) and disturbance history. Few fuel differences occurred among topographic positions for undisturbed plots, indicating that fuel accumulation is no greater on highly productive sites than on less productive sites. Litter was slightly higher on undisturbed upper slopes (4.2 t/ha) than on lower slopes (3.7 t/ha) but woody fuels showed no significant differences. Rhododendron (Rhododendron spp.) and mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia L.) were less common than expected, occurring on 25% and 42% of sampled plots, respectively. Disturbance history and type played a greater role in determining fuel loads than did topographic position. Disturbances had occurred on 30% of sample plots within the past 10 years and were most common on exposed slopes. Litter was significantly lower in burned plots (3.5 t/ha vs. 4.0 t/ha in undisturbed plots). One-hour fuels (1.0 t/ha) were significantly higher on beetle-killed plots than on undisturbed plots (0.7 t/ha) while larger woody fuels tended to be greater in plots subjected to beetle attack, fire, and wind.

Phase and amplitude of ecosystem carbon release and uptake potentials as derived from FLUXNET measurements
About this Resource: As length and timing of the growing season are major factors explaining differences in carbon exchange of ecosystems, we analyzed seasonal patterns of net ecosystem carbon exchange (F(NEE)) using eddy covariance data of the FLUXNET data base (http://www-eosdis.ornl.gov/FLUXNET). The study included boreal and temperate, deciduous and coniferous forests, Mediterranean evergreen systems, rainforest, native and managed temperate grasslands, tundra, and C3 and C4 crops. Generalization of seasonal patterns are useful for identifying functional vegetation types for global dynamic vegetation models, as well as for global inversion studies, and can help improve phenological modules in SVAT or biogeochemical models. The results of this study have important validation potential for global carbon cycle modeling. The phasing of respiratory and assimilatory capacity differed within forest types: for temperate coniferous forests seasonal uptake and release capacities are in phase, for temperate deciduous and boreal coniferous forests, release was delayed compared to uptake. According to seasonal pattern of maximum nighttime release (evaluated over 15-day periods, F(max)) the study sites can be grouped in four classes: (1) boreal and high altitude conifers and grasslands; (2) temperate deciduous and temperate conifers; (3) tundra and crops; (4) evergreen Mediterranean and tropical forests. Similar results are found for maximum daytime uptake (F(min)) and the integral net carbon flux, but temperate deciduous forests fall into class 1. For forests, seasonal amplitudes of F(max) and F(min) increased in the order tropical<Mediterranean and temperate coniferous<temperate deciduous and boreal forests, and the pattern seems relatively stable for these groups. The seasonal amplitudes of F(max) and F(min) are largest for managed grasslands and crops. Largest observed values of F(min) varied between -48 and -2 μmol m-2 s-1, decreasing in the order C4-crops>C3-crops>temperate deciduous forests>temperate conifers>boreal conifers>tundra ecosystems. Due to data restrictions, our analysis centered mainly on Northern Hemisphere temperate and boreal forest ecosystems. Grasslands, crops, Mediterranean ecosystems, and rainforests are under-represented, as are savanna systems, wooded grassland, shrubland, or year-round measurements in tundra systems. For regional or global estimates of carbon sequestration potentials, future investigations of eddy covariance should expand in these systems.

Short-term effects of fire and forest thinning on truffle abundance and consumption by Neotamias speciosus in the Sierra Nevada of California.
About this Resource: In many western North American forests, prescribed burning and mechanical thinning are widely used to reduce fuels and restore stand conditions after a century of fire suppression. Few studies have followed the relative impacts of these treatments on the production and consumption of truffles in forest ecosystems, particularly in the Sierra Nevada of California. Using a full-factorial completely randomized design, we examined the short-term impacts of prescribed burning (no burn and burn), mechanical thinning (no thin, light thin, and heavy thin), and combinations of these treatments on the production of truffles and their consumption by lodgepole chipmunks (Neotamias speciosus Merriam) in a mixed-conifer forest of the southern Sierra Nevada of California. Truffle frequency, biomass, and species richness were lower in thinned or burned plots than controls, as was the frequency and generic richness of truffles in the diet of N. speciosus. Truffle frequency, biomass, and species richness, and truffle consumption by N. speciosus were lower in heavily thinned and thinned and burned plots than in those exclusively burned. These results suggest that either thinning or burning can reduce short-term truffle production and consumption, and potentially the dispersal of ectomycorrhizal spores by small mammals. Moreover, truffles decreased with treatment intensity, suggesting heavy thinning and higher burn intensity, particularly when applied together, can significantly affect short-term truffle abundance and small mammal consumption.

Canopy leaf area constrains [CO₂]-induced enhancement of productivity and partitioning among aboveground carbon pools
About this Resource: Net primary productivity (NPP) is enhanced under future atmospheric [CO₂] in temperate forests representing a broad range of productivity. Yet questions remain in regard to how elevated [CO₂]-induced NPP enhancement may be affected by climatic variations and limiting nutrient resources, as well as how this additional production is distributed among carbon (C) pools of different longevities. Using 10 years of data from the Duke free-air CO₂ enrichment (Duke FACE) site, we show that spatially, the major control of NPP was nitrogen (N) availability, through its control on canopy leaf area index (L). Elevated CO₂ levels resulted in greater L, and thus greater NPP. After canopy closure had occurred, elevated [CO₂] did not enhance NPP at a given L, regardless of soil water availability. Additionally, using published data from three other forest FACE sites and replacing L with leaf area duration (L(D)) to account for differences in growing season length, we show that aboveground NPP responded to [CO₂] only through the enhancement of L(D). For broadleaf forests, the fraction of aboveground NPP partitioned to wood biomass saturated with increasing LD and was not enhanced by [CO₂], whereas it linearly decreased for the conifer forest but was enhanced by [CO₂]. These results underscore the importance of resolving [CO₂] effects on L to assess the response of NPP and C allocation. Further study is necessary to elucidate the mechanisms that control the differential allocation of C among aboveground pools in different forest types.

Influence of spring phenology on seasonal and annual carbon balance in two contrasting New England forests
About this Resource: Spring phenology is thought to exert a major influence on the carbon (C) balance of temperate and boreal ecosystems. We investigated this hypothesis using four spring onset phenological indicators in conjunction with surface-atmosphere CO2 exchange data from the conifer-dominated Howland Forest and deciduous-dominated Harvard Forest AmeriFlux sites. All phenological measures, including CO2 source-sink transition dates, could be well predicted on the basis of a simple two-parameter spring warming model, indicating good potential for improving the representation of phenological transitions and their dynamic responsiveness to climate variability in land surface models. The date at which canopy-scale photosynthetic capacity reached a threshold value of 12 μmol m-2 s-1 was better correlated with spring and annual flux integrals than were either deciduous or coniferous bud burst dates. For all phenological indicators, earlier spring onset consistently, but not always significantly, resulted in higher gross primary productivity (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (RE) for both seasonal (spring months, April-June) and annual flux integrals. The increase in RE was less than that in GPP; depending on the phenological indicator used, a one-day advance in spring onset increased springtime net ecosystem productivity (NEP) by 2-4 g C m-2 day-1. In general, we could not detect significant differences between the two forest types in response to earlier spring, although the response to earlier spring was generally more pronounced for Harvard Forest than for Howland Forest, suggesting that future climate warming may favor deciduous species over coniferous species, at least in this region. The effect of earlier spring tended to be about twice as large when annual rather than springtime flux integrals were considered. This result is suggestive of both immediate and lagged effects of earlier spring onset on ecosystem C cycling, perhaps as a result of accelerated N cycling rates and cascading effects on N uptake, foliar N concentrations and photosynthetic capacity.

Host specificity of Spathius agrili Yang (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), an important parasitoid of the emerald ash borer
About this Resource: To investigate the host range of Spathius agrili Yang (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a total of 18 wood boring insects either in the genus Agrilus or associated with ash forests were collected, reared, and presented to S. agrili females in no-choice tests. Results showed that S. agrili can parasitize some other insect larvae in genus of Agrilus, but attack rates were significantly lower than its natural host, emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennisi Faimaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae). In Y-tube olfactometer tests, female S. agrili were only attracted to twigs and leaves of EAB infested Fraxinus velutina and F. pennsylvanica, and not to 12 other potential host plants. Two other plants, Prunus persica (L.) and Ailanthus altissima (Mill.), significantly repelled the EAB. Field surveys of 17 wood boring insects, including six species of Agrilus, revealed that none of these species were parasitized by S. agrili. It was indicated that the EAB natural parasitoid S. agrili has high host specificity.

Increases in nitrogen uptake rather than nitrogen-use efficiency support higher rates of temperate forest productivity under elevated CO₂.
About this Resource: Forest ecosystems are important sinks for rising concentrations of atmospheric CO₂. In previous research, we showed that net primary production (NPP) increased by 23 ± 2% when four experimental forests were grown under atmospheric concentrations of CO₂ predicted for the latter half of this century. Because nitrogen (N) availability commonly limits forest productivity, some combination of increased N uptake from the soil and more efficient use of the N already assimilated by trees is necessary to sustain the high rates of forest NPP under free-air CO₂ enrichment (FACE). In this study, experimental evidence demonstrates that the uptake of N increased under elevated CO₂ at the Rhinelander, Duke, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory FACE sites, yet fertilization studies at the Duke and Oak Ridge National Laboratory FACE sites showed that tree growth and forest NPP were strongly limited by N availability. By contrast, nitrogen-use efficiency increased under elevated CO₂ at the POP-EUROFACE site, where fertilization studies showed that N was not limiting to tree growth. Some combination of increasing fine root production, increased rates of soil organic matter decomposition, and increased allocation of carbon (C) to mycorrhizal fungi is likely to account for greater N uptake under elevated CO₂. Regardless of the specific mechanism, this analysis shows that the larger quantities of C entering the below-ground system under elevated CO₂ result in greater N uptake, even in N-limited ecosystems. Biogeochemical models must be reformulated to allow C transfers below ground that result in additional N uptake under elevated CO₂.

Conifer regeneration in stand-replacement portions of a large mixed-severity wildfire in the Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains
About this Resource: Large-scale wildfires (approximately 10(4)-10(6) ha) have the potential to eliminate seed sources over broad areas and thus may lead to qualitatively different regeneration dynamics than in small burns; however, regeneration after such events has received little study in temperate forests. Following a 200 000 ha mixed-severity wildfire in Oregon, USA, we quantified (1) conifer and broadleaf regeneration in stand-replacement patches 2 and 4 years postfire; and (2) the relative importance of isolation from seed sources (live trees) versus local site conditions in controlling regeneration. Patch-scale conifer regeneration density (72%-80% Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb). Franco)) varied widely, from 127 to 6494 stems·ha-1. Median densities were 1721 and 1603 stems·ha-1 2 and 4 years postfire, respectively, i.e., approximately 12 times prefire overstory densities (134 stems·ha-1). Because of the complex burn mosaic, approximately 58% of stand-replacement area was <or=200 m from a live-tree edge (seed source), and approximately 81% was <or=400 m. Median conifer density exceeded 1000 stems·ha-1 out to a distance of 400 m from an edge before declining farther away. The strongest controls on regeneration were distance to live trees and soil parent material, with skeletal coarse-grained soils supporting lower densities (133 stems·ha-1) than fine-grained soils (729-1492 stems·ha-1). Other site factors (e.g., topography, broadleaf cover) had little association with conifer regeneration. The mixed-severity fire pattern strongly influenced the regeneration process by providing seed sources throughout much of the burned landscape.

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.

Causes of interannual variability in ecosystem-atmosphere CO₂ exchange in a northern Wisconsin forest using a Bayesian model calibration
About this Resource: Variability in fluxes of CO₂ observed at the WLEF tall tower in northern Wisconsin was analyzed for the years 1997-2004. During this time, the WLEF region was a source of CO₂ to the atmosphere averaging 120gCm⁻² year⁻¹, with a range of interannual variability of 140gCm⁻² year⁻¹. Random uncertainty in annual sums of net ecosystem exchange (NEE) due to turbulent variability and gap-filling was estimated to be 15-20gCm⁻² year⁻¹. Although magnitudes of NEE sums were affected systematically by the choice of friction velocity (u*) threshold, this choice had little effect on interannual variability of annual sums. The WLEF region was, on average, a source of carbon from 1997 to 2004 regardless of the u* threshold applied. Interannually, daytime NEE sums varied more than nighttime NEE sums, and spring and summer NEE sums varied more than autumn and winter NEE sums. Interannual variations in seasonal sums of daytime, nighttime and total NEE were often strongly correlated with changes in soil moisture and soil temperature. Standard nonlinear gap-filling regression models of respiration and gross ecosystem productivity were extended to incorporate the effects of soil moisture and phenology and combined into a single model of NEE. The Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) data assimilation technique was performed using observed WLEF NEE to derive full probability density functions (PDFs) of time-invariant model parameters. Prior values had little effect on posterior parameter PDFs, but significant differences in parameter PDFs occurred depending on whether daytime NEE, nighttime NEE, or total NEE data were used. This simple model was moderately successful in producing statistically significant correlations with interannual variations in annual and growing season NEE sums, but was generally unsuccessful in spring and autumn. In all cases, the model underestimated the degree of variability in NEE sums.

Ecophysiology and growth of advance red spruce and balsam fir regeneration after partial cutting in yellow birch-conifer stands.
About this Resource: We investigated ecophysiological and growth responses of short (0.4 to 1.3 m in height) advance regeneration of red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) and balsam fir (Abies balsamea L.) six years after removal of 0, 40, 50, 60 and 100% of the overstory basal area (BA) in two yellow birch-conifer stands. Partial cuts significantly increased stomatal conductance of red spruce only. Light-saturated photosynthesis (leaf-area basis) of both species increased with BA removal, but unlike red spruce, specific leaf area (SLA) of balsam fir decreased with increased cutting intensity. Partial cuts appreciably increased the concentration of N and Ca in red spruce and balsam fir foliage, respectively, and resulted in decreased foliar concentrations of K in red spruce and Mg in balsam fir. The height and lateral growth of both species increased with BA removal, although partial cuts were more beneficial to balsam fir. The data suggest that short advance regeneration of red spruce and balsam fir can coexist under partial overstory conditions, but balsam fir has physiological characteristics and a capacity for morphological adjustment (SLA) that places it at an advantage when in competition with red spruce.

Sources of Inoculum for Phytophthora ramorum in a Redwood Forest
About this Resource: Sources of inoculum were investigated for dominant hosts of Phytophthora ramorum in a redwood forest. Infected trunks, twigs, and/or leaves of bay laurel (Umbellularia californica), tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus), and redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) were tested in the laboratory for sporangia production. Sporangia occurred on all plant tissues with the highest percentage on bay laurel leaves and tanoak twigs. To further compare these two species, field measurements of inoculum production and infection were conducted during the rainy seasons of 2003-04 and 2004-05. Inoculum levels in throughfall rainwater and from individual infections were significantly higher for bay laurel as opposed to tanoak for both seasons. Both measurements of inoculum production from bay laurel were significantly greater during 2004-05 when rainfall extended longer into the spring, while inoculum quantities for tanoak were not significantly different between the 2 years. Tanoak twigs were more likely to be infected than bay laurel leaves in 2003-04, and equally likely to be infected in 2004-05. These results indicate that the majority of P. ramorum inoculum in redwood forest is produced from infections on bay laurel leaves. Years with extended rains pose an elevated risk for tanoak because inoculum levels are higher and infectious periods continue into late spring.

Substrate pH Affects Nutrient Availability in Fertilized Douglas Fir Bark Substrates.
About this Resource: An experiment was conducted to determine how pH and nutrient availability in douglas fir bark (DFB) substrates respond to lime and sulfur (S) rates. The treatment design was a two-by-nine factorial arrangement with two substrate types and nine pH-altering amendments. The two substrates were 100% DFB or 75 DFB:15 sphagnum peatmoss:10 pumice (by volume). Substrate pH-altering amendments included elemental S amended at either 0.6 or 2.4 kg·m-3; calcium carbonate amended at 0.6, 1.5, and 5.9 kg·m-3; calcium hydroxide amended at 4.4, 8.9, or 23.7 kg·m-3; and a nonamended control. All substrates were amended by incorporating 0.9 kg·m-3 Micromax micronutrients before potting and topdressing 8 g/pot of 14N-4.2P-11.6K Osmocote controlled-release fertilizer after potting. A group of controls was also maintained for each substrate that received no fertilizer amendment (no S, lime, Micromax, or Osmocote). Four containers of each treatment were randomly selected and harvested 4 and 8 weeks after potting. Amendment with S decreased pH with increasing rate, whereas both lime types increased pH with increasing rate. The two substrates in general responded similarly to S and lime amendments, although there were some significant effects and interactions caused by substrate type. Ammonium-N and NO3-N both decreased exponentially with increasing substrate pH, whereas water-extractable phosphorus decreased linearly with increasing pH. Water-extractable potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sodium responded quadratically to increasing pH by initially decreasing and then increasing. The micronutrients boron and iron decreased with increasing pH, whereas DTPA extractions of manganese, zinc, and copper initially increased and then decreased over the range of observed pH.

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.

Fuels Reduction in a Western Coniferous Forest: Effects on Quantity and Quality of Forage for Elk
About this Resource: Use of mechanical thinning and prescribed fire to reduce fuels in dry forest ecosystems has become increasingly common in western North America. Nevertheless, few studies have quantified effects of fuels reduction treatments on wildlife. We evaluated effects of fuels reduction on quantity and quality of forage available to elk (Cervus elaphus) in northeastern Oregon. From 2001 to 2003, 26 stands of true fir (Abies spp.) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirbel] Franco) were thinned and burned, whereas 27 similar stands were left untreated to serve as experimental controls. We estimated percentage of cover, percentage of in vitro dry-matter digestibility (digestibility), and percentage of nitrogen (%N) of 16 important forage species and genera in treatment and control stands during spring (May-June) and summer (July-August) of 2005 and 2006. Quantity and quality of forage were lower in summer than spring in both stand types. In contrast, total cover of forage was higher in treatment than in control stands during spring, whereas the opposite was true during summer. For graminoids, %N was higher in control than in treatment stands whereas digestibility did not differ between stand types. For forbs, neither index of forage quality differed between stand types. When treatment stands were separated by years since burning, %N and digestibility of forbs and %N of graminoids increased from 2 to 5 yr following treatment, and by the fifth year after burning had exceeded maximum values observed in control stands in both seasons. As a result of the interacting effects of fuels reduction and season on forage characteristics, treated stands provided better foraging opportunities for elk during spring, whereas control stands provided better foraging opportunities during summer. Consequently, maintaining a mosaic of burned and unburned (late successional) habitat may be of greater benefit to elk than burning a large proportion of a landscape.

Effect of Loblolly Pine Root Pruning on Alley Cropped Herbage Production and Tree Growth
About this Resource: Tillage to disrupt (prune) tree roots is an intensive practice which could improve herbage productivity at the crop-tree interface by reducing competition for water. We compared tillage effects on 9- to 11-yr-old loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) growth and herbage yields of annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) and pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] on a fragipan soil in Arkansas. Alley crops were rotationally grown in a 9.7-m wide alley (main plot) between bordering trees on one of three tillage treatments: control (surface tillage), rip followed by surface tillage, and trench plus root barrier followed by surface tillage. Topsoil water in May through September, herbage mass, and nutritive value were measured for each crop for 2 or 3 yr in three subplots systematically arrayed (north, middle, and south) across the alley. Diameter at breast height (DBH, measured 1.3 m above soil surface) and height of border trees were measured annually. Trenching resulted in a more uniform distribution of topsoil water among subplots compared to the other tillage treatments. Annual ryegrass yield did not show a tillage response, but pearl millet yielded more herbage in the rip (6760 kg ha-1 in 2003) and trench (3300 kg ha-1 in 2005) than the control treatment (4990 and 1260 kg ha-1 for 2003 and 2005, respectively). Ripping and trenching significantly reduced loblolly pine DBH and height compared to the control. Similarly configured alley cropping practices probably have little potential for annual herbage production even with root pruning.

Influence of moisture regime and tree species composition on nitrogen cycling dynamics in hardwood forests of Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, USA
About this Resource: Understanding how natural factors interact across the landscape to influence nitrogen (N) cycling is an important focus in temperate forests because of the great inherent variability in these forests. Site-specific attributes, including local topography, soils, and vegetation, can exert important controls on N processes and retention. Seasonal monitoring of N cycling dynamics was carried out for 2 years in deciduous forest stands that differed in soil moisture status and geologic substrate, and thus, in tree species composition to determine the effects of tree species composition, mediated by moisture and soil chemistry, on N cycling. Geologic substrate influenced soil and soil leachate chemistry but did not appear to affect N cycling in the upper 10 cm. Moisture status was strongly correlated with tree species composition, which was significantly related to N cycling parameters. Sugar maple was associated with high net nitrification rates and soil solution NO3 concentrations, whereas in oak stands nitrification was low and soil solution NO3 was at or near detection limits. Tree species composition in the understory suggests that sugar maple may be increasing in mesic sites and that oak regeneration in all sites is very limited, and a shift in species composition could result in changes to N retention and export.

The Relative Influence of Diseases and Other Small-Scale Disturbances on Fuel Loading in the Black Hills
About this Resource: Disturbances that kill trees in forests often co-occur in time and/or space. This process results in changes in the fuel loading for wildfire. Determining specific causes of changing fuel loads can be complex. Path analysis was used to estimate the relative importance and the strength of interaction of each of nine small-scale disturbances affecting forest stands in the Black Hills. Different disturbances were partitioned according to their indirect and direct effects on fuel loads. Fire and wind had the greatest indirect effects; stem rots had the smallest. Root rots had the largest direct effects. Root rots, strong wind, stem rots, suppression, human disturbances, and tree cutting all caused fuel loads to increase. Treeless meadows, stem cankers, fire, ice/snow damage, failed regeneration, and shallow soil were associated with decreasing fuel loads. Grazing, lightning, bark beetles, and competition had null impacts. Disease control has two aims: reducing fire hazard and enhancing restoration. Understanding the biology and ecology of the agents that create dead wood is as fundamental to restoration ecology as it is to forest pathology. Management and control both begin by first determining the cause.

Genetic variation in fall cold hardiness in coastal Douglas-fir in western Oregon and Washington
About this Resource: Genetic variation in fall cold damage in coastal Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. menziesii) was measured by exposing excised branches of seedlings from 666 source locations grown in a common garden to freezing temperatures in a programmable freezer. Considerable variation was found among populations in fall cold hardiness of stems, needles, and buds compared with bud burst, bud set, and biomass growth after 2 years. Variation in fall cold hardiness was strongly correlated (r = 0.67) with cold-season temperatures of the source environment. Large population differences corresponding with environmental gradients are evidence that natural selection has been important in determining genetic variation in fall cold hardiness, much more so than in traits of bud burst (a surrogate for spring cold hardiness), bud set, and growth. Seed movement guidelines and breeding zones may be more restrictive when considering genetic variation in fall cold hardiness compared with growth, phenology, or spring cold hardiness. A regional stratification system based on ecoregions with latitudinal and elevational divisions, and roughly corresponding with breeding zones used in Oregon and Washington, appeared to be adequate for minimizing population differences within regions for growth and phenology, but perhaps not fall cold hardiness. Although cold hardiness varied among populations, within-population and within-region variation is sufficiently large that responses to natural or artificial selection may be readily achieved.

The structure of genetic diversity in Engelmann spruce and a comparison with blue spruce
About this Resource: Genetic diversity and genetic structure in Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm.) were interpreted with respect to the effects of glacial and interglacial displacement and compared with patterns in blue spruce (Picea pungens Engelm.), which occupies a range well south of the last glacial front. On average, Engelmann spruce populations were polymorphic at 80% of 24 isozyme loci, with 2.4 alleles per locus and expected heterozygosity of 0.255. The respective means for four populations of blue spruce were 42.7%, 1.6 alleles, and 0.138. Of total diversity, 14.7% was among populations in Engelmann spruce and 8.6% in blue spruce. In Engelmann spruce, numbers of alleles increased from south to north. Recent bottlenecks were indicated in the three southernmost populations of Engelmann spruce and in the northernmost population of blue spruce. Cluster analysis divided Engelmann spruce into a northern group and a Southwestern group; however, populations from Utah were distributed among both clusters. Genetic distance was correlated with geographic distance between northern populations but not between Southwestern populations, where drift predominated over gene flow. In two Engelmann spruce populations from Utah, multilocus outcrossing rates were 0.951 (±0.016) and 0.940 (±0.071). At Flys Peak, Arizona, the southernmost location of Engelmann spruce, outcrossing was also high, 0.899 (±0.017). Thus, inbreeding coefficients observed for parental (-0.104 to 0.047) and filial (0.011 to 0.026) generations were low. Although Engelmann spruce seemed genetically robust, the evidence of bottlenecks in the southern extreme of its range suggested future problems in an era of global warming.

Contribution of Dead Wood to Biomass and Carbon Stocks in the Caribbean: St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
About this Resource: Dead wood is a substantial carbon stock in terrestrial forest ecosystems and hence a critical component of global carbon cycles. Given the limited amounts of dead wood biomass and carbon stock information for Caribbean forests, our objectives were to: (1) describe the relative contribution of down woody materials (DWM) to carbon stocks on the island of St. John; (2) compare these contributions among differing stand characteristics in subtropical moist and dry forests; and (3) compare down woody material carbon stocks on St. John to those observed in other tropical and temperate forests. Our results indicate that dead wood and litter comprise an average of 20 percent of total carbon stocks on St. John in both moist and dry forest life zones. Island-wide, dead wood biomass on the ground ranged from 4.55 to 28.11 Mg/ha. Coarse woody material biomass and carbon content were higher in moist forests than in dry forests. No other down woody material components differed between life zones or among vegetation categories (P > 0.05). Live tree density was positively correlated with fine woody material and litter in the moist forest life zone (R= 0.57 and 0.84, respectively) and snag basal area was positively correlated with total down woody material amounts (R= 0.50) in dry forest. Our study indicates that DWM are important contributors to the total biomass and, therefore, carbon budgets in subtropical systems, and that contributions of DWM on St. John appear to be comparable to values given for similar dry forest systems.

Linking flux network measurements to continental scale simulations: ecosystem carbon dioxide exchange capacity under non-water-stressed conditions
About this Resource: This paper examines long-term eddy covariance data from 18 European and 17 North American and Asian forest, wetland, tundra, grassland, and cropland sites under non-water-stressed conditions with an empirical rectangular hyperbolic light response model and a single layer two light-class carboxylase-based model. Relationships according to ecosystem functional type are demonstrated between empirical and physiological parameters, suggesting linkages between easily estimated parameters and those with greater potential for process interpretation. Relatively sparse documentation of leaf area index dynamics at flux tower sites is found to be a major difficulty in model inversion and flux interpretation. Therefore, a simplification of the physiological model is carried out for a subset of European network sites with extensive ancillary data. The results from these selected sites are used to derive a new parameter and means for comparing empirical and physiologically based methods across all sites, regardless of ancillary data. The results from the European analysis are then compared with results from the other Northern Hemisphere sites and similar relationships for the simplified process-based parameter were found to hold for European, North American, and Asian temperate and boreal climate zones. This parameter is useful for bridging between flux network observations and continental scale spatial simulations of vegetation/atmosphere carbon dioxide exchange.

Forage frost protection potential of conifer silvopastures
About this Resource: In temperate climates, forages are frequently held in a near dormant state at both ends of the growing season due to episodic radiation frost. During these periods, air temperature is frequently adequate for forage growth to supply feed for grazing animals. The effect of thermal radiation from conifer tree canopies on forage canopy temperature was evaluated for a silvopasture with variable tree density. A long-wave radiation-sensitive sensor for measuring temperature at the forage canopy level was designed, tested, and used to approximate night time forage canopy temperature during the autumn of 1999 and 2000 and spring of 2000. Temperature from the designed sensor correlated linearly with forage canopy temperature measured with an infrared thermometer with a slope of 1.0, a 0.9 °C offset, and an r2 of 0.999. The response of sensor temperature to night sky shading by trees was also linear. Under 77% tree cover sensor temperature remained within half a degree of air temperature, however, under 7% cover averaged 10.4 °C below air temperature during radiation frost events. The results of this study indicate that a well designed silvopasture can potentially extend the grazing season period on both ends in regions were radiation frosts are prevalent.

Bottomland hardwood forest recovery following tornado disturbance and salvage logging
About this Resource: Catastrophic wind events, including tornado, hurricane, and linear winds, are significant disturbances in temperate forested wetlands. Information is lacking on how post-disturbance salvage logging may impact short and long-term objectives in conservation areas where natural stands are typically managed passively. Woody regeneration and herbaceous cover were assessed for three years in a bottomland hardwood forest across a gradient of damage from an F4 tornado, with and without subsequent salvage logging. Soil disturbance intensity and recovery associated with salvage logging within wind-disturbed sites were also assessed. Woody stem density and proportion of potential overstory species (species with the potential to occupy a position in the canopy) increased as a function of wind disturbance intensity. Stem density, proportion of overstory trees, or species diversity did not differ between wind+salvage and wind-disturbed-only plots. Significant dissimilarity occurred among soil disturbance classes within salvaged sites. By the third growing season, vegetation in soil disturbance classes in wind+salvage areas was converging toward undisturbed conditions and bottomland hardwood forest recovery was underway in all vegetation disturbance types and soil disturbance classes. Post-tornado salvage logging, applied judiciously, may contribute to microsite and vegetation diversity.

Susceptibility to Phytophthora ramorum and Inoculum Production Potential of Some Common Eastern Forest Understory Plant Species
About this Resource: Twenty-five plant species (21 genera, 14 families), which comprise a portion of the understory in forests of the Eastern United States, were evaluated for susceptibility to infection by Phytophthora ramorum. The degree to which P. ramorum is able to form sporangia and chlamydospores was also assessed on these hosts. Seedlings were spray-inoculated with a mixture (4,000 sporangia/ml) of four P. ramorum isolates followed by incubation in a dew chamber at 20°C in darkness for 5 days. Percent infection on individual leaves/leaflets was assessed visually. Mean percent leaf area infected ranged from 0.7% for Smilax rotundifolia to 93.8% for Kalmia latifolia. Eight plant species tested developed significantly larger lesion areas than those found on susceptible control Rhododendron 'Cunningham's White'. Fourteen species in addition to the susceptible control exhibited infection of over 90% of their leaves. Sporangia production by P. ramorum varied considerably among plant species, ranging from 36 per cm2 lesion area on Myrica pennsylvannica to 2,001 per cm2 lesion area on Robinia pseudoacacia. Numbers of chlamydospores produced per 6-mm-diameter leaf disk incubated in a P. ramorum sporangia suspension ranged from 25 on Ilex verticillata to 493 on Rhus typhina. The results indicate that many common understory species in Eastern U.S. forests are susceptible to P. ramorum and capable of providing ample sources of inoculum (sporangia and chlamydospores) for forest epidemics should the pathogen be introduced and should temperature and moisture conditions exist that are conducive to disease development.

Response of Butternut Selections to Inoculation with Sirococcus clavigignenti-juglandacearum
About this Resource: Butternut trees (Juglans cinerea) clonally propagated via grafting from source trees with putative resistance to butternut canker were inoculated monthly with two isolates of Sirococcus clavigignenti-juglandacearum in a field planting in Minnesota. Significant differences in resulting canker length were found among (i) month of inoculation, (ii) accession, and (iii) isolate. Results support the suggestion that canker-free butternut occasionally found growing among butternut severely affected by butternut canker potentially have disease resistance and may have value for genetic conservation and restoration of the species. Developing an effective resistance screening technique will require additional information on the natural infection process and testing under various climatic conditions across the range of butternut.

Conversion of deciduous forest to silvopasture produces soil properties indicative of rapid transition to improved pasture
About this Resource: Differences in soil properties between forests and pastures have been well documented in the literature, especially under coniferous forests. However, since nearly all of these reports have been time-point comparisons, utilizing long-term paired-sites, properties of transitional states and time of their appearance can only be inferred at present. In this study, a deciduous forest ecosystem was converted to a silvopasture ecosystem by tree thinning, fertilization, and sheep incorporation of seed and forest litter. After 2 years, topsoil (0-15 cm) physico-chemical properties, particularly P fractions, and phosphatases were monitored over the growing season in these ecosystems, and a nearby pasture ecosystem. Initially, before spring vegetative growth, differences were found for pH, exchangeable cations and soil moisture, most of which could be explained by management history. Compared to forest, organic-C (Co) and organic-N (No) concentrations were reduced in silvopasture by 17 and 9%, respectively, indicative of substantial litter decomposition. Most values for all these physico-chemical properties for silvopasture were intermediate between forest and pasture, and generally remained so throughout the growing season. Initial total P (TPt), organic-P (TPo) and inorganic-P (TPi) concentrations were generally as anticipated for the forest and pasture. Silvopasture, however, had 36 and 23% greater TPo than forest and pasture, respectively, presumably due to fertilizer-P immobilization induced by incorporation of forest litter. Total P components remained essentially constant over the growing season in all ecosystems, with the exception of pasture, likely due to high forage TPi uptake. Bray I-extractable-organic-P (BrPo) and bicarbonate-extractable-organic-P (BiPo) concentrations, although consistently highest in the forest and silvopasture soils, were not reflective of the increase in TPo under silvopasture. Acid phosphatase (PMEac) activities were highest in spring in all the ecosystems, then gradually declined to typically 25-50% initial activities. Alkaline phosphatase (PMEal) activities showed a broadly-similar pattern, with exception of forest and silvopasture soils, which exhibited low activities throughout the season. For the entire data set, PMEac and PMEal activities were poorly correlated with TPi, BrPi, and BiPi. These results demonstrate that conversion of forest to silvopasture results in soil changes indicative of its rapid transition to pasture and that an increased Po reservoir results that should be taken into account in fertilizer-P recommendations for temperate silvopastures.

Mist Net Effort Required to Inventory a Forest Bat Species Assemblage
About this Resource: Little quantitative information exists about the survey effort necessary to inventory temperate bat species assemblages. We used a bootstrap resampling algorithm to estimate the number of mist net surveys required to capture individuals from 9 species at both study area and site levels using data collected in a forested watershed in northwestern California, USA, during 1996-2000. The mean number of simulated surveys required to capture individual species varied with species' rarity and ranged from 1.5 to 44.9. We retrospectively evaluated strategies to reduce required survey effort by subsampling data from 1996 to 1998 and tested the strategies in the field during 1999 and 2000. Using data from 1996 to 1998, the mean number of simulated surveys required to capture 8 out of 9 species was 26.3, but a 95% probability of capture required .61 surveys. Inventory efficiency, defined as the cumulative proportion of species detected per survey effort, improved for both the study area and individual sites by conducting surveys later in summer. We realized further improvements in study area inventory efficiency by focusing on productive sites. We found that 3 surveys conducted between 1 July and 10 September at each of 4 productive sites in this 10- km2 study area resulted in the capture of 8 species annually. Quantitative estimation of the survey effort required to assess bat species occurrence improves the ability to plan and execute reliable, efficient inventories. Results from our study should be useful for planning inventories in nearby geographical areas and similar habitat types; further, the analytical methods we used to assess effort are broadly applicable to other survey methods and taxa.

Identification of termite species and subspecies of the genus Zootermopsis using near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy
About this Resource: Dampwood termites of the genus Zootermopsis (Isoptera: Termopsidae) are an abundant group of basal termites found in temperate forests of western North America. Three species are currently recognized in the genus and one of these species is subdivided into two subspecies. Although morphological and genetic characters are useful in differentiating among the three species and the two subspecies, respectively, only hydrocarbon analysis can enable differentiation both among the three species and the two subspecies. Due to the limitations of hydrocarbon analysis, such as the need for fresh specimens, alternative methods that could rapidly and accurately identify Zootermopsis would be useful. Using a partial least squares analysis of near-infrared spectra, each of the Zootermopsis species and subspecies were identified with greater than 95% and 80% accuracy, respectively. Neural network analysis of the near-infrared spectra successfully enabled the identification of the species and subspecies with greater than 99% accuracy. The inexpensive, reproducible, and rapid nature of near-infrared spectroscopy makes it a viable alternative to morphological, hydrocarbon, or genetic analysis for identifying Zootermopsis.

Altitudinal variation in soil organic carbon stock in coniferous subtropical and broadleaf temperate forests in Garhwal Himalaya
About this Resource: Abstract Background The Himalayan zones, with dense forest vegetation, cover a fifth part of India and store a third part of the country reserves of soil organic carbon (SOC). However, the details of altitudinal distribution of these carbon stocks, which are vulnerable to forest management and climate change impacts, are not well known. Results This article reports the results of measuring the stocks of SOC along altitudinal gradients. The study was carried out in the coniferous subtropical and broadleaf temperate forests of Garhwal Himalaya. The stocks of SOC were found to be decreasing with altitude: from 185.6 to 160.8 t C ha-1 and from 141.6 to 124.8 t C ha-1 in temperature (Quercus leucotrichophora) and subtropical (Pinus roxburghii) forests, respectively. Conclusion The results of this study lead to conclusion that the ability of soil to stabilize soil organic matter depends negatively on altitude and call for comprehensive theoretical explanation

Canopy arthropods community within and among oak species in central Mexico
About this Resource: Quercus rugosa and Q.laurina are species that presents a wide geographical distribution range in temperate forests of Mexico. Oak canopies contain a considerable portion of arthropod diversity and the arthropods fauna fulfill a wide variety of ecological roles. We examined the effect of oak species and seasonal changes on some community structure parameters (diversity, composition, similarity, biomass, rare species, and density of arthropod fauna) of canopy arthropods. In total, 40 oak canopies were fogged during rainy and dry season. A total of 614 identified arthropod morphospecies were recognized belonging to 22 orders associated with tree canopies. A separation of host tree species during both seasons, suggesting a different community structure on host plants species was demonstrated by the principal component analyses (PCA), therefore, differences between oak species results in phenotypes that structure the composition of the arthropod community. Q.laurina registered the highest densities, diversity index and number of rare species in comparison with Q.rugosa. While arthropod biomass showed an inverse pattern. Trees more close to one another (spatial distance) register a more similar canopy arthropod fauna. This study suggests that the trees of Q.laurina could act as a center of biodiversity by the accumulation of arthropod fauna with a considerable number of rare species, which presents wide ecological roles or is involved in critical processes that maintain forest ecosystems.

Nitrogen drives the growth of secondary forests in the Amazon: what analogies with temperate and boreal forests?
About this Resource: Nitrogen drives the growth of secondary forests in the Amazon: what analogies with temperate and boreal forests? A comment is made on a recent paper published on Nature (Davidson et al. 2007), in which the authors demonstrate that in the young secondary forests in the Amazon a conservative nitrogen cycle prevails and nitrogen is a key factor driving forest growth. Analogies are also discussed with recent findings on the role of nitrogen deposition on the carbon balance of temperate and boreal forests (Magnani et al. 2007).