Rice straw mulch for post-fire erosion control: assessing non-target effects on vegetation communities

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen L. Shive ◽  
Becky L. Estes ◽  
Angela M. White ◽  
Hugh D. Safford ◽  
Kevin L. O'Hara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rice Straw ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Erosion Control ◽  
Straw Mulch ◽  
Burned Areas ◽  
Rim Fire ◽  
And Control

Straw mulch is commonly used for post-fire erosion control in severely burned areas but this practice can introduce non-native species, even when certified weed-free straw is used. Rice straw has recently been promoted as an alternative to wheat under the hypothesis that non-native species that are able to grow in a rice field are unlikely to establish in dry forested habitats. We investigated this hypothesis in the severely burned areas of the 2013 Rim Fire in the Sierra Nevada that were treated with rice straw post-fire. In 2014, we installed 134 plots in mulched and control areas with >95% tree mortality and re-measured a subsample in 2015. Mulched areas had significantly higher non-native forb cover, non-native graminoid cover and non-native species richness. In addition, 25 non-native species occurred exclusively in mulched areas; collectively, these responses contributed to more homogenous plant communities in mulched areas than in unmulched areas in 2015. In contrast, mulch had no effect on total plant cover, and conifer regeneration densities were generally unaffected with the exception of a slight positive effect on Douglas-fir. We recommend more stringent testing for weed-free certification and that funding for non-native species eradication be included with post-fire rehabilitation plans.

scholarly journals Multi-scale assessment of post-fire tree mortality models

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tucker J. Furniss ◽  
Andrew J. Larson ◽  
Van R. Kane ◽  
James A. Lutz
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Pattern ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Large Diameter ◽  
Fire Effects ◽  
Point Pattern ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Mortality Models ◽  
Rim Fire

Post-fire tree mortality models are vital tools used by forest land managers to predict fire effects, estimate delayed mortality and develop management prescriptions. We evaluated the performance of mortality models within the First Order Fire Effects Model (FOFEM) software, and compared their performance to locally-parameterised models based on five different forms. We evaluated all models at the individual tree and stand levels with a dataset comprising 34174 trees from a mixed-conifer forest in the Sierra Nevada, California that burned in the 2013 Rim Fire. We compared stand-level accuracy across a range of spatial scales, and we used point pattern analysis to test the accuracy with which mortality models predict post-fire tree spatial pattern. FOFEM under-predicted mortality for the three conifers, possibly because of the timing of the Rim Fire during a severe multi-year drought. Locally-parameterised models based on crown scorch were most accurate in predicting individual tree mortality, but tree diameter-based models were more accurate at the stand level for Abies concolor and large-diameter Pinus lambertiana, the most abundant trees in this forest. Stand-level accuracy was reduced by spatially correlated error at small spatial scales, but stabilised at scales ≥1ha. The predictive error of FOFEM generated inaccurate predictions of post-fire spatial pattern at small scales, and this error could be reduced by improving FOFEM model accuracy for small trees.

scholarly journals Cross-scale interaction of host tree size and climatic water deficit governs bark beetle-induced tree mortality

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Koontz ◽  
Andrew M. Latimer ◽  
Leif A. Mortenson ◽  
Christopher J. Fettig ◽  
Malcolm P. North
Keyword(s):  
Water Deficit ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Bark Beetle ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Dendroctonus Brevicomis ◽  
Scale Interactions ◽  
Climatic Water Deficit ◽  
Host Mortality

AbstractThe recent Californian hot drought (2012–2016) precipitated unprecedented ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) mortality, largely attributable to the western pine beetle (Dendroctonus brevicomis; WPB). Broad-scale climate conditions can directly shape tree mortality patterns, but mortality rates respond non-linearly to climate when local-scale forest characteristics influence the behavior of tree-killing bark beetles (e.g., WPB). To test for these cross-scale interactions, we conduct aerial drone surveys at 32 sites along a gradient of climatic water deficit (CWD) spanning 350 km of latitude and 1000 m of elevation in WPB-impacted Sierra Nevada forests. We map, measure, and classify over 450,000 trees within 9 km2, validating measurements with coincident field plots. We find greater size, proportion, and density of ponderosa pine (the WPB host) increase host mortality rates, as does greater CWD. Critically, we find a CWD/host size interaction such that larger trees amplify host mortality rates in hot/dry sites. Management strategies for climate change adaptation should consider how bark beetle disturbances can depend on cross-scale interactions, which challenge our ability to predict and understand patterns of tree mortality.

Verbenone interrupts attraction to host volatiles and reduces attack on Pinus tabuliformis (Pinaceae) by Dendroctonus valens (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) in the People's Republic of China

2003 ◽  
Vol 135 (5) ◽  
pp. 721-732 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianghua Sun ◽  
Nancy E. Gillette ◽  
Zhengwan Miao ◽  
Le Kang ◽  
Zhongning Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tree Mortality ◽  
People’S Republic Of China ◽  
People's Republic Of China ◽  
Trap Catch ◽  
Forest Pests ◽  
Republic Of China ◽  
Dendroctonus Valens ◽  
Pinus Tabuliformis ◽  
Volatile Blend ◽  
And Control

AbstractThe introduced red turpentine beetle, Dendroctonus valens LeConte, is one of the most economically important forest pests in the People's Republic of China, having killed more than 6 million pines in recent years. There is an urgent need to develop effective behavioral chemicals to monitor and control D. valens in the People's Republic of China, as well as in its native range in North America. We tested host kairomones as a 1:1:1 blend of α-pinene, β-pinene, and Δ-3-carene (releasing in the same proportions) for monitoring D. valens populations in the People's Republic of China. We also tested two release systems of verbenone for protection of Pinus tabuliformis Lawson from D. valens attack: (1) polyethylene bubblecaps (BCs) filled with 800 mg of nearly pure verbenone (releasing 18 mg/tree per day) and (2) a sprayable water suspension of microencapsulated (MEC) verbenone (releasing about 100 mg/tree per day). The host-volatile blend trapped substantial numbers of both sexes of adult beetles, up to 15 beetles per day, proving its potential for monitoring. Both of the verbenone release systems significantly reduced D. valens trap catch, and there was no difference between the BC treatment and the MEC treatment. Both release systems also reduced beetle attack on trees to the same level as unbaited controls, from a mean of 5.1 per tree to a mean of 0.7 per tree (for both release systems), suggesting that the treatments may also reduce tree mortality.

scholarly journals Potential Distribution of Chagas Disease Vectors (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae) in Colombia, Based on Ecological Niche Modeling

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Parra-Henao ◽  
Laura C. Suárez-Escudero ◽  
Sebastián González-Caro
Keyword(s):  
Chagas Disease ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Geographic Distribution ◽  
Ecological Niche ◽  
Ecological Niche Modeling ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Niche Modeling ◽  
Triatomine Species ◽  
Local Risk ◽  
And Control

Ecological niche modeling of Triatominae bugs allow us to establish the local risk of transmission of the parasiteTrypanosoma cruzi,which causes Chagas disease.This information could help to guide health authority recommendations on infection monitoring, prevention, and control. In this study, we estimated the geographic distribution of triatomine species in Colombia and identified the relationship between landscape structure and climatic factors influencing their occurrence. A total of 2451 records of 4 triatomine species (Panstrongylus geniculatus,Rhodnius pallescens,R. prolixus, andTriatoma maculata) were analyzed.The variables that provided more information to explain the ecologic niche of these vectors were related to precipitation, altitude, and temperature. We found that the species with the broadest potential geographic distribution wereP. geniculatus,R. pallescens, andR. prolixus. In general, the models predicted the highest occurrence probability of these vectors in the eastern slope of the Eastern Cordillera, the southern region of the Magdalena valley, and the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta.

scholarly journals Productivity of rainfed mustard in relation to tillage and mulching

1970 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 597-606 ◽  
Author(s):  
NA Mondal ◽  
SMA Hossain ◽  
SU Bhuiya ◽  
M Jahiruddin
Keyword(s):  
Rice Straw ◽  
Seed Yield ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Reduced Tillage ◽  
Research Station ◽  
Residual Soil ◽  
Yield Attributes ◽  
Straw Mulch ◽  
Tillage Methods

Field experiments were conducted at the Regional Agricultural Research Station of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Jessore during rabi (winter) seasons of 1999-2001 to study the tillage and mulching effects on conservation of residual soil moisture, yield attributes and yield of mustard (cv. Daulat.). Three different tillage methods, namely minimum, reduced and conventional tillage were used in the main plots and three different mulch materials, namely rice straw, water hyacinth, black polythene including no mulch were used in the sup-plots. It was observed that reduced tillage and polythene mulch or rice straw mulch conserve more moisture than other tillage methods and mulch application. Tillage practice significantly influenced the dry matter, yield and yield components of mustard. Reduced tillage gave consistently the highest seed yield (969 kg/ha), while minimum tillage gave the lowest seed yield (92 kg/ha). Mulching also resulted in better crop growth and increased yield. Significantly higher seed yield (1164 kg/ha) was recorded from black polythene mulch followed by rice straw mulch (1089 kg/ha). The yield of mustard was obtained due to the interaction effects on reduced tillage and polythene mulch followed by conventional tillage and polythene mulch, which was found superior to all other treatments. Results revealed that polythene mulch or rice straw mulch accompanied by reduced tillage was economically profitable for mustard cultivation/production under rainfed condition. Key Words: Rainfed mustard, tillage, mulching. doi: 10.3329/bjar.v33i4.2303 Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 33(4) : 597-606, December 2008

Influence of wildfire severity on geomorphic features and riparian vegetation of forested streams of the Sierra Nevada, California, USA

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 611
Author(s):  
Breeanne K. Jackson ◽  
S. Mažeika P. Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Riparian Vegetation ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Riparian Ecosystems ◽  
High Severity ◽  
Sediment Size ◽  
Rim Fire ◽  
Geomorphic Features ◽  
Biodiversity And Ecosystem Function ◽  
Riparian Plant

Fires are a common feature of many landscapes, with numerous and complex ecological consequences. In stream ecosystems, fire can strongly influence fluvial geomorphic characteristics and riparian vegetation, which are structural components of stream–riparian ecosystems that contribute to biodiversity and ecosystem function. However, the effects of fire severity on stream–riparian ecosystems in California’s Sierra Nevada region (USA) are not well described, yet critical for effectively informing fire management and policy. At 12 stream reaches paired by fire severity (one high-severity burned, one low-severity burned), no significant differences were found in riparian plant community cover and composition or stream geomorphic characteristics 2–15 years following wildfire. In addition, minimal changes in riparian vegetation and stream geomorphic properties were observed in the first summer following the extensive and severe Rim Fire. However, an upstream-to-downstream influence of multiple fire occurrences was observed over the previous 81 years within each catchment on stream geomorphic metrics, including sediment size, embeddedness and channel geometry, at our study reaches. The inconsistent effects of wildfire on stream–riparian vegetation and geomorphic characteristics over space and time may be related to time since fire and precipitation.

Response of high-elevation limber pine (Pinus flexilis) to multiyear droughts and 20th-century warming, Sierra Nevada, California, USA

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (12) ◽  
pp. 2508-2520 ◽  
Author(s):  
Constance I. Millar ◽  
Robert D. Westfall ◽  
Diane L. Delany
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Dwarf Mistletoe ◽  
Lower Growth ◽  
Pinus Flexilis ◽  
Limber Pine ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation

Limber pine ( Pinus flexilis James) stands along the eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada, California, experienced significant mortality from 1985 to 1995 during a period of sustained low precipitation and high temperature. The stands differ from old-growth limber pine forests in being dense, young, more even-aged, and located in warmer, drier microclimates. Tree growth showed high interannual variability. Relative to live trees, dead trees over their lifetimes had higher series sensitivity, grew more variably, and had lower growth. Although droughts recurred during the 20th century, tree mortality occurred only in the late 1980s. Significant correlations and interactions of growth and mortality dates with temperature and precipitation indicate that conditions of warmth plus sustained drought increased the likelihood of mortality in the 1985–1995 interval. This resembles a global-change-type drought, where warming combined with drought was an initial stress, trees were further weakened by dwarf mistletoe ( Arceuthobium cyanocarpum (A. Nels. ex Rydb.) A. Nels.), and proximally killed by mountain pine beetle ( Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins). However, the thinning effect of the drought-related mortality appears to have promoted resilience and improved near-term health of these stands, which suffered no additional mortality in the subsequent 1999–2004 drought.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Organic and Inorganic Mulching as an Integrated Weed Management Strategy in Maize Under Rainfed Conditions

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. MEHMOOD ◽  
S.U. KHAN ◽  
A. QAYYUM ◽  
A.R. GURMANI ◽  
W. AHMED ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wheat Straw ◽  
Rice Straw ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Weed Suppression ◽  
Plastic Mulch ◽  
Test Species ◽  
Weed Density ◽  
Straw Mulch ◽  
Dry Biomass ◽  
Black Plastic

ABSTRACT: Weeds affect crop growth, health and yield by competing for resources, and they serve as refuge for insect pests. Mulches of different materials have been found to control weeds and insect pests. A field study was conducted at the village of Mang, Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, to explore the effect of various mulch materials on weed suppression in maize fields under rain-fed conditions in 2013. Eight mulch materials treatments were used: control (no mulching), wheat straw mulch, dry leaves of eucalyptus, rice straw mulch, grass clippings, living mulch (soybean crop), black plastic mulch and the herbicide Primextra were investigated under a randomized complete block design with four replications. Statistical analysis of data showed maximum reduction in weed density, relative weed density, fresh biomass and dry biomass in all the test species at 25, 50 and 75 days after sowing (DAS) where Primextra and black plastic mulch were used, and this was statistically similar to where rice straw and wheat straw were used. Maximum weed density, relative weed density, fresh and dry biomass of all weed species were recorded where soybean was intercropped with maize and grass clippings were used. Based on these results, it was inferred that the mulch material of eucalyptus and rice straw can effectively be used for controlling weeds in maize fields under rain-fed conditions.

scholarly journals Revegetation of ski runs in Serbia: Case studies of Mts. Stara Planina and Divcibare

2011 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 1127-1134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivana Bjedov ◽  
R. Ristic ◽  
N. Stavretovic ◽  
V. Stevovic ◽  
B. Radic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Community ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Soil Stabilization ◽  
Erosion Control ◽  
Ski Resort ◽  
Ski Resorts ◽  
Seed Mixtures

Revegetation is the most sustainable method of soil stabilization at ski runs. In order to establish a stable plant community, it is recommended to use native species. However, non-native species are most often used. In this paper the revegetation of ski runs at two ski resorts is investigated: Divcibare and Stara Planina. Seven species were used for the revegetation of the ski run at the Divcibare ski resort of which six species were native. Six species were used for the revegetation of the Stara Planina ski resort, of which two species were native. It was established that the plant species used in the seed mixtures were suitable for erosion control at the investigated ski resorts.

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