Ontario, Canada’s LTSP Experience: Forging Lasting Research Partnerships and the Adaptive Management Cycle in Action

2020 ◽  
Vol 118 (3) ◽  
pp. 337-351
Author(s):  
Dave M Morris ◽  
Rob L Fleming ◽  
Paul W Hazlett
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Forest Policy ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Soil Productivity ◽  
Research Partnerships ◽  
Foliar Nutrition ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
The North

Abstract In this paper, we summarize Ontario’s Long-term Soil Productivity (LTSP) experience focusing on our efforts to forge lasting research partnerships, highlight the approaches we feel were effective in getting emerging science into forest policy within an adaptive management (AM) framework, and describe the future direction of Ontario’s LTSP program as new policy issues are emerging as part of the continuous AM cycle. Fourteen installations were established on nutrient-poor, conifer-dominated sites, considered to be the most sensitive to increased biomass removals. From 1993 to 1995, all sites were clearcut-harvested, with replicated (three reps per site) biomass removal treatments that included: stem only, full-tree, and full-tree + forest floor removal. Routine (every 5 years) measurements have been carried out to track changes in soil carbon and nutrient levels, as well as stand- and individual-tree growth and development metrics and foliar nutrition. The published results from Ontario’s LTSP program, in combination with the North American-wide LTSP synthesis outputs, have suggested that these nutrient-poor, conifer-dominated sites are less sensitive to biomass (nutrient) removals than previously thought. The evidence provided through peer-reviewed publications, conference and workshop presentations, and field tours was substantive and led to a review and revision of the full-tree logging direction within Ontario’s guidelines. We conclude with a set of recommendations (lessons learned) for the successful delivery of any new long-term, interdisciplinary research projects examining the sustainability of forest-management practices.

Soil organic matter in rainfed cropping systems of the Australian cereal belt

Soil Research ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 435 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. C. Dalal ◽  
K. Y. Chan
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Performance Indicator ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Soil Productivity ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Eastern Australia

The Australian cereal belt stretches as an arc from north-eastern Australia to south-western Australia (24˚S–40˚S and 125˚E–147˚E), with mean annual temperatures from 14˚C (temperate) to 26˚C (subtropical), and with annual rainfall ranging from 250 mm to 1500 mm. The predominant soil types of the cereal belt include Chromosols, Kandosols, Sodosols, and Vertosols, with significant areas of Ferrosols, Kurosols, Podosols, and Dermosols, covering approximately 20 Mha of arable cropping and 21 Mha of ley pastures. Cultivation and cropping has led to a substantial loss of soil organic matter (SOM) from the Australian cereal belt; the long-term SOM loss often exceeds 60% from the top 0–0.1 m depth after 50 years of cereal cropping. Loss of labile components of SOM such as sand-size or particulate SOM, microbial biomass, and mineralisable nitrogen has been even higher, thus resulting in greater loss in soil productivity than that assessed from the loss of total SOM alone. Since SOM is heterogeneous in nature, the significance and functions of its various components are ambiguous. It is essential that the relationship between levels of total SOM or its identif iable components and the most affected soil properties be established and then quantif ied before the concentrations or amounts of SOM and/or its components can be used as a performance indicator. There is also a need for experimentally verifiable soil organic C pools in modelling the dynamics and management of SOM. Furthermore, the interaction of environmental pollutants added to soil, soil microbial biodiversity, and SOM is poorly understood and therefore requires further study. Biophysically appropriate and cost-effective management practices for cereal cropping lands are required for restoring and maintaining organic matter for sustainable agriculture and restoration of degraded lands. The additional benefit of SOM restoration will be an increase in the long-term greenhouse C sink, which has the potentialto reduce greenhouse emissions by about 50 Mt CO2 equivalents/year over a 20-year period, although current improved agricultural practices can only sequester an estimated 23% of the potential soil C sink.

scholarly journals The Louisiana Amphibian Monitoring Program from 1997 to 2017: Results, analyses, and lessons learned

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0257869
Author(s):  
Jacoby Carter ◽  
Darren Johnson ◽  
Jeff Boundy ◽  
William Vermillion
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
The North ◽  
Osteopilus Septentrionalis ◽  
Species Lists ◽  
Demographic Patterns ◽  
North And South ◽  
Term Monitoring

To determine trends in either frog distribution or abundance in the State of Louisiana, we reviewed and analyzed frog call data from the Louisiana Amphibian Monitoring Program (LAMP). The data were collected between 1997 and 2017 using North American Amphibian Monitoring Program protocols. Louisiana was divided into three survey regions for administration and analysis: the Florida Parishes, and 2 areas west of the Florida parishes called North and South. Fifty-four routes were surveyed with over 12,792 stops and 1,066 hours of observation. Observers heard 26 species of the 31 species reported to be in Louisiana. Three of the species not heard were natives with ranges that did not overlap with survey routes. The other two species were introduced species, the Rio Grande Chirping Frog (Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides) and the Cuban Treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis). Both seem to be limited to urban areas with little to no route coverage. The 15 most commonly occurring species were examined in detail using the percentage of stops at which they observed along a given survey and their call indices. Most species exhibited a multimodal, concave, or convex pattern of abundance over a 15-year period. Among LAMP survey regions, none of the species had synchronous population trends. Only one group of species, winter callers, regularly co-occur. Based on the species lists, the North region could be seen as a subset of the South. However, based on relative abundance, the North was more similar to Florida parishes for both the winter and summer survey runs. Our analyses demonstrate that long-term monitoring (10 years or more) may be necessary to determine population and occupancy trends, and that frog species may have different local demographic patterns across large geographic areas.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LAND TENURE AND SOIL PRODUCTIVITY

1986 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 357-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. VAN VUUREN ◽  
P. YSSELSTEIN
Keyword(s):  
Land Tenure ◽  
Soil Conservation ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Soil Productivity ◽  
Corn Yield ◽  
Contractual Obligations ◽  
The Impact

Renting of agricultural land is gaining in importance in Canada. The impact of rental on soil conservation and on long-term soil productivity was examined in central southwestern Ontario. Prevailing leasing contracts were short-term, with a minimum of contractual obligations on both parties. A difference in soil management practices was found between owner-operated land and rented land. Both recurrent and nonrecurrent practices upgrading the soil were carried out to a lesser extent on rented than on owner-operated land, while the quality of the rented land was in fact lower and in greater need of ameliorative practices. This resulted in a difference in grain corn yield; the lower yield being obtained from rented land. Key words: Land tenure, tenancy, rental contract, soil conservation, soil productivity, soil quality

The North American long-term soil productivity experiment: Findings from the first decade of research

2005 ◽  
Vol 220 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 31-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert F. Powers ◽  
D. Andrew Scott ◽  
Felipe G. Sanchez ◽  
Richard A. Voldseth ◽  
Deborah Page-Dumroese ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Soil Productivity ◽  
The North

Extension and knowledge transfer: adaptive management approaches for timely impact

2013 ◽  
Vol 152 (S1) ◽  
pp. 57-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Q. M. KETTERINGS
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
The United States ◽  
Human Dimensions ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Efficient Production ◽  
Systematic Assessment ◽  
Regional State ◽  
Management Approaches

SUMMARYIn recent years, the term ‘adaptive management’ has become integrated in government agriculture and conservation programmes in the United States. Adaptive management is described as ‘a process of developing improved management practices for efficient production and resource conservation by use of participatory learning through continuous systematic assessment’, by the NEERA1002 Coordinating Committee on Adaptive Nutrient Management. Such developments reflect recognition by government agencies of (1) the need for continuous improvement in managing agricultural systems to enhance productivity and environmental protection at farm, state, watershed and federal levels, and (2) the effectiveness of continuous systematic assessment and an outcome-based evaluation in achieving and documenting such progress. Various methods have existed for knowledge development and transfer in the past, some effective, others less successful. The present paper presents and discusses lessons learned from three different adaptive management approaches, implemented at field, whole farm and regional/state levels, which contributed to improvements in field, farm and regional/state balances for nitrogen and phosphorus in New York. These examples show that a combination of governmental regulations and an innovative, outcome-focused adaptive management approach that includes research, extension, and a focus on human dimensions (a people-based approach) will be most effective in obtaining greater sustainability of agriculture in future years.

Coordination of long-term data management in the Gulf of Mexico: Lessons learned and recommendations from two years of cross-agency collaboration

Shore & Beach ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 17-22
Author(s):  
Kathryn Keating ◽  
Melissa Gloekler ◽  
Nancy Kinner ◽  
Sharon Mesick ◽  
Michael Peccini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Data Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
The Many ◽  
Diverse Data ◽  
The University ◽  
Term Data

This paper presents a summary of collaborative work, lessons learned, and suggestions for next steps in coordinating long-term data management in the Gulf of Mexico in the years following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DWH). A decade of increased research and monitoring following the DWH has yielded a vast amount of diverse data collected from response and assessment efforts as well as ongoing restoration efforts. To maximize the benefits of this data through proper management and coordination, a cross-agency and organization Long-Term Data Management (LTDM) working group was established in 2017 with sponsorship from NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) and NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service Restoration Center (NMFS RC) and facilitated by the University of New Hampshire’s Coastal Response Research Center. This paper will describe the LTDM working group’s efforts to foster collaboration, data sharing, and best data management practices among the many state, federal, academic and non-governmental entities working to restore and improve the coastal environment in the Gulf following the DWH. Through collaborative workshops and working groups, participants have helped to characterize region-specific challenges, identify areas for growth, leverage existing connections, and develop recommended actions for stakeholders at all organizational levels who share an interest in data coordination and management activities.

Effects of organic matter removal, soil compaction, and vegetation control on 5-year seedling performance: a regional comparison of Long-Term Soil Productivity sites

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 529-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert L Fleming ◽  
Robert F Powers ◽  
Neil W Foster ◽  
J Marty Kranabetter ◽  
D Andrew Scott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Compaction ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Soil Productivity ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Seedling Performance ◽  
Organic Matter Removal ◽  
Vegetation Control ◽  
Wide Range

We examined fifth-year seedling response to soil disturbance and vegetation control at 42 experimental locations representing 25 replicated studies within the North American Long-Term Soil Productivity (LTSP) program. These studies share a common experimental design while encompassing a wide range of climate, site conditions, and forest types. Whole-tree harvest had limited effects on planted seedling performance compared with the effects of stem-only harvest (the control); slight increases in survival were usually offset by decreases in growth. Forest-floor removal improved seedling survival and increased growth in Mediterranean climates, but reduced growth on productive, nutrient-limited, warm–humid sites. Soil compaction with intact forest floors usually benefited conifer survival and growth, regardless of climate or species. Compaction combined with forest-floor removal generally increased survival, had limited effects on individual tree growth, and increased stand growth in Mediterranean climates. Vegetation control benefited seedling growth in all treatments, particularly on more productive sites, but did not affect survival or alter the relative impact of organic matter removal and compaction on growth. Organic matter removal increased aspen coppice densities and, as with compaction, reduced aspen growth.

Genetic and demographic implications of aquaculture in white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) conservation

2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (8) ◽  
pp. 1733-1745 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henriette I Jager
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
White Sturgeon ◽  
Acipenser Transmontanus ◽  
Simulation Experiments ◽  
Selection Strategies ◽  
Management Scheme ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Genetic Swamping

This study uses a genetic individual-based model of white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) populations in a river to examine the genetic and demographic trade-offs associated with operating a conservation hatchery. Simulation experiments evaluated three management practices: (i) setting quotas to equalize family contributions in an effort to prevent genetic swamping, (ii) an adaptive management scheme that interrupts stocking when introgression exceeds a specified threshold, and (iii) alternative broodstock selection strategies that influence domestication. The first set of simulations, designed to evaluate equalizing the genetic contribution of families, did not show the genetic benefits expected. The second set of simulations showed that simulated adaptive management was not successful in controlling introgression over the long term, especially with uncertain feedback. The third set of simulations compared the effects of three alternative broodstock selection strategies on domestication for hypothetical traits controlling early density-dependent survival. Simulated aquaculture selected for a density-tolerant phenotype when broodstock were taken from a genetically connected population. Using broodstock from an isolated population (i.e., above an upstream barrier or in a different watershed) was more effective at preventing domestication than using wild broodstock from a connected population.

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