Fire effects on shoot growth characteristics of ponderosa pine in Colorado

The impact of fire damage on the shoot growth potential of 36 branches on each of nine ponderosa pine (Pinusponderosa Laws.) trees was evaluated after a fall season prescribed surface fire. In the first season after burning, mean fascicle lengths and bud sizes (length and diameter) were greater on trees which received underburning treatment than on unburned trees. No treatment effect was observed on shoot lengths, needle numbers, or fascicle numbers, characters determined in the season of bud formation.

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Restoration Treatments Improve Overstory Tree Resistance Attributes and Growth in a Ponderosa Pine/Douglas-Fir Forest

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11050574 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 574

Author(s):

Justin S. Crotteau ◽

Christopher R. Keyes

Keyword(s):

Ponderosa Pine ◽

Bark Beetles ◽

Douglas Fir ◽

Fuel Reduction ◽

Surface Fire ◽

Tree Resistance ◽

Crown Length ◽

Treatment Type ◽

The Impact ◽

Overstory Tree

Research Highlights: This study provides much needed insight into the development of resistance to disturbance and growth dynamics of overstory trees in response to restoration-based fuel reduction, and will be useful to scientists and managers attempting to better grasp the relative merits of restoration treatment types. Background and Objectives: Restoration-based fuel reduction treatments are common in dry, fire-prone forests of the western United States. The primary objective of such treatments is to immediately reduce a stand’s crown fire hazard. However, the impact of these treatments on residual trees is relevant to assess their longevity and resistance to future disturbances. In this study, we evaluate the effects of restoration on retained overstory ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Lawson & C. Lawson) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) trees in western Montana, where treatments were experimentally implemented 13 years prior as part of the national Fire and Fire Surrogate study. Materials and Methods: We examined tree attributes in response to the following replicated treatments: thin-only, burn-only, thin + burn, and a no-action control. We analyzed three different tree attributes that confer resistance to common disturbances: height-to-diameter ratio (resistance to wind), bark thickness (resistance to surface fire), and growth efficiency (resistance to bark beetles). Results: Our models suggest that thinning (with or without burning) alters tree attributes relative to the control in a manner that may increase tree resistance to wind and snow breakage, surface fire, and biotic agents such as bark beetles. Further analysis of annual growth of ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir varied by treatment type: thinning-based restoration (thin-only and thin + burn) increased diameter growth for both species, crown length and width in ponderosa pine, and crown length in Douglas-fir relative to unthinned treatments. Burning (burn-only and thin + burn) did not significantly affect tree growth relative to unburned treatments. Conclusions: While low-severity prescribed burning treatments are often used for restoration and have various ecosystem benefits, this study demonstrates that thinning (alone or in addition to burning) produces more measureable, beneficial results to overstory tree disturbance resistance metrics and growth.

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Wildland fire effects on understory plant communities in two fire-prone forests

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x07-118 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 38 (1) ◽

pp. 133-142 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Daniel C. Laughlin ◽

Peter Z. Fulé

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Ponderosa Pine ◽

Wildland Fire ◽

Plant Cover ◽

Plant Species Richness ◽

Fire Effects ◽

Surface Fire ◽

Total Species Richness ◽

Understory Plant ◽

Understory Plant Communities

Our understanding of wildland fire effects on understory plant communities is limited because of a lack of repeated measurements before and after lightning-ignited fires. We examined vegetation responses to a surface fire in a ponderosa pine forest and a mixed-severity fire in a spruce–fir–aspen forest using before–after, control–impact (BACI) study designs. We hypothesized that the surface fire would stimulate plant species richness and minimally alter community composition, but that the mixed-severity fire would decrease richness and significantly alter composition. In ponderosa pine forests, total species richness and plant cover increased slightly because of annual and biennial forb and grass establishment in soils where duff layers were reduced by the surface fire. In spruce–fir–aspen forests, total species richness and plant cover were similar in burned and unburned forests after 2 years, although annual and biennial forbs and graminoids increased significantly in the burned area. Plant community composition was altered by both fires. Wildfires may indirectly influence the understory plant community through the mediating effects of overstory basal area and litter depth. Fire effects on plant species richness and cover were weaker than effects due to environmental factors. Managers should anticipate increases in both native and non-native ruderal species following landscape-scale fires.

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Numerical Investigation of the Effect of Sloped Terrain on Wind-Driven Surface Fire and Its Impact on Idealized Structures

Fire ◽

10.3390/fire4040094 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (4) ◽

pp. 94

Author(s):

Ali Edalati-nejad ◽

Maryam Ghodrat ◽

Albert Simeoni

Keyword(s):

Slope Angle ◽

Numerical Data ◽

Fire Effects ◽

Surface Fire ◽

Building Model ◽

Eddy Simulation ◽

Terrain Slope ◽

Wind Velocities ◽

Physical Phenomena ◽

The Impact

In this study, a time-dependent investigation has been conducted to numerically analyze the impact of wind-driven surface fire on an obstacle located on sloped terrain downstream of the fire source. Inclined field with different upslope terrain angles of 0, 10, 20, and 30° at various wind-velocities have been simulated by FireFoam, which is a large eddy simulation (LES) solver of the OpenFOAM platform. The numerical data have been validated using the aerodynamic measurements of a full-scale building model in the absence of fire effects. The results underlined the physical phenomena contributing to the impact of varying wind flow and terrain slope near the fire bed on a built area. The findings indicated that under a constant heat release rate and upstream wind velocity, increasing the upslope terrain angle leads to an increase in the higher temperature areas on the ground near the building. It is also found that raising the inclined terrain slope angle from 0 to 30°, results in an increase in the integrated temperature on the surface of the building. Furthermore, by raising the terrain slope from 0 to 30°, the integrated temperature on the ground for the mentioned cases increases by 16%, 10%, and 13%, respectively.

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Age-Dependent Decline in Neuron Growth Potential and Mitochondria Functions in Cortical Neurons

Cells ◽

10.3390/cells10071625 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 1625

Author(s):

Theresa C. Sutherland ◽

Arthur Sefiani ◽

Darijana Horvat ◽

Taylor E. Huntington ◽

Yuanjiu Lei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cortical Neurons ◽

Traumatic Injury ◽

Axon Growth ◽

Neurite Growth ◽

Growth Potential ◽

Mitochondrial Functions ◽

Cord Injury ◽

Age Dependent ◽

Mitochondria Functions ◽

The Impact

The age of incidence of spinal cord injury (SCI) and the average age of people living with SCI is continuously increasing. However, SCI is extensively modeled in young adult animals, hampering translation of research to clinical applications. While there has been significant progress in manipulating axon growth after injury, the impact of aging is still unknown. Mitochondria are essential to successful neurite and axon growth, while aging is associated with a decline in mitochondrial functions. Using isolation and culture of adult cortical neurons, we analyzed mitochondrial changes in 2-, 6-, 12- and 18-month-old mice. We observed reduced neurite growth in older neurons. Older neurons also showed dysfunctional respiration, reduced membrane potential, and altered mitochondrial membrane transport proteins; however, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) abundance and cellular ATP were increased. Taken together, these data suggest that dysfunctional mitochondria in older neurons may be associated with the age-dependent reduction in neurite growth. Both normal aging and traumatic injury are associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, posing a challenge for an aging SCI population as the two elements can combine to worsen injury outcomes. The results of this study highlight this as an area of great interest in CNS trauma.

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Research on the Economic Development Threshold Effect of the Employment Density of the Shanghai Consumer Goods Industry in the Context of New Manufacturing, Based on the Experience Comparison with International Metropolis

Mathematics ◽

10.3390/math9090969 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. 969

Author(s):

Lei Shen ◽

Xi Zhang ◽

Hongda Liu ◽

Pinbo Yao

Keyword(s):

Economic Development ◽

Population Density ◽

Consumer Goods ◽

Inflection Point ◽

Growth Potential ◽

Positive Trend ◽

Employment Density ◽

Consumer Goods Industry ◽

The Impact ◽

Development Threshold

With the rise of a new generation of technology and industrial changes, the service-oriented manufacturing industry has become the direction of future development. With the background of new manufacturing, this paper constructs an economic development threshold model of employment density of consumer goods industry based on data from Shanghai and Tokyo from 2007 to 2016, and empirically analyzes the impact of the employment density of the consumer goods industry on urban economic development under different population densities. At the same time, by comparing the experience of Tokyo, the development status and prospects of Shanghai’s consumer goods industry are explored. The study found that the threshold of Tokyo’s consumer goods industry is 0.608. When population density is lower than this threshold, the consumer goods industry continues to promote the economic development of Tokyo; however, when the population density is higher than this threshold, the consumer goods industry begins to inhibit the economic development of Tokyo. The Shanghai consumer goods industry threshold is 0.329. Under the threshold, most of the consumer goods industry contributions to the economy are negative, but above the threshold, they begin to show a positive trend. The inflection point of the effect curve of Tokyo’s consumer goods industry on economic development has appeared, but the inflection point of Shanghai’s consumer goods industry has not yet appeared. Compared with Tokyo, the economic vitality of Shanghai’s consumer goods industry has not yet been fully released. With the continued increase of population density in Shanghai, the growth potential of the consumer goods industry is huge, and it is expected to reshape the flourishing age of Shanghai’s light industry brand.

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Existing Improvements in Simulation of Fire–Wind Interaction and Its Effects on Structures

Fire ◽

10.3390/fire4020027 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 27

Author(s):

Maryam Ghodrat ◽

Farshad Shakeriaski ◽

David James Nelson ◽

Albert Simeoni

Keyword(s):

Slope Angle ◽

Review Article ◽

Damage Evaluation ◽

Safety Engineering ◽

Fire Damage ◽

Disturbance Interactions ◽

Fire Modelling ◽

Fanning Effect ◽

The Impact ◽

Interaction Phenomena

This work provides a detailed overview of existing investigations into the fire–wind interaction phenomena. Specifically, it considers: the fanning effect of wind, wind direction and slope angle, and the impact of wind on fire modelling, and the relevant analysis (numerical and experimental) techniques are evaluated. Recently, the impact of fire on buildings has been widely analysed. Most studies paid attention to fire damage evaluation of structures as well as structure fire safety engineering, while the disturbance interactions that influence structures have been neglected in prior studies and must be analysed in greater detail. In this review article, evidence regarding the fire–wind interaction is discussed. The effect of a fire transitioning from a wildfire to a wildland–urban interface (WUI) is also investigated, with a focus on the impact of the resulting fire–wind phenomenon on high- and low-rise buildings.

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POSSIBILITIES OF IMPLEMENTING THE SMART DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT IN RURAL AREAS FROM A BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE. THE EXAMPLE OF EASTERN POLAND

Annals of the Polish Association of Agricultural and Agribusiness Economists ◽

10.5604/01.3001.0014.7868 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol XIII (1) ◽

pp. 100-112

Author(s):

Magdalena Anna Zwolińska-Ligaj

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Institutional Environment ◽

Descriptive Analysis ◽

Smart Growth ◽

Local Environment ◽

Growth Potential ◽

Opinion Poll ◽

Local Sector ◽

Endogenous Potential ◽

The Impact

The aim of this paper was the evaluation of the impact of selected background conditions for implementing the smart village concept in the opinion of entrepreneurs. The assessment was based on an opinion poll on a sample of 240 entrepreneurs from three regions of Eastern Poland, using a questionnaire. The results were presented using descriptive analysis, including a comparative analysis of areas with low and high levels of smart growth potential. The presented results show that rural areas in the abovementioned regions, in general, create disadvantageous conditions for enhancing innovativeness through business activity, and the surveyed agents are characterised by a low level of innovativeness. In the opinion of the surveyed entrepreneurs, on the impact of selected factors on enterprise innovativeness, the potential impact of the local environment is above average. The findings point to a need to develop the endogenous potential of rural areas from peripheral regions by increasing access to modern ITC infrastructure and the role of the institutional environment in the process of knowledge transfer to the local sector of companies, the development of local connections in the business sector and within the scope of cooperation of local authorities with entrepreneurs.

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Timing and rate of bud formation in Pinus resinosa

Canadian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1139/b71-257 ◽

1971 ◽

Vol 49 (10) ◽

pp. 1821-1832 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Edward Sucoff

Keyword(s):

Quantitative Data ◽

Shoot Growth ◽

Pinus Resinosa ◽

Growing Season ◽

Axillary Buds ◽

Growing Degree Days ◽

Degree Days ◽

Bud Formation ◽

Late Season ◽

Apical Dome

During the 1969 and 1970 growing season buds were collected almost weekly from matched trees in northeastern Minnesota. Cataphyll primordia for the year n + 1 shoot began forming at the time that internodes in the year n shoot started elongating (late April) and continued forming until early September. Primordia for axillary buds started forming about 2 months later and stopped forming at the same time as cataphylls. The size and deposition activity of the apical dome simultaneously increased during the early growing season and decreased during the late season. The maximum rates in July were over nine cataphylls per day.Rate of cataphyll deposition paralleled elongation of the needles on subtending shoots. Forty to fifty percent of the cataphylls had been formed when shoot growth was 95% complete. Although the bulk of the depositions occurred earlier in 1970, when growing degree days were used as the clock, the 2 years were similar.The results provide quantitative data to complement the histologic emphasis of previous studies.

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Factors influencing flower bud formation on the pear tree cultivar 'Doyenne du Comice'. I. Shoot growth and flower bud differentiation on trees sprayed with chlormequat and unsprayed ones

Acta Agrobotanica ◽

10.5586/aa.1983.008 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 36 (1-2) ◽

pp. 83-94 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Franciszka Jaumień

Keyword(s):

Shoot Growth ◽

Apple Tree ◽

Flower Buds ◽

Flower Bud ◽

Bud Formation ◽

Pear Tree ◽

Factors Influencing ◽

Long Shoots ◽

Flower Bud Differentiation ◽

Flower Bud Formation

The growth of trees sprayed in spring with chlormequat is weaker, and their elongation growth ends 2 - 3 weeks earlier than that of unsprayed trees. Trees with growth inhibited by chlormequat set flower buds on the spurs and in the subapical part of long shoots. The course of flower bud differentiation starts in the second half of July and is similar to that in the apple tree.

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Impact of Perceived Risk on Consumers Technology Acceptance in Online Grocery Adoption amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su131810221 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (18) ◽

pp. 10221

Author(s):

Sufyan Habib ◽

Nawaf N. Hamadneh

Keyword(s):

Perceived Risk ◽

Purchase Intention ◽

Online Shopping ◽

Research Work ◽

Mobile Internet ◽

Growth Potential ◽

Internet Technology ◽

Consumer Trust ◽

Online Purchase ◽

The Impact

E-commerce industry has witnessed a phenomenal growth globally due to the sudden spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the advancement of mobile Internet technology, with fast adaption of online shopping technologies by the customers. Previously, online shopping was only available in a few product categories and to a select group of consumers. The COVID-19 guidelines related to safety, physical distancing, closure, lockdown, and other restrictions have insisted that consumers shop online. Because of e-commerce growth, the grocery (FMCG) industry is also equipped with advanced technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, and block chain technology. This paper analyzes the UTAUT2 model and its influence on perceived risk and consumer trust in online purchase intention of grocery categories of products among Indian customers. We tried to analyze the growth potential of new technologies in grocery retail and formulated the hypotheses. The results showed that the spread of COVID-19 pandemic had a significant influence on the online shopping behavior of Indian customers. The outcome of the study partly assists businesses in understanding the impact of the factors of consumer adaption of technology, perceived risk associated with online transaction, consumer trust in online technologies and consumer online purchase intention of grocery products. To promote e-commerce in India, the current study suggests that marketers should try to develop consumer trust and lowering the perceived risk associated with online shopping. Some management implications and future area of study based on empirical findings are also highlighted in the present research work.

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