Long-term SUCCESS: Vegetation data collected in 2017 from permanent plots in the sagebrush steppe of south-central Washington state

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan D. Bakker ◽  
Matt G. Davies ◽  
Claire E. Wainwright ◽  
Simon C. Power
Keyword(s):  
Washington State ◽  
Permanent Plots ◽  
Sagebrush Steppe ◽  
South Central

Mortality of white spruce during a spruce beetle outbreak on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska

1983 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard A. Werner ◽  
Edward H. Holsten
Keyword(s):  
White Spruce ◽  
Permanent Plots ◽  
Kenai Peninsula ◽  
South Central ◽  
Creek Watershed ◽  
Spruce Beetle ◽  
Spruce Stands ◽  
Long Term Impact ◽  
The Impact

White spruce (Piceaglauca (Moench) Voss) stands in the Resurrection Creek watershed in south-central Alaska were infested by spruce bettles, Dendroctonusrufipennis Kirby, between 1974 and 1975. Thirty permanent plots were established within the infested area in 1976 to evaluate the immediate and long-term impact on white spruce stands. Plots were revisited annually for 5 years. Between 1976 and 1980, 29% of all white spruce was killed by spruce beetles. This loss accounted for 59% of the commercial white spruce volume in the watershed. Mortality was greatest in the larger diameter classes during the early part of the infestation, but smaller diameter trees were subsequently attacked as the number of noninfested trees declined. The impact of spruce beetles on structure and species composition of white spruce stands is given along with a discussion of management implications.

scholarly journals Aeroallergens and Climate Change in Tulsa, Oklahoma: Long-Term Trends in the South Central United States

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Estelle Levetin
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United States ◽  
Pollen Season ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
The South ◽  
South Central ◽  
Pollen Types ◽  
Central United States ◽  
Total Pollen

Climate change is having a significant effect on many allergenic plants resulting in increased pollen production and shifts in plant phenology. Although these effects have been well-studied in some areas of the world, few studies have focused on long-term changes in allergenic pollen in the South Central United States. This study examined airborne pollen, temperature, and precipitation in Tulsa, Oklahoma over 25 to 34 years. Pollen was monitored with a Hirst-type spore trap on the roof of a building at the University of Tulsa and meteorology data were obtained from the National Weather Service. Changes in total pollen intensity were examined along with detailed analyses of the eight most abundant pollen types in the Tulsa atmosphere. In addition to pollen intensity, changes in pollen season start date, end date, peak date and season duration were also analyzed. Results show a trend to increasing temperatures with a significant increase in annual maximum temperature. There was a non-significant trend toward increasing total pollen and a significant increase in tree pollen over time. Several individual taxa showed significant increases in pollen intensity over the study period including spring Cupressaceae and Quercus pollen, while Ambrosia pollen showed a significant decrease. Data from the current study also indicated that the pollen season started earlier for spring pollinating trees and Poaceae. Significant correlations with preseason temperature may explain the earlier pollen season start dates along with a trend toward increasing March temperatures. More research is needed to understand the global impact of climate change on allergenic species, especially from other regions that have not been studied.

scholarly journals Long-term influence of stand thinning and repeated fertilization on forage production in young lodgepole pine forests

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 1123-1130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pontus M.F. Lindgren ◽  
Thomas P. Sullivan ◽  
Douglas B. Ransome ◽  
Druscilla S. Sullivan ◽  
Lisa Zabek
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Bos Taurus ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Forage Production ◽  
South Central ◽  
Stand Thinning

Integration of trees with forage and livestock production as silvopastoralism is another potential component of intensive forest management. Stand thinning and fertilization may enhance growth of crop trees and understory forage for livestock. We tested the hypothesis that large-scale precommercial thinning (PCT) (particularly heavy thinning to ≤1000 stems·ha−1) and repeated fertilization, up to 20 years after the onset of treatments, would enhance production of graminoids, forbs, and shrubs as cattle (Bos taurus L.) forage. Results are from two long-term studies: (1) PCT (1988–2013) and (2) PCT with fertilization (PCT–FERT) (1993–2013) of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia Engelm.) stands in south-central British Columbia, Canada. Mean biomass estimates of graminoids, forbs, total herbs, and shrubs were not affected by stand density. However, fertilization enhanced mean biomass estimates of graminoids, forbs, and total herbs, but not shrubs. Thus, the density part of our hypothesis was not supported, but the nutrient addition part was supported at least for the herbaceous components. Biomass of the herbaceous understory was maintained as a silvopasture component for up to 20 years (stand age 13 to 33 years) in fertilized heavily thinned stands prior to canopy closure.

Evaluating the influence of stem form and damage on individual-tree diameter increment and survival in the Acadian Region: implications for predicting future value of northern commercial hardwood stands

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (9) ◽  
pp. 1007-1019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Castle ◽  
Aaron Weiskittel ◽  
Robert Wagner ◽  
Mark Ducey ◽  
Jereme Frank ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Tree Level ◽  
Permanent Plots ◽  
Stem Form ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Tree Diameter ◽  
Diameter Increment ◽  
Hardwood Species ◽  
Future Value

Northern hardwood species display a variety of forms and defects that can reduce stem quality and complicate their timber management. However, for the most part, growth and yield models do not account for the influence of stem form and damage. This study determined the influence of stem form and damage on growth, survival, and projected future sawlog value among several northern commercial hardwood species. To accomplish this, hardwood trees on 112 permanent plots across three long-term research sites in Maine were assigned stem form and risk classes using a tree classification system developed in New Brunswick. A highly significant influence of stem form and risk on annualized individual-tree diameter increment and survival was found. Inclusion of these equations into a regional growth and yield model highlighted the importance of stem form and defects on long-term simulations as projected stand-level future value was significantly reduced by over 17%, on average (range of 13% to 28%), when compared with projections that did not include that tree-level information. The results highlight the importance of stem form and defects, as well as the need to account for them, in growth and yield applications that assess the forecasted value of commercially important hardwood stands.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding coccidioidomycosis among healthcare providers in four counties in Washington State, 2017

2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 730-736 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Hubber ◽  
A Person ◽  
L Jecha ◽  
D Flodin-Hursh ◽  
J Stiffler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Severe Disease ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Knowledge Score ◽  
Health Department ◽  
Washington State ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
South Central ◽  
Knowledge Attitudes And Practices

Abstract Coccidioidomycosis is an emerging infection in Washington State. The epidemiology of the disease in Washington is poorly understood at present; underrecognition and underreporting of coccidioidomycosis is suspected based on reports of only severe disease. We sought to characterize healthcare provider knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding coccidioidomycosis awareness, diagnosis, and treatment in south-central Washington. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of actively practicing healthcare providers in four counties in south-central Washington, an area recently described as endemic for Coccidioides. Survey results were used to assess awareness of reporting requirements, confidence in ability to diagnose and treat, confidence that knowledge is current, calculated knowledge score, and consideration of risk in patient population. The majority of respondents were unaware of the reporting requirement for coccidioidomycosis in Washington and further unaware that the disease had been reported in the state. Less than a third of survey respondents reported confidence in their ability to diagnose coccidioidomycosis and confidence that their knowledge is current. The majority of respondents never or rarely consider a diagnosis of coccidioidomycosis, and <25% of respondents indicated a working knowledge of serologic tests for the infection. The average knowledge score for respondents was 65%. Previous education, training, or practice regarding coccidioidomycosis was the only identified predictor of confidence and consideration of risk. These data indicate the substantial need for education and training among healthcare providers in south-central Washington and support the concern that a small proportion of existing cases of coccidioidomycosis are reported to the health department.

scholarly journals Long-Term Effects of Fuels Treatments, Overstory Structure, and Wildfire on Tree Regeneration in Dry Forests of Central Washington

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 888
Author(s):  
Allison K. Rossman ◽  
Jonathan D. Bakker ◽  
David W. Peterson ◽  
Charles B. Halpern
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Tree Regeneration ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Permanent Plots ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Fuels Reduction ◽  
Forest Fuels ◽  
Fuels Treatments

The long-term effectiveness of dry-forest fuels treatments (restoration thinning and prescribed burning) depends, in part, on the pace at which trees regenerate and recruit into the overstory. Knowledge of the factors that shape post-treatment regeneration and growth is limited by the short timeframes and simple disturbance histories of past research. Here, we present results of a 15-year fuels-reduction experiment in central Washington, including responses to planned and unplanned disturbances. We explore the changing patterns of Douglas-fir regeneration in 72 permanent plots (0.1 ha) varying in overstory abundance (a function of density and basal area) and disturbance history—the latter including thinning, prescribed burning, and/or wildfire. Plots were measured before treatment (2000/2001), soon afterwards (2004/2005), and more than a decade later (2015). Thinning combined with burning enhanced sapling recruitment (ingrowth) into the overstory, although rates of ingrowth were consistently low and greatly exceeded by mortality. Relationships between seedling frequency (proportion of quadrats within a plot) and overstory abundance shifted from weakly negative before treatment to positive after thinning, to neutral in the longer term. However, these relationships were overshadowed by more recent, higher-severity prescribed fire and wildfire that stimulated seedling establishment while killing advanced regeneration and overstory trees. Our results highlight the dependence of regeneration responses on the history of, and time since, fuels treatment and subsequent disturbance. Managers must be aware of this spatial and temporal complexity and plan for future disturbances that are inevitable but unpredictable in timing and severity.

scholarly journals Effects of Long-Term Livestock Grazing on Fuel Characteristics in Rangelands: An Example From the Sagebrush Steppe

2010 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 662-669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirk W. Davies ◽  
Jonathan D. Bates ◽  
Tony J. Svejcar ◽  
Chad S. Boyd
Keyword(s):  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Sagebrush Steppe ◽  
Fuel Characteristics

In a warming river, natural-origin Chinook salmon spawn later but hatchery-origin conspecifics do not

2021 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-77
Author(s):  
Catherine S. Austin ◽  
Timothy E. Essington ◽  
Thomas P. Quinn
Keyword(s):  
Chinook Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha ◽  
River System ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Washington State ◽  
Human Intervention ◽  
Timing Of Reproduction ◽  
Natural Origin ◽  
Skagit River

Median timing of reproduction in salmonid populations is generally consistent among years, reflecting long-term patterns of natural selection from characteristics of the local environment. However, altered selection from factors related to climate change or human intervention might shift timing over generations, with implications for the population’s persistence. To study these processes, we modeled median timing of redd (nest) counts as an index of spawning timing by natural-origin Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Skagit River system in Washington State, USA. Over the last 2–6 decades, natural-origin salmon have been spawning later by 0.03–0.52 days·year–1, while a naturally spawning group that is influenced by strays from a hatchery has been spawning earlier by 0.19 days·year–1. Trends in the spawning timing of hatchery-origin strays may reflect opposing selection from the hatchery, where egg take for propagation has become earlier by 0.58 days·year–1. As mean August river temperatures have risen over the period of record, hatchery timing trends may be moving in the opposite direction from the plastic or adaptive patterns expressed by natural-origin fish.

A comparison of pre-industrial and present-day changes in Bosmina and Daphnia size structure from soft-water Ontario lakes

2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 754-762 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer B. Korosi ◽  
Andrew M. Paterson ◽  
Anna M. DeSellas ◽  
John P. Smol
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
South Central ◽  
Zooplankton Size ◽  
Copepod Predation ◽  
Post Impact ◽  
North Temperate Lakes ◽  
Impact Data ◽  
Shield Lakes

Understanding the long-term controls on cladoceran size structure has important implications for aquatic ecosystems. Although there has been considerable interest in zooplankton size trends for Canadian Shield lakes, data are not available for zooplankton size structure prior to the period of anthropogenic disturbances. Here, we present pre- and post-impact size data for the common pelagic cladocerans Bosmina and Daphnia for 44 well-studied Shield lakes in south-central Ontario (Canada). We show that Daphnia were larger and that the length of Bosmina body appendages (mucrones and antennules) was longer in pre-industrial times than they are today. The reduction in Bosmina appendage length we observed may suggest a reduction in copepod predation pressure since pre-industrial times. Reduced maximum body size in Daphnia is a predicted response to a warming climate in north temperate lakes; however, we suggest that alternate explanations, specifically acidification and subsequent recovery following emission reductions, should also be explored as the primary drivers of Daphnia size changes in this lake set. Overall, our results highlight the importance of pre-impact data for understanding the long-term controls on cladoceran body size from pre-1850 to present.

Long-term responses of mammalian herbivores to stand thinning and fertilization in young lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) forest

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (12) ◽  
pp. 2302-2312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas P. Sullivan ◽  
Druscilla S. Sullivan ◽  
Pontus M.F. Lindgren ◽  
Douglas B. Ransome
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
South Central ◽  
Commercial Thinning ◽  
Snowshoe Hares ◽  
Understory Shrubs

Snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus Exrleben, 1777), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus (Rafinesque, 1817)), and moose (Alces alces (L., 1758)) commonly occur in young coniferous forests. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that large-scale pre-commercial thinning (PCT) and repeated fertilization 15–20 years after the onset of treatments in young lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelm. ex S. Wats.) stands would enhance relative habitat use by hares, deer, and moose compared with unmanaged stands. Study areas were located in south-central British Columbia, Canada. Habitat use was measured by fecal pellet and pellet-group counts. Understory vegetation and coniferous stand structure were measured in all stands. Habitat use by deer and moose was highest in heavily thinned stands, probably due to the higher levels of forage and cover provided by understory shrubs and conifers in thinned stands. Habitat use by snowshoe hares was highest in high-density stands, but also in lower-density (≤1000 stems·ha–1) stands where an increase in understory conifers provided essential cover for hares. Managers should consider the long-term nature of understory development in young stands managed for timber production. Heavy thinning (≤1000 stems·ha–1) will generate suitable understory habitat for these herbivores sooner than conventional PCT at higher stand densities.

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