scholarly journals Association of Recent Incidence of Foliar Disease in Pine Species in the Southeastern United States with Tree and Climate Variables

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1155
Author(s):  
Karun Pandit ◽  
Jason Smith ◽  
Tania Quesada ◽  
Caterina Villari ◽  
Daniel J. Johnson

Pine forests in the southern United States are a major contributor to the global economy. Through the last three decades, however, there have been concerns about the decline of pine forests attributed mostly to pests and pathogens. A combination of biotic agents and environmental factors and their interaction often influences outbreaks and the resultant damage in the forests. Southern pines experience periodic mortality from bark beetles and root rot fungi and losses from fusiform rust and pitch canker have long been important for management. In recent years, there is also growing evidence of increasing damage from foliar disease in southern pines. Early detection of diseases following changes in foliar characteristics and assessment of potential risks will help us better utilize our resources and manage these forests sustainably. In this study, we used Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data to explore the intensity of foliar disease in three common pines: loblolly (Pinus taeda L.), longleaf (Pinus palustris Mill.), and slash (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) in spatial and temporal terms using tree-level and climatic variables. Results from a tree-level model suggests that crown ratio may be an important factor in pine foliar disease (p < 0.1). We applied the MaxEnt model, a presence-only species distribution model (SDM), to explore any association of foliar disease incidences with the climatic variables at a landscape level. Results indicate that mean dew point temperature, maximum vapor pressure deficit, and precipitation during cold months had more influence over disease incidences than other climatic variables. While the sample size is limited as this is an emerging disease in the region, our study provides a basis for further exploration of disease detection methods, disease etiology studies, and hazard mapping.

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karuna Paudel ◽  
Puneet Dwivedi

During the early 1900s, nearly 37 million hectares of land in the Southern United States were under longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) relative to the current area of 1.6 million hectares. This study compares the economics of southern pines (longleaf, loblolly (Pinus taeda), and slash (Pinus elliottii)) to facilitate the decision making of family forest landowners and design suitable financial incentives for increasing the area under longleaf pine in the region. We simulated six growth and yield scenarios for selected southern pines over three site indices in the Lower Coastal Plain of South Georgia. We estimated land expectation values (LEVs) of each scenario for the three cases, i.e., payment for forest products, payment for forest products and net carbon storage, and payment for forest products, net carbon storage, and net water yield. Our findings show that pine straw income significantly increases the LEV of longleaf pine. The financial risk of growing longleaf pine is lower than that of other southern pines. Existing financial support through various governmental incentives or additional monetary support for ecosystem services provided by longleaf pine ecosystems is needed to increase the area under longleaf pine in the Southern United States, in general, and in South Georgia, in particular. However, a need exists to reevaluate the conservation values provided by longleaf plantations considering expected shorter rotation ages due to the income provided by pine straw markets in Southern United States.


2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 396-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina L. Staudhammer ◽  
Eric J. Jokela ◽  
Timothy A. Martin

Few studies within the native range of loblolly ( Pinus taeda L.) and slash pine ( Pinus elliottii Engelm. var. elliottii) have compared yield and stand dynamics in pure-family block versus mixed-family block plantings under a range of silvicultural treatments. Understanding intergenotypic competitive interactions is important for predicting phenotypic performance, defining growth strategies and ideotypes, and deploying the correct mix of families that possess complementary characteristics for enhanced yield and pest resistance. In 2000, replicated experimental trials were installed in the southeastern United States, controlling for genotype (pure- and mixed-family plantings; consisting of seven full-sibling loblolly and six full-sibling slash pine families), planting density (1334 vs. 2990 trees/ha), and levels of silvicultural treatment intensity (operational vs. intensive). We measured four installations of these trials. There were numerous examples of differential family performance in mixed versus pure plots manifested as significant deployment × family interactions for diameter at breast height, height, basal area, volume, survival, disease, and damage traits. Significant and consistent interactions of several families with mixed versus pure deployment led to the identification of putative crop and competition ideotypes in both loblolly and slash pine. Tree-level crown architectural traits and an index of growth efficiency for the identified families were consistent with the hypothesized ideotypes.


Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 411
Author(s):  
Brice B. Hanberry

Land use and fire exclusion have influenced ecosystems worldwide, resulting in alternative ecosystem states. Here, I provide two examples from the southeastern United States of fire-dependent open pine and pine-oak forest loss and examine dynamics of the replacement forests, given continued long-term declines in foundation longleaf (Pinus palustris) and shortleaf (Pinus echinata) pines and recent increases in commercial loblolly (Pinus taeda) and slash (Pinus elliottii var. elliottii) pines. Shortleaf pine-oak forest historically may have been dominant on about 32 to 38 million ha, a provisional estimate based on historical composition of 75% of all trees, and has decreased to about 2.5 million ha currently; shortleaf pine now is 3% of all trees in the northern province. Longleaf pine forest decreased from about 30 million ha, totaling 75% of all trees, to 1.3 million ha and 3% of all trees in contemporary forests of the southern province. The initial transition from open pine ecosystems to closed forests, primarily comprised of broadleaf species, was countered by conversion to loblolly and slash pine plantations. Loblolly pine now accounts for 37% of all trees. Loss of fire-dependent ecosystems and their foundation tree species affect associated biodiversity, or the species that succeed under fire disturbance.


1962 ◽  
Vol 94 (9) ◽  
pp. 1005-1007 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. P. Merkel

The larvae of Dioryctria abietella (D. & S.) are among the most destructive pests of the cones of slash pine, Pinus elliottii Engelm., and longleaf pine, Pinus palustris Mill., in the Southern United States. Larval instar data have been particularly useful in laboratory insecticide screening tests where it is essential to use larvae of the same age. The following is a brief account of a test to determine the number of larval instars of D. abietella in Florida.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth J Messick ◽  
Christopher E Comer ◽  
Michael A Blazier ◽  
T Bently Wigley

Abstract In the southern United States, some landowners have established plantations of eucalyptus (Eucalyptus spp.) and are managing them on short rotations (&lt;15 years) to provide wood for fiber and other potential uses. Establishment of short-rotation woody crops dominated by nonnative species has implications for resident fauna in the United States that are largely unknown. We compared avifauna abundance, diversity, and community composition in newly established Camden white gum (Eucalyptus benthamii) plantations with slash pine (Pinus elliottii) plantations of the same age and height (one to two and six to seven years old, respectively) in southwestern Louisiana, USA. Species richness, diversity, and community composition in newly established eucalyptus plantations and six- to seven-year-old pines were similar. More birds were observed, and bird detections varied less in eucalyptus plantations. Indigo buntings (Passerina cyanea) and other shrub-associated species were detected more often in eucalyptus stands. In contrast, species that inhabit herbaceous-dominated communities, such as eastern meadowlarks (Sturnella magna), or that were associated with a dense graminoid community (e.g., Bachman’s sparrow [Peucaea aestivalis]) were detected less often in eucalyptus. Overall, breeding bird communities in eucalyptus plantations one to two years postestablishment differed little from plantations dominated by slash pine. Study Implications Compared with slash pine (Pinus elliottii Englem) plantations of similar age and height (one to two years and six to seven years old, respectively) we found one- to two-year-old eucalyptus (Eucalyptus benthamii Maiden & Cambage) plantations supported similar avian species richness and diversity to six- to seven-year-old pine stands. Furthermore, we found these eucalyptus plantations (E13) supported an avian community that was intermediate to similar aged pine (S13) and pine of similar height (S08). However, avian communities will likely change as eucalyptus plantations age (Christian et al. 1997). Continued monitoring and assessment of community composition, richness, and abundance is important for determining the magnitude of this change. Future investigations focused on nest success, fecundity, postfledging monitoring, and survivorship compared with other types of planted forests and native cover types would help us better understand eucalyptus plantation effects on avifauna demographics (Van Horne 1983, Martin 1998, Jones 2001, Wood et al. 2004, Sage et al. 2006, Riffell et al. 2011).


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 115-122
Author(s):  
Zachary Singh ◽  
Adam Maggard ◽  
Rebecca Barlow ◽  
John Kush

Abstract Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.), and slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) are two southern pine species that are popular for producing pine straw for landscaping. The objective of this research was to determine the response of soil properties and weed growth to the application of pine straw. Longleaf pine, slash pine, and two non-mulched controls (with and without chemical weed control) were tested. Volumetric soil water content, soil nutrients, soil temperature, weed biomass, and seedling growth were measured. Compared to non-mulched controls, both longleaf and slash pine plots had a greater soil moisture during extended periods without rainfall in the full sun environment. When soil temperatures increased, mulched plots had lower soil temperature relative to non-mulched plots. Soil pH and soil nutrients were generally similar between pine straw types with few significant differences in measured variables. Both pine straw treatments reduced weed growth and longleaf pine maintained a greater straw depth over the study period compared to slash pine, but no differences were observed for decomposition. These results indicate that longleaf pine straw and slash pine straw perform equally as well in terms of increasing soil moisture, moderating soil temperature, and reducing weed growth compared to not using mulch. Index words: Pinus elliottii, Pinus palustris, organic mulch, soil properties, landscaping. Species used in this study: Shumard oak, Quercus shumardii Buckl., Eastern redbud, Cercis canadensis L.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Cai ◽  
Vladimir A. Alexeev ◽  
Christopher D. Arp ◽  
Benjamin M. Jones ◽  
Anna Liljedahl ◽  
...  

Abstract. Climatic changes are most pronounced in northern high latitude regions. Yet, there is a paucity of observational data, both spatially and temporally, such that regional-scale dynamics are not fully captured, limiting our ability to make reliable projections. In this study, a group of dynamical downscaling products were created for the period 1950 to 2100 to better understand climate change and its impacts on hydrology, permafrost, and ecosystems at a resolution suitable for northern Alaska. An ERA-interim reanalysis dataset and the Community Earth System Model (CESM) served as the forcing mechanisms in this dynamical downscaling framework, and the Weather Research &amp; Forecast (WRF) model, embedded with an optimization for the Arctic (Polar WRF), served as the Regional Climate Model (RCM). This downscaled output consists of multiple climatic variables (precipitation, temperature, wind speed, dew point temperature, and surface air pressure) for a 10 km grid spacing at three-hour intervals. The modeling products were evaluated and calibrated using a bias-correction approach. The ERA-interim forced WRF (ERA-WRF) produced reasonable climatic variables as a result, yielding a more closely correlated temperature field than precipitation field when long-term monthly climatology was compared with its forcing and observational data. A linear scaling method then further corrected the bias, based on ERA-interim monthly climatology, and bias-corrected ERA-WRF fields were applied as a reference for calibration of both the historical and the projected CESM forced WRF (CESM-WRF) products. Biases, such as, a cold temperature bias during summer and a warm temperature bias during winter as well as a wet bias for annual precipitation that CESM holds over northern Alaska persisted in CESM-WRF runs. The linear scaling of CESM-WRF eventually produced high-resolution downscaling products for the Alaskan North Slope for hydrological and ecological research, together with the calibrated ERA-WRF run, and its capability extends far beyond that. Other climatic research has been proposed, including exploration of historical and projected climatic extreme events and their possible connections to low-frequency sea-atmospheric oscillations, as well as near-surface permafrost degradation and ice regime shifts of lakes. These dynamically downscaled, bias corrected climatic datasets provide improved spatial and temporal resolution data necessary for ongoing modeling efforts in northern Alaska focused on reconstructing and projecting hydrologic changes, ecosystem processes and responses, and permafrost thermal regimes. The dynamical downscaling methods presented in this study can also be used to create more suitable model input datasets for other sub-regions of the Arctic. Supplementary data are available at https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.863625.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea De Stefano ◽  
Michael A Blazier ◽  
Christopher E Comer ◽  
Thomas J Dean ◽  
T Bently Wigley

Abstract In the Western Gulf region of the United States cold-tolerant eucalyptus have been explored as pulpwood feedstock. However, non-native plantations may alter understory species diversity, modifying environmental conditions and soil characteristics. Few studies have compared eucalyptus plantations with native ecosystems to understand the impact on understory vegetation in the United States. In this study, we compared understory plant species richness and diversity during 2014–2016 in (1) slash pine (Pinus elliottii) established in 2008, (2) slash pine established in 2013, and (3) and Camden white gum (Eucalyptus benthamii) established in 2013. Overstory characteristics, soil pH, and soil nutrient concentrations were measured to understand factors that affected understory species richness and diversity. Results indicated a decline in understory species richness over time, with Camden white gum in an intermediate condition between same-age slash pine (highest richness) and older slash pine (lowest richness). Leaf area index, soil pH and K, and tree height were the most important factors influencing understory species richness and diversity. The adoption of fast-growing eucalyptus on these sites will probably accelerate the deterioration of natural habitats and reduce open-condition species in favor of shade-tolerant species, overturning the conservation efforts already put in place by governmental agencies and conservation groups.


Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Mims ◽  
Joseph O’Brien ◽  
Doug Aubrey

Carbohydrate reserves provide advantages for mature trees experiencing frequent disturbances; however, it is unclear if selective pressures operate on this characteristic at the seedling or mature life history stage. We hypothesized that natural selection has favored carbohydrate reserves in species that have an evolutionary history of frequent disturbance and tested this using three southern pine species that have evolved across a continuum of fire frequencies. Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) roots exhibited higher maximum starch concentrations than slash (P. elliottii) and loblolly (P. taeda), which were similar. Longleaf also relied on starch reserves in roots more than slash or loblolly, depleting 64, 41, and 23 mg g−1 of starch, respectively, between seasonal maximum and minimum, which represented 52%, 45%, and 26% of reserves, respectively. Starch reserves in stems did not differ among species or exhibit temporal dynamics. Our results suggest that an evolutionary history of disturbance partly explains patterns of carbohydrate reserves observed in southern pines. However, similarities between slash and loblolly indicate that carbohydrate reserves do not strictly follow the continuum of disturbance frequencies among southern pine, but rather reflect the different seedling strategies exhibited by longleaf compared to those shared by slash and loblolly. We propose that the increased carbohydrate reserves in mature longleaf may simply be a relic of selective pressures imposed at the juvenile stage that are maintained through development, thus allowing mature trees to be more resilient and to recover from chronic disturbances such as frequent fire.


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