Detection of Shelterbelt Density Change Using Historic APFO and NAIP Aerial Imagery

Grand Forks County, North Dakota, boasts the highest concentration of shelterbelts in the World. As trees age and reach their lifespan limits, renovations should have taken place with new trees being planted. However, in recent years, the rate of tree removal is thought to exceed the rate of replanting, which can result in a net loss of shelterbelts. Through manual digitization and geographic object-based image analysis (GEOBIA), we mapped shelterbelt densities in the Grand Forks County using historical and contemporary aerial photography, and estimated actual changes in density over 54 years. Our results showed a doubling in shelterbelt densities from 1962 to 2014, with an increase of 6402 m2/km2 over the 52 years (or 123 m2/km2/year). From 2014 to 2016, we measured 1,040,178 m2 of shelterbelt areas removed from the county, creating a density loss of −157 m2/km2/year. The total change over two years was relatively small compared with that seen over the previous 52 years. However, the fact that the rate of shelterbelt planting has slowed, and more removal is occurring, should be of concern for an increased risk of wind erosion, similar to that experienced in Midwestern U.S. during the 1930s. The reduction of shelterbelt density is likely related to changes in farming practices and a decline in the Conservation Reserve Program, resulting from the increased returns of growing other row crops. To encourage shelterbelt planting as a conservation practice, additional guidelines and financial support should be considered to balance the tradeoff between soil erosion and agricultural intensification.

Resilient Regions

chapter 4 profiles the three more resilient ones (Charlotte, Grand Forks and Seattle). In each case we describe their experiences with economic shocks and chronic distress and set forth the strategies, policies, and responses to shocks and chronic distress in which they engaged during our study period.

The Western Progression of Lyme Disease: Infectious and NonclonalBorrelia burgdorferi Sensu LatoPopulations in Grand Forks County, North Dakota

ABSTRACTScant attention has been paid to Lyme disease,Borrelia burgdorferi,Ixodes scapularis, or reservoirs in eastern North Dakota despite the fact that it borders high-risk counties in Minnesota. Recent reports ofB. burgdorferiandI. scapularisin North Dakota, however, prompted a more detailed examination. Spirochetes cultured from the hearts of five rodents trapped in Grand Forks County, ND, were identified asB. burgdorferi sensu latothrough sequence analyses of the 16S rRNA gene, the 16S rRNA gene-ileTintergenic spacer region,flaB,ospA,ospC, andp66. OspC typing revealed the presence of groups A, B, E, F, L, and I. Two rodents were concurrently carrying multiple OspC types. Multilocus sequence typing suggested the eastern North Dakota strains are most closely related to those found in neighboring regions of the upper Midwest and Canada. BALB/c mice were infected withB. burgdorferiisolate M3 (OspC group B) by needle inoculation or tick bite. Tibiotarsal joints and ear pinnae were culture positive, andB. burgdorferiM3 was detected by quantitative PCR (qPCR) in the tibiotarsal joints, hearts, and ear pinnae of infected mice. Uninfected larvalI. scapularisticks were able to acquireB. burgdorferiM3 from infected mice; M3 was maintained inI. scapularisduring the molt from larva to nymph; and further, M3 was transmitted from infectedI. scapularisnymphs to naive mice, as evidenced by cultures and qPCR analyses. These results demonstrate that isolate M3 is capable of disseminated infection by both artificial and natural routes of infection. This study confirms the presence of unique (nonclonal) and infectiousB. burgdorferipopulations in eastern North Dakota.