A life cycle carbon dioxide inventory of the Million Trees Los Angeles Program

Treesearch

E. Gregory McPherson; Alissa Kendall

2014-01-01

PurposeThis study seeks to answer the question, “Will the Million Trees LA (Million Trees Los Angeles, MTLA) program be a carbon dioxide (CO2) sink or source?” Because there has never been a full accounting of CO2 emissions, it is unclear if urban tree planting initiatives (TPIs) are likely to be...

How many trees are enough? Tree death and the urban canopy

Treesearch

Lara A. Roman

2014-01-01

Massive city tree planting campaigns have invigorated the urban forestry movement, and engaged politicians, planners, and the public in urban greening. Million tree initiatives have been launched in Los Angeles, CA; Denver, CO; New York City, NY; Philadelphia, PA, and other cities. Sacramento, CA even has a five million tree program. These...

Reclamation with trees in Illinois

Treesearch

Brad Evilsizer

1980-01-01

Thru private initiative, Illinois citizens historically have invented and conducted large-scale tree planting programs, starting with hedgerow fences and farmstead windbreaks and continuing with surface mine reclamation and farm woodlands. With invaluable help from public and private scientific personnel, the old and new programs hold promise of enlargement and...

Filling the gap: improving estimates of working tree resources in agricultural landscapes

Treesearch

C.H. Perry; C.W. Woodall; G.C. Liknes; M.M. Schoeneberger

2008-01-01

Agroforestry plantings and other trees intentionally established in rural and urban areas are emerging as innovative management options for addressing resource issues and achieving landscapelevel goals. An understanding of the ecosystem services contributed by these and future plantings would provide critical information to policy and program developers, and a...

Herbicide practices in hardwood plantings

Treesearch

Brian D. Beheler; Charles H. Michler

2013-01-01

Control of competing vegetation is an important early cultural practice that can improve survival and vigor in hardwood tree plantings. The type of program used depends on landowner objectives, species of weeds present, equipment available, and types of herbicides available. Pre-planting planning can greatly increase effectiveness of an herbicide program for the first...

Trees for Mother Earth.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greer, Sandy

1993-01-01

Describes Trees for Mother Earth, a program in which secondary students raise funds to buy fruit trees to plant during visits to the Navajo Reservation. Benefits include developing feelings of self-worth among participants, promoting cultural exchange and understanding, and encouraging self-sufficiency among the Navajo. (LP)

7 CFR 82.5 - General requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... program, the trees to be removed must be fruit-bearing and have been planted after the 1987 and before the 2003 calendar years. Abandoned orchards and dead trees will not qualify. The block of trees for removal must be easily definable by separations from other blocks of eligible trees and contain at least 1,000...

7 CFR 81.5 - General requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... program, the trees to be removed must have yielded at least 1.5 tons of dried prune/plums per net-planted...-plum trees. Abandoned orchards and dead trees will not qualify. In new orchards diverted, qualifying trees must be at least 5 years of age (6th leaf), contain at least two scaffolds, and be capable of...

7 CFR 82.5 - General requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... program, the trees to be removed must be fruit-bearing and have been planted after the 1987 and before the 2003 calendar years. Abandoned orchards and dead trees will not qualify. The block of trees for removal must be easily definable by separations from other blocks of eligible trees and contain at least 1,000...

7 CFR 81.5 - General requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... separations from other blocks and contain at least 1,000 eligible trees or comprise an entire orchard. (b) Any... program, the trees to be removed must have yielded at least 1.5 tons of dried prune/plums per net-planted...-plum trees. Abandoned orchards and dead trees will not qualify. In new orchards diverted, qualifying...

7 CFR 81.5 - General requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... separations from other blocks and contain at least 1,000 eligible trees or comprise an entire orchard. (b) Any... program, the trees to be removed must have yielded at least 1.5 tons of dried prune/plums per net-planted...-plum trees. Abandoned orchards and dead trees will not qualify. In new orchards diverted, qualifying...

7 CFR 82.5 - General requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... program, the trees to be removed must be fruit-bearing and have been planted after the 1987 and before the 2003 calendar years. Abandoned orchards and dead trees will not qualify. The block of trees for removal must be easily definable by separations from other blocks of eligible trees and contain at least 1,000...

7 CFR 82.5 - General requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... program, the trees to be removed must be fruit-bearing and have been planted after the 1987 and before the 2003 calendar years. Abandoned orchards and dead trees will not qualify. The block of trees for removal must be easily definable by separations from other blocks of eligible trees and contain at least 1,000...

7 CFR 81.5 - General requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... separations from other blocks and contain at least 1,000 eligible trees or comprise an entire orchard. (b) Any... program, the trees to be removed must have yielded at least 1.5 tons of dried prune/plums per net-planted...-plum trees. Abandoned orchards and dead trees will not qualify. In new orchards diverted, qualifying...

7 CFR 82.5 - General requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... program, the trees to be removed must be fruit-bearing and have been planted after the 1987 and before the 2003 calendar years. Abandoned orchards and dead trees will not qualify. The block of trees for removal must be easily definable by separations from other blocks of eligible trees and contain at least 1,000...

7 CFR 81.5 - General requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... separations from other blocks and contain at least 1,000 eligible trees or comprise an entire orchard. (b) Any... program, the trees to be removed must have yielded at least 1.5 tons of dried prune/plums per net-planted...-plum trees. Abandoned orchards and dead trees will not qualify. In new orchards diverted, qualifying...

Strategic tree planting as an EPA encouraged pollutant reduction strategy: how urban trees can obtain credit in state implementation plans

Treesearch

Dr. David J. Nowak

2005-01-01

As tree programs are new to the SIP process, "to facilitate Federal approval of an emerging or voluntary measure States are encouraged to work with their EPA regional ofice during the development process". Programs to increase canopy cover in urban areas can achieve many benefits. They can help improve air and water quality, as well as other factors related...

Measuring Financial Gains from Genetically Superior Trees

Treesearch

George Dutrow; Clark Row

1976-01-01

Planting genetically superior loblolly pines will probably yield high profits.Forest economists have made computer simulations that predict financial gains expected from a tree improvement program under actual field conditions.

Predictors of mortality for juvenile trees in a residential urban-to-rural cohort in Worcester, MA

Treesearch

Arthur Elmes; John Rogan; Lara A. Roman; Christopher A. Williams; Samuel J. Ratick; David J. Nowak; Deborah G. Martin

2018-01-01

This paper explores predictors of juvenile tree mortality in a newly planted cohort in Worcester, MA, following an episode of large-scale tree removal necessitated by an Asian Longhorned Beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis, ALB) eradication program. Trees are increasingly seen as important providers of ecosystem services for urban areas, including:...

Prioritizing trees for global conservation action: BGCI’s tree conservation agenda

Treesearch

K. Shaw; M. Rivers; E. Beech

2017-01-01

Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) is a global voice for plant conservation via its worldwide network of botanic gardens and partners. Tree conservation has been a strong focus of BGCI’s program for many years. In collaboration with Fauna & Flora International, BGCI runs the Global Trees Campaign (GTC, www.globaltrees.org), the only international...

Hydrocarbon emissions from twelve urban shade trees of the Los Angeles, California, Air Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corchnoy, Stephanie B.; Arey, Janet; Atkinson, Roger

The large-scale planting of shade trees in urban areas to counteract heat-island effects and to minimize energy use is currently being discussed. Among the costs to be considered in a cost/benefit analysis of such a program is the potential for additional reactive organic compounds in the atmosphere due to emissions from these trees. In this program, 15 species of potential shade trees for the Los Angeles Air Basin were studied and emission rates were determined for 11 of these trees, with one further tree (Crape myrtle) exhibiting no detectable emissions. The emission rates normalized to dry leaf weight and corrected to 30°C were (in μg g -1 h -1), ranked from lowest to highest emission rate: Crape myrtle, none detected; Camphor, 0.03; Aleppo pine, 0.15; Deodar cedar, 0.29; Italian Stone pine, 0.42; Monterey pine, 0.90; Brazilian pepper, 1.3; Canary Island pine, 1.7; Ginkgo, 3.0; California pepper, 3.7; Liquidambar, 37; Carrotwood, 49. In addition to the emission rates per unit biomass, the biomass per tree must be factored into any assessment of the relative merits of the various trees, since some trees have higher biomass constants than others. The present data shows that there are large differences in emission rates among different tree species and this should be factored into decision-making as to which shade trees to plant. Based solely on the presently determined emission rates, the Crape myrtle and Camphor tree are good choices for large-scale planting, while the Carrotwood tree and Liquidambar are poor choices due to their high isoprene emission rates.

Trees and business district preferences: a case study of Athens, Georgia, U.S.

Treesearch

Kathleen L. Wolf

2004-01-01

As a National Main Street program participant, Athens, Georgia, U.S., has included streetscape tree plantings in economic development efforts. The Main Street program assists downtown merchant groups with physical improvements planning in order to create vital retail environments. If comprehensively managed, the urban forest can be a...

Stand development on reforested bottomlands in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley

USGS Publications Warehouse

Twedt, D.J.

2004-01-01

Reforestation of bottomland hardwood sites in the southeastern United States has markedly increased in recent years due, in part, to financial incentives provided by conservation programs. Currently > 250,000 ha of marginal farmland have been returned to hardwood forests. I observed establishment of trees and shrubs on 205 reforested bottomlands: 133 sites were planted primarily with oak species (Quercus spp.), 60 sites were planted with pulpwood producing species (Populus deltoides, Liquidambar styraciflua, or Platanus occidentalis), and 12 sites were not planted (i.e., passive regeneration). Although oak sites were planted with more species, sites planted with pulpwood species were more rapidly colonized by additional species. The density of naturally colonizing species exceeded that of planted species but density of invaders decreased rapidly with distance from forest edge. Trees were shorter in height on sites planted with oaks than on sites planted with pulpwood species but within a site, planted trees attained greater heights than did colonizing species. Thus, planted trees dominated the canopy of reforested sites as they matured. Planted species acted in concert with natural invasion to influence the current condition of woody vegetation on reforested sites. Cluster analysis of species importance values distinguished three woody vegetation conditions: (1) Populus deltoides stands (2) oak stands with little natural invasion by other tree species, and (3) stands dominated by planted or naturally invading species other than oaks. Increased diversity on reforested sites would likely result from (a) greater diversity of planted species, particularly when sites are far from existing forest edges and (b) thinning of planted trees as they attain closed canopies.

Doing the hard work where it's easiest? Examining the relationships between urban greening programs and social and ecological characteristics

Treesearch

Dexter H. Locke; J. Morgan Grove

2016-01-01

In this paper we examine the performance of formal programs associated with tree plantings in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, MD to understand the relationships between the implementation of urban greening programs and the social and ecological characteristics of a city. Previous research has examined variations in patterns of existing and possible tree canopy cover...

Why count trees? Volunteer motivations and experiences with tree monitoring in New York City

Treesearch

Michelle L. Johnson; Lindsay K. Campbell; Erika S. Svendsen; Philip Silva

2018-01-01

Volunteer programs can benefit from a deeper understanding of the motivations and experiences of people engaged in citizen science. Research to date has studied motivations of citizen scientists and tree-planting volunteers. Less work has focused on tree-monitoring volunteers, a role that is rapidly increasing as more cities involve the public in monitoring the urban...

A comparison of three methods for measuring local urban tree canopy cover

Treesearch

Kristen L. King; Dexter H. Locke

2013-01-01

Measurements of urban tree canopy cover are crucial for managing urban forests and required for the quantification of the benefits provided by trees. These types of data are increasingly used to secure funding and justify large-scale planting programs in urban areas. Comparisons of tree canopy measurement methods have been conducted before, but a rapidly evolving set...

It's not easy going green: Obstacles to tree-planting programs in East Baltimore

Treesearch

Michael Battaglia; Geoffrey L. Buckley; Michael Galvin; Morgan Grove

2014-01-01

In 2006, government officials in Baltimore announced plans to double the city's tree canopy over the next thirty years. While the effort has already produced positive results, many parts of the city still lack trees. In this paper we consider whether two neighborhoods in East Baltimore — Berea and Madison-Eastend — are suitable locations for tree...

Identifying common practices and challenges for local urban tree monitoring programs across the United States

Treesearch

Lara A. Roman; E. Gregory McPherson; Bryant C. Scharenbroch; Julia Bartens

2013-01-01

Urban forest monitoring data are essential to assess the impacts of tree planting campaigns and management programs. Local practitioners have monitoring projects that have not been well documented in the urban forestry literature. To learn more about practitioner-driven monitoring efforts, the authors surveyed 32 local urban forestry organizations across the United...

Urban tree-planting programs — A model for encouraging environmentally protective behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Summit, Joshua; Sommer, Robert

Efforts to increase environmentally sound behaviors and practices have in the past often focussed on consciousness-raising and attitude change. Research indicates that such efforts are less effective than interventions designed to make environmentally sound behaviors easier to engage in, or to make personal advantages resulting from such behaviors more clear to individuals. Four nonprofit tree planting organizations were studied as examples of successful environmental interventions. From these studies, as well as a review of the literature, several principles underlying successful behavioral interventions are identified. Implications of these principles for future environmental programs are discussed.

A framework for reporting tree cover attributes in agricultural landscapes

Treesearch

Dacia M. Meneguzzo; Greg C. Liknes

2012-01-01

The definition of forest land used by the USDA Forest Service’s Forest Inventory and Analysis program includes area, width, and density requirements. These requirements frequently exclude from the inventory any trees occupyingnarrow riparian corridors or linear tree plantings (e.g., windbreaks and shelterbelts). With recent attention being paid to such topics as bio-...

Statistically Valid Planting Trials

Treesearch

C. B. Briscoe

1961-01-01

More than 100 million tree seedlings are planted each year in Latin America, and at least ten time'that many should be planted Rational control and development of a program of such magnitude require establishing and interpreting carefully planned trial plantings which will yield statistically valid answers to real and important questions. Unfortunately, many...

Cost-benefit analysis for biological control programs that target insects pests of eucalypts in urban landscapes of California

Treesearch

T.D. Paine; J.G. Millar; L.M. Hanks; J. Gould; Q. Wang; K. Daane; D.L. Dahlsten; E.G. McPherson

2015-01-01

As well as being planted for wind breaks, landscape trees, and fuel wood, eucalypts are also widely used as urban street trees in California. They now are besieged by exotic insect herbivores of four different feeding guilds. The objective of the current analysis was to determine the return on investment from biological control programs that have targeted these pests....

Implementing municipal tree planting: Los Angeles million tree initiative

Treesearch

S. Pincetl

2010-01-01

Urban forests are increasingly being seen as an important infrastructure that can help cities remediate their environmental impacts. This work reports on the first steps in implementing a million tree program in Los Angeles and the ways such a biogenic—living—infrastructure has been approached. Numbers of studies have been done to quantify the benefits of urban forests...

Non-phytoseiid Mesostigmata within citrus orchards in Florida: species distribution, relative and seasonal abundance within trees, associated vines and ground cover plants and additional collection records of mites in citrus orchards.

PubMed

Childers, Carl C; Ueckermann, Eduard A

2015-03-01

Seven citrus orchards on reduced- to no-pesticide spray programs in central and south central Florida were sampled for non-phytoseiid mesostigmatid mites. Inner and outer canopy leaves, fruits, twigs and trunk scrapings were sampled monthly between August 1994 and January 1996. Open flowers were sampled in March from five of the sites. A total of 431 samples from one or more of 82 vine or ground cover plants were sampled monthly in five of the seven orchards. Two of the seven orchards (Mixon I and II) were on full herbicide programs and vines and ground cover plants were absent. A total of 2,655 mites (26 species) within the families: Ascidae, Blattisociidae, Laelapidae, Macrochelidae, Melicharidae, Pachylaelapidae and Parasitidae were identified. A total of 685 mites in the genus Asca (nine species: family Ascidae) were collected from within tree samples, 79 from vine or ground cover plants. Six species of Blattisociidae were collected: Aceodromus convolvuli, Blattisocius dentriticus, B. keegani, Cheiroseius sp. near jamaicensis, Lasioseius athiashenriotae and L. dentatus. A total of 485 Blattisociidae were collected from within tree samples compared with 167 from vine or ground cover plants. Low numbers of Laelapidae and Macrochelidae were collected from within tree samples. One Zygoseius furciger (Pachylaelapidae) was collected from Eleusine indica. Four species of Melicharidae were identified from 34 mites collected from within tree samples and 1,190 from vine or ground cover plants: Proctolaelaps lobatus was the most abundant species with 1,177 specimens collected from seven ground cover plants. One Phorytocarpais fimetorum (Parasitidae) was collected from inner leaves and four from twigs. Species of Ascidae, Blattisociidae, Melicharidae, Laelapidae and Pachylaelapidae were collected from 31 of the 82 vine or ground cover plants sampled, representing only a small fraction of the total number of Phytoseiidae collected from the same plants. Including the collection records of Martin Muma prior to 1975, a total of 69 species of Ascidae, Blattisociidae, Laelapidae, Macrochelidae, Melicharidae, Pachylaelapidae and Parasitidae have now been reported from citrus in Florida.

Competitiveness of biomass-fueled electrical power plants.

Treesearch

Bruce A. McCarl; Darius M. Adams; Ralph J. Alig; John T. Chmelik

2000-01-01

One way countries like the United States can comply with suggested rollbacks in greenhouse gas emissions is by employing power plants fueled with biomass. We examine the competitiveness of biomass-based fuel for electrical power as opposed to coal using a mathematical programming structure. We consider fueling power plants from milling residues, whole trees, logging...

Inventory shows extent of non-native invasive plants in Minnesota forests

Treesearch

W. Keith Moser; Mark D. Nelson; Mark H. Hansen

2009-01-01

Readers are no doubt aware of the impact that non-native invasive plants (NNIP) present to Minnesota's ecosystems. The U.S. Forest Service's Northern Research Station (NRS) Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program is studying what determines where these plants are found, including forest type, tree density, disturbance, productivity, and topography.

Herbaceous weed control in an old-field planted longleaf pine stand

Treesearch

Bryan C. McElvany; E. David Dickens; Philip R. Torrance

2006-01-01

Abstract—Over 110,000 acres of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) have been planted on old fields in Georgia since 1998 in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Part of the CRP guidelines mandate that no more than 500 trees acre-1 are planted. This relatively low planting density, coupled with shade intolerance and high cost of containerized...

7 CFR 3430.902 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

..., including agricultural crops and trees, wood and wood wastes and residues, plants (including aquatic plants... credit toward such a degree; or (B) Offers a 2-year program in engineering, mathematics, or the physical...-professional level in engineering, scientific, or other technological fields requiring the understanding and...

7 CFR 3430.902 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

..., including agricultural crops and trees, wood and wood wastes and residues, plants (including aquatic plants... credit toward such a degree; or (B) Offers a 2-year program in engineering, mathematics, or the physical...-professional level in engineering, scientific, or other technological fields requiring the understanding and...

7 CFR 3430.902 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

..., including agricultural crops and trees, wood and wood wastes and residues, plants (including aquatic plants... credit toward such a degree; or (B) Offers a 2-year program in engineering, mathematics, or the physical...-professional level in engineering, scientific, or other technological fields requiring the understanding and...

7 CFR 3430.902 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

..., including agricultural crops and trees, wood and wood wastes and residues, plants (including aquatic plants... credit toward such a degree; or (B) Offers a 2-year program in engineering, mathematics, or the physical...-professional level in engineering, scientific, or other technological fields requiring the understanding and...

Mycorrhizae and their potential use in the agricultural and forestry industries.

PubMed

Peterson, R L; Piché, Y; Plenchette, C

1984-01-01

Mycorrhizal fungi associated with plant roots increase the absorption of nutrients, particularly phosphorus, and thus enhance the growth of crop plants and trees. Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) occur in approximately 90% of all vascular plants including most of the important agricultural species, whereas ectomycorrhizae are found in most of the economically important tree species of the temperate regions of the world, and in some tropical trees. These symbiotic associations are, therefore, important in crop and biomass production. For this reason they are receiving considerable attention in agriculture and forestry. Currently, VAM are utilized in fumigated soils, greenhouse crops, and in the reclamation of disturbed sites. Ectomycorrhizae are employed in the establishment of trees in nurseries, in reforestation programs, and in the production of containerized seedlings. Production of VAM and ectomycorrhiza inoculum for large scale projects is now feasible but many basic questions related to persistence of these fungi in field situations, competition with other microorganisms, and particularly the most efficient fungi to use for particular hosts remain largely unanswered.

Compilation of 1986 Annual Reports of the Navy ELF (Extremely Low Frequency) Communications System Ecological Monitoring Program. Volume 2. TABS D-G.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-07-01

8217. -. , i U ELF ECOLOGICAL MONITORING PROGRAM INDEX OF 1986 ANNUAL REPORTS A. Herbaceous Plant Cover and Tree Studies \\ Michigan Technological University...SUBCONTRACT NUMBER EO 6549-84-C-005 LELF Communications System Ecological Monitoring Program BIOLOGICAL STUDIES ON POLLINATING INSECTS: MEGACHILID...such as those in the vicinity of the ELF antenna because they are pollinators of flowering plants , and are therefore important to the reproductive

An Ideal Design for an Idea Processor.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-09-01

make it a strong, healthy tree --all this, even as he was busily tending other plants in the garden. I will always remember his unique blend of experience...Structures Hierarchies. One of the most important structures of .Y. knowledge for communication is the hierarchy or tree (16:223). Friendly describes...typically used for documenting the tree -like structure of computer programs--to help structure expository writing (14:197). Figures 3 and 4 present examples

Identification of Amazonian trees with DNA barcodes.

PubMed

Gonzalez, Mailyn Adriana; Baraloto, Christopher; Engel, Julien; Mori, Scott A; Pétronelli, Pascal; Riéra, Bernard; Roger, Aurélien; Thébaud, Christophe; Chave, Jérôme

2009-10-16

Large-scale plant diversity inventories are critical to develop informed conservation strategies. However, the workload required for classic taxonomic surveys remains high and is particularly problematic for megadiverse tropical forests. Based on a comprehensive census of all trees in two hectares of a tropical forest in French Guiana, we examined whether plant DNA barcoding could contribute to increasing the quality and the pace of tropical plant biodiversity surveys. Of the eight plant DNA markers we tested (rbcLa, rpoC1, rpoB, matK, ycf5, trnL, psbA-trnH, ITS), matK and ITS had a low rate of sequencing success. More critically, none of the plastid markers achieved a rate of correct plant identification greater than 70%, either alone or combined. The performance of all barcoding markers was noticeably low in few species-rich clades, such as the Laureae, and the Sapotaceae. A field test of the approach enabled us to detect 130 molecular operational taxonomic units in a sample of 252 juvenile trees. Including molecular markers increased the identification rate of juveniles from 72% (morphology alone) to 96% (morphology and molecular) of the individuals assigned to a known tree taxon. We conclude that while DNA barcoding is an invaluable tool for detecting errors in identifications and for identifying plants at juvenile stages, its limited ability to identify collections will constrain the practical implementation of DNA-based tropical plant biodiversity programs.

Strategies and case studies for incorporating ecophysiology into southern pine tree improvement programs

Treesearch

Timothy A. Martin; Philip M. Dougherty; M.A. Topa; Steve E. McKeand

2005-01-01

Both genetic and environmental influences on tree growth are expressed through physiological processes. This central, integrating role of physiology has made the field of forest ecophysiology a major area of biological research for the past several decades. Specifically, forest ecophysiology is the study of how plants interact with their abiotic and biotic environment...

Evaluation of natural succession of reclaimed coal mine land in western Kentucky

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Williamson, D.L.; Gray, R.B.

1996-12-31

In 1989 Peabody Coal Company began a comprehensive inventory program on roughly 2000 acres of reclaimed land in various stages of reforestation. Although the information gathered was intended for in-house use, accurate maps and records were created. Since the inception of public law 95-87, reclamation managers have discussed their observations that compaction and ground cover requirements make the establishment of tree seedlings extremely difficult and the role that this has played in natural regeneration. To examine this situation more closely an isolated area that had been seeded in 1987 to a tree compatible grass/legume ground cover was selected. The areamore » was tree planted in the spring of 1988 and again in the spring of 1989. The area is approximately 250 acres and is surrounded by unmined remnants of upland forest and cast overburden areas planted to trees in the late 1950`s. Trees observed in the unmined area included Red oak (Quercus rubra), white ash (Fraxinus americans) and Sugar maple (Acersaccharum). Trees observed on the previously mined area include Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), White pine (Pinus strobus), Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) and various other reclamation type species planted in the late 1950`s.« less

Research in forest genetics and tree breeding at the University of Wisconsin

Treesearch

D.T. Lester

1970-01-01

The genetics and breeding group in the Department of Forestry now has two faculty members and five graduate students. We are now a part of the Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics Group which includes six departments and twenty-six faculty members in an interdepartmental program of graduate teaching and research. Close cooperators are the Department of Plant Pathology at...

How long should the fully hillside-closed forest protection be implemented on the Loess Plateau, Shaanxi, China?

PubMed

Hou, Lin; Hou, Sijia

2017-01-01

Restoration of degraded forest ecosystem is crucial for regional sustainable development. To protect the country's fragile and fragmented environment, the Chinese government initiated an ecological engineering project, the Natural Forest Protection Program, in seventeen provinces in China beginning in 1998. Fully hillside-closed forest protection (vegetation restoration naturally without any artificial disturbance) was one of vital measures of the Natural Forest Protection Program applied nation wide. Whether plant diversity, biomass and age structure of dominant tree species and soil nutrients in protected stands may become better with increase of protected period are still open problems. We investigated community diversity, biomass of dominant tree species, age structures, and analyzed soil chemical properties of a Pinus tabulaeformis population at protected sites representing different protected ages at Huanglongshan Forest Bureau on the Loess Plateau, Shaanxi, China. Plant species richness of Pinus tabulaeformis community was significantly affected ( p  < 0.05) by forest protection and the effect attenuated with protection age. Shannon evenness index of plant species generally increased with protection age. Stands protected for 45 years had the highest tree biomass and considerable natural regeneration capacity. Contents of organic carbon, available phosphorus and available potassium in top soil increased in protected stands less than 45 years, however decreased significantly thereafter. Long-term forest protection also decreased the content of mineral nitrogen in top soil. We found that the richness of shrubs and herbs was significantly affected by forest protection, and evenness indices of tree, shrub and herb increased inconsistently with protected ages. Forest protection created more complex age structures and tree densities with increasing age of protection. Content of soil mineral nitrogen at 0-20 cm soil depth showed a decreasing trend in stands of up to 30 years. Soil available phosphorus and potassium contents were higher in stands with greater proportions of big and medium trees. Long-term protection (>45 years) of Pinus tabulaeformis stands in southeast Loess Plateau, China, may be associated with decreasing plant species richness, proportion of medium to large trees, dominant biomass of Pinus tabulaeformis and soil nutrients.

Compilation of 1989 Annual Reports of the Navy ELF Communications System Ecological Monitoring Program. Volume 3. Tabs G, H

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-08-01

MONITORING PROGRAM I INDEX OF 1989 ANNUAL REPORTS 1 A. Herbaceous Plant Cover and Trees: Becker, K. T.; Bruhn, 3. N.; Cattelino, P. 3.; Desanker, P.; Fox, K...wildlife (J.M. Fletcher and R.G. Busnel, Eds.). Academic Press, New York, NY. 3 Martin, A.C., H.S. Zim, and A.L. Nelson. 1951. American wildlife and plants ...concentrating on seeds or fruits I 5 Various small vertebrates (including eggs and young), invertebrates, plants , carrion, etc. (e.g., Omnivores) 6 Ground

Conserving and managing the trees of the future: genetic resources for Pacific Northwest forests.

Treesearch

Sally Duncan

2003-01-01

Genetic resource management has historically called for altering the genetic structure of plant populations through selection for traits of interest such as rapid growth. Although this is still a principal component of tree breeding programs in the Pacific Northwest, managing genetic resources now also brings a clear focus on retaining a broad diversity within and...

The growth and anatomical features of nutrient-deficient seedlings

Treesearch

Fred M. Lamb; Wayne K. Murphey

1968-01-01

As the tree improvement and genetic programs supply better planting stock, a more suitable environment must be provided if their full potential is to be realized. This will require much more information than we now have on how nutrient deficiencies affect the growth and anatomy of forest trees. The importance of anatomical studies has been shown by Church (1949) and...

Emission and soil distribution of fumigants in forest tree nurseries

Treesearch

Dong Wang; Jennifer Juzwik; Stephen Fraedrich

2005-01-01

Production of tree seedlings in the majority of forest nurseries in the USA has relied on soil fumigation with methyl bromide (MeBr) to control soil-borne plant pathogens, weeds, parasitic nematodes and insects. Since the announcement of the scheduled MeBr phase-out, a number of nurseries throughout the United States have participated in research programs on MeBr...

Using FIA inventory plot data to assess NTFP production possibilities

Treesearch

Jobriath Kauffman; James Chamberlain; Stephen Prisley

2015-01-01

The US Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program collects data on a wealth of variables related to trees and understory species in forests. Some of these trees and plants produce non-timber forest products (NTFPs; e.g., seeds, fruit, bark, sap, roots) that are harvested for their culinary and medicinal values. As example, the cones of Pinus...

Growing the urban forest: tree performance in response to biotic and abiotic land management

Treesearch

Emily E. Oldfield; Alexander J. Felson; D. S. Novem Auyeung; Thomas W. Crowther; Nancy F. Sonti; Yoshiki Harada; Daniel S. Maynard; Noah W. Sokol; Mark S. Ashton; Robert J. Warren; Richard A. Hallett; Mark A. Bradford

2015-01-01

Forests are vital components of the urban landscape because they provide ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, storm-water mitigation, and air-quality improvement. To enhance these services, cities are investing in programs to create urban forests. A major unknown, however, is whether planted trees will grow into the mature, closed-canopied forest on which...

Identification of Amazonian Trees with DNA Barcodes

PubMed Central

Gonzalez, Mailyn Adriana; Baraloto, Christopher; Engel, Julien; Mori, Scott A.; Pétronelli, Pascal; Riéra, Bernard; Roger, Aurélien; Thébaud, Christophe; Chave, Jérôme

2009-01-01

Background Large-scale plant diversity inventories are critical to develop informed conservation strategies. However, the workload required for classic taxonomic surveys remains high and is particularly problematic for megadiverse tropical forests. Methodology/Principal Findings Based on a comprehensive census of all trees in two hectares of a tropical forest in French Guiana, we examined whether plant DNA barcoding could contribute to increasing the quality and the pace of tropical plant biodiversity surveys. Of the eight plant DNA markers we tested (rbcLa, rpoC1, rpoB, matK, ycf5, trnL, psbA-trnH, ITS), matK and ITS had a low rate of sequencing success. More critically, none of the plastid markers achieved a rate of correct plant identification greater than 70%, either alone or combined. The performance of all barcoding markers was noticeably low in few species-rich clades, such as the Laureae, and the Sapotaceae. A field test of the approach enabled us to detect 130 molecular operational taxonomic units in a sample of 252 juvenile trees. Including molecular markers increased the identification rate of juveniles from 72% (morphology alone) to 96% (morphology and molecular) of the individuals assigned to a known tree taxon. Conclusion/Significance We conclude that while DNA barcoding is an invaluable tool for detecting errors in identifications and for identifying plants at juvenile stages, its limited ability to identify collections will constrain the practical implementation of DNA-based tropical plant biodiversity programs. PMID:19834612

Tenth workshop on seedling physiology and growth problems in oak plantings

Treesearch

Brian R. Lockhart; Emile S. Gardiner; Daniel C. (editors) Dey

2008-01-01

The University of Tennessee’s Tree Improvement Program is in its 49th year of conducting researchand technology transfer activities with a special emphasis on hardwood species, particularlyoak (Quercus spp.). Programs have included seed orchard construction and development, nurserystudies, silviculture...

Accomplishments and economic evaluations of the Forestry Incentives Program: A review

Treesearch

Deborah A. Gaddis; Barry D. New; Fredrick W. Cubbage; Robert C. Abt; Robert J. Moulton

1995-01-01

The Forestry Incentives Program (FIP) is a federal financial cost-share program that is intended to increase the nation's timber supply by increasing tree planting and timber stand improvement on nonindustrial private forest lands. Timber harvest reductions on public lands in the West, environmental constraints on private lands throughout the U.S., and increased...

Minnesota wood energy scale-up project 1994 establishment cost data

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Downing, M.; Pierce, R.; Kroll, T.

1996-03-18

The Minnesota Wood Energy Scale-up Project began in late 1993 with the first trees planted in the spring of 1994. The purpose of the project is to track and monitor economic costs of planting, maintaining and monitoring larger scale commercial plantings. For 15 years, smaller scale research plantings of hybrid poplar have been used to screen for promising, high-yielding poplar clones. In this project 1000 acres of hybrid poplar trees were planted on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land near Alexandria, Minnesota in 1994. The fourteen landowners involved re-contracted with the CRP for five-year extensions of their existing 10-year contracts. Thesemore » extended contracts will expire in 2001, when the plantings are 7 years old. The end use for the trees planted in the Minnesota Wood Energy Scale-up Project is undetermined. They will belong to the owner of the land on which they are planted. There are no current contracts in place for the wood these trees are projected to supply. The structure of the wood industry in the Minnesota has changed drastically over the past 5 years. Stumpage values for fiber have risen to more than $20 per cord in some areas raising the possibility that these trees could be used for fiber rather than energy. Several legislative mandates have forced the State of Minnesota to pursue renewable energy including biomass energy. These mandates, a potential need for an additional 1700 MW of power by 2008 by Northern States Power, and agricultural policies will all affect development of energy markets for wood produced much like agricultural crops. There has been a tremendous amount of local and international interest in the project. Contractual negotiations between area landowners, the CRP, a local Resource Conservation and Development District, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and others are currently underway for additional planting of 1000 acres in spring 1995.« less

Somatic embryogenesis tissue culture for applying varietal forestry to conifer species

Treesearch

Steven C. Grossnickle; John Pait

2008-01-01

The use of tree improvement practices to enhance the genetic characteristics of planted seedlings is a forestry practice that consistently shows a high return on investment by increasing yields obtained from planted forests. The use of improved seeds is an effective way of bringing genetic improvement to forest regeneration programs. Seed orchards are currently used to...

Nest site selection in native and exotic trees by Black-chinned Hummingbirds

Treesearch

Deborah M. Finch; Jeffrey Kelly

2002-01-01

We studied nest site selection and nesting success in Black-chinned Hummingbirds (Archilochus alexandri) along the middle Rio Grande, New Mexico. The study was conducted in association with an exotic woody plant removal program to determine whether the removal of exotic plants would affect wildlife populations and nesting success, either positively or negatively. Point...

Distributed Wind Research | Wind | NREL

Science.gov Websites

evaluation, and improve wind turbine and wind power plant performance. A photo of a snowy road leading to a single wind turbine surrounded by snow-covered pine trees against blue sky. Capabilities NREL's power plant and small wind turbine development. Algorithms and programs exist for simulating, designing

Phytoremediation potential of chromium-containing tannery effluent-contaminated soil by native Indian timber-yielding tree species.

PubMed

Manikandan, Muthu; Kannan, Vijayaraghavan; Mahalingam, Kanimozhi; Vimala, A; Chun, Sechul

2016-01-01

Twenty-six native Indian tree species that are used for the enhanced tree cover program of the forest department (Government of Tamilnadu, India) were screened for phytoremediation of tannery effluent-contaminated soil containing high chromium content. Out of 26 tree species tested, 10 timber-yielding tree species were selected for further phytoremediation monitoring. After a series of treatments with tannery effluent sludge, the chromium content was measured in the plant parts. The saplings of Acacia auriculiformis, Azadirachta indica, Albizzia lebbeck, Dalbergia sisso, and Thespesia populnea were identified as efficient bioaccumulators of chromium from Cr-contaminated soil. Acacia auriculiformis accumulates higher amounts of Cr in both the root and stem. Dalbergia sisso and T. populnea were found to accumulate higher quantity of Cr in the roots, whereas A. indica, A. richardiana, and A. lebbeck accumulate Cr in their stem. The stress response of the plant species was assessed by quantifying the antioxidative enzymes such as catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione reductase, and DHAR. Activity of all the enzymes was observed to gradually increase following treatment with tannery effluent sludge.

Cost-Benefit Analysis for Biological Control Programs That Targeted Insect Pests of Eucalypts in Urban Landscapes of California.

PubMed

Paine, T D; Millar, J G; Hanks, L M; Gould, J; Wang, Q; Daane, K; Dahlsten, D L; Mcpherson, E G

2015-12-01

As well as being planted for wind breaks, landscape trees, and fuel wood, eucalypts are also widely used as urban street trees in California. They now are besieged by exotic insect herbivores of four different feeding guilds. The objective of the current analysis was to determine the return on investment from biological control programs that have targeted these pests. Independent estimates of the total number of eucalypt street trees in California ranged from a high of 476,527 trees (based on tree inventories from 135 California cities) to a low of 190,666 trees (based on 49 tree inventories). Based on a survey of 3,512 trees, the estimated mean value of an individual eucalypt was US$5,978. Thus, the total value of eucalypt street trees in California ranged from more than US$1.0 billion to more than US$2.8 billion. Biological control programs that targeted pests of eucalypts in California have cost US$2,663,097 in extramural grants and University of California salaries. Consequently, the return derived from protecting the value of this resource through the biological control efforts, per dollar expended, ranged from US$1,070 for the high estimated number of trees to US$428 for the lower estimate. The analyses demonstrate both the tremendous value of urban street trees, and the benefits that stem from successful biological control programs aimed at preserving these trees. Economic analyses such as this, which demonstrate the substantial rates of return from successful biological control of invasive pests, may play a key role in developing both grass-roots and governmental support for future urban biological control efforts. © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Simulation of tree shade impacts on residential energy use for space conditioning in Sacramento

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simpson, J. R.; McPherson, E. G.

Tree shade reduces summer air conditioning demand and increases winter heating load by intercepting solar energy that would otherwise heat the shaded structure. We evaluate the magnitude of these effects here for 254 residential properties participating in a utility sponsored tree planting program in Sacramento, California. Tree and building characteristics and typical weather data are used to model hourly shading and energy used for space conditioning for each building for a period of one year. There were an average of 3.1 program trees per property which reduced annual and peak (8 h average from 1 to 9 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time) cooling energy use 153 kWh (7.1%) and 0.08 kW (2.3%) per tree, respectively. Annual heating load increased 0.85 GJ (0.80 MBtu, 1.9%) per tree. Changes in cooling load were smaller, but percentage changes larger, for newer buildings. Averaged over all homes, annual cooling savings of 15.25 per tree were reduced by a heating penalty of 5.25 per tree, for net savings of 10.00 per tree from shade. We estimate an annual cooling penalty of 2.80 per tree and heating savings of 6.80 per tree from reduced wind speed, for a net savings of 4.00 per tree, and total annual savings of 14.00 per tree (43.00 per property). Results are found to be consistent with previous simulations and the limited measurements available.

Testing the air pollution tolerances of shade tree cultivars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Karnosky, D.J.

1978-01-01

A program in progress to test the relative air pollution tolerances of some commonly planted shade tree cultivars is described. The relative sulfur dioxide and ozone tolerances of several cultivars of acer, fagus, fraxinus, ginkgo, gleditsia, platanus, and quercus species are being determined by examination of foliar response to short-term, high-concentration fumigations. In a follow-up study, the extent of foliar injury, growth reduction, and mortality caused by air pollution will be examined for the same cultivars grown in test plantings in and around New York City. The correlation of the relative sulfur dioxide and ozone tolerances, as determined by themore » controlled-fumigation tests, with urban survival and growth will be useful in determining the adequacy of acute exposure fumigations in testing the air pollution tolerances of the tree species under study.« less

Reforestation strategies amid social instability: lessons from Afghanistan.

PubMed

Groninger, John W

2012-04-01

Foreign and domestic government agencies and other international organizations pursue reforestation programs in rural upper watershed areas of Afghanistan over the past decade to alleviate poverty, combat the insurgency and rehabilitate a depleted forest resource base. Popular programs incorporate cash-for-work to conduct hillside terracing, check dam construction and tree-planting for nut production, fuel wood, timber, dune stabilization, and erosion abatement. Programmatic approaches have varied as a function of accessibility, security and local objectives. Uncertain land tenure and use rights, weak local environmental management capacity, and a focus on agricultural production to meet immediate needs limit interest, nationally and locally. Unreliable security, a lack of high quality tree planting stock, limited technical knowledge and coordination among government agencies, and poor security hamper program expansion. Reforestation success would be most likely where these issues are least acute. The Afghan government should focus on supporting community based natural resource management, developing and disseminating improved conservation tree nursery strategies, and promoting watershed management schemes that incorporate forestry, range management and agronomic production. Reforestation practitioners could benefit from the human and material resources now present as part of the international war effort. Successes and failures encountered in Afghanistan should be considered in order to address similar problems in insecure regions elsewhere when reforestation may help reverse environmental degradation and contribute to broader social stabilization efforts.

Reforestation Strategies Amid Social Instability: Lessons from Afghanistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Groninger, John W.

2012-04-01

Foreign and domestic government agencies and other international organizations pursue reforestation programs in rural upper watershed areas of Afghanistan over the past decade to alleviate poverty, combat the insurgency and rehabilitate a depleted forest resource base. Popular programs incorporate cash-for-work to conduct hillside terracing, check dam construction and tree-planting for nut production, fuel wood, timber, dune stabilization, and erosion abatement. Programmatic approaches have varied as a function of accessibility, security and local objectives. Uncertain land tenure and use rights, weak local environmental management capacity, and a focus on agricultural production to meet immediate needs limit interest, nationally and locally. Unreliable security, a lack of high quality tree planting stock, limited technical knowledge and coordination among government agencies, and poor security hamper program expansion. Reforestation success would be most likely where these issues are least acute. The Afghan government should focus on supporting community based natural resource management, developing and disseminating improved conservation tree nursery strategies, and promoting watershed management schemes that incorporate forestry, range management and agronomic production. Reforestation practitioners could benefit from the human and material resources now present as part of the international war effort. Successes and failures encountered in Afghanistan should be considered in order to address similar problems in insecure regions elsewhere when reforestation may help reverse environmental degradation and contribute to broader social stabilization efforts.

Plant defense, herbivory, and the growth of Cordia alliodora trees and their symbiotic Azteca ant colonies.

PubMed

Pringle, Elizabeth G; Dirzo, Rodolfo; Gordon, Deborah M

2012-11-01

The effects of herbivory on plant fitness are integrated over a plant's lifetime, mediated by ontogenetic changes in plant defense, tolerance, and herbivore pressure. In symbiotic ant-plant mutualisms, plants provide nesting space and food for ants, and ants defend plants against herbivores. The benefit to the plant of sustaining the growth of symbiotic ant colonies depends on whether defense by the growing ant colony outpaces the plant's growth in defendable area and associated herbivore pressure. These relationships were investigated in the symbiotic mutualism between Cordia alliodora trees and Azteca pittieri ants in a Mexican tropical dry forest. As ant colonies grew, worker production remained constant relative to ant-colony size. As trees grew, leaf production increased relative to tree size. Moreover, larger trees hosted lower densities of ants, suggesting that ant-colony growth did not keep pace with tree growth. On leaves with ants experimentally excluded, herbivory per unit leaf area increased exponentially with tree size, indicating that larger trees experienced higher herbivore pressure per leaf area than smaller trees. Even with ant defense, herbivory increased with tree size. Therefore, although larger trees had larger ant colonies, ant density was lower in larger trees, and the ant colonies did not provide sufficient defense to compensate for the higher herbivore pressure in larger trees. These results suggest that in this system the tree can decrease herbivory by promoting ant-colony growth, i.e., sustaining space and food investment in ants, as long as the tree continues to grow.

Lower resistance and higher tolerance of invasive host plants: biocontrol agents reach high densities but exert weak control.

PubMed

Wang, Yi; Huang, Wei; Siemann, Evan; Zou, Jianwen; Wheeler, Gregory S; Carrillo, Juli; Ding, Jianqing

2011-04-01

Invasive plants often have novel biotic interactions in their introduced ranges. Their defense to herbivory may differ from their native counterparts, potentially influencing the effectiveness of biological control. If invasive plants have decreased resistance but increased tolerance to enemies, insect herbivores may rapidly build up their populations but exert weak control. Moreover, resource availability to plants may affect the efficacy of biological control agents. We tested these predictions using Chinese tallow tree (Triadica sebifera) and two specialist herbivores (Heterapoderopsis bicallosicollis and Gadirtha inexacta) that are candidates for biological control. We performed a pair of field common garden experiments in China in which Triadica seedlings from the native or introduced range were grown in low or high light conditions and subjected to different levels of herbivory by each herbivore in a factorial design. We found that Heterapoderopsis achieved greater densities on tallow trees from the introduced range or when trees were grown in high light conditions. When Gadirtha was raised in the lab on tallow tree foliage we found that it performed better (larger pupal size) when fed foliage from introduced populations. However, introduced populations generally had greater herbivore tolerance such that the impact of each agent on plant performance was lower than on native populations despite higher herbivore loads. Tallow trees grew more slowly and achieved smaller sizes in lower light levels, but the impact of biological control agents was comparable to that found for higher light levels. Plants from introduced populations grew larger than those from native populations in all conditions. Our results suggest that reduced resistance and increased tolerance to herbivory in introduced populations may impede success of biological control programs. Biological control practitioners should include plants from the introduced range in the prerelease evaluation, which will help predict insect impact on target weeds.

[Effects of reforestation on tree pollen sensitization in inhabitants of Nuevo Leon, Mexico].

PubMed

Palma-Gómez, Samuel; González-Díaz, Sandra Nora; Arias-Cruz, Alfredo; Macías-Weinmann, Alejandra; Amaro-Vivian, Laura Elizabeth; Pérez-Vanzzini, Rafael; Gutiérrez-Mujica, José Julio; Yong-Rodríguez, Adrián

2014-01-01

Climate change has implications for health, ecology and society. Urban green areas are a key element in the planning of cities, promoting citizen interaction with the environment, as well as health. Lack of planning and design of these areas as well as the selection of ornamental trees can be a trigger of pollen allergy in the surrounding population. Reforestation is among the programs implemented by the government that have an impact on allergy. Environmental reforestation programs do not take into account the allergenic potential of some species. In the last 4 years, the government of Nuevo Leon, Mexico, has planted nearly 18,000 Quercus species trees, in addition to an unknown number of Fraxinus species trees that are listed as tree species with high pollen production. To identify changes in tree pollen sensitization, based on environmental reforestation programs. A retrospective and descriptive study was done in which positive skin prick tests to pollen from trees in the interval of 2010-2014 were analyzed, correlating between tree species used for reforestation and increased sensitivity to the former. A statistically significant increase in pollen sensitization to species with which Nuevo Leon was reforested was found, along with a decrease in sensitization to the species that were not reforested. Reforestation contributes to some extent to the change in the pattern of positive skin tests and may result in more frequent exacerbations of respiratory diseases. It is an activity that should always be regulated and assisted by experts in the according field.

Planting and care of fine hardwood seedlings: Financial and tax aspects of tree planting

Treesearch

William L. Hoover

2004-01-01

Trees are planted for many reasons, including soil and water conservation, wildlife habitat, nut and timber production. Altruism motivates many landowners to plant trees. There are, however, those who plant with the expectation of increasing their family's wealth. In this publication I discuss the financial and tax aspects of tree planting projects. The focus is...

Benefits of tree mixes in carbon plantings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hulvey, Kristin B.; Hobbs, Richard J.; Standish, Rachel J.; Lindenmayer, David B.; Lach, Lori; Perring, Michael P.

2013-10-01

Increasingly governments and the private sector are using planted forests to offset carbon emissions. Few studies, however, examine how tree diversity -- defined here as species richness and/or stand composition -- affects carbon storage in these plantings. Using aboveground tree biomass as a proxy for carbon storage, we used meta-analysis to compare carbon storage in tree mixtures with monoculture plantings. Tree mixes stored at least as much carbon as monocultures consisting of the mixture's most productive species and at times outperformed monoculture plantings. In mixed-species stands, individual species, and in particular nitrogen-fixing trees, increased stand biomass. Further motivations for incorporating tree richness into planted forests include the contribution of diversity to total forest carbon-pool development, carbon-pool stability and the provision of extra ecosystem services. Our findings suggest a two-pronged strategy for designing carbon plantings including: (1) increased tree species richness; and (2) the addition of species that contribute to carbon storage and other target functions.

Fault tree applications within the safety program of Idaho Nuclear Corporation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vesely, W. E.

1971-01-01

Computerized fault tree analyses are used to obtain both qualitative and quantitative information about the safety and reliability of an electrical control system that shuts the reactor down when certain safety criteria are exceeded, in the design of a nuclear plant protection system, and in an investigation of a backup emergency system for reactor shutdown. The fault tree yields the modes by which the system failure or accident will occur, the most critical failure or accident causing areas, detailed failure probabilities, and the response of safety or reliability to design modifications and maintenance schemes.

7 CFR 301.75-4 - Quarantined areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

...) Grass, tree, and plant clippings may be moved intrastate from the quarantined area for disposal in a...)(1) of this section, (B) The grass, tree, or plant clippings are completely covered during the... regulated plant and regulated tree, except indoor houseplants and regulated plants and regulated trees at...

78 FR 65690 - Trees and Plantings Associated With Eligible Facilities, RP9524.5

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-01

...] Trees and Plantings Associated With Eligible Facilities, RP9524.5 AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management... policy Trees and Plantings Associated with Eligible Facilities. The Federal Emergency Management Agency... trees, shrubs, and other plantings, including limited eligibility for replacement of grass and sod...

1930s Program Can Help Schools in 1997.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarthy, Kevin J.

A federal program, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) employed young men during the Great Depression to help conserve natural resources by planting trees and building paths, roads, picnic areas, and parking lots in National Forests and National Parks. The men were supplied lodging at a camp, food, and one dollar a day. They could also take…

Sycamore produces viable seed after six years

Treesearch

A. F. Ike

1966-01-01

In the early stages of any tree improvement program it is desirable to know how soon progenies of selected parents can themselves be included in a breeding program. How soon will they produce viable pollen and seed? In the case of sycamore (Platanus occidentalis L.), the information is meager: the Woody- Plant Seed Manual lists the minimum commercial seedbearing age...

Community Tree Planting Guide

Treesearch

Katie Himanga; Douglas Jones; Jean Miller; Janette Monear; Gail Steinman; Katherine Widin

2001-01-01

Tree Trust has been helping people plant trees in their communities since 1976. Our goal is to educate people about the importance of trees in their community and guide them through the process of successful tree-planting projects. Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said ?to exist as a nation, to prosper as a state, and to live as a people, we must have trees?....

How To Select and Plant a Tree.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fazio, James R., Ed.

1991-01-01

This bulletin furnishes information about selecting and planting trees. The tree selection process includes being aware of the physical characteristics of bare root seedlings, containerized seedlings, balled and burlapped, or potted trees and determining the proper size and root ball proportions. The section on tree planting discusses how to: (1)…

Monitoring Million Trees LA: Tree performance during the early years and future benefits

Treesearch

E. Gregory McPherson

2014-01-01

Million Trees LA (MTLA) is one of several large-scale mayoral tree planting initiatives striving to create more livable cities through urban forestry. This study combined field sampling of tree survival and growth with numerical modeling of future benefits to assess performance of MTLA plantings. From 2006 to 2010 MTLA planted a diverse mix of 91,786 trees....

Understory plant communities and the functional distinction between savanna trees, forest trees, and pines

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Veldman, Joseph W.; Mattingly, W. Brett; Brudvig, Lars A.

Although savanna trees and forest trees are thought to represent distinct functional groups with different effects on ecosystem processes, few empirical studies have examined these effects. In particular, it remains unclear if savanna and forest trees differ in their ability to coexist with understory plants, which comprise the majority of plant diversity in most savannas. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) and data from 157 sites across three locations in the southeastern United States to understand the effects of broadleaf savanna trees, broadleaf forest trees, and pine trees on savanna understory plant communities. After accounting for underlying gradients in firemore » frequency and soil moisture, abundances (i.e., basal area and stem density) of forest trees and pines, but not savanna trees, were negatively correlated with the cover and density (i.e., local-scale species richness) of C4 graminoid species, a defining savanna understory functional group that is linked to ecosystem flammability. In analyses of the full understory community, abundances of trees from all functional groups were negatively correlated with species density and cover. For both the C4 and full communities, fire frequency promoted understory plants directly, and indirectly by limiting forest tree abundance. There was little indirect influence of fire on the understory mediated through savanna trees and pines, which are more fire tolerant than forest trees. We conclude that tree functional identity is an important factor that influences overstory tree relationships with savanna understory plant communities. In particular, distinct relationships between trees and C4 graminoids have implications for grass-tree coexistence and vegetation-fire feedbacks that maintain savanna environments and their associated understory plant diversity.« less

Evolution of an invasive species research program and implications for large-scale management of a non-native, invasive plant pathogen

Treesearch

Christopher A. Lee; Janice M. Alexander; Susan J. Frankel; Yana Valachovic

2012-01-01

We conducted a research needs assessment (RNA) in 2010 to gather opinions of "experts" and a larger public on research priorities for Phytophthora ramorum, the pathogen that causes sudden oak death in forest trees and Ramorum blight in ornamental plants. We place these 2010 findings in context with findings of similar P. ramorum...

Installation Restoration Program. Phase I. Records Search, Buckley Air National Guard Base, Aurora, Colorado.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-09-01

Buffalo and Gramma grasses. The only native trees are plains cottonwood and some willows. Many introduced species exist at Buckley, including Bluegrass...irrigation purposes. The upper sec- tion of the aquifer is unsaturated. - No rare or endangered species of plants or wildlife are found at Buckley...was then made, based upon all of the above information and utilizing the decision tree shown in Figure 4.1, concerning the existence of potential for

Interim reliability evaluation program, Browns Ferry 1

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mays, S.E.; Poloski, J.P.; Sullivan, W.H.

1981-01-01

Probabilistic risk analysis techniques, i.e., event tree and fault tree analysis, were utilized to provide a risk assessment of the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Unit 1. Browns Ferry 1 is a General Electric boiling water reactor of the BWR 4 product line with a Mark 1 (drywell and torus) containment. Within the guidelines of the IREP Procedure and Schedule Guide, dominant accident sequences that contribute to public health and safety risks were identified and grouped according to release categories.

Modeled hydraulic redistribution in tree-grass, CAM-grass, and tree-CAM associations: the implications of crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM).

PubMed

Yu, Kailiang; Foster, Adrianna

2016-04-01

Past studies have largely focused on hydraulic redistribution (HR) in trees, shrubs, and grasses, and recognized its role in interspecies interactions. HR in plants that conduct crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM), however, remains poorly investigated, as does the effect of HR on transpiration in different vegetation associations (i.e., tree-grass, CAM-grass, and tree-CAM associations). We have developed a mechanistic model to investigate the net direction and magnitude of HR at the patch scale for tree-grass, CAM-grass, and tree-CAM associations at the growing season to yearly timescale. The modeling results show that deep-rooted CAM plants in CAM-grass associations could perform hydraulic lift at a higher rate than trees in tree-grass associations in a relatively wet environment, as explained by a significant increase in grass transpiration rate in the shallow soil layer, balancing a lower transpiration rate by CAM plants. By comparison, trees in tree-CAM associations may perform hydraulic descent at a higher rate than those in tree-grass associations in a dry environment. Model simulations also show that hydraulic lift increases the transpiration of shallow-rooted plants, while hydraulic descent increases that of deep-rooted plants. CAM plants transpire during the night and thus perform HR during the day. Based on these model simulations, we suggest that the ability of CAM plants to perform HR at a higher rate may have different effects on the surrounding plant community than those of plants with C3 or C4 photosynthetic pathways (i.e., diurnal transpiration).

Targeted mutagenesis using zinc-finger nucleases in perennial fruit trees.

PubMed

Peer, Reut; Rivlin, Gil; Golobovitch, Sara; Lapidot, Moshe; Gal-On, Amit; Vainstein, Alexander; Tzfira, Tzvi; Flaishman, Moshe A

2015-04-01

Targeting a gene in apple or fig with ZFN, introduced by transient or stable transformation, should allow genome editing with high precision to advance basic science and breeding programs. Genome editing is a powerful tool for precise gene manipulation in any organism; it has recently been shown to be of great value for annual plants. Classical breeding strategies using conventional cross-breeding and induced mutations have played an important role in the development of new cultivars in fruit trees. However, fruit-tree breeding is a lengthy process with many limitations. Efficient and widely applied methods for targeted modification of fruit-tree genomes are not yet available. In this study, transgenic apple and fig lines carrying a zinc-finger nuclease (ZFNs) under the control of a heat-shock promoter were developed. Editing of a mutated uidA gene, following expression of the ZFN genes by heat shock, was confirmed by GUS staining and PCR product sequencing. Finally, whole plants with a repaired uidA gene due to deletion of a stop codon were regenerated. The ZFN-mediated gene modifications were stable and passed onto regenerants from ZFN-treated tissue cultures. This is the first demonstration of efficient and precise genome editing, using ZFN at a specific genomic locus, in two different perennial fruit trees-apple and fig. We conclude that targeting a gene in apple or fig with a ZFN introduced by transient or stable transformation should allow knockout of a gene of interest. Using this technology for genome editing allows for marker gene-independent and antibiotic selection-free genome engineering with high precision in fruit trees to advance basic science as well as nontransgenic breeding programs.

75 FR 81112 - Montana Regulatory Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-27

... Supplemental Planting of Tree and Shrub Seedlings (III.A.); Mechanical Practices, Supplemental Mulching... Shrub Seedlings. Montana proposes to add the following language regarding Interseeding and Supplemental.... Interseeding may also be used to improve or alter the compositional balance between forage species and shrubs...

Part 2: Conserving and Planting Trees at Development Sites

Treesearch

Karen Cappiella; Tom Schueler; Tiffany Wright

2006-01-01

This manual presents specific ways to enable developers, engineers or landscape architects to incorporate more trees into a development site. The proposed approach focuses on protecting existing trees, planting trees in storm water treatment practices, and planting trees in other open spaces at the development site. This manual introduces conceptual designs for storm...

Homestead tree planting in two rural Swazi communities

USGS Publications Warehouse

Allen, James A.

1990-01-01

Tree planting practices were investigated on a total of 95 homesteads in two communities in rural Swaziland. Information was also collected on socioeconomic characteristics of the homesteads. In both the study areas, Sigombeni and Bhekinkosi, there was considerable variation amongst individual homesteads in size, relative wealth (as indicated by cattle and motor vehicle ownership), and amount and types of trees planted. Eighty-five percent of all homesteads in Sigombeni and 73% in Bhekinkosi had planted at least one tree. Common forms of planting included small woodlots, fruit trees, and ornamentals. Virtually all the woodlots consisted of two introduced wattle species (Acacia mearnsii and A. decurrens). The most commonly planted fruit trees were avocados, bananas, and peaches. No complex or labor-intensive agroforestry practices (such as maize/leucaena intercropping) were observed. There was some evidence that the poorest and newest homesteads were the least likely to have planted any trees and that the richest homesteads were the most likely to have planted woodlots. The results indicate that forestry research and extension efforts should take into account homestead characteristics, and strive to offer a range of tree planting options that vary in input requirements, labor needs, and complexity.

Preliminary assessment of post-Haiyan mangrove damage and short-term recovery in Eastern Samar, central Philippines.

PubMed

Primavera, J H; Dela Cruz, M; Montilijao, C; Consunji, H; Dela Paz, M; Rollon, R N; Maranan, K; Samson, M S; Blanco, A

2016-08-30

Strong winds and storm surges from Typhoon Haiyan caused damage of US$12-15billion and >10,000 human casualties in central Philippines in November 2013. To validate a proposed government US$22million mangrove replanting program, mangrove damage and short-term recovery were surveyed in seven natural and planted mangrove sites in Eastern Samar province at 2.5month and 4.5month post-Haiyan. The preliminary assessment showed that natural mangroves (except for those directly hit by the storm) were recovering by means of tree sprouts and surviving seedlings and saplings compared to the devastated plantation. Likewise, tree mortality was higher in the plantation and natural forests hit by the storm surge, compared to more undamaged and partially damaged trees in natural mangroves. Hence the main recommendations to government are (1) to protect recovering mangroves by not releasing rehabilitation funds (that will inadvertently pay for clearing of live trees and for removal of seedlings), (2) to only plant in totally damaged sites (e.g., plantations), and (3) to only plant naturally dominant species, e.g., Sonneratia alba and Avicennia marina (instead of the popular Rhizophora apiculata, R. mucronata and R. stylosa). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report for the California Acoustic Thermometry of Ocean Climate Project and its associated Marine Mammal Research Program. Volume 2

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-04-01

for public water supplies? x i. Exposure of people or property to water related hazards such as flooding or tidal waves? x 4. Plant Life. Will the...proposal result in: a. Change in the diversity of species, or number of any species of plants (including trees, shrubs, grass, crops, and aquatic plants ...5 Yes MaybeINo b. Reduction of the numbers of any unique, rare or endangered species of plants ? X c. Introduction of new species of plants into an

Planting and care of fine hardwood seedlings: Designing hardwood tree plantings for wildlife

Treesearch

Brian J. MacGowan

2003-01-01

Woody plants can be of value to many wildlife species. The species of tree or shrub, or the location, size, and shape of planting can all have an impact on wildlife. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the benefits of trees and shrubs for wildlife and how to design tree and shrub plantings for wildlife. Some of the practices may conflict with other management...

The Effect of Tree Spacing and Size in Urban Areas: Strategies for Mitigating High Temperature in Urban Heat Islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berry, R.; Shandas, V.; Makido, Y.

2017-12-01

Many cities are unintentionally designed to be heat sinks, which absorb the sun's short-wave radiation and reemit as long-wave radiation. Long time reorganization of this `urban heat island' (UHI) phenomena has led researchers and city planners into developing strategies for reducing ambient temperatures through urban design. Specifically, greening areas have proven to reduce the temperature in UHI's, including strategies such as green streets, green facades, and green roofs have been implemented. Among the scientific community there is promoted study of how myriad greening strategies can reduce temperature, relatively limited work has focused on the distribution, density, and quantity of tree campaigns. This paper examines how the spacing and size of trees reduce temperatures differently. A major focus of the paper is to understand how to lower the temperature through tree planting, and provide recommendations to cities that are attempting to solve their own urban heat island issues. Because different cities have different room for planting greenery, we examined which strategies are more efficient given an area constraint. Areas that have less available room might not be able to plant a high density of trees. We compared the different experimental groups varying in density and size of trees against the control to see the effect the trees had. Through calibration with local weather stations, we used a micrometeorology program (ENVI-Met) to model and simulate the different experimental models and how they affect the temperature. The results suggest that some urban designs can reduce ambient temperatures by over 7 0C, and the inclusion of large form trees have the greatest contribution, by reducing temperatures over 15 0C. The results suggest that using specific strategies that combine placement of specific tree configurations with alternative distribution of urban development patterns can help to solve the current challenges of UHI's, and thereby support management actions for addressing future impacts from climate change.

Potential energy savings in buildings by an urban tree planting programme in California

Treesearch

E.G. McPherson; J.R. Simpson

2003-01-01

Tree canopy cover data from aerial photographs and building energy simulations were applied to estimate energy savings from existing trees and new plantings in California. There are approximately 177.3 million energy-conserving trees in California communities and 241.6 million empty planting sites. Existing trees are projected to reduce annual air conditioning energy...

Protecting red oak seedlings with tree shelters in northwestern Pennsylvania

Treesearch

Russell S. Walters; Russell S. Walters

1993-01-01

Examines the growth and survival of planted and natural red oak seedlings and seedlings from planted acorns within translucent tan tree shelters, fences, and unprotected controls under a shelterwood seed-cut stand. Seedlings planted within tree shelters and fences were inside tree shelters. Natural seedlings grew very little and their height inside and outside of tree...

Sustainability of Water Resources in the Upstream Watershed- Based Community Engagement and Multistakeholder Cooperation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brotosusilo, Agus; Utari, Dyah; Agung Satria, Afrizal

2016-02-01

The communities engagement become the backbone of the conservation in the Citanduy upstream watershed. It functioning as a major deal and the first one in keeping his own Watershed. This paper based on Community Engagement Grants (CEGs). Program Society-based empowerment approach is also emphasized in the viewpoint of environmental law that is useful to set governance and sanctions in watershed management. The type of activity to be undertaken are the expansion of awareness programs communities of the existence and condition of the watershed Citanduy, the formation of a cadre of conservationists environment that is primarily directed to children and women, the institutionalization of customary law environment, and afforestation by planting 100,000 prolific trees, tree conservationists, and Sunda endemic tree in the land surrounding the watershed upstream Citanduy. The Program involves several partners and stakeholders who helped in substance and operational support activities in the field.. Result of program shows that Community Engagement Grants need cooperation among stakeholders by positioning the community as main subject of changing, not as subject who does not understand their needs to change.

Variation in photosynthesis and stomatal conductance among red maple (Acer rubrum) urban planted cultivars and wildtype trees in the southeastern United States.

PubMed

Lahr, Eleanor C; Dunn, Robert R; Frank, Steven D

2018-01-01

Photosynthesis is a fundamental process that trees perform over fluctuating environmental conditions. This study of red maple (Acer rubrum L.) characterizes photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, and water use efficiency in planted cultivars relative to wildtype trees. Red maple is common in cities, yet there is little understanding of how physiological processes affect the long-term growth, condition, and ecosystem services provided by urban trees. In the first year of our study, we measured leaf-level gas exchange and performed short-term temperature curves on urban planted cultivars and on suburban and rural wildtype trees. In the second year, we compared urban planted cultivars and urban wildtype trees. In the first year, urban planted trees had higher maximum rates of photosynthesis and higher overall rates of photosynthesis and stomatal conductance throughout the summer, relative to suburban or rural wildtype trees. Urban planted trees again had higher maximum rates of photosynthesis in the second year. However, urban wildtype trees had higher water use efficiency as air temperatures increased and similar overall rates of photosynthesis, relative to cultivars, in mid and late summer. Our results show that physiological differences between cultivars and wildtype trees may relate to differences in their genetic background and their responses to local environmental conditions, contingent on the identity of the horticultural variety. Overall, our results suggest that wildtype trees should be considered for some urban locations, and our study is valuable in demonstrating how site type and tree type can inform tree planting strategies and improve long-term urban forest sustainability.

Monitoring the Soil Water Availability of Young Urban Trees in Hamburg, Germany

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Titel, Selina; Gröngröft, Alexander; Eschenbach, Annette

2017-04-01

In large cities numerous trees have to be planted each year to replace died off or cut down trees or for greening of constructed roads and newly built quarters. The typical age of planted trees is between five and fifteen years. Often the planting takes place in special planting pits to stimulate the tree growth under the restricted urban conditions. Consequently, trees are surrounded by different soil substrates: the soil from the nursery in the root ball, the special planting pit substrate and the surrounding urban soil which is often anthropogenic influenced. Being relocated in the city, trees have to cope with the warmer urban climate, the soil sealing and compaction and the low water storage capacity of the substrate. All factors together increase the probability of dry phases for roadside trees. The aim of this study is to monitor the soil water availability at sites of planted roadside trees during the first years after planting. Therefore, a measuring design was developed, which works automatically and takes the complex below ground structure of the soil into account. This approach consists of 13 soil water tension sensors inside and outside of each planting pit up to one meter depth connected to a data logger. The monitoring devices will finally be installed at 20 roadside trees (amongst others Quercus cerris, Quercus robur, Acer platanoides 'Fairview') in Hamburg, Germany, to identify phases of drought stress. The young trees were mainly planted in spring 2016. Data of the first year of measurements show, that the water tension varied between the different soil substrates and the depth. In the first year of tree growth in the city, soil in the tree root ball became significantly drier than the surrounding soil material. In late summer 2016 the water tension in the topsoil had the potential to cause drought stress below some trees.

Environmental Conservation through the People's Movements in India.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asopa, Sheel K.

1993-01-01

Describes three popular environmental campaigns against deforestation in India. Discusses the folk dimension, mass mobilization, and geographic extent of the Chipko Movement; the movement against a government program to plant eucalyptus trees; and the movement to save villages in government-labeled "wastelands." (MDH)

Urban Watershed Forestry Manual Part 3: Urban Tree Planting Guide

Treesearch

Karen Cappiella; Tom Schueler; Tiffany Wright; Jennifer Tomlinson

2006-01-01

This is the third in a three-manual series on using trees to protect and restore urban watersheds. A brief description of each part follows. Part 3. Urban Tree Planting Guide provides detailed guidance on urban tree planting that is applicable at both the development site and the watershed scales. Topics covered include site assessment, planting design, site...

Control of pome and stone fruit virus diseases.

PubMed

Barba, Marina; Ilardi, Vincenza; Pasquini, Graziella

2015-01-01

Many different systemic pathogens, including viruses, affect pome and stone fruits causing diseases with adverse effects in orchards worldwide. The significance of diseases caused by these pathogens on tree health and fruit shape and quality has resulted in the imposition of control measures both nationally and internationally. Control measures depend on the identification of diseases and their etiological agents. Diagnosis is the most important aspect of controlling fruit plant viruses. Early detection of viruses in fruit trees or in the propagative material is a prerequisite for their control and to guarantee a sustainable agriculture. Many quarantine programs are in place to reduce spread of viruses among countries during international exchange of germplasm. All these phytosanitary measures are overseen by governments based on agreements produced by international organizations. Also certification schemes applied to fruit trees allow the production of planting material of known variety and plant health status for local growers by controlling the propagation of pathogen-tested mother plants. They ensure to obtain propagative material not only free of "quarantine" organisms under the national legislation but also of important "nonquarantine" pathogens. The control of insect vectors plays an important role in the systemic diseases management, but it must be used together with other control measures as eradication of infected plants and use of certified propagation material. Apart from the control of the virus vector and the use of virus-free material, the development of virus-resistant cultivars appears to be the most effective approach to achieve control of plant viruses, especially for perennial crops that are more exposed to infection during their long life span. The use of resistant or tolerant cultivars and/or rootstocks could be potentially the most important aspect of virus disease management, especially in areas in which virus infections are endemic. The conventional breeding for virus-tolerant or resistant fruit tree cultivars using available germplasm is a long-term strategy, and the development and production of these cultivars may take decades, if successful. Genetic engineering allows the introduction of specific DNA sequences offering the opportunity to obtain existing fruit tree cultivars improved for the desired resistance trait. Unfortunately, genetic transformation of pome and stone fruits is still limited to few commercial genotypes. Research carried out and the new emerging biotechnological approaches to obtain fruit tree plants resistant or tolerant to viruses are discussed. © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chapter 9: Planting hardwood tree seedlings on reclaimed mine land in the Appalachian region

Treesearch

V. Davis; J. Franklin; C. Zipper; P. Angel

2017-01-01

The Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA) is a method of reclaiming surface coal mines to forested postmining land use (Chapter 2, this volume). "Use proper tree planting techniques" is Step 5 of the FRA; when used with the other FRA steps, proper tree planting can help to ensure successful reforestation. Proper care and planting of tree seedlings is essential...

Tree planting in Haiti: How to plant and care for your nursery grown seedlings

Treesearch

Kyrstan Hubbel; Yvonne Barkley; Jeremiah R. Pinto; R. Kasten Dumroese; Sabine Deristin; Raymond Joseph; Randy Brooks; Anthony S. Davis

2016-01-01

Seedlings need the right amounts of sunlight, water and nutrients to live and grow into healthy trees. Different types of trees have different requirements, so seedlings will need planting sites that meet all of their requirements. For example, pine trees need full sun, a moderate amount of water and a certain combination of nutrients to grow into healthy trees. If you...

Predictive equations for dimensions and leaf area of coastal Southern California street trees

Treesearch

P.J. Peper; E.G. McPherson; S.M. Mori

2001-01-01

Tree height, crown height, crown width, diameter at breast height (dbh), and leaf area were measured for 16 species of commonly planted street trees in the coastal southern California city of Santa Monica, USA. The randomly sampled trees were planted from 1 to 44 years ago. Using number of years after planting or dbh as explanatory variables, mean values of dbh, tree...

How to select the best tree planting locations to enhance air pollution removal in the MillionTreesNYC initiative

Treesearch

Arianna Morani; David J. Nowak; Satoshi Hirabayashi; Carlo Calfapietra

2011-01-01

Highest priority zones for tree planting within New York City were selected by using a planting priority index developed combining three main indicators: pollution concentration, population density and low canopy cover. This new tree population was projected through time to estimate potential air quality and carbon bene!ts. Those trees will likely remove more than 10...

Interim Reliability Evaluation Program: analysis of the Browns Ferry, Unit 1, nuclear plant. Main report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mays, S.E.; Poloski, J.P.; Sullivan, W.H.

1982-07-01

A probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) was made of the Browns Ferry, Unit 1, nuclear plant as part of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Interim Reliability Evaluation Program (IREP). Specific goals of the study were to identify the dominant contributors to core melt, develop a foundation for more extensive use of PRA methods, expand the cadre of experienced PRA practitioners, and apply procedures for extension of IREP analyses to other domestic light water reactors. Event tree and fault tree analyses were used to estimate the frequency of accident sequences initiated by transients and loss of coolant accidents. External events such as floods,more » fires, earthquakes, and sabotage were beyond the scope of this study and were, therefore, excluded. From these sequences, the dominant contributors to probable core melt frequency were chosen. Uncertainty and sensitivity analyses were performed on these sequences to better understand the limitations associated with the estimated sequence frequencies. Dominant sequences were grouped according to common containment failure modes and corresponding release categories on the basis of comparison with analyses of similar designs rather than on the basis of detailed plant-specific calculations.« less

Evaluation of roadside greenbelt trees damage caused by strangler plants in Bogor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Danniswari, Dibyanti; Nasrullah, Nizar

2017-10-01

Certain plants are called stranglers (hemiepiphyte) because they grow on host trees and slowly choking the host, which often results in the host’s death. The existence of strangler plants on roadside greenbelt trees is quite common in Bogor, but they may cause tree’s failure and threaten users’ safety. To prevent such hazard, evaluation of roadside greenbelt trees damage caused by strangler plants is important. This study was directed to analyse the vegetation of strangler plants in Bogor, to assess the damage caused by stranglers, and to compose strangled trees maintenance recommendations. This study was conducted in March to May 2014 by doing survey at five major roads in Bogor, which were Jalan Ahmad Yani, Jalan Sudirman, Jalan Pemuda, Jalan Semeru, and Jalan Juanda. The results showed that strangler species found in Bogor are Ficus benjamina, Ficus glauca, Ficus elastica, and Schefflera actinophylla. The most common species in Bogor is F. benjamina. Host trees that tend to be preferred by strangler plants are trees with large trunk, many branches, and medium to high height. The maintenance for every strangled tree is different according to the damage level, mild to severe damage could be treated by strangler root cutting to tree logging, respectively.

Planting and care of fine hardwood seedlings: Planting hardwood seedlings in the Central Hardwood Region.

Treesearch

Paula M. Pijut

2003-01-01

Forest tree planting in the United States on public and private land exceeded 2.6 million acres in 1999. Of that total, approximately 1.3 million acres (48 percent) were planted by private individuals (AF & PA 2001). In the Central Hardwood Region forest tree planting by private landowners exceeded 100,000 acres in 1999. Trees are planted for various reasons...

Hierarchical Learning of Tree Classifiers for Large-Scale Plant Species Identification.

PubMed

Fan, Jianping; Zhou, Ning; Peng, Jinye; Gao, Ling

2015-11-01

In this paper, a hierarchical multi-task structural learning algorithm is developed to support large-scale plant species identification, where a visual tree is constructed for organizing large numbers of plant species in a coarse-to-fine fashion and determining the inter-related learning tasks automatically. For a given parent node on the visual tree, it contains a set of sibling coarse-grained categories of plant species or sibling fine-grained plant species, and a multi-task structural learning algorithm is developed to train their inter-related classifiers jointly for enhancing their discrimination power. The inter-level relationship constraint, e.g., a plant image must first be assigned to a parent node (high-level non-leaf node) correctly if it can further be assigned to the most relevant child node (low-level non-leaf node or leaf node) on the visual tree, is formally defined and leveraged to learn more discriminative tree classifiers over the visual tree. Our experimental results have demonstrated the effectiveness of our hierarchical multi-task structural learning algorithm on training more discriminative tree classifiers for large-scale plant species identification.

Plant volatiles influence the African weaver ant-cashew tree mutualism

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Plant volatiles influence virtually all forms of ant plant symbioses. However, little is known about their role in the mutualistic relationship between the African weaver ant and the cashew tree. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that cashew tree volatiles from plant parts most vulnerable to h...

Spatially distinct responses within willow to bark stripping by deer: effects on insect herbivory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanaka, Motonobu; Nakamura, Masahiro

2015-10-01

Within individual plants, cervid herbivory may cause positive or negative plant-mediated effects on insect herbivores, depending on where it occurs. Using a combination of field observations and artificial bark-stripping experiments in Hokkaido, Japan, we examined the plant-mediated effects of bark stripping by sika deer ( Cervus nippon yesoensis) on insect herbivory in two spatially distinct parts of willow ( Salix udensis) trees: resprouting leaves below bark-stripping wounds and canopy leaves above. Natural and artificial bark stripping stimulated resprouting from trunks below wounds. Resprouting leaves on bark-stripped trees had lower total phenolics, condensed tannin, and C/N ratios than did canopy leaves on control trees. Herbivory rates were higher in resprouting leaves on bark-stripped trees than in canopy leaves on controls. Conversely, above-wound canopy leaves on bark-stripped trees had higher total phenolics than did those on controls, while herbivory rates were lower in the canopy leaves of bark-stripped trees than in those on controls. These results demonstrate that plant-mediated effects of bark stripping diverge between plant tissues below and above wounds in individual willow trees. We submit that focusing on multiple plant parts can elucidate plant-mediated effects at the whole-plant scale.

Interim reliability-evaluation program: analysis of the Browns Ferry, Unit 1, nuclear plant. Appendix B - system descriptions and fault trees

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mays, S.E.; Poloski, J.P.; Sullivan, W.H.

1982-07-01

This report describes a risk study of the Browns Ferry, Unit 1, nuclear plant. The study is one of four such studies sponsored by the NRC Office of Research, Division of Risk Assessment, as part of its Interim Reliability Evaluation Program (IREP), Phase II. This report is contained in four volumes: a main report and three appendixes. Appendix B provides a description of Browns Ferry, Unit 1, plant systems and the failure evaluation of those systems as they apply to accidents at Browns Ferry. Information is presented concerning front-line system fault analysis; support system fault analysis; human error models andmore » probabilities; and generic control circuit analyses.« less

Understanding the challenges of municipal tree planting

Treesearch

E.G. McPherson; R. Young

2010-01-01

Nine of the twelve largest cities in the U.S. have mayoral tree planting initiatives (TPIs), with pledges to plant nearly 20 million trees. Although executive-level support for trees has never been this widespread, many wonder if this support will endure as administrations change and budgets tighten. In an effort to share lessons learned from successes and setbacks, a...

The balance of planting and mortality in a street tree population

Treesearch

Lara A. Roman; John J. Battles; Joe R. McBride

2013-01-01

Street trees have aesthetic, environmental, human health, and economic benefits in urban ecosystems. Street tree populations are constructed by cycles of planting, growth, death, removal and replacement. The goals of this study were to understand how tree mortality and planting rates affect net population growth, evaluate the shape of the mortality curve, and assess...

The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and trnH-psbA [corrected] are suitable candidate loci for DNA barcoding of tropical tree species of India.

PubMed

Tripathi, Abhinandan Mani; Tyagi, Antariksh; Kumar, Anoop; Singh, Akanksha; Singh, Shivani; Chaudhary, Lal Babu; Roy, Sribash

2013-01-01

DNA barcoding as a tool for species identification has been successful in animals and other organisms, including certain groups of plants. The exploration of this new tool for species identification, particularly in tree species, is very scanty from biodiversity-rich countries like India. rbcL and matK are standard barcode loci while ITS, and trnH-psbA are considered as supplementary loci for plants. Plant barcode loci, namely, rbcL, matK, ITS, trnH-psbA, and the recently proposed ITS2, were tested for their efficacy as barcode loci using 300 accessions of tropical tree species. We tested these loci for PCR, sequencing success, and species discrimination ability using three methods. rbcL was the best locus as far as PCR and sequencing success rate were concerned, but not for the species discrimination ability of tropical tree species. ITS and trnH-psbA were the second best loci in PCR and sequencing success, respectively. The species discrimination ability of ITS ranged from 24.4 percent to 74.3 percent and that of trnH-psbA was 25.6 percent to 67.7 percent, depending upon the data set and the method used. matK provided the least PCR success, followed by ITS2 (59. 0%). Species resolution by ITS2 and rbcL ranged from 9.0 percent to 48.7 percent and 13.2 percent to 43.6 percent, respectively. Further, we observed that the NCBI nucleotide database is poorly represented by the sequences of barcode loci studied here for tree species. Although a conservative approach of a success rate of 60-70 percent by both ITS and trnH-psbA may not be considered as highly successful but would certainly help in large-scale biodiversity inventorization, particularly for tropical tree species, considering the standard success rate of plant DNA barcode program reported so far. The recommended matK and rbcL primers combination may not work in tropical tree species as barcode markers.

Leaf physiology and morphology of Castanea dentata (Marsh) Borkh., Castanea mollissima Blume, and three backcross breeding generations planted in the southern Appalachians, USA

Treesearch

Benjamin O. Knapp; G. Geoff Wang; Stacy L Clark; Lauren S. Pile; Scott E. Schlarbaum

2014-01-01

Backcross breeding programs have been used to transfer disease resistance and other traits from one forest tree species to another in order to meet restoration objectives. Evaluating the field performance of such material is critical for determining the success of breeding programs. In eastern North America, The American Chestnut Foundation has a backcross breeding...

Subterranean termites in urban forestry: tree preference and management.

PubMed

Zorzenon, F J; Campos, A E C

2015-04-01

Urban tree deterioration is a common problem all over the world. Inappropriate plant species choice and inadequate planting may lead to micro and macro organism attacks, such as pests and diseases. Subterranean termite damage is common and may promote tree falls. In order to help urban forestry planning, this work was carried out for 9 years on 1477 street trees in a neighborhood in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Plants were identified to species, grouped as native, exotic plants, and palm trees, and their measures of circumference at breast height (CBH) were taken, in order to evaluate if subterranean termite damages are related to tree size and plant group. Four subterranean termite species were identified infesting up to 27% of the plants, with Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann) being the most common. Palm trees were not damaged by subterranean termites, while native plants are the most susceptible, especially Caesalpinia pluviosa var. peltophoroides (Fabaceae). Among the native plants monitored C. pluviosa var. peltophoroides, Caesalpinia ferrea var. leiostachya, Erythrina speciosa, Piptadenia gonoacantha (Fabaceae), Gochnatia polymorpha (Asteraceae), Tibouchina granulosa (Melastomataceae), and Handroanthus spp. (Bignoniaceae), the latter was the least damaged. Exotic plants were also susceptible with the exception of Lagerstroemia indica (Lythraceae) and Platanus acerifolia (Platanaceae). Correlation analysis showed that the higher the CBH value, the higher the percentage of internal damage by C. gestroi. Infested trees were treated with imidacloprid and thiamethoxam, and subterranean termites were effectively controlled during the 9-year study.

Genetic variation in response to shade in coastal Douglas-fir.

Treesearch

J. Bradley St. Clair; Richard A. Sniezko

1999-01-01

Tree improvement programs have generally relied on testing families in open light environments. With increased interest in multiaged silvicultural systems, some people have questioned whether families selected in the open are appropriate for planting in the shade. We grew Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. menziesii...

Oaks and Environmental Education

Treesearch

Kay Antunez de Mayolo

1991-01-01

A number of educational projects which focus on youth awareness and involvement with California oaks have been developed during the last five years. Primarily used in urban areas where oak populations have declined, many of these programs promote seedling propagation, tree planting and help to develop student understanding of environmental issues involving oaks while...

Participatory genetic improvement: longleaf pine

Treesearch

C. Dana Nelson; Gwendolyn Boyd; Randall J. Rousseau; Barbara S. Crane; Craig S. Echt; Kurt H. Johnsen

2015-01-01

University-industry-state cooperative tree improvement has been highly successful in the southern United States. Over nearly 60 years, three cooperative programs have led the way in developing and deploying genetically improved planting stocks for loblolly (Pinus taeda L.) and slash (P. elliottii Engelm.) pines. However, much lower levels of success have been achieved...

43 CFR 23.8 - Approval of mining plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... shrubs, trees, or tree seedlings, grasses or legumes to be planted; and (3) Types and methods of planting, including the amount of grasses or legumes per acre, or the number and spacing of trees, or tree seedlings...

43 CFR 23.8 - Approval of mining plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... shrubs, trees, or tree seedlings, grasses or legumes to be planted; and (3) Types and methods of planting, including the amount of grasses or legumes per acre, or the number and spacing of trees, or tree seedlings...

Can incentives make a difference? Assessing the effects of policy tools for encouraging tree-planting on private lands.

PubMed

Ruseva, Tatyana B; Evans, Tom P; Fischer, Burnell C

2015-05-15

This study uses a mail survey of private landowners in the Midwest United States to understand the characteristics of owners who have planted trees or intend to plant trees in the future. The analysis examines what policy tools encourage owners to plant trees, and how policy tools operate across different ownership attributes to promote tree-planting on private lands. Logistic regression results suggest that cost-subsidizing policy tools, such as low-cost and free seedlings, significantly increase the odds of actual and planned reforestation when landowners consider them important for increasing forest cover. Individuals most likely to plant trees, when low-cost seedlings are available and important, are fairly recent (<5 years), college-educated owners who own small parcels (<4 ha) and use the land for recreation. Motivations to reforest were also shaped by owners' planning horizons, connection to the land, previous tree-planting experience, and peer influence. The study has relevance for the design of policy approaches that can encourage private forestation through provision of economic incentives and capacity to private landowners. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mutualism between tree shrews and pitcher plants: perspectives and avenues for future research.

PubMed

Clarke, Charles; Moran, Jonathan A; Chin, Lijin

2010-10-01

Three species of Nepenthes pitcher plants from Borneo engage in a mutualistic interaction with mountain tree shrews, the basis of which is the exchange of nutritional resources. The plants produce modified "toilet pitchers" that produce copious amounts of exudates, the latter serving as a food source for tree shrews. The exudates are only accessible to the tree shrews when they position their hindquarters over the pitcher orifice. Tree shrews mark valuable resources with faeces and regularly defecate into the pitchers when they visit them to feed. Faeces represent a valuable source of nitrogen for these Nepenthes species, but there are many facets of the mutualism that are yet to be investigated. These include, but are not limited to, seasonal variation in exudate production rates by the plants, behavioral ecology of visiting tree shrews, and the mechanism by which the plants signal to tree shrews that their pitchers represent a food source. Further research into this extraordinary animal-plant interaction is required to gain a better understanding of the benefits to the participating species. © 2010 Landes Bioscience

29 CFR 788.7 - “Planting or tending trees.”

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false âPlanting or tending trees.â 788.7 Section 788.7 Labor... MORE THAN EIGHT EMPLOYEES ARE EMPLOYED § 788.7 “Planting or tending trees.” Employees employed in “planting or tending trees” include those engaged in weeding, preparing firebreaks, removing “seeding...

29 CFR 788.7 - “Planting or tending trees.”

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false âPlanting or tending trees.â 788.7 Section 788.7 Labor... MORE THAN EIGHT EMPLOYEES ARE EMPLOYED § 788.7 “Planting or tending trees.” Employees employed in “planting or tending trees” include those engaged in weeding, preparing firebreaks, removing “seeding...

29 CFR 788.7 - “Planting or tending trees.”

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false âPlanting or tending trees.â 788.7 Section 788.7 Labor... MORE THAN EIGHT EMPLOYEES ARE EMPLOYED § 788.7 “Planting or tending trees.” Employees employed in “planting or tending trees” include those engaged in weeding, preparing firebreaks, removing “seeding...

29 CFR 788.7 - “Planting or tending trees.”

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false âPlanting or tending trees.â 788.7 Section 788.7 Labor... MORE THAN EIGHT EMPLOYEES ARE EMPLOYED § 788.7 “Planting or tending trees.” Employees employed in “planting or tending trees” include those engaged in weeding, preparing firebreaks, removing “seeding...

29 CFR 788.7 - “Planting or tending trees.”

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false âPlanting or tending trees.â 788.7 Section 788.7 Labor... MORE THAN EIGHT EMPLOYEES ARE EMPLOYED § 788.7 “Planting or tending trees.” Employees employed in “planting or tending trees” include those engaged in weeding, preparing firebreaks, removing “seeding...

[Understory effects on overstory trees: A review.

PubMed

Du, Zhong; Cai, Xiao Hu; Bao, Wei Kai; Chen, Huai; Pan, Hong Li

2016-03-01

Plant-plant interactions play a key role in regulating the composition and structure of communities and ecosystems. Studies of plant-plant interactions in forest ecosystems have traditionally concentrated on either tree-tree interactions or overstory species' impacts on understory plants. The possible effects of understory species on overstory trees have received less attention. We summarized the effects of understory species on soil physiological properties, soil fauna activities, leaf litter decomposition, and ecophysiology and growth of the overstory species. Then the effects of distur-bance on understory-overstory interactions were discussed. Finally, an ecophysiology-based concept model of understory effects on overstory trees was proposed. Understory removal experiments showed that the study area, overstory species age, soil fertility and understory species could significantly affect the understory-overstory interactions.

Japanese flowering cherry tree as a woody plant candidate grown in space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomita-Yokotani, K.; Yoshida, S.; Hashimoto, H.; Nyunoya, H.; Funada, R.; Katayama, T.; Suzuki, T.; Honma, T.; Nagatomo, M.; Nakamura, T.

We are proposing to raise woody plant in space for several applications Japanese flowering cherry tree is a candidate to do wood science in space Mechanism of sensing gravity and controlling shape of tree has been studied quite extensively Cherry mutants associated with gravity are telling responsible plant hormones and molecular machinery for plant adaptation against action of gravity Space experiment using our wood model contribute to understand molecular and cellular process of gravitropism in plant Tree is considered to be an important member in space agriculture to produce excess oxygen wooden materials for constructing living environment and provide biomass for cultivating mushrooms and insects Furthermore trees and their flowers improve quality of life under stressful environment in outer space

A method for locating potential tree-planting sites in urban areas: a case study of Los Angeles, USA

Treesearch

Chunxia Wua; Qingfu Xiaoa; Gregory E. McPherson

2008-01-01

A GIS-based method for locating potential tree-planting sites based on land cover data is introduced. Criteria were developed to identify locations that are spatially available for potential tree planting based on land cover, sufficient distance from impervious surfaces, a minimum amount of pervious surface, and no crown overlap with other trees. In an ArcGIS...

Isolated Ficus trees deliver dual conservation and development benefits in a rural landscape.

PubMed

Cottee-Jones, H Eden W; Bajpai, Omesh; Chaudhary, Lal B; Whittaker, Robert J

2015-11-01

Many of the world's rural populations are dependent on the local provision of economically and medicinally important plant resources. However, increasing land-use intensity is depleting these resources, reducing human welfare, and thereby constraining development. Here we investigate a low cost strategy to manage the availability of valuable plant resources, facilitated by the use of isolated Ficus trees as restoration nuclei. We surveyed the plants growing under 207 isolated trees in Assam, India, and categorized them according to their local human-uses. We found that Ficus trees were associated with double the density of important high-grade timber, firewood, human food, livestock fodder, and medicinal plants compared to non-Ficus trees. Management practices were also important in determining the density of valuable plants, with grazing pressure and land-use intensity significantly affecting densities in most categories. Community management practices that conserve isolated Ficus trees, and restrict livestock grazing and high-intensity land-use in their vicinity, can promote plant growth and the provision of important local resources.

Beneath the veil: Plant growth form influences the strength of species richness-productivity relationships in forests

USGS Publications Warehouse

Oberle, B.; Grace, J.B.; Chase, J.M.

2009-01-01

Aim: Species richness has been observed to increase with productivity at large spatial scales, though the strength of this relationship varies among functional groups. In forests, canopy trees shade understorey plants, and for this reason we hypothesize that species richness of canopy trees will depend on macroclimate, while species richness of shorter growth forms will additionally be affected by shading from the canopy. In this study we test for differences in species richness-productivity relationships (SRPRs) among growth forms (canopy trees, shrubs, herbaceous species) in small forest plots. Location: We analysed 231 plots ranging from 34.0?? to 48.3?? N latitude and from 75.0?? to 124.2?? W longitude in the United States. Methods: We analysed data collected by the USDA Forest Inventory and Analysis program for plant species richness partitioned into different growth forms, in small plots. We used actual evapotranspiration as a macroclimatic estimate of regional productivity and calculated the area of light-blocking tissue in the immediate area surrounding plots for an estimate of the intensity of local shading. We estimated and compared SRPRs for different partitions of the species richness dataset using generalized linear models and we incorporated the possible indirect effects of shading using a structural equation model. Results: Canopy tree species richness increased strongly with regional productivity, while local shading primarily explained the variation in herbaceous plant richness. Shrub species richness was related to both regional productivity and local shading. Main conclusions: The relationship between total forest plant species richness and productivity at large scales belies strong effects of local interactions. Counter to the pattern for overall richness, we found that understorey herbaceous plant species richness does not respond to regional productivity gradients, and instead is strongly influenced by canopy density, while shrub species richness is under multivariate control. ?? 2009 Blackwell Publishing.

Plant functional group responses to fire frequency and tree canopy cover gradients in oak savannas and woodlands.

Treesearch

D.W. Peterson; P.B. Reich; K.J. Wrage

2007-01-01

We measured plant functional group cover and tree canopy cover on permanent plots within a long-term prescribed fire frequency experiment and used hierarchical linear modeling to assess plant functional group responses to fire frequency and tree canopy cover. Understory woody plant cover was highest in unburned woodlands and was negatively correlated with fire...

QueTAL: a suite of tools to classify and compare TAL effectors functionally and phylogenetically

PubMed Central

Pérez-Quintero, Alvaro L.; Lamy, Léo; Gordon, Jonathan L.; Escalon, Aline; Cunnac, Sébastien; Szurek, Boris; Gagnevin, Lionel

2015-01-01

Transcription Activator-Like (TAL) effectors from Xanthomonas plant pathogenic bacteria can bind to the promoter region of plant genes and induce their expression. DNA-binding specificity is governed by a central domain made of nearly identical repeats, each determining the recognition of one base pair via two amino acid residues (a.k.a. Repeat Variable Di-residue, or RVD). Knowing how TAL effectors differ from each other within and between strains would be useful to infer functional and evolutionary relationships, but their repetitive nature precludes reliable use of traditional alignment methods. The suite QueTAL was therefore developed to offer tailored tools for comparison of TAL effector genes. The program DisTAL considers each repeat as a unit, transforms a TAL effector sequence into a sequence of coded repeats and makes pair-wise alignments between these coded sequences to construct trees. The program FuncTAL is aimed at finding TAL effectors with similar DNA-binding capabilities. It calculates correlations between position weight matrices of potential target DNA sequence predicted from the RVD sequence, and builds trees based on these correlations. The programs accurately represented phylogenetic and functional relationships between TAL effectors using either simulated or literature-curated data. When using the programs on a large set of TAL effector sequences, the DisTAL tree largely reflected the expected species phylogeny. In contrast, FuncTAL showed that TAL effectors with similar binding capabilities can be found between phylogenetically distant taxa. This suite will help users to rapidly analyse any TAL effector genes of interest and compare them to other available TAL genes and should improve our understanding of TAL effectors evolution. It is available at http://bioinfo-web.mpl.ird.fr/cgi-bin2/quetal/quetal.cgi. PMID:26284082

Phytoremediation of trichloroethene (TCE) using cottonwood trees

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jones, S.A.; Lee, R.W.; Kuniansky, E.L.; Leeson, Andrea; Alleman, Bruce C.

1999-01-01

Phytoremediation uses the natural ability of plants to degrade contaminants in ground water. A field demonstration designed to remediate aerobic shallow ground water that contains trichloroethene began in April 1996 with the planting of cottonwood trees over an approximately 0.2-hectare area at the Naval Air Station, Fort Worth, Tx. Ground water was sampled in July 1997, November 1997, February 1998, and June 1998. Analyses from samples indicate that tree roots have the potential to create anaerobic conditions in the ground water that will facilitate degradation of trichloroethene by microbially mediated reductive dichlorination. Dissolved oxygen concentrations, which varied across the site, were smallest near a mature cottonwood tree (about-20 years old) 60 meters southwest of the cottonwood plantings. Reduction of dissolved oxygen is the primary microbially mediated reaction occurring in the ground water beneath the planted trees, whereas near the mature cottonwood tree, data indicate that methanogenesis is the most probable reaction occurring. Reductive dichlorination either is not occurring or is not a primary process away from the mature tree. On the basis of isotopic analyses of carbon-13 at locations away from the mature tree, trichloroethene concentration is controlled by volatilization.Phytoremediation uses the natural ability of plants to degrade contaminants in ground water. A field demonstration designed to remediate aerobic shallow ground water that contains trichloroethene began in April 1996 with the planting of cottonwood trees over an approximately 0.2-hectare area at the Naval Air Station, Fort Worth, Tx. Ground water was sampled in July 1997, November 1997, February 1998, and June 1998. Analyses from samples indicate that tree roots have the potential to create anaerobic conditions in the ground water that will facilitate degradation of trichloroethene by microbially mediated reductive dichlorination. Dissolved oxygen concentrations, which varied across the site, were smallest near a mature cottonwood tree (about-20 years old) 60 meters southwest of the cottonwood plantings. Reduction of dissolved oxygen is the primary microbially mediated reaction occurring in the ground water beneath the planted trees, whereas near the mature cottonwood tree, data indicate that methanogenesis is the most probable reaction occurring. Reductive dichlorination either is not occurring or is not a primary process away from the mature tree. On the basis of isotopic analyses of carbon-13 at locations away from the mature tree, trichloroethene concentration is controlled by volatilization.

Tree planting in the Allegheny section

Treesearch

Northeastern Forest Experiment Station

1961-01-01

Tree planting involves many considerations - site classification, selection of species, planting practices, and protection from fire, insects, and diseases. The information about many of these aspects of planting is scattered and fragmentary.

WUSCHEL-RELATED HOMEOBOX4 (WOX4)-like genes regulate cambial cell division activity and secondary growth in Populus trees.

PubMed

Kucukoglu, Melis; Nilsson, Jeanette; Zheng, Bo; Chaabouni, Salma; Nilsson, Ove

2017-07-01

Plant secondary growth derives from the meristematic activity of the vascular cambium. In Arabidopsis thaliana, cell divisions in the cambium are regulated by the transcription factor WOX4, a key target of the CLAVATA3 (CLV3)/EMBRYO SURROUNDING REGION (ESR)-RELATED 41 (CLE41) signaling pathway. However, function of the WOX4-like genes in plants that are dependent on a much more prolific secondary growth, such as trees, remains unclear. Here, we investigate the role of WOX4 and CLE41 homologs for stem secondary growth in Populus trees. In Populus, PttWOX4 genes are specifically expressed in the cambial region during vegetative growth, but not after growth cessation and during dormancy, possibly involving a regulation by auxin. In PttWOX4a/b RNAi trees, primary growth was not affected whereas the width of the vascular cambium was severely reduced and secondary growth was greatly diminished. Our data show that in Populus trees, PttWOX4 genes control cell division activity in the vascular cambium, and hence growth in stem girth. This activity involves the positive regulation of PttWOX4a/b through PttCLE41-related genes. Finally, expression profiling suggests that the CLE41 signaling pathway is an evolutionarily conserved program for the regulation of vascular cambium activity between angiosperm and gymnosperm tree species. © 2017 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust.

Grasses and browsers reinforce landscape heterogeneity by excluding trees from ecosystem hotspots.

PubMed

Porensky, Lauren M; Veblen, Kari E

2012-03-01

Spatial heterogeneity in woody cover affects biodiversity and ecosystem function, and may be particularly influential in savanna ecosystems. Browsing and interactions with herbaceous plants can create and maintain heterogeneity in woody cover, but the relative importance of these drivers remains unclear, especially when considered across multiple edaphic contexts. In African savannas, abandoned temporary livestock corrals (bomas) develop into long-term, nutrient-rich ecosystem hotspots with unique vegetation. In central Kenya, abandoned corral sites persist for decades as treeless 'glades' in a wooded matrix. Though glades are treeless, areas between adjacent glades have higher tree densities than the background savanna or areas near isolated glades. The mechanisms maintaining these distinctive woody cover patterns remain unclear. We asked whether browsing or interactions with herbaceous plants help to maintain landscape heterogeneity by differentially impacting young trees in different locations. We planted the mono-dominant tree species (Acacia drepanolobium) in four locations: inside glades, far from glades, at edges of isolated glades and at edges between adjacent glades. Within each location, we assessed the separate and combined effects of herbivore exclusion (caging) and herbaceous plant removal (clearing) on tree survival and growth. Both caging and clearing improved tree survival and growth inside glades. When herbaceous plants were removed, trees inside glades grew more than trees in other locations, suggesting that glade soils were favorable for tree growth. Different types of glade edges (isolated vs. non-isolated) did not have significantly different impacts on tree performance. This represents one of the first field-based experiments testing the separate and interactive effects of browsing, grass competition and edaphic context on savanna tree performance. Our findings suggest that, by excluding trees from otherwise favorable sites, both herbaceous plants and herbivores help to maintain functionally important landscape heterogeneity in African savannas.

Ergonomics aspects of tree-planting using 'multipot' technology.

PubMed

Giguère, D; Bélanger, R; Gauthier, J M; Larue, C

1993-08-01

The highlights of a descriptive study on the ergonomics and occupational health and safety aspects of tree-planting in Québec are presented. The study was planned to consider the most representative geographical sites, planting technologies, and planting organizations. Semi-directed interviews were made with a mixed group of 48 male and female tree-planters and physiological measurements were made on four male planters. Tools and other equipment were also examined. An analysis of the work identified the main elements of the planting cycle, and the high cardiac rate in the working planters was related more to his manual transportation of seedlings and travel on rough paths than to planting per se. A tree-planter will typically travel 2.4 km carrying 16.8 kg of material and equipment in order to plant an average of 1245 seedlings daily. One out of two interviewed planters reported having a work-related accident or incident during his or her lifetime planting career. The body parts reported most frequently injured were the lower extremities (knee, foot, ankle), the skin, the eyes, and the wrist. Recommendations on the development of appropriate tools and footwear for tree-planters and for further research on repetitive strain injury induced by tree-planting have been made.

7 CFR 1437.201 - Prevented planting acreage.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... includes, but is not limited to: (1) Value-loss crops, including, but not limited to, Christmas trees, aquaculture, and ornamental nursery; (2) Tree crops and other perennials, unless: (i) The producer can prove resources unique to the planting of tree crops and other perennials were available to plant, grow, and...

Identifying and Selecting Plants for the Landscape. Volume 23, Number 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodekohr, Sherie; Harris, Clark Richard

This handbook on identifying and selecting landscape plants can be used as a reference in landscaping courses or on an individual basis. The first of two sections, Identifying Plants for the Landscape, contains the following tables: shade tree identification; flowering tree identification; evergreen tree identification; flowering shrub…

Adventitious Root Formation of Forest Trees and Horticultural Plants - From Genes to Applications

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Adventitious root formation is a key step in the clonal propagation of forest trees and horticultural crops. Difficulties in forming adventitious roots (ARs) on stem cuttings and plants produced in vitro hinders the propagation of elite trees and efficient production of many horticultural plant spec...

Plant establishment and soil microenvironments in Utah juniper masticated woodlands

Treesearch

Kert R. Young

2012-01-01

Juniper (Juniperus spp.) encroachment into sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) and bunchgrass communities has reduced understory plant cover and allowed juniper trees to dominate millions of hectares of semiarid rangelands. Trees are mechanically masticated or shredded to decrease wildfire potential and increase desirable understory plant cover. When trees are masticated after...

Restoration of eroded soil in the Sonoran Desert with native leguminous trees using plant growth-promoting microorganisms and limited amounts of compost and water.

PubMed

Bashan, Yoav; Salazar, Bernardo G; Moreno, Manuel; Lopez, Blanca R; Linderman, Robert G

2012-07-15

Restoration of highly eroded desert land was attempted in the southern Sonoran Desert that had lost its natural capacity for self-revegetation. In six field experiments, the fields were planted with three native leguminous trees: mesquite amargo Prosopis articulata, and yellow and blue palo verde Parkinsonia microphylla and Parkinsonia florida. Restoration included inoculation with two of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB; Azospirillum brasilense and Bacillus pumilus), native arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, and small quantities of compost. Irrigation was applied, when necessary, to reach a rainy year (300 mm) of the area. The plots were maintained for 61 months. Survival of the trees was marginally affected by all supplements after 30 months, in the range of 60-90%. This variation depended on the plant species, where all young trees were established after 3 months. Plant density was a crucial variable and, in general, low plant density enhanced survival. High planting density was detrimental. Survival significantly declined in trees 61 months after planting. No general response of the trees to plant growth-promoting microorganisms and compost was found. Mesquite amargo and yellow palo verde responded well (height, number of branches, and diameter of the main stem) to inoculation with PGPB, AM fungi, and compost supplementation after three months of application. Fewer positive effects were recorded after 30 months. Blue palo verde did not respond to most treatments and had the lowest survival. Specific plant growth parameters were affected to varying degrees to inoculations or amendments, primarily depending on the tree species. Some combinations of tree/inoculant/amendment resulted in small negative effects or no response when measured after extended periods of time. Using native leguminous trees, this study demonstrated that restoration of severely eroded desert lands was possible. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Needs of Trees

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyd, Amy E.; Cooper, Jim

2004-01-01

Tree rings can be used not only to look at plant growth, but also to make connections between plant growth and resource availability. In this lesson, students in 2nd-4th grades use role-play to become familiar with basic requirements of trees and how availability of those resources is related to tree ring sizes and tree growth. These concepts can…

Los Angeles 1-Million tree canopy cover assessment

Treesearch

Gregory E. McPherson; James R. Simpson; Qingfu Xiao; Wu Chunxia

2008-01-01

The Million Trees LA initiative intends to chart a course for sustainable growth through planting and stewardship of trees. The purpose of this study was to measure Los Angeles's existing tree canopy cover (TCC), determine if space exists for 1 million additional trees, and estimate future benefits from the planting. High resolution QuickBird remote sensing data,...

Genetic characterization of fig tree mutants with molecular markers.

PubMed

Rodrigues, M G F; Martins, A B G; Desidério, J A; Bertoni, B W; Alves, M C

2012-08-06

The fig (Ficus carica L.) is a fruit tree of great world importance and, therefore, the genetic improvement becomes an important field of research for better crops, being necessary to gather information on this species, mainly regarding its genetic variability so that appropriate propagation projects and management are made. The improvement programs of fig trees using conventional procedures in order to obtain new cultivars are rare in many countries, such as Brazil, especially due to the little genetic variability and to the difficulties in obtaining plants from gamete fusion once the wasp Blastophaga psenes, responsible for the natural pollinating, is not found in Brazil. In this way, the mutagenic genetic improvement becomes a solution of it. For this reason, in an experiment conducted earlier, fig plants formed by cuttings treated with gamma ray were selected based on their agronomic characteristics of interest. We determined the genetic variability in these fig tree selections, using RAPD and AFLP molecular markers, comparing them to each other and to the Roxo-de-Valinhos, used as the standard. For the reactions of DNA amplification, 140 RAPD primers and 12 primer combinations for AFLP analysis were used. The selections did not differ genetically between themselves and between them and the Roxo-de-Valinhos cultivar. Techniques that can detect polymorphism between treatments, such as DNA sequencing, must be tested. The phenotypic variation of plants may be due to epigenetic variation, necessitating the use of techniques with methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes.

An Interactive Simulation System for Modeling Stands, Harvests, and Machines

Treesearch

Jingxin Wang; W. Dale Greene

1999-01-01

A interactive computer simulation program models stands, harvest, and machine factors and evaluates their interatcitons while performing felling, skidding, or fowarding activities. A stand generator allows the user to generate either natural or planted stands. Fellings with chainsaw, drive-to-tree feller-bunchers, or harvesters and extraction with grapple skidders or...

PROJECT UPLIFT--REFLECTIONS ON A QUIET SUMMER.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

WOOCK, ROGER

PROJECT UPLIFT WAS ESTABLISHED IN THE SUMMER OF 1965 IN HARLEM IN PART TO AVOID POSSIBLE RIOTS. CONNECTED WITH HARYOU-ACT, AND FUNDED THROUGH THE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, THE PROJECT'S ACTIVITIES INCLUDED--CONSTRUCTION OF VEST POCKET PARKS, PLANTING OF TREES IN CENTRAL HARLEM, A REMEDIAL READING PROGRAM, BOOTHS TO GIVE INFORMATION ABOUT…

Recent workforce trends and their effects on the silviculture program in British Columbia

Treesearch

John Betts

2008-01-01

British Columbia's entrepreneurial silviculture sector provides a reliable just-in-time service delivery of forestry activities from planting trees to fighting wildfires. Transient, and seeming to rely often on improvisation, contractors actually run logistically sophisticated businesses that are able to match varying field conditions to the biological and...

Increased wood-fiber production: technology, economics, and ecology

Treesearch

William R. Bentley

1973-01-01

Forest tree improvement is a form of technological change, and it should be viewed as such. The economic objective of technological change is to increase productivity per dollar invested. This is accomplished through selection and breeding for increased growth rates or reduced losses to insects and disease. Programs which yield improved planting stock make forest...

Planting seedlings in tree islands versus plantations as a large-scale tropical forest restoration strategy

Treesearch

K. D. Holl; R. A. Zahawi; R. J. Cole; R. Ostertag; S. Cordell

2010-01-01

Planting tree seedlings in small patches (islands) has been proposed as a method to facilitate forest recovery that is less expensive than planting large areas and better simulates the nucleation process of recovery. We planted seedlings of four tree species at 12 formerly agricultural sites in southern Costa Rica in two designs: plantation (entire 50 × 50 m area...

7 CFR 1410.22 - CRP conservation plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

.... (c) If applicable, a tree planting plan shall be developed and included in the CRP conservation plan. Such tree planting plan may allow up to 3 years to complete plantings if 10 or more acres of hardwood trees are to be established. (d) If applicable, the CRP conservation plan shall address the goals...

29 CFR 780.206 - Planting and lawn mowing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... mowing. (a) The planting of trees and bushes is within the scope of agriculture where it constitutes a... of such trees or bushes). Thus, employees of the nurseryman who raised such nursery stock are doing... plant fruit trees and berry stock not raised by their employer would be considered as engaged in...

Planting and care of fine hardwood seedlings: diseases in hardwood tree plantings

Treesearch

Paula M. Pijut

2006-01-01

Hardwood trees planted for timber production, wildlife habitat, riparian buffers, native woodland restoration, windbreaks, watershed protection, erosion control, and conservation are susceptible to damage or even death by various native and exotic fungal or bacterial diseases. Establishment, growth, and the quality of the trees produced can be affected by these disease...

29 CFR 780.206 - Planting and lawn mowing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... on that farm. (b) On the other hand, the planting of trees and bushes on residential, business, or... mowing. (a) The planting of trees and bushes is within the scope of agriculture where it constitutes a... of such trees or bushes). Thus, employees of the nurseryman who raised such nursery stock are doing...

29 CFR 780.206 - Planting and lawn mowing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... on that farm. (b) On the other hand, the planting of trees and bushes on residential, business, or... mowing. (a) The planting of trees and bushes is within the scope of agriculture where it constitutes a... of such trees or bushes). Thus, employees of the nurseryman who raised such nursery stock are doing...

29 CFR 780.206 - Planting and lawn mowing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... on that farm. (b) On the other hand, the planting of trees and bushes on residential, business, or... mowing. (a) The planting of trees and bushes is within the scope of agriculture where it constitutes a... of such trees or bushes). Thus, employees of the nurseryman who raised such nursery stock are doing...

29 CFR 780.206 - Planting and lawn mowing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... on that farm. (b) On the other hand, the planting of trees and bushes on residential, business, or... mowing. (a) The planting of trees and bushes is within the scope of agriculture where it constitutes a... of such trees or bushes). Thus, employees of the nurseryman who raised such nursery stock are doing...

The contribution of woody plant materials on the several conditions in a space environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomita-Yokotani, Kaori; Baba, Keiichi; Suzuki, Toshisada; Kimura, Shunta; Sato, Seigo; Katoh, Hiroshi; Abe, Yusuke; Katayama, Takeshi

Woody plant materials have several utilization elements in our habitation environment on earth. The studies of woody plants under a space-environment in the vegetable kingdom have a high contribution to the study of various and exotic environmental responses, too. Woody plants can produce an excess oxygen, woody materials for the living cabin, and provide a biomass by cultivating crops and other species of creatures. Tree material would become to be a tool in closed bio-ecosystems such as an environment in a space. We named the trees used as material for the experiment related to space environments “CosmoBon”, small tree bonsai. Japanese cherry tree, “Sakura”, is famous and lovely tree in Japan. One species of “Sakura”, “Mamezakura, Prunus incisa”, is not only lovely tree species, but also suitable tree for the model tree of our purpose. The species of Prunus incisa is originally grown in volcano environment. That species of Sakura is originally grown on Mt. Fuji aria, oligotrophic place. We will try to build the best utilization usage of woody plant under the space environment by “Mamezakura” as a model tree. Here, we will show the importance of uniformity of materials when we will use the tree materials in a space environment. We will also discuss that tree has a high possibility of utilization under the space environments by using our several results related to this research.

Bioinformatics analysis of the predicted polyprenol reductase genes in higher plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basyuni, M.; Wati, R.

2018-03-01

The present study evaluates the bioinformatics methods to analyze twenty-four predicted polyprenol reductase genes from higher plants on GenBank as well as predicted the structure, composition, similarity, subcellular localization, and phylogenetic. The physicochemical properties of plant polyprenol showed diversity among the observed genes. The percentage of the secondary structure of plant polyprenol genes followed the ratio order of α helix > random coil > extended chain structure. The values of chloroplast but not signal peptide were too low, indicated that few chloroplast transit peptide in plant polyprenol reductase genes. The possibility of the potential transit peptide showed variation among the plant polyprenol reductase, suggested the importance of understanding the variety of peptide components of plant polyprenol genes. To clarify this finding, a phylogenetic tree was drawn. The phylogenetic tree shows several branches in the tree, suggested that plant polyprenol reductase genes grouped into divergent clusters in the tree.

Tree planters notes. Volume 43, Number 3, Summer 1992. Quarterly report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mangold, R.; Nisley, R.; Karrfalt, R.

Contents: survival and growth of planted alaska-cedar seedling in southeast southeast alaska; propagation of loblolly, slash, and longleaf pine from needle fascicles; moisture determination on seeds of honeylocust and mimosa; performance of himalayan blue pine in the northeastern united states; advantages of an effective weed control program for populus hybrids; pales weevil: a serious threat to longleaf pine production; costs and cost component trends of trends of hand and machine planting in the southern united states (1952 to 1990); comparison of a drill-type seeder and a vacuum-drum precision seeder in a virginia loblolly pine nursery; missoula technology and development center'smore » nursery and reforestation programs.« less

43 CFR 3592.1 - Operating plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... mixtures of shrubs, trees or tree seedlings, grasses or legumes to be planted; and (iii) Types and methods of planting, including the amount of grasses or legumes per acre, or the number and spacing of trees...

36 CFR 34.8 - Preservation of natural, cultural and archeological resources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... following are in effect: (a) Upon nonleased lands, the cutting or removal of any tree, plant, or shrub or... or removal of any tree, plant, shrub or part thereof that is six inches or less in diameter, for the... Superintendent is prohibited. (c) Upon leased lands, the planting of personal gardens or domestic trees is...

Tree planting in the United States - 1997

Treesearch

Robert J. Moulton

1997-01-01

This annual report summarizes tree planting, timber stand improvement, and nursery production activities across all ownerships of forest land in the United States. It includes state-by-state and ownership breakdowns, regional totals, as well as analysis of the trends in the data. It does not include tree planting in urban and community environments. As far as we...

Fire frequency and tree canopy structure influence plant species diversity in a forest-grassland ecotone

Treesearch

David W. Peterson; Peter B. Reich

2008-01-01

Disturbances and environmental heterogeneity are two factors thought to influence plant species diversity, but their effects are still poorly understood in many ecosystems. We surveyed understory vegetation and measured tree canopy cover on permanent plots spanning an experimental fire frequency gradient to test fire frequency and tree canopy effects on plant species...

Modeling the effectiveness of tree planting to mitigate habitat loss in blue oak woodlands

Treesearch

Richard B. Standiford; Douglas McCreary; William Frost

2002-01-01

Many local conservation policies have attempted to mitigate the loss of oak woodland habitat resulting from conversion to urban or intensive agricultural land uses through tree planting. This paper models the development of blue oak (Quercus douglasii) stand structure attributes over 50 years after planting. The model uses a single tree, distance...

Newly planted street tree growth and mortality

Treesearch

David J. Nowak; Joe R. McBride; Russell A. Beatty

1990-01-01

Two-year growth and mortality rates were analyzed for 254 black locust, 199 southern magnolia and 27 London plane trees planted along a major boulevard extending from southern Berkeley through western inner-city Oakland, California. After the first two years, 34% of these newly planted trees were either dead or removed. The average annual mortality rate was 19% with no...

Does tree planting pay us back? Lessons from Sacramento, CA

Treesearch

Yekang Ko; Lara A. Roman; E. Gregory McPherson; Junhak Lee

2016-01-01

The past decade could be called a renaissance of urban forestry, driven by mayoral tree planting initiatives and increased attention on city trees as green infrastructure. The political support for urban greening has been fueled by research that quantifies and projects the ecosystem services of planting initiatives (Young and McPherson 2013). Major cities have been...

Tree planting in the United States - 1998

Treesearch

R.J. Moulton; G. Hernandez

2000-01-01

This annual report summarizes tree planting, timber stand improvement, and nursery production activities across all ownerships of forest land in the United States. It includes State-by-State and ownership breakdowns, regional totals, as well as analysis of trends in the data. It does not include tree planting in urban and community environments. As far as we know, it...

AN EXAMINATION OF CITIZEN PARTICIPATION AND PROCEDURAL FAIRNESS IN LARGE-SCALE URBAN TREE PLANTING INITIATIVES IN THE UNITED STATES

EPA Science Inventory

This project will result in a typology of the degrees and forms of citizen participation in large-scale urban tree planting initiatives. It also will identify specific aspects of urban tree planting processes that residents perceive as fair and unfair, which will provide ad...

Residential building energy conservation and avoided power plant emissions by urban and community trees in the United States

Treesearch

David J. Nowak; Nathaniel Appleton; Alexis Ellis; Eric Greenfield

2017-01-01

Urban trees and forests alter building energy use and associated emissions from power plants by shading buildings, cooling air temperatures and altering wind speeds around buildings. Field data on urban trees were combined with local urban/community tree and land cover maps, modeling of tree effects on building energy use and pollutant emissions, and state energy and...

Million trees Los Angeles canopy cover and benefit assessment

Treesearch

E.G. McPherson; J.R. Simpson; Q. Xiao; C. Wu

2011-01-01

The Million Trees LA initiative intends to improve Los Angeles’s environment through planting and stewardship of 1 million trees. The purpose of this study was to measure Los Angeles’s existing tree canopy cover (TCC), determine if space exists for 1 million additional trees, and estimate future benefits from the planting. High-resolution QuickBird remote sensing data...

Planting Trees in Designed and Built Community Landscapes - Checklists for Success

Treesearch

Mary K. Reynolds; H. Sharon Ossenbruggen

Trees create green spaces in communities. The right trees in the right places benefit you, your home, and your community now and in the future. It is essential to select living trees to create a sense of place within communities. This publication helps citizens create community green spaces. It encourages both experts and amateurs to plant and grow trees correctly, and...

Can thinning of overstory trees and planting of native tree saplings increase the establishment of native trees in exotic acacia plantations in south china?

Treesearch

SF Yuan; H Ren; N Liu; J Wang; QF Guo

2013-01-01

Assessing the effect of thinning of overstorey trees and planting of native trees will be helpful to better understand the vegetation restoration. A stand conversion experiment was conducted in a 12-year-old Acacia auriculiformis plantation in 1996. Treatments were thinning and underplanting, underplanting, thinning, and control. Results showed that...

Tree canopy types constrain plant distributions in ponderosa pine-Gambel oak forests, northern Arizona

Treesearch

Scott R. Abella

2009-01-01

Trees in many forests affect the soils and plants below their canopies. In current high-density southwestern ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests, managers have opportunities to enhance multiple ecosystem values by manipulating tree density, distribution, and canopy cover through tree thinning. I performed a study in northern Arizona ponderosa...

Wrist postures and forces in tree planters during three tree unloading conditions.

PubMed

Denbeigh, Kathleen; Slot, Tegan R; Dumas, Geneviève A

2013-01-01

The aims of this study were to investigate wrist postures and forces while operating the shovel during tree planting and to determine if different tree unloading techniques result in variations in wrist postures and forces. Experienced tree planters performed the planting task in a laboratory environment for three conditions: (1) symmetric tree unloading, and asymmetric unloading resulting in (2) right-loaded planting bags and (3) left-loaded planting bags. An optoelectric system and a shovel instrumented with strain gauges captured wrist posture and forces at the wrist, respectively. Wrist extension of up to 45° was observed, and this posture, in combination with varying degrees of wrist deviation, may be a primary risk factor for musculoskeletal pain. Average resultant forces at the wrist were moderately high (>30 N) for each unloading condition, indicating increased risk for the development of repetitive strain injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome. No significant differences in wrist posture or forces existed between unloading conditions. Wrist pain is a major musculoskeletal complaint among tree planters. This study measured wrist postures and forces at the wrist while operating the shovel during tree planting. The wrist extension observed, in combination with deviation, may be a key risk factor for musculoskeletal pain. Forces at the wrist indicate increased risk for repetitive strain injuries.

Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) seeds are dispersed by seed-caching rodents

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vander Wall, S.B.; Esque, T.; Haines, D.; Garnett, M.; Waitman, B.A.

2006-01-01

Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) is a distinctive and charismatic plant of the Mojave Desert. Although floral biology and seed production of Joshua tree and other yuccas are well understood, the fate of Joshua tree seeds has never been studied. We tested the hypothesis that Joshua tree seeds are dispersed by seed-caching rodents. We radioactively labelled Joshua tree seeds and followed their fates at five source plants in Potosi Wash, Clark County, Nevada, USA. Rodents made a mean of 30.6 caches, usually within 30 m of the base of source plants. Caches contained a mean of 5.2 seeds buried 3-30 nun deep. A variety of rodent species appears to have prepared the caches. Three of the 836 Joshua tree seeds (0.4%) cached germinated the following spring. Seed germination using rodent exclosures was nearly 15%. More than 82% of seeds in open plots were removed by granivores, and neither microsite nor supplemental water significantly affected germination. Joshua tree produces seeds in indehiscent pods or capsules, which rodents dismantle to harvest seeds. Because there is no other known means of seed dispersal, it is possible that the Joshua tree-rodent seed dispersal interaction is an obligate mutualism for the plant.

Understory vegetation as an indicator for floodplain forest restoration in the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley, U.S.A

Treesearch

Diane De Steven; Stephen P. Faulkner; Bobby D. Keeland; Michael J. Baldwin; John W. McCoy; Steven C. Hughes

2015-01-01

In the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley (MAV), complete alteration of river-floodplain hydrology allowed for widespread conversion of forested bottomlands to intensive agriculture, resulting in nearly 80% forest loss. Governmental programs have attempted to restore forest habitat and functions within this altered landscape by the methods of tree planting (...

The role of genetics in improving forest health

Treesearch

Mary F. Mahalovich

1995-01-01

An often ignored tool to improve forest health is the application of genetics-Tree improvement programs in the Inland West utilize genetic principles to develop-seed transfer guidelines to avoid the problems associated with off-site plantings and to improve characteristics in conifers related to forest health. PC-based expert systems have been developed to aid in seed...

Riparian valley oak (Quercus lobata) forest restoration on the middle Sacramento River, California

Treesearch

F. Thomas Griggs; Gregory H. Golet

2002-01-01

In 1989 The Nature Conservancy initiated a riparian horticultural restoration program on the floodplain of the middle Sacramento River, California. At nearly all restoration sites Valley oak (Quercus lobata Nee) comprised a major component of the planting design. Valley oaks are a keystone tree species of lowland floodplain habitats in California...

Breeding graft-compatible Douglas-fir rootstocks (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco).

Treesearch

D.L. Copes

1999-01-01

A study encompassing 24 years was conducted to determine if a breeding program could produce highly graft-compatible rootstocks. Twenty-seven trees of apparent high graft compatibility were selected and crossed to produce 226 control-pollinated families. Seedlings were grown, field planted, and grafted with test scions. Graft unions from field tests were evaluated...

Spatial variability of soil carbon and nitrogen in two hybrid poplar-hay crop systems in southern Quebec, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winans, K. S.

2013-12-01

Canadian agricultural operations contribute approximately 8% of national GHG emissions each year, mainly from fertilizers, enteric fermentation, and manure management (Environment Canada, 2010). With improved management of cropland and forests, it is possible to mitigate GHG emissions through carbon (C) sequestration while enhancing soil and crop productivity. Tree-based intercropped (TBI) systems, consisting of a fast-growing woody species such as poplar (Populus spp.) planted in widely-spaced rows with crops cultivated between tree rows, were one of the technologies prioritized for investigation by the Agreement for the Agricultural Greenhouse Gases Program (AAGGP), because fast growing trees can be a sink for atmospheric carbon-dioxide (CO2) as well as a long-term source of farm income (Montagnini and Nair, 2004). However, there are relatively few estimates of the C sequestration in the trees or due to tree inputs (e.g., fine root turnover, litterfall that gets incorporated into SOC), and hybrid poplars grow exponentially in the first 8-10 years after planting. With the current study, our objectives were (1) to evaluate spatial variation in soil C and nitrogen (N) storage, CO2 and nitrogen oxide (N20), and tree and crop productivity for two hybrid poplar-hay intercrop systems at year 9, comparing TBI vs. non-TBI systems, and (2) to evaluate TBI systems in the current context of C trading markets, which value C sequestration in trees, unharvested crop components, and soils of TBI systems. The study results will provide meaningful measures that indicate changes due to TBI systems in the short-term and in the long-term, in terms of GHG mitigation, enhanced soil and crop productivity, as well as the expected economic returns in TBI systems.

Use of the Fakopp TreeSonic acoustic device to estimate wood quality characteristics in loblolly pine trees planted at different densities

Treesearch

Ralph L. Amateis; Harold E. Burkhart

2015-01-01

A Fakopp TreeSonic acoustic device was used to measure time of flight (TOF) impulses through sample trees prior to felling from 27-year-old loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations established at different planting densities. After felling, the sample trees were sawn into lumber and the boards subjected to edgewise bending under 2-point loading. Bending properties...

Contrasting natural regeneration and tree planting in fourteen North American cities

Treesearch

David J. Nowak

2012-01-01

Field data from randomly located plots in 12 cities in the United States and Canada were used to estimate the proportion of the existing tree population that was planted or occurred via natural regeneration. In addition, two cities (Baltimore and Syracuse) were recently re-sampled to estimate the proportion of newly established trees that were planted. Results for the...

A highly efficient machine planting system for forestry research plantations—the Wright-MSU method

Treesearch

James R. McKenna; Oriana Rueda-Krauss; Brian Beheler

2011-01-01

For forestry research purposes, grid planting with uniform tree spacing is superior to planting with nonuniform spacing because it controls density across the plantation and facilitates accurate repeat measurements. The ability to cross-check tree positions in a grid-type plantation avoids problems associated with dead or missing trees and increases the efficiency and...

Planted and natural tree seedling survival and density in three floodplain restorations on abandoned agricultural fields

Treesearch

Allen E. Plocher

2003-01-01

In three floodplain forest restorations, established in abandoned agricultural fields in Illinois, permanent plots were sampled for 3 years to determine survivorship and density of planted tree seedlings, and species composition and density of natural regeneration. Planted tree survivorship decreased over time at all sites and after 3 years ranged from 32 to 61 percent...

Tree planting by small producers in the tropics: A comparative study of Brazil and Panama.

Treesearch

Cynthia S. Simmons; Robert T. Walker; Charles H. Wood

2002-01-01

Forest regrowth is a notable phenomenon across the tropical forest latitudes. Such reforestation takes place in the wake of land abandonment, occurs cyclically in a rotational agricultural system, and may result from the deliberate planting of trees by farmers. Although less extensive than successional forest regeneration, tree planting by small farmers can have...

Forest nursery seedling production in the United States—fiscal year 2012

Treesearch

Richard Harper; George Hernandez; Justin Arseneault; Michelle Bryntesen; Scott Enebak; Ronald Overton

2013-01-01

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service, State and Private Forestry (S&PF) began reporting tree planting in the United States in 1952 in an annual report, Tree Planting in the United States. In 2000, the report was discontinued amid growing concern over the manner in which much of the tree planting data were collected.

Tree thinning as an option to increase herbaceous yield of an encroached semi-arid savanna in South Africa

PubMed Central

Smit, Gert N

2005-01-01

Background The investigation was conducted in a savanna area covered by what was considered an undesirably dense stand of Colophospermum mopane trees, mainly because such a dense stand of trees often results in the suppression of herbaceous plants. The objectives of this study were to determine the influence of intensity of tree thinning on the dry matter yield of herbaceous plants (notably grasses) and to investigate differences in herbaceous species composition between defined subhabitats (under tree canopies, between tree canopies and where trees have been removed). Seven plots (65 × 180 m) were subjected to different intensities of tree thinning, ranging from a totally cleared plot (0 %) to plots thinned to the equivalent of 10 %, 20%, 35 %, 50% and 75 % of the leaf biomass of a control plot (100 %) with a tree density of 2711 plants ha-1. The establishment of herbaceous plants (grasses and forbs) in response to reduced competition from the woody plants was measured during three full growing seasons following the thinning treatments. Results The grass component reacted positively to the tree thinning in terms of total dry matter (DM) yield, but forbs were negatively influenced. Rainfall interacted with tree density and the differences between grass DM yields in thinned plots during years of below average rainfall were substantially higher than those of the control. At high tree densities, yields differed little between seasons of varying rainfall. The relation between grass DM yield and tree biomass was curvilinear, best described by the exponential regression equation. Subhabitat differentiation by C. mopane trees did provide some qualitative benefits, with certain desirable grass species showing a preference for the subhabitat under tree canopies. Conclusion While it can be concluded from this study that high tree densities suppress herbaceous production, the decision to clear/thin the C. mopane trees should include additional considerations. Thinning of C. mopane with the exclusive objective of increasing productivity of the grass layer would thus invariably involve a compromise situation where some trees should be left for the sake of the qualitative benefits on the herbaceous layer, soil enrichment, provision of browse and stability of the ecosystem. PMID:15921528

75 FR 20558 - Notice of Request for Extension of Approval of an Information Collection; Plum Pox Compensation

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-20

... owners of commercial stone fruit orchards and fruit tree nurseries whose trees or nursery stock were... trees or other plant material infected with PPV, nor are there any known effective preventive treatments... of infected and exposed trees and other infected plant material. The regulations in ``Subpart-Plum...

Do you believe in palm trees?

Treesearch

Kevin T. Smith

2013-01-01

Palms are real, but are they really trees? The answer depends on definitions. As usually tall, peremrial plants with roots, stems, and leaves, palms seem to qualify. Palms should also qualify because arborists care for them, and arborists care for trees, right? My introduction to botany class defined trees as plants that produce wood. Unraveling the question of whether...

Coppicing to convert small cull trees to growing stock

Treesearch

Gerald A. Walters

1972-01-01

Several tree species are now being planted in Hawaii to reforest areas on which firetree (Myrica faya Ait.)-a plant pest of little commercial value-has been killed. The potential of converting cull trees of five ofthe replacement species into growing stock trees by coppicing was evaluated. Australian toon and tropical ash showed the greatest...

Loss of functional diversity and network modularity in introduced plant–fungal symbioses

PubMed Central

Cooper, Jerry A.; Bufford, Jennifer L.; Hulme, Philip E.; Bates, Scott T.

2017-01-01

The introduction of alien plants into a new range can result in the loss of co-evolved symbiotic organisms, such as mycorrhizal fungi, that are essential for normal plant physiological functions. Prior studies of mycorrhizal associations in alien plants have tended to focus on individual plant species on a case-by-case basis. This approach limits broad scale understanding of functional shifts and changes in interaction network structure that may occur following introduction. Here we use two extensive datasets of plant–fungal interactions derived from fungal sporocarp observations and recorded plant hosts in two island archipelago nations: New Zealand (NZ) and the United Kingdom (UK). We found that the NZ dataset shows a lower functional diversity of fungal hyphal foraging strategies in mycorrhiza of alien when compared with native trees. Across species this resulted in fungal foraging strategies associated with alien trees being much more variable in functional composition compared with native trees, which had a strikingly similar functional composition. The UK data showed no functional difference in fungal associates of alien and native plant genera. Notwithstanding this, both the NZ and UK data showed a substantial difference in interaction network structure of alien trees compared with native trees. In both cases, fungal associates of native trees showed strong modularity, while fungal associates of alien trees generally integrated into a single large module. The results suggest a lower functional diversity (in one dataset) and a simplification of network structure (in both) as a result of introduction, potentially driven by either limited symbiont co-introductions or disruption of habitat as a driver of specificity due to nursery conditions, planting, or plant edaphic-niche expansion. Recognizing these shifts in function and network structure has important implications for plant invasions and facilitation of secondary invasions via shared mutualist populations. PMID:28039116

Automated Mobile System for Accurate Outdoor Tree Crop Enumeration Using an Uncalibrated Camera.

PubMed

Nguyen, Thuy Tuong; Slaughter, David C; Hanson, Bradley D; Barber, Andrew; Freitas, Amy; Robles, Daniel; Whelan, Erin

2015-07-28

This paper demonstrates an automated computer vision system for outdoor tree crop enumeration in a seedling nursery. The complete system incorporates both hardware components (including an embedded microcontroller, an odometry encoder, and an uncalibrated digital color camera) and software algorithms (including microcontroller algorithms and the proposed algorithm for tree crop enumeration) required to obtain robust performance in a natural outdoor environment. The enumeration system uses a three-step image analysis process based upon: (1) an orthographic plant projection method integrating a perspective transform with automatic parameter estimation; (2) a plant counting method based on projection histograms; and (3) a double-counting avoidance method based on a homography transform. Experimental results demonstrate the ability to count large numbers of plants automatically with no human effort. Results show that, for tree seedlings having a height up to 40 cm and a within-row tree spacing of approximately 10 cm, the algorithms successfully estimated the number of plants with an average accuracy of 95.2% for trees within a single image and 98% for counting of the whole plant population in a large sequence of images.

Automated Mobile System for Accurate Outdoor Tree Crop Enumeration Using an Uncalibrated Camera

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Thuy Tuong; Slaughter, David C.; Hanson, Bradley D.; Barber, Andrew; Freitas, Amy; Robles, Daniel; Whelan, Erin

2015-01-01

This paper demonstrates an automated computer vision system for outdoor tree crop enumeration in a seedling nursery. The complete system incorporates both hardware components (including an embedded microcontroller, an odometry encoder, and an uncalibrated digital color camera) and software algorithms (including microcontroller algorithms and the proposed algorithm for tree crop enumeration) required to obtain robust performance in a natural outdoor environment. The enumeration system uses a three-step image analysis process based upon: (1) an orthographic plant projection method integrating a perspective transform with automatic parameter estimation; (2) a plant counting method based on projection histograms; and (3) a double-counting avoidance method based on a homography transform. Experimental results demonstrate the ability to count large numbers of plants automatically with no human effort. Results show that, for tree seedlings having a height up to 40 cm and a within-row tree spacing of approximately 10 cm, the algorithms successfully estimated the number of plants with an average accuracy of 95.2% for trees within a single image and 98% for counting of the whole plant population in a large sequence of images. PMID:26225982

98. Catalog HHistory 1, C.C.C., 19 Tree Planting, Negative No. ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

98. Catalog H-History 1, C.C.C., 19 Tree Planting, Negative No. P 474c (Photographer and date unknown) TRANSPLANTING TREE. - Skyline Drive, From Front Royal, VA to Rockfish Gap, VA , Luray, Page County, VA

Strategies for reforestation under uncertain future climates: guidelines for Alberta, Canada.

PubMed

Gray, Laura K; Hamann, Andreas

2011-01-01

Commercial forestry programs normally use locally collected seed for reforestation under the assumption that tree populations are optimally adapted to local environments. However, in western Canada this assumption is no longer valid because of climate trends that have occurred over the last several decades. The objective of this study is to show how we can arrive at reforestation recommendations with alternative species and genotypes that are viable under a majority of climate change scenarios. In a case study for commercially important tree species of Alberta, we use an ecosystem-based bioclimate envelope modeling approach for western North America to project habitat for locally adapted populations of tree species using multi-model climate projections for the 2020s, 2050s and 2080s. We find that genotypes of species that are adapted to drier climatic conditions will be the preferred planting stock over much of the boreal forest that is commercially managed. Interestingly, no alternative species that are currently not present in Alberta can be recommended with any confidence. Finally, we observe large uncertainties in projections of suitable habitat that make reforestation planning beyond the 2050s difficult for most species. More than 50,000 hectares of forests are commercially planted every year in Alberta. Choosing alternative planting stock, suitable for expected future climates, could therefore offer an effective climate change adaptation strategy at little additional cost. Habitat projections for locally adapted tree populations under observed climate change conform well to projections for the 2020s, which suggests that it is a safe strategy to change current reforestation practices and adapt to new climatic realities through assisted migration prescriptions.

β-caryophyllene emitted from a transgenic Arabidopsis or chemical dispenser repels Diaphorina citri, vector of Candidatus Liberibacters.

PubMed

Alquézar, Berta; Volpe, Haroldo Xavier Linhares; Magnani, Rodrigo Facchini; de Miranda, Marcelo Pedreira; Santos, Mateus Almeida; Wulff, Nelson Arno; Bento, Jose Mauricio Simões; Parra, José Roberto Postali; Bouwmeester, Harro; Peña, Leandro

2017-07-17

Production of citrus, the main fruit tree crop worldwide, is severely threatened by Huanglongbing (HLB), for which as yet a cure is not available. Spread of this bacterial disease in America and Asia is intimately connected with dispersal and feeding of the insect vector Diaphorina citri, oligophagous on rutaceous host plants. Effective control of this psyllid is an important component in successful HLB management programs. Volatiles released from the non-host guava have been shown to be repellent to the psyllid and to inhibit its response to citrus odour. By analysing VOC emission from guava we identified one volatile compound, (E)-β-caryophyllene, which at certain doses exerts a repellent effect on D. citri. Non-host plant rejection mediated by (E)-β-caryophyllene is demonstrated here by using Arabidopsis over-expression and knock-out lines. For the first time, results indicate that genetically engineered Arabidopsis plants with modified emission of VOCs can alter the behaviour of D. citri. This study shows that transgenic plants with an inherent ability to release (E)-β-caryophyllene can potentially be used in new protection strategies of citrus trees against HLB.

Mechanized Red Pine Tree Planting Operation -- A Time Study

Treesearch

Joseph B. Sturos; Edwin S. Miyata

1984-01-01

Projected softwood shortages and high costs of mechanized tree planting indicate that more efficient planting equipment and systems are needed. This paper presents cost and productivity data for mechanically planting red pine seelings on a site previously occupied by hardwoods in northern Wisconsin

The Impact of Reconstruction Methods, Phylogenetic Uncertainty and Branch Lengths on Inference of Chromosome Number Evolution in American Daisies (Melampodium, Asteraceae)

PubMed Central

McCann, Jamie; Stuessy, Tod F.; Villaseñor, Jose L.; Weiss-Schneeweiss, Hanna

2016-01-01

Chromosome number change (polyploidy and dysploidy) plays an important role in plant diversification and speciation. Investigating chromosome number evolution commonly entails ancestral state reconstruction performed within a phylogenetic framework, which is, however, prone to uncertainty, whose effects on evolutionary inferences are insufficiently understood. Using the chromosomally diverse plant genus Melampodium (Asteraceae) as model group, we assess the impact of reconstruction method (maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, Bayesian methods), branch length model (phylograms versus chronograms) and phylogenetic uncertainty (topological and branch length uncertainty) on the inference of chromosome number evolution. We also address the suitability of the maximum clade credibility (MCC) tree as single representative topology for chromosome number reconstruction. Each of the listed factors causes considerable incongruence among chromosome number reconstructions. Discrepancies between inferences on the MCC tree from those made by integrating over a set of trees are moderate for ancestral chromosome numbers, but severe for the difference of chromosome gains and losses, a measure of the directionality of dysploidy. Therefore, reliance on single trees, such as the MCC tree, is strongly discouraged and model averaging, taking both phylogenetic and model uncertainty into account, is recommended. For studying chromosome number evolution, dedicated models implemented in the program ChromEvol and ordered maximum parsimony may be most appropriate. Chromosome number evolution in Melampodium follows a pattern of bidirectional dysploidy (starting from x = 11 to x = 9 and x = 14, respectively) with no prevailing direction. PMID:27611687

The Impact of Reconstruction Methods, Phylogenetic Uncertainty and Branch Lengths on Inference of Chromosome Number Evolution in American Daisies (Melampodium, Asteraceae).

PubMed

McCann, Jamie; Schneeweiss, Gerald M; Stuessy, Tod F; Villaseñor, Jose L; Weiss-Schneeweiss, Hanna

2016-01-01

Chromosome number change (polyploidy and dysploidy) plays an important role in plant diversification and speciation. Investigating chromosome number evolution commonly entails ancestral state reconstruction performed within a phylogenetic framework, which is, however, prone to uncertainty, whose effects on evolutionary inferences are insufficiently understood. Using the chromosomally diverse plant genus Melampodium (Asteraceae) as model group, we assess the impact of reconstruction method (maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, Bayesian methods), branch length model (phylograms versus chronograms) and phylogenetic uncertainty (topological and branch length uncertainty) on the inference of chromosome number evolution. We also address the suitability of the maximum clade credibility (MCC) tree as single representative topology for chromosome number reconstruction. Each of the listed factors causes considerable incongruence among chromosome number reconstructions. Discrepancies between inferences on the MCC tree from those made by integrating over a set of trees are moderate for ancestral chromosome numbers, but severe for the difference of chromosome gains and losses, a measure of the directionality of dysploidy. Therefore, reliance on single trees, such as the MCC tree, is strongly discouraged and model averaging, taking both phylogenetic and model uncertainty into account, is recommended. For studying chromosome number evolution, dedicated models implemented in the program ChromEvol and ordered maximum parsimony may be most appropriate. Chromosome number evolution in Melampodium follows a pattern of bidirectional dysploidy (starting from x = 11 to x = 9 and x = 14, respectively) with no prevailing direction.

Biochemical analysis of 'kerosene tree' Hymenaea courbaril L. under heat stress.

PubMed

Gupta, Dinesh; Eldakak, Moustafa; Rohila, Jai S; Basu, Chhandak

2014-01-01

Hymenaea courbaril or jatoba is a tropical tree known for its medically important secondary metabolites production. Considering climate change, the goal of this study was to investigate differential expression of proteins and lipids produced by this tree under heat stress conditions. Total lipid was extracted from heat stressed plant leaves and various sesquiterpenes produced by the tree under heat stress were identified. Gas chromatographic and mass spectrometric analysis were used to study lipid and volatile compounds produced by the plant. Several volatiles, isoprene, 2-methyl butanenitrile, β ocimene and a numbers of sesquiterpenes differentially produced by the plant under heat stress were identified. We propose these compounds were produced by the tree to cope up with heat stress. A protein gel electrophoresis (2-D DIGE) was performed to study differential expression of proteins in heat stressed plants. Several proteins were found to be expressed many folds different in heat stressed plants compared to the control. These proteins included heat shock proteins, histone proteins, oxygen evolving complex, and photosynthetic proteins, which, we believe, played key roles in imparting thermotolerance in Hymenaea tree. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of extensive molecular physiological study of Hymenaea trees under heat stress. This work will open avenues of further research on effects of heat stress in Hymenaea and the findings can be applied to understand how global warming can affect physiology of other plants.

Resource-use efficiencies of three indigenous tree species planted in resource islands created by shrubs: implications for reforestation of subtropical degraded shrublands

Treesearch

Nan Liu; Qinfeng Guo

2012-01-01

Shrub resource islands are characterized by resources accumulated shrubby areas surrounded by relative barren soils. This research aims to determine resource-use efficiency of native trees species planted on shrub resource islands, and to determine how the planted trees may influence the resource islands in degraded shrublands in South China. Shrub (Rhodomyrtus...

The marginal cost of carbon abatement from planting street trees in New York City

Treesearch

Kent F. Kovacs; Robert G. Haight; Suhyun Jung; Dexter H. Locke; Jarlath O' Neil-Dunne

2013-01-01

Urban trees can store carbon through the growth process and reduce fossil fuel use by lowering cooling and heating energy consumption of buildings through the process of transpiration, shading, and the blocking of wind. However, the planting and maintenance of urban trees come at a cost. We estimate the discounted cost of net carbon reductions associated with planting...

Aerodynamic effects of trees on pollutant concentration in street canyons.

PubMed

Buccolieri, Riccardo; Gromke, Christof; Di Sabatino, Silvana; Ruck, Bodo

2009-09-15

This paper deals with aerodynamic effects of avenue-like tree planting on flow and traffic-originated pollutant dispersion in urban street canyons by means of wind tunnel experiments and numerical simulations. Several parameters affecting pedestrian level concentration are investigated, namely plant morphology, positioning and arrangement. We extend our previous work in this novel aspect of research to new configurations which comprise tree planting of different crown porosity and stand density, planted in two rows within a canyon of street width to building height ratio W/H=2 with perpendicular approaching wind. Sulfur hexafluoride was used as tracer gas to model the traffic emissions. Complementary to wind tunnel experiments, 3D numerical simulations were performed with the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code FLUENT using a Reynolds Stress turbulence closure for flow and the advection-diffusion method for concentration calculations. In the presence of trees, both measurements and simulations showed considerable larger pollutant concentrations near the leeward wall and slightly lower concentrations near the windward wall in comparison with the tree-less case. Tree stand density and crown porosity were found to be of minor importance in affecting pollutant concentration. On the other hand, the analysis indicated that W/H is a more crucial parameter. The larger the value of W/H the smaller is the effect of trees on pedestrian level concentration regardless of tree morphology and arrangement. A preliminary analysis of approaching flow velocities showed that at low wind speed the effect of trees on concentrations is worst than at higher speed. The investigations carried out in this work allowed us to set up an appropriate CFD modelling methodology for the study of the aerodynamic effects of tree planting in street canyons. The results obtained can be used by city planners for the design of tree planting in the urban environment with regard to air quality issues.

Behavioral Evidence for Host Transitions in Plant, Plant Parasite, and Insect Interactions.

PubMed

Halbritter, Dale A; Willett, Denis S; Gordon, Johnalyn M; Stelinski, Lukasz L; Daniels, Jaret C

2018-06-06

Specialized herbivorous insects have the ability to transition between host plant taxa, and considering the co-evolutionary history between plants and the organisms utilizing them is important to understanding plant insect interactions. We investigated the role of a pine tree parasite, dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium spp.) M. Bieb. Santalales: Viscaceae, in mediating interactions between Neophasia (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) butterflies and pine trees, the butterflies' larval hosts. Mistletoe is considered the butterflies' ancestral host, and the evolutionary transition to pine may have occurred recently. In Arizona, United States, we studied six sites in pine forest habitats: three in Neophasia menapia (Felder and R. Felder, 1859) habitat and three in Neophasia terlooii Behr, 1869 habitat. Each site contained six stands of trees that varied in mistletoe infection severity. Butterfly behavior was observed and ranked at each stand. Volatile compounds were collected from trees at each site and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. Female butterflies landed on or patrolled around pine trees (i.e., interacted) more than males, and N. terlooii interacted more with pine trees than N. menapia. Both butterfly species interacted more with tree stands harboring greater mistletoe infection, and N. terlooii interacted more with heavily infected tree stands than did N. menapia. The influence of mistletoe on Neophasia behavior may be mediated by differences in tree volatiles resulting from mistletoe infection. Volatile profiles significantly differed between infected and uninfected pine trees. The role of mistletoe in mediating butterfly interactions with pines has implications for conservation biology and forest management, and highlights the importance of understanding an organism's niche in an evolutionary context.

Tree Planting - Forests Made by Hand

Treesearch

Jim Barnett

1999-01-01

The typical tree-planting scene hasn't changed much in 50 years. Workers armed with tree bags on their backs and hoedads or dibbles will line up on a frosy morning to begin the process of putting seedlings in the ground one by one.

Establishing oaks in Big River floodplains

Treesearch

Dan Dey; John Kabrick; Michael Gold

2003-01-01

Successful tree establishment is fundamental to implementing agroforestry practices, reforesting bottomland cropfields or regenerating green-tree reservoirs. Planting trees can be problematic in floodplains and riparian areas because of intense competition from herbaceous and woody plants, animal herbivory and browsing, and flooding and saturated soils.

Variation in woody plant mortality and dieback from severe drought among soils, plant groups, and species within a northern Arizona ecotone.

PubMed

Koepke, Dan F; Kolb, Thomas E; Adams, Henry D

2010-08-01

Vegetation change from drought-induced mortality can alter ecosystem community structure, biodiversity, and services. Although drought-induced mortality of woody plants has increased globally with recent warming, influences of soil type, tree and shrub groups, and species are poorly understood. Following the severe 2002 drought in northern Arizona, we surveyed woody plant mortality and canopy dieback of live trees and shrubs at the forest-woodland ecotone on soils derived from three soil parent materials (cinder, flow basalt, sedimentary) that differed in texture and rockiness. Our first of three major findings was that soil parent material had little effect on mortality of both trees and shrubs, yet canopy dieback of trees was influenced by parent material; dieback was highest on the cinder for pinyon pine (Pinus edulis) and one-seed juniper (Juniperus monosperma). Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) dieback was not sensitive to parent material. Second, shrubs had similar mortality, but greater canopy dieback, than trees. Third, pinyon and ponderosa pines had greater mortality than juniper, yet juniper had greater dieback, reflecting different hydraulic characteristics among these tree species. Our results show that impacts of severe drought on woody plants differed among tree species and tree and shrub groups, and such impacts were widespread over different soils in the southwestern U.S. Increasing frequency of severe drought with climate warming will likely cause similar mortality to trees and shrubs over major soil types at the forest-woodland ecotone in this region, but due to greater mortality of other tree species, tree cover will shift from a mixture of species to dominance by junipers and shrubs. Surviving junipers and shrubs will also likely have diminished leaf area due to canopy dieback.

Genetic engineering of woody plants: current and future targets in a stressful environment.

PubMed

Osakabe, Yuriko; Kajita, Shinya; Osakabe, Keishi

2011-06-01

Abiotic stress is a major factor in limiting plant growth and productivity. Environmental degradation, such as drought and salinity stresses, will become more severe and widespread in the world. To overcome severe environmental stress, plant biotechnologies, such as genetic engineering in woody plants, need to be implemented. The adaptation of plants to environmental stress is controlled by cascades of molecular networks including cross-talk with other stress signaling mechanisms. The present review focuses on recent studies concerning genetic engineering in woody plants for the improvement of the abiotic stress responses. Furthermore, it highlights the recent advances in the understanding of molecular responses to stress. The review also summarizes the basis of a molecular mechanism for cell wall biosynthesis and the plant hormone responses to regulate tree growth and biomass in woody plants. This would facilitate better understanding of the control programs of biomass production under stressful conditions. Copyright © Physiologia Plantarum 2011.

Small clusters of fast-growing trees enhance forest structure on restored bottomland sites

USGS Publications Warehouse

Twedt, D.J.

2006-01-01

Despite the diversity of trees in bottomland forests, restoration on bottomland sites is often initiated by planting only a few species of slow-growing, hard mast?producing trees. Although successful at establishing trees, these young forests are slow to develop vertical structure, which is a key predictor of forest bird colonization. Furthermore, when natural seed sources are few, restored sites may be depauperate in woody species. To increase richness of woody species, maximum tree height, and total stem density, I supplemented traditional plantings on each of 40 bottomland restoration sites by planting 96 Eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) and American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) in eight clusters of 12 trees. First year survival of cottonwood stem cuttings (25%) and sycamore seedlings (47%) was poor, but survival increased when afforded protection from competition with weeds. After five growing seasons, 165 of these 320 supplemental tree clusters had at least one surviving tree. Vegetation surrounding surviving clusters of supplemental trees harbored a greater number of woody species, increased stem density, and greater maximum tree height than was found on paired restoration sites without supplemental trees. These increases were primarily accounted for by the supplemental trees.

Shillapoo Wildlife Area, Annual Report 2007-2008.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Calkins, Brian

This report summarizes accomplishments, challenges and successes on WDFW's Shillapoo Wildlife Area funded under Bonneville Power Administration's (BPA) Wildlife Mitigation Program (BPA project No.2003-012-00) during the Fiscal Year 08 contract period October 1, 2007-September 30, 2008. The information presented here is intended to supplement that contained in BPA's PISCES contract development and reporting system. The organization below is by broad categories of work but references are made to individual work elements in the PISCES Statement of Work as appropriate. Significant progress was realized in almost all major work types. Of particular note was progress made in tree plantings and pasturemore » rehabilitation efforts. This year's tree planting effort included five sites detailed below and in terms of the number of plants was certainly the largest effort on the wildlife area to date in one season. The planting itself took a significant amount of time, which was anticipated. However, installation of mats and tubes took much longer than expected which impacted planned fence projects in particular. Survival of the plantings appears to be good. Improvement to the quality of waterfowl pasture habitats is evident on a number of sites due to replanting and weed control efforts. Continuing long-term weed control efforts will be key in improving this particular type of habitat. A prolonged cold, wet spring and a number of equipment breakdowns presented stumbling blocks that impacted schedules and ultimately progress on planned activities. The unusual spring weather delayed fieldwork on pasture planting projects as well as weed control and slowed the process of maintaining trees and shrubs. This time lag also caused the continued deferral of some of our fencing projects. The large brush hog mower had the driveline break twice and the smaller tractor had an engine failure that caused it to be down for over a month. We have modified our budget plan for next year to include a temporary employee that will work primarily on tree maintenance and fencing projects to make sure that we make progress in these areas and we will be investigating whether a heavier duty driveline can be obtained for the mower.« less

Has anyone noticed that trees are not being planted any longer?

Treesearch

Walter D. Smith

1980-01-01

Trees provided the coal surface mining industry with a means of restoring the land's productivity at a minimum expense. Trees may still be included in the reclamation plan but tree planting in Ohio was drastically reduced by the 1972 Ohio Surface Mining and Reclamation Law. The basic reasons are categorized as technical, social and economic. The revegetation phase...

A Multipurpose Tree for Puerto Rico

Treesearch

Martin Chudnoff; C. B. Briscoe

1965-01-01

Cadam (Anthocaephalus cadamba Miq.) grows very rapidly on a wide variety of sited in Puerto Rico. Tree form is excellent, seed is produced in abundance every year by mature trees, planting is easy and cheap, and relatively little care is required after planting. No important attacks of insects of disease have occurred on trees grown in Puerto Rico for 35 years. The...

Urban Watershed Forestry Manual Part 2 Conserving and Planting Trees at Development Sites

Treesearch

Karen Cappiella; Tom Schueler; Tiffany Wright

2006-01-01

This manual is the second in a three-part series on using trees to protect and restore urban watersheds. A brief description of each part follows. Part 2. Conserving and Planting Trees at Development Sites presents specific ways to enable developers, engineers, or landscape architects to incorporate more trees into a development site. The proposed approach focuses...

Revegetating surface-mined lands with herbaceous and woody species together

Treesearch

Willis G. Vogel

1980-01-01

Herbaceous cover is required for erosion control on surface-mined lands even where forests are to be established. Where planted with trees, herbaceous species usually cause an increase in tree seedling mortality and retard tree growth, especially in the first few years after planting. Trees seem to be affected most by competition for moisture because their survival is...

[Emergy analysis on different planting patterns of typical watersheds in Loess Plateau.

PubMed

Deng, Jian; Zhao, Fa Zhu; Han, Xin Hui; Feng, Yong Zhong; Yang, Gai He

2016-05-01

To objectively evaluate and compare the stability and sustainability of different planting patterns of typical watersheds in Loess Plateau of China after the Grain for Green Project, this paper used the emergy analysis method to quantify the emergy inputs and outputs of three watersheds with different planting patterns, i.e., both grains and fruit trees (Gaoxigou watershed), mainly grains (Wuliwan watershed) and mainly fruit trees (Miaozuigou watershed). In addition, an emergy analysis system was established to evaluate the suitability of the three patterns from the perspectives of natural resources pressure as well as social and economic development levels. More than 75% of the total emergy inputs of all the three watersheds were purchased, and nonrenewable emergy inputs had a much larger contribution than renewable emergy inputs, indicating the characteristic of low emergy self-sufficient ratio and considerable high environmental loading ratio. The pattern of planting grains had high emergy inputs but low emergy outputs, while the patterns of planting fruit trees and planting both had high emergy inputs and outputs. The energy densities of all three patterns reached two times of the average of agricultural systems in China. Especially, the net emergy of planting grains pattern was the lowest while that of planting both grains and fruit trees was the highest. The environmental sustainability index (ESI) of planting grains pattern was less than 1 and both emergy and ESI were much lower than national averages. The ESI of planting both grains and fruit trees pattern was the highest. In summary, comparison of the three patterns showed that planting both grains and fruit trees had better sustainability and high stability and the emergy production efficiency was high. Thus, it was suggested to change the agricultural development from watershed based units to multi-industry integrated mode.

Oak Tree Canker Disease Supports Arthropod Diversity in a Natural Ecosystem

PubMed Central

Lee, Yong-Bok; An, Su Jung; Park, Chung Gyoo; Kim, Jinwoo; Han, Sangjo; Kwak, Youn-Sig

2014-01-01

Microorganisms have many roles in nature. They may act as decomposers that obtain nutrients from dead materials, while some are pathogens that cause diseases in animals, insects, and plants. Some are symbionts that enhance plant growth, such as arbuscular mycorrhizae and nitrogen fixation bacteria. However, roles of plant pathogens and diseases in natural ecosystems are still poorly understood. Thus, the current study addressed this deficiency by investigating possible roles of plant diseases in natural ecosystems, particularly, their positive effects on arthropod diversity. In this study, the model system was the oak tree (Quercus spp.) and the canker disease caused by Annulohypoxylon truncatum, and its effects on arthropod diversity. The oak tree site contained 44 oak trees; 31 had canker disease symptoms while 13 were disease-free. A total of 370 individual arthropods were detected at the site during the survey period. The arthropods belonged to 25 species, 17 families, and seven orders. Interestingly, the cankered trees had significantly higher biodiversity and richness compared with the canker-free trees. This study clearly demonstrated that arthropod diversity was supported by the oak tree canker disease. PMID:25288984

Comparison of trees and grasses for rhizoremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons.

PubMed

Cook, Rachel L; Hesterberg, Dean

2013-01-01

Rhizoremediation of petroleum contaminants is a phytoremediation process that depends on interactions among plants, microbes, and soils. Trees and grasses are commonly used for phytoremediation, with trees typically being chosen for remediation of BTEX while grasses are more commonly used for remediation of PAHs and total petroleum hydrocarbons. The objective of this review was to compare the effectiveness of trees and grasses for rhizoremediation of hydrocarbons and address the advantages of each vegetation type. Grasses were more heavily represented in the literature and therefore demonstrated a wider range of effectiveness. However, the greater biomass and depth of tree roots may have greater potential for promoting environmental conditions that can improve rhizoremediation, such as increased metabolizable organic carbon, oxygen, and water. Overall, we found little difference between grasses and trees with respect to average reduction of hydrocarbons for studies that compared planted treatments with a control. Additional detailed investigations into plant attributes that most influence hydrocarbon degradation rates should provide data needed to determine the potential for rhizoremediation with trees or grasses for a given site and identify which plant characteristics are most important.

Identification of Ganoderma Disease Resistance Loci Using Natural Field Infection of an Oil Palm Multiparental Population

PubMed Central

Tisné, Sébastien; Pomiès, Virginie; Riou, Virginie; Syahputra, Indra; Cochard, Benoît; Denis, Marie

2017-01-01

Multi-parental populations are promising tools for identifying quantitative disease resistance loci. Stem rot caused by Ganoderma boninense is a major threat to palm oil production, with yield losses of up to 80% prompting premature replantation of palms. There is evidence of genetic resistance sources, but the genetic architecture of Ganoderma resistance has not yet been investigated. This study aimed to identify Ganoderma resistance loci using an oil palm multi-parental population derived from nine major founders of ongoing breeding programs. A total of 1200 palm trees of the multi-parental population was planted in plots naturally infected by Ganoderma, and their health status was assessed biannually over 25 yr. The data were treated as survival data, and modeled using the Cox regression model, including a spatial effect to take the spatial component in the spread of Ganoderma into account. Based on the genotypes of 757 palm trees out of the 1200 planted, and on pedigree information, resistance loci were identified using a random effect with identity-by-descent kinship matrices as covariance matrices in the Cox model. Four Ganoderma resistance loci were identified, two controlling the occurrence of the first Ganoderma symptoms, and two the death of palm trees, while favorable haplotypes were identified among a major gene pool for ongoing breeding programs. This study implemented an efficient and flexible QTL mapping approach, and generated unique valuable information for the selection of oil palm varieties resistant to Ganoderma disease. PMID:28592650

Pollution mitigation and carbon sequestration by an urban forest.

PubMed

Brack, C L

2002-01-01

At the beginning of the 1900s, the Canberra plain was largely treeless. Graziers had carried out extensive clearing of the original trees since the 1820s leaving only scattered remnants and some plantings near homesteads. With the selection of Canberra as the site for the new capital of Australia, extensive tree plantings began in 1911. These trees have delivered a number of benefits, including aesthetic values and the amelioration of climatic extremes. Recently, however, it was considered that the benefits might extend to pollution mitigation and the sequestration of carbon. This paper outlines a case study of the value of the Canberra urban forest with particular reference to pollution mitigation. This study uses a tree inventory, modelling and decision support system developed to collect and use data about trees for tree asset management. The decision support system (DISMUT) was developed to assist in the management of about 400,000 trees planted in Canberra. The size of trees during the 5-year Kyoto Commitment Period was estimated using DISMUT and multiplied by estimates of value per square meter of canopy derived from available literature. The planted trees are estimated to have a combined energy reduction, pollution mitigation and carbon sequestration value of US$20-67 million during the period 2008-2012.

Tree cover at fine and coarse spatial grains interacts with shade tolerance to shape plant species distributions across the Alps

PubMed Central

Nieto-Lugilde, Diego; Lenoir, Jonathan; Abdulhak, Sylvain; Aeschimann, David; Dullinger, Stefan; Gégout, Jean-Claude; Guisan, Antoine; Pauli, Harald; Renaud, Julien; Theurillat, Jean-Paul; Thuiller, Wilfried; Van Es, Jérémie; Vittoz, Pascal; Willner, Wolfgang; Wohlgemuth, Thomas; Zimmermann, Niklaus E.; Svenning, Jens-Christian

2015-01-01

The role of competition for light among plants has long been recognised at local scales, but its importance for plant species distributions at larger spatial scales has generally been ignored. Tree cover modifies the local abiotic conditions below the canopy, notably by reducing light availability, and thus, also the performance of species that are not adapted to low-light conditions. However, this local effect may propagate to coarser spatial grains, by affecting colonisation probabilities and local extinction risks of herbs and shrubs. To assess the effect of tree cover at both the plot- and landscape-grain sizes (approximately 10-m and 1-km), we fit Generalised Linear Models (GLMs) for the plot-level distributions of 960 species of herbs and shrubs using 6,935 vegetation plots across the European Alps. We ran four models with different combinations of variables (climate, soil and tree cover) at both spatial grains for each species. We used partial regressions to evaluate the independent effects of plot- and landscape-grain tree cover on plot-level plant communities. Finally, the effects on species-specific elevational range limits were assessed by simulating a removal experiment comparing the species distributions under high and low tree cover. Accounting for tree cover improved the model performance, with the probability of the presence of shade-tolerant species increasing with increasing tree cover, whereas shade-intolerant species showed the opposite pattern. The tree cover effect occurred consistently at both the plot and landscape spatial grains, albeit most strongly at the former. Importantly, tree cover at the two grain sizes had partially independent effects on plot-level plant communities. With high tree cover, shade-intolerant species exhibited narrower elevational ranges than with low tree cover whereas shade-tolerant species showed wider elevational ranges at both limits. These findings suggest that forecasts of climate-related range shifts for herb and shrub species may be modified by tree cover dynamics. PMID:26290621

The history of mercury pollution near the Spolana chlor-alkali plant (Neratovice, Czech Republic) as recorded by Scots pine tree rings and other bioindicators

USGS Publications Warehouse

Navrátil, Tomáš; Šimeček, Martin; Shanley, James B.; Rohovec, Jan; Hojdová, Maria; Houška, Jakub

2017-01-01

We assessed > 100 years of mercury (Hg) pollution recorded in the tree rings of Scots Pine near a Czech chlor-alkali plant operating since 1941. Hg concentrations in tree rings increased with the launching of plant operations and decreased when Hg emissions decreased in 1975 due to an upgrade in production technology. Similar to traditional bioindicators of pollution such as pine needles, bark and forest floor humus, Hg concentrations in Scots Pine boles decreased with distance from the plant. Mean Hg in pine bole in the 1940s ranged from 32.5 μg/kg Hg at a distance of 0.5 km from the plant to 5.4 μg/kg at a distance of > 4.7 km, where tree ring Hg was the same as at a reference site, and other bioindicators also suggest that the effect of the plant was no longer discernible. Tree ring Hg concentrations decreased by 8–29 μg/kg since the 1940s at all study sites including the reference site. The lack of exact correspondence between changes at the plant and tree ring Hg indicated some smearing of the signal due to lateral translocation of Hg from sapwood to heartwood. Bole Hg concentrations reflected local and regional atmospheric Hg concentrations, and not Hg wet deposition.

Emerald ash borer aftermath forests: The dynamics of ash mortality and the responses of other plant species

Treesearch

Kathleen S. Knight; Daniel A. Herms; John Cardina; Robert Long; Joanne Rebbeck; Kamal J.K. Gandhi; Annemarie Smith; Wendy S. Klooster; Catherine P. Herms; Alejandro A. Royo

2010-01-01

The effects of emerald ash borer (EAB) (Agrilus planipennis) on forest ecosystems are being studied through a collaborative research program involving the U.S. Forest Service's Northern Research Station and The Ohio State University. We are monitoring the decline and mortality of >4,500 ash trees and saplings, EAB population density, changes...

Common families across test series—how many do we need?

Treesearch

G.R. Johnson

2004-01-01

In order to compare families that are planted on different sites, many forest tree breeding programs include common families in their different series of trials. Computer simulation was used to examine how many common families were needed in each series of progeny trials in order to reliably compare families across series. Average gain and its associated variation...

Towner State Nursery weed control program for field-grown conifer nursery stock

Treesearch

Roy LaFramboise

2002-01-01

The Towner State Nursery is owned and operated by the North Dakota Forest Service. The nursery is 160 acres in size and is located in north-central North Dakota. The Towner Nursery specializes in the production of conifer seedlings, transplants, and greenhouse-grown container stock for conservation tree plantings. Transplants constitute 80% of the stock produced. The...

Opportunities for woody crop production using treated wastewater in Egypt

Treesearch

S.R. Evett; R.S.  Zalesny; N.F.  Kandil; John Stanturf; C.  Soriano

2011-01-01

An Egyptian national program targets annual reuse of 2.4 billion m3 of treated wastewater (TWW) to irrigate 84,000 ha of manmade forests in areas close to treatment plants and in the desert. To evaluate the feasibility of such afforestation efforts, we describe information about TWW irrigation strategies based on (1) water use of different tree species, (2) weather...

Opportunities for woody crop production using treated wastewater in Egypt. II. Irrigation strategies

Treesearch

Steven R. Evett; Ronald S. Zalesny Jr.; Nabil F. Kandil; John A. Stanturf; Christopher Soriano

2011-01-01

An Egyptian national program targets annual reuse of 2.4 billion m3 of treated wastewater (TWW) to irrigate 84,000 ha of manmade forests in areas close to treatment plants and in the desert. To evaluate the feasibility of such afforestation efforts, we describe information about TWW irrigation strategies based on (1) water use of different tree...

Yield tables for managed stands of coast Douglas-fir.

Treesearch

Robert O. Curtis; Gary W. Clendenen; Donald L. Reukema; Donald J. DeMars

1982-01-01

Yield tables generated by the stand simulation program DFSIM (Douglas-Fir SIMulator) are presented for a number of possible management regimes. These include a “normal” yield table; tables for stands planted or precommercially thinned to 300 and 400 trees per acre; tables for commercially thinned stands with and without prior commercial thinning; and tables...

CosmoBon, tree research team, for studying utilization of woody plant in space environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomita-Yokotani, Kaori; Yamashita, Masamichi; Hashimoto, Hirofumi; Sato, Seigo; Baba, Keiichi; Chida, Yukari

2012-07-01

We are proposing to raise woody plants in space for several applications and plant science, as Tree research team, TRT. Trees produce excess oxygen, wooden materials for living cabin, and provide biomass for cultivating mushroom and insect as for the space agriculture. Excellent tree shapes which would be deeply related to wood formation improve quality of life under stressful environment in outer space. We have the serious problem about their size. Bonsai is one of the Japanese traditional arts. We have been investigating the tension wood formation under exotic gravitational environment using Bonsai. CosmoBon is the small tree Bonsai for our space experiment. The tension wood formation in CosmoBon was confirmed as the same as that in the natural trees. Our goal is to examine feasibility to grow various species of trees in space as bioresource for space agriculture.

Evaluation of a mechanized tree-planting operation.

Treesearch

Michael A. Thompson

1984-01-01

A continuous-furrow, bareroot-stock, mechanical planter was used to plant red pine tree seedlings on five sites in northern Michigan. Several indicators of planting efficiency were analyzed including utilization of the available land area, productivity as related to site conditions and planting pattern, cost, and effectiveness of the V-blade.

Hardwoods planted in old fields favored by prior tree cover.

Treesearch

Willard H. Carmean; F. Bryan Clark; Robert D. Williams

1976-01-01

Hardwoods were planted in a long-abandoned field. Growth was poor in a grassy area, better in areas formerly having natural trees or planted pine, and outstanding in an area formerly having planted black locust. Improved growth was associated with better soils structure and more foliar nitrogen.

Planting forests in NYC: Is the goal restoration, reforestation, or afforestation?

Treesearch

R.A. Hallett

2013-01-01

Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Detroit, New York City (NYC) and many other cities in the United States and around the world are engaging in urban greening projects. Urban greening almost always involves planting trees... lots of trees. New York City, for example, has planted over 750,000 trees to date as part of a project that started in 2007 – a project with the...

Exotic plant species attack revegetation plants in post-coal mining areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yusuf, Muhammad; Arisoesilaningsih, Endang

2017-11-01

This study aimed to explore some invasive exotic plant species that have the potential to disrupt the growth of revegetation plants in post-coal mining areas. This research was conducted in a revegetation area of PT, Amanah Anugerah Adi Mulia (A3M) Kintap site, South Borneo. Direct observation was carried out on some revegetation areas by observing the growth of revegetation plants disturbed by exotic plant species and the spread of exotic plant species. Based on observation, several invasive exotic plant species were identified including Mikania cordata, Centrosema pubescence, Calopogonium mucunoides, Mimosa pudica, Ageratum conyzoides, and Chromolaena odorata. These five plant species grew wild in the revegetation area and showed ability to disrupt the growth of other plants. In some tree species, such as Acacia mangium, Paraserianthes falcataria, M. cordata could inhibit the growth and even kill the trees through covering the tree canopy. So, the trees could not receive optimum sun light for photosynthesis processes. M. cordata was also observed to have the most widespread distribution. Several exotic plant species such as C. mucunoides, M. pudica, and A. conyzoides were observed to have deep root systems compared with plant species used for revegetation. This growth characteristic allowed exotic plant species to win the competition for nutrient absorption with other plant species.

Phylogenetically diverse AM fungi from Ecuador strongly improve seedling growth of native potential crop trees.

PubMed

Schüßler, Arthur; Krüger, Claudia; Urgiles, Narcisa

2016-04-01

In many deforested regions of the tropics, afforestation with native tree species could valorize a growing reservoir of degraded, previously overused and abandoned land. The inoculation of tropical tree seedlings with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM fungi) can improve tree growth and viability, but efficiency may depend on plant and AM fungal genotype. To study such effects, seven phylogenetically diverse AM fungi, native to Ecuador, from seven genera and a non-native AM fungus (Rhizophagus irregularis DAOM197198) were used to inoculate the tropical potential crop tree (PCT) species Handroanthus chrysanthus (synonym Tabebuia chrysantha), Cedrela montana, and Heliocarpus americanus. Twenty-four plant-fungus combinations were studied in five different fertilization and AMF inoculation treatments. Numerous plant growth parameters and mycorrhizal root colonization were assessed. The inoculation with any of the tested AM fungi improved seedling growth significantly and in most cases reduced plant mortality. Plants produced up to threefold higher biomass, when compared to the standard nursery practice. AM fungal inoculation alone or in combination with low fertilization both outperformed full fertilization in terms of plant growth promotion. Interestingly, root colonization levels for individual fungi strongly depended on the host tree species, but surprisingly the colonization strength did not correlate with plant growth promotion. The combination of AM fungal inoculation with a low dosage of slow release fertilizer improved PCT seedling performance strongest, but also AM fungal treatments without any fertilization were highly efficient. The AM fungi tested are promising candidates to improve management practices in tropical tree seedling production.

Righting response of artificially inclined maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) saplings to wind loading.

PubMed

Berthier, Stephane; Stokes, Alexia

2006-01-01

To determine if trees respond to dynamic and static loading in the same manner, 2-year-old maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.) trees were subjected to different types of mechanical loading in the field. One block of trees (the control) were kept in pots and planted in the field at an angle of 0 or 45 degrees to the vertical. A similar block of leaning potted trees was planted nearby and subjected to frequent, unilateral wind loading for a period of 1 s every 2 min. Half the leaning trees were oriented toward the direction of wind loading and half were oriented along the axis of wind loading. The stem profile was measured three times during the growing season to quantify the rate of stem straightening. Compression wood formation and stem shape were measured in all plants. No differences in mean height or diameter were observed between blocks and all leaning trees straightened, but not at the same rate. Although no difference in the rate of apical straightening occurred between control and wind-treated trees, the righting response of the basal part of the stem of leaning trees subjected to wind was four times greater than that of leaning trees without wind. No differences in the righting response were observed between leaning trees growing toward and trees growing away from the source of wind. No significant differences in compression wood formation were found between control trees and wind-treated trees, indicating that other factors must determine the reorientation rate of leaning trees. Results are discussed with reference to the quality of compression wood in conifers and the mechanotransductive pathway in plants.

Effects of Ground Preparation on Planted Red Pine in Southwestern Wisconsin

Treesearch

M. Dean Knighton

1972-01-01

Red pine was planted in 1962 using five ground preparation methods and two classes of planting stock. After 9 years, 3-0 trees planted by a Lowther machine with scalpers and by hand in single plowed furrows had 37 percent more survival than trees hand planted in scalps. Planting method did not afect survival 2-1 transplants. Height growth for both classes of stock...

Raccoon Use of Den Trees and Plant Associations in Western Mesophytic Forests: Tree Attributes and Availability or Landscape Heterogeneity?

Treesearch

Winston P. Smith; Keith M. Endres

2012-01-01

We monitored 15 radio-collared raccoons (Procyon lotor) on Davies Island in March 1987 - May 1988 to determine the extent to which individual tree attributes or spatial configuration of plant associations (habitat types) across the land-scape influenced den use. Of 1091 verified den sites, 428 were in tree cavities. Raccoon occurrence among 4 cover...

Biological, social, and urban design factors affecting young street tree mortality in New York City

Treesearch

Jacqueline W.T. Lu; Erika S. Svendsen; Lindsay K. Campbell; Jennifer Greenfeld; Jessie Braden; Kristen King; Nancy Falxa-Raymond

2010-01-01

In dense metropolitan areas, there are many factors including traffic congestion, building development and social organizations that may impact the health of street trees. The focus of this study is to better understand how social, biological and urban design factors affect the mortality rates of newly planted street trees. Prior analyses of street trees planted by the...

Tree specific traits vs. stand level characteristics - assessing the source depths of plant water uptake in a mixed forest stand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seeger, Stefan; Brinkmann, Nadine; Kahmen, Ansgar; Weiler, Markus

2017-04-01

Due to differences in fine root distributions, physiological root characteristics and plant plasticity, the spatial and temporal characteristics of plant water uptake are expected to vary between different tree species. This has implications on the overall water budget of a forest stand as well as on the drought sensitivity of particular trees. A four-year time series of climate data, soil moisture, and stable water isotopes in soil and tree xylem was used to investigate plant water uptake dynamics of four tree species (beech - Fagus sylvatica, spruce - Picea abies, ash - Fraxinus excelsior and maple - Acer pseudoplatanus) in a mixed forest stand. Modeling with a modified version of the soil hydrological model Hydrus-1D allowed us to simulate continuous time series of stable water isotopes in plant water uptake, which were compared to the measured values in tree xylem water and soil water. We found that different estimated species specific fine root distributions and root water uptake parameters lead to very similar simulated water balances and soil water isotope depth profiles for all four species. According to our simulations, differences in evaporative demand (i.e. LAI) had the biggest influence on water uptake and soil water distributions. Comparing the isotopic signatures of simulated root water uptake and measured xylem water, the simulations for beech were most suited to predict the observed signatures of all four species. This indicates that isolated, tree specific parametrized 1-D simulations are not suited to predict actual water uptake of different trees in a mixed stand. Due to overlapping root spaces dominant trees (in our case beeches with an LAI of around 5.5) may influence the soil water storage below accompanying trees (spruces, ashes and maples with LAIs between 1.8 and 3.1) in a degree that their actual water uptake cannot be predicted with 1-D simulations based on their smaller LAI values. Consequently, for a mixed forest stand the interplay of trees with different traits has to be accounted for in order to correctly model plant water uptake of single trees.

Northeast community tree guide: benefits, costs, and strategic planting

Treesearch

E. Gregory McPherson; James R. Simpson; Paula J. Peper; Shelley L. Gardner; Kelaine E. Vargas; Qingfu Xiao

2007-01-01

Trees make our cities more attractive and provide many ecosystem services, including air quality improvement, energy conservation, stormwater interception, and atmospheric carbon dioxide reduction. These benefits must be weighed against the costs of maintaining trees, including planting, pruning, irrigation, administration, pest control, liability, cleanup, and removal...

Plant growth responses to polypropylene--biocontainers

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The influence of bio-fillers incorporated into polypropylene (PP) on the growth of plants was evaluated. Biocontainers were created by injection molding of PP with 25-40% by weight of Osage orange tree, Paulownia tree, coffee tree wood or dried distillers grain and 5% by weight of maleated polypropy...

Designing mixed species tree plantations for the tropics: balancing ecological attributes of species with landholder preferences in the Philippines.

PubMed

Nguyen, Huong; Lamb, David; Herbohn, John; Firn, Jennifer

2014-01-01

A mixed species reforestation program known as the Rainforestation Farming system was undertaken in the Philippines to develop forms of farm forestry more suitable for smallholders than the simple monocultural plantations commonly used then. In this study, we describe the subsequent changes in stand structure and floristic composition of these plantations in order to learn from the experience and develop improved prescriptions for reforestation systems likely to be attractive to smallholders. We investigated stands aged from 6 to 11 years old on three successive occasions over a 6 year period. We found the number of species originally present in the plots as trees >5 cm dbh decreased from an initial total of 76 species to 65 species at the end of study period. But, at the same time, some new species reached the size class threshold and were recruited into the canopy layer. There was a substantial decline in tree density from an estimated stocking of about 5000 trees per ha at the time of planting to 1380 trees per ha at the time of the first measurement; the density declined by a further 4.9% per year. Changes in composition and stand structure were indicated by a marked shift in the Importance Value Index of species. Over six years, shade-intolerant species became less important and the native shade-tolerant species (often Dipterocarps) increased in importance. Based on how the Rainforestation Farming plantations developed in these early years, we suggest that mixed-species plantations elsewhere in the humid tropics should be around 1000 trees per ha or less, that the proportion of fast growing (and hence early maturing) trees should be about 30-40% of this initial density and that any fruit tree component should only be planted on the plantation margin where more light and space are available for crowns to develop.

Designing Mixed Species Tree Plantations for the Tropics: Balancing Ecological Attributes of Species with Landholder Preferences in the Philippines

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Huong; Lamb, David; Herbohn, John; Firn, Jennifer

2014-01-01

A mixed species reforestation program known as the Rainforestation Farming system was undertaken in the Philippines to develop forms of farm forestry more suitable for smallholders than the simple monocultural plantations commonly used then. In this study, we describe the subsequent changes in stand structure and floristic composition of these plantations in order to learn from the experience and develop improved prescriptions for reforestation systems likely to be attractive to smallholders. We investigated stands aged from 6 to 11 years old on three successive occasions over a 6 year period. We found the number of species originally present in the plots as trees >5 cm dbh decreased from an initial total of 76 species to 65 species at the end of study period. But, at the same time, some new species reached the size class threshold and were recruited into the canopy layer. There was a substantial decline in tree density from an estimated stocking of about 5000 trees per ha at the time of planting to 1380 trees per ha at the time of the first measurement; the density declined by a further 4.9% per year. Changes in composition and stand structure were indicated by a marked shift in the Importance Value Index of species. Over six years, shade-intolerant species became less important and the native shade-tolerant species (often Dipterocarps) increased in importance. Based on how the Rainforestation Farming plantations developed in these early years, we suggest that mixed-species plantations elsewhere in the humid tropics should be around 1000 trees per ha or less, that the proportion of fast growing (and hence early maturing) trees should be about 30–40% of this initial density and that any fruit tree component should only be planted on the plantation margin where more light and space are available for crowns to develop. PMID:24751720

Photoperiod- and temperature-mediated control of growth cessation and dormancy in trees: a molecular perspective.

PubMed

Maurya, Jay P; Bhalerao, Rishikesh P

2017-09-01

How plants adapt their developmental patterns to regular seasonal changes is an important question in biology. The annual growth cycle in perennial long-lived trees is yet another example of how plants can adapt to seasonal changes. The two main signals that plants rely on to respond to seasonal changes are photoperiod and temperature, and these signals have critical roles in the temporal regulation of the annual growth cycle of trees. This review presents the latest findings to provide insight into the molecular mechanisms that underlie how photoperiodic and temperature signals regulate seasonal growth in trees. The results point to a high level of conservation in the signalling pathways that mediate photoperiodic control of seasonal growth in trees and flowering in annual plants such as arabidopsis. Furthermore, the data indicate that symplastic communication may mediate certain aspects of seasonal growth. Although considerable insight into the control of phenology in model plants such as poplar and spruce has been obtained, the future challenge is extending these studies to other, non-model trees. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

Development of a polyprobe to detect six viroids of pome and stone fruit trees.

PubMed

Lin, Liming; Li, Ruhui; Mock, Ray; Kinard, Gary

2011-01-01

A simple and sensitive dot blot hybridization assay using a digoxigenin-labeled cRNA polyprobe was developed for the simultaneous detection of six viroids that infect pome and stone fruit trees. The polyprobe was constructed by cloning sequentially partial sequences of each viroid into a single vector, with run-off transcription driven by the T7 promoter. All six viroids were detectable within a dilution range of 5(-3) to 5(-4) in total nucleic acid extracts from infected trees. Individual trees were co-inoculated to create mixed infections and all four pome fruit viroids and both stone fruit viroids could be detected in pear and peach trees, respectively, using the polyprobe. The results of the assays using the polyprobe were comparable to those using single probes. The methods were validated by testing geographically diverse isolates of viroids, as well as field samples from several collections in the US. The assay offers a rapid, reliable and cost-effective approach to the simultaneous detection of six fruit trees viroids and has the potential for routine use in quarantine, certification, and plant genebank programs where many samples are tested and distributed worldwide. Published by Elsevier B.V.

7 CFR 319.37-1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... field-grown florist's stock, trees, shrubs, vines, cuttings, grafts, scions, buds, fruit pits, and other seeds of fruit and ornamental trees or shrubs, and other plants and plant products for propagation..., including a tree, a tissue culture, a plantlet culture, pollen, a shrub, a vine, a cutting, a graft, a scion...

Central Florida community tree guide: benefits, costs, and strategic planting

Treesearch

Paula J. Peper; E. Gregory McPherson; James R. Simpson; Shannon N. Albers; Qingfu Xiao

2010-01-01

Trees make our cities more attractive and provide many ecosystem services, including air quality improvement, energy conservation, stormwater interception, and atmospheric carbon dioxide reduction. These benefits must be weighed against the costs of maintaining trees, including planting, pruning, irrigation, administration, pest control, liability, cleanup, and removal...

Interior West community tree guide: benefits, costs, and strategic planting

Treesearch

Kelaine E. Vargas; Gregory E. McPherson; James R. Simpson; Paula J. Peper; Shelley L. Gardner; Qingfu Xiao

2007-01-01

Even as they increase the beauty of our surroundings, trees provide us with a great many ecosystem services, including air quality improvement, energy conservation, stormwater interception, and atmospheric carbon dioxide reduction. These benefits must be weighed against the costs of maintaining trees, including planting, pruning, irrigation, administration, pest...

Tropical community tree guide: benefits, costs, and strategic planting

Treesearch

Kelaine E. Vargas; Gregory E. McPherson; James R. Simpson; Paula J. Peper; Shelley L. Gardner; Qingfu Xiao

2008-01-01

Even as they increase the beauty of our surroundings, trees provide us with a great many ecosystem services, including air quality improvement, energy conservation, stormwater interception, and atmospheric carbon dioxide reduction. These benefits must be weighed against the costs of maintaining trees, including planting, pruning, irrigation, administration, pest...

Northern California coast community tree guide: benefits, costs, and strategic planting

Treesearch

E. Gregory McPherson; James R. Simpson; Paula. J. Peper; Aaron M.N. Crowell; Qingfu Xiao

2010-01-01

Trees make our cities more attractive and provide many ecosystem services, including air quality improvement, energy conservation, stormwater interception, and atmospheric carbon dioxide reduction. These benefits must be weighed against the costs of maintaining trees, including planting, pruning, irrigation, administration, pest control, liability, cleanup, and removal...

Temperate Interior West community tree guide: benefits, costs, and strategic planting

Treesearch

Kelaine E. Vargas; E. Gregory McPherson; James R. Simpson; Paula J. Peper; Shelley L. Gardner; Qingfu Xiao

2007-01-01

Even as they increase the beauty of our surroundings, trees provide us with a great many ecosystem services, including air quality improvement, energy conservation, stormwater interception, and atmospheric carbon dioxide reduction. These benefits must be weighed against the costs of maintaining trees, including planting, pruning, irrigation, administration, pest...

Lower Midwest community tree guide: benefits, costs, and strategic planting

Treesearch

Paula J. Peper; E. Gregory McPherson; James R. Simpson; Kelaine E. Vargas; Qingfu Xiao

2009-01-01

Even as they increase the beauty of our surroundings, trees provide us with a great many ecosystem services, including air quality improvement, energy conservation, stormwater interception, and atmospheric carbon dioxide reduction. These benefits must be weighed against the costs of maintaining trees, including planting, pruning, irrigation, administration, pest...

Tree shelters increase heights of planted northern red oaks

Treesearch

D.O. Lantagne

1991-01-01

A clearcut in southern Michigan was planted to 2-0 northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) seedlings in the spring of 1987. Four treatments included: control (clearcut harvest only), woody brush control, plastic tree seedling shelters 122 cm tall, and woody brush control plus tree seedling shelters.

Application of Genomic Technologies to the Breeding of Trees

PubMed Central

Badenes, Maria L.; Fernández i Martí, Angel; Ríos, Gabino; Rubio-Cabetas, María J.

2016-01-01

The recent introduction of next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies represents a major revolution in providing new tools for identifying the genes and/or genomic intervals controlling important traits for selection in breeding programs. In perennial fruit trees with long generation times and large sizes of adult plants, the impact of these techniques is even more important. High-throughput DNA sequencing technologies have provided complete annotated sequences in many important tree species. Most of the high-throughput genotyping platforms described are being used for studies of genetic diversity and population structure. Dissection of complex traits became possible through the availability of genome sequences along with phenotypic variation data, which allow to elucidate the causative genetic differences that give rise to observed phenotypic variation. Association mapping facilitates the association between genetic markers and phenotype in unstructured and complex populations, identifying molecular markers for assisted selection and breeding. Also, genomic data provide in silico identification and characterization of genes and gene families related to important traits, enabling new tools for molecular marker assisted selection in tree breeding. Deep sequencing of transcriptomes is also a powerful tool for the analysis of precise expression levels of each gene in a sample. It consists in quantifying short cDNA reads, obtained by NGS technologies, in order to compare the entire transcriptomes between genotypes and environmental conditions. The miRNAs are non-coding short RNAs involved in the regulation of different physiological processes, which can be identified by high-throughput sequencing of RNA libraries obtained by reverse transcription of purified short RNAs, and by in silico comparison with known miRNAs from other species. All together, NGS techniques and their applications have increased the resources for plant breeding in tree species, closing the former gap of genetic tools between trees and annual species. PMID:27895664

Application of Genomic Technologies to the Breeding of Trees.

PubMed

Badenes, Maria L; Fernández I Martí, Angel; Ríos, Gabino; Rubio-Cabetas, María J

2016-01-01

The recent introduction of next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies represents a major revolution in providing new tools for identifying the genes and/or genomic intervals controlling important traits for selection in breeding programs. In perennial fruit trees with long generation times and large sizes of adult plants, the impact of these techniques is even more important. High-throughput DNA sequencing technologies have provided complete annotated sequences in many important tree species. Most of the high-throughput genotyping platforms described are being used for studies of genetic diversity and population structure. Dissection of complex traits became possible through the availability of genome sequences along with phenotypic variation data, which allow to elucidate the causative genetic differences that give rise to observed phenotypic variation. Association mapping facilitates the association between genetic markers and phenotype in unstructured and complex populations, identifying molecular markers for assisted selection and breeding. Also, genomic data provide in silico identification and characterization of genes and gene families related to important traits, enabling new tools for molecular marker assisted selection in tree breeding. Deep sequencing of transcriptomes is also a powerful tool for the analysis of precise expression levels of each gene in a sample. It consists in quantifying short cDNA reads, obtained by NGS technologies, in order to compare the entire transcriptomes between genotypes and environmental conditions. The miRNAs are non-coding short RNAs involved in the regulation of different physiological processes, which can be identified by high-throughput sequencing of RNA libraries obtained by reverse transcription of purified short RNAs, and by in silico comparison with known miRNAs from other species. All together, NGS techniques and their applications have increased the resources for plant breeding in tree species, closing the former gap of genetic tools between trees and annual species.

Survival results of a biomass planting in the Missouri River floodplain

Treesearch

W. D. ' Dusty' Walter; John P. Dwyer

2003-01-01

A factor essential to successful tree planting in unprotected floodplain environments is survival. Two-year survival results from tree planting in an unprotected floodplain adjacent to the Missouri River are presented. Species planted included silver maple, locally collected cottonwood, and a superior cottonwood selection from Westvaco Corporation. Two spacings, 4 x 4...

Ten-Year Results of Tree Shelters on Survival and Growth of Planted Hardwoods

Treesearch

Felix, Jr. Ponder

2003-01-01

The performance of planted northern red oak (Quercus rubra, L.), black walnut (Juglans nigra L.), and green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.), with and without tree shelters, was evaluated 10 yr after planting. Northern red oak was planted in three harvested forest openings, and black walnut and green ash were...

[Hydraulic limitation on photosynthetic rate of old Populus simonii trees in sandy soil of north Shaanxi Province].

PubMed

Zuo, Li-Xiang; Li, Yang-Yang; Chen, Jia-Cun

2014-06-01

'Old and dwarf trees' on the loess plateau region mainly occurred among mature trees rather than among small trees. To elucidate the mechanism of tree age on 'old and dwarf trees' formation, taking Populus simonii, a tree species that accounted for the largest portion of 'old and dwarf trees' on the loess plateau, as an example, the growth, photosynthesis and hydraulic traits of P. simonii trees with different ages (young: 13-15 years, mid-aged: 31-34 years, and old: 49-54 years) were measured. The results showed that the dieback length increased, and net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, and whole plant hydraulic conductance decreased significantly with the increasing tree age. Both net photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance measured at different dates were significantly and positively related to the whole plant hydraulic conductance, suggesting that the decreasing photosynthetic rate of old trees was possibly caused by the declined hydraulic conductance. Although the resistance to cavitation in stems and leaves was stronger in old trees than in young and mid-aged trees, there were no differences in midday native stem embolization degree and leaf hydraulic conductance based on the vulnerability curve estimation, suggesting that the increased hydraulic resistance of the soil-root system is probably the most important reason for decreasing the whole plant hydraulic conductance of old trees.

Modelling short-rotation coppice and tree planting for urban carbon management - a citywide analysis.

PubMed

McHugh, Nicola; Edmondson, Jill L; Gaston, Kevin J; Leake, Jonathan R; O'Sullivan, Odhran S

2015-10-01

The capacity of urban areas to deliver provisioning ecosystem services is commonly overlooked and underutilized. Urban populations have globally increased fivefold since 1950, and they disproportionately consume ecosystem services and contribute to carbon emissions, highlighting the need to increase urban sustainability and reduce environmental impacts of urban dwellers. Here, we investigated the potential for increasing carbon sequestration, and biomass fuel production, by planting trees and short-rotation coppice (SRC), respectively, in a mid-sized UK city as a contribution to meeting national commitments to reduce CO 2 emissions.Iterative GIS models were developed using high-resolution spatial data. The models were applied to patches of public and privately owned urban greenspace suitable for planting trees and SRC, across the 73 km 2 area of the city of Leicester. We modelled tree planting with a species mix based on the existing tree populations, and SRC with willow and poplar to calculate biomass production in new trees, and carbon sequestration into harvested biomass over 25 years.An area of 11 km 2 comprising 15% of the city met criteria for tree planting and had the potential over 25 years to sequester 4200 tonnes of carbon above-ground. Of this area, 5·8 km 2 also met criteria for SRC planting and over the same period this could yield 71 800 tonnes of carbon in harvested biomass.The harvested biomass could supply energy to over 1566 domestic homes or 30 municipal buildings, resulting in avoided carbon emissions of 29 236 tonnes of carbon over 25 years when compared to heating by natural gas. Together with the net carbon sequestration into trees, a total reduction of 33 419 tonnes of carbon in the atmosphere could be achieved in 25 years by combined SRC and tree planting across the city. Synthesis and applications . We demonstrate that urban greenspaces in a typical UK city are underutilized for provisioning ecosystem services by trees and especially SRC, which has high biomass production potential. For urban greenspace management, we recommend that planting SRC in urban areas can contribute to reducing food-fuel conflicts on agricultural land and produce renewable energy sources close to centres of population and demand.

Reforestation as a post-mining land use in the Midwest

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Parr, D.E.

1982-12-01

With the passage of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (P.L. 95-87), some very stringent requirements for the successful establishment of trees and shrubs have come into effect. In response to these requirements, AMAX Coal Company is developing a reforestation program for seven surface mines in Indiana and Illinois using the best technology currently available. The program emphasizes obtaining good quality stock, the proper care and handling of stock, the proper planting of the stock, and an effective weed control program. The value of weed control for the establishment and growth of hardwoods has long been recognizedmore » in the forest industry, but has not been used extensively in the reforestation of surface mined lands. The improved survival of tree seedlings with the use of weed control justifies the additional cost. Weed control also enhances the growth of tree seedlings. However, the long term growth of seedlings is questionable due to the compaction resulting from the extensive grading required to achieve approximate original contour. To minimize compaction, a forest area in Illinois is being minimally graded only to the extent necessary for environmental stability. Minimal grading is designed to reduce compaction which in turn will promote the development of a more productive forest resource.« less

Native hardwood trees of the central hardwood region

Treesearch

Paula M. Pijut

2005-01-01

Trees are planted for various reasons including, timber production, wildlife habitat, riparian buffers, native woodland restoration, windbreaks, watershed protection, erosion control, and conservation (Indiana NRCS 2002). Establishment of hardwood plantings requires planning, a commitment of time and resources, proper planting, maintenance, and protection....

CosmoBon for studying wood formation under exotic gravitational environment for future space agriculture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomita-Yokotani, Kaori; Baba, Keiichi; Suzuki, Toshisada; Funada, Ryo; Nakamura, Teruko; Hashimoto, Hirofumi; Yamashita, Masamichi; Cosmobon, Jstwg

We are proposing to raise woody plants in space for several applications and plant science. Japanese flowering cherry tree is one of a candidate for these studies. Mechanism behind sensing gravity and controlling shape of tree has been studied quite extensively. Even molecular mechanism for the response of plant against gravity has been investigated quite intensively for various species, woody plants are left behind. Morphology of woody branch growth is different from that of stem growth in herbs. Morphology in tree is strongly dominated by the secondary xylem formation. Nobody knows the tree shape grown under the space environment. If whole tree could be brought up to space as research materials, it might provide important scientific knowledge. Furthermore, trees produce excess oxygen, wooden materials for living cabin, and provide biomass for cultivating mushroom and insect as for the space agriculture. Excellent tree shapes which would be deeply related to wood formation improve quality of life under stressful environment in outer space. The serious problem would be their size. Bonsai is one of the Japanese traditional arts. We can study secondly xylem formation, wood formation, under exotic gravitational environment using Bonsai. "CosmoBon" is the small tree Bonsai for our space experiment. It has been recognized that the reaction wood in CosmoBon is formed similar to natural trees. Our goal is to examine feasibility to grow various species of trees in space as bioresource for space agriculture.

Genomics-assisted breeding in fruit trees.

PubMed

Iwata, Hiroyoshi; Minamikawa, Mai F; Kajiya-Kanegae, Hiromi; Ishimori, Motoyuki; Hayashi, Takeshi

2016-01-01

Recent advancements in genomic analysis technologies have opened up new avenues to promote the efficiency of plant breeding. Novel genomics-based approaches for plant breeding and genetics research, such as genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and genomic selection (GS), are useful, especially in fruit tree breeding. The breeding of fruit trees is hindered by their long generation time, large plant size, long juvenile phase, and the necessity to wait for the physiological maturity of the plant to assess the marketable product (fruit). In this article, we describe the potential of genomics-assisted breeding, which uses these novel genomics-based approaches, to break through these barriers in conventional fruit tree breeding. We first introduce the molecular marker systems and whole-genome sequence data that are available for fruit tree breeding. Next we introduce the statistical methods for biparental linkage and quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping as well as GWAS and GS. We then review QTL mapping, GWAS, and GS studies conducted on fruit trees. We also review novel technologies for rapid generation advancement. Finally, we note the future prospects of genomics-assisted fruit tree breeding and problems that need to be overcome in the breeding.

Genomics-assisted breeding in fruit trees

PubMed Central

Iwata, Hiroyoshi; Minamikawa, Mai F.; Kajiya-Kanegae, Hiromi; Ishimori, Motoyuki; Hayashi, Takeshi

2016-01-01

Recent advancements in genomic analysis technologies have opened up new avenues to promote the efficiency of plant breeding. Novel genomics-based approaches for plant breeding and genetics research, such as genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and genomic selection (GS), are useful, especially in fruit tree breeding. The breeding of fruit trees is hindered by their long generation time, large plant size, long juvenile phase, and the necessity to wait for the physiological maturity of the plant to assess the marketable product (fruit). In this article, we describe the potential of genomics-assisted breeding, which uses these novel genomics-based approaches, to break through these barriers in conventional fruit tree breeding. We first introduce the molecular marker systems and whole-genome sequence data that are available for fruit tree breeding. Next we introduce the statistical methods for biparental linkage and quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping as well as GWAS and GS. We then review QTL mapping, GWAS, and GS studies conducted on fruit trees. We also review novel technologies for rapid generation advancement. Finally, we note the future prospects of genomics-assisted fruit tree breeding and problems that need to be overcome in the breeding. PMID:27069395

Roles of Birds and Bats in Early Tropical-Forest Restoration

PubMed Central

de la Peña-Domene, Marinés; Martínez-Garza, Cristina; Palmas-Pérez, Sebastián; Rivas-Alonso, Edith; Howe, Henry F.

2014-01-01

Restoration of tropical forest depended in large part on seed dispersal by fruit-eating animals that transported seeds into planted forest patches. We tested effectiveness of dispersal agents as revealed by established recruits of tree and shrub species that bore seeds dispersed by birds, bats, or both. We documented restoration of dispersal processes over the first 76 months of experimental restoration in southern Mexico. Mixed-model repeated-measures randomized-block ANOVAs of seedlings recruited into experimental controls and mixed-species plantings from late-secondary and mature forest indicated that bats and birds played different roles in the first years of a restoration process. Bats dispersed pioneer tree and shrub species to slowly regenerating grassy areas, while birds mediated recruitment of later-successional species into planted stands of trees and to a lesser extent into controls. Of species of pioneer trees and shrubs established in plots, seven were primarily dispersed by birds, three by bats and four by both birds and bats. Of later-successional species recruited past the seedling stage, 13 were of species primarily dispersed by birds, and six were of species dispersed by both birds and bats. No later-successional species primarily dispersed by bats established in control or planted plots. Establishment of recruited seedlings was ten-fold higher under cover of planted trees than in grassy controls. Even pre-reproductive trees drew fruit-eating birds and the seeds that they carried from nearby forest, and provided conditions for establishment of shade-tolerant tree species. Overall, after 76 months of cattle exclusion, 94% of the recruited shrubs and trees in experimental plots were of species that we did not plant. PMID:25118608

Trees' role in nitrogen leaching after organic, mineral fertilization: a greenhouse experiment.

PubMed

López-Díaz, M L; Rolo, V; Moreno, G

2011-01-01

New sustainable agriculture techniques are arising in response to the environmental problems caused by intensive agriculture, such as nitrate leaching and surface water eutrophication. Organic fertilization (e.g., with sewage sludge) and agroforestry could be used to reduce nutrient leaching. We assessed the efficiency of establishing trees and pasture species in environmentally sensitive, irrigated Mediterranean grassland soils in controlling nitrate leaching. Four vegetation systems-bare soil, pasture species, cherry trees [ (L.) L.], and pasture-tree mixed plantings-and five fertilization treatments-control, two doses of mineral fertilizer, and two doses of organic fertilizer (sewage sludge)-were tested in a greenhouse experiment over 2 yr. In the experiment, the wet and warm climate characteristics of Mediterranean irrigated croplands and the plant-to-plant and soil-to-plant interactions that occur in open-field agroforestry plantations were simulated. Following a factorial design with six replicates, 120 pots (30-cm radius and 120 cm deep) were filled with a sandy, alluvial soil common in the cultivated fluvial plains of the region. The greatest pasture production and tree growth were obtained with sewage sludge application. Both pasture production and tree growth decreased significantly in the pasture-tree mixed planting. Nitrate leaching was negligible in this latter treatment, except under the highest dose of sewage sludge application. The rapid mineralization of sludge suggested that this organic fertilizer should be used very cautiously in warm, irrigated Mediterranean soils. Mixed planting of pasture species and trees, such as , could be a useful tool for mitigating nitrate leaching from irrigated Mediterranean pastures on sandy soils. American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.

Roles of birds and bats in early tropical-forest restoration.

PubMed

de la Peña-Domene, Marinés; Martínez-Garza, Cristina; Palmas-Pérez, Sebastián; Rivas-Alonso, Edith; Howe, Henry F

2014-01-01

Restoration of tropical forest depended in large part on seed dispersal by fruit-eating animals that transported seeds into planted forest patches. We tested effectiveness of dispersal agents as revealed by established recruits of tree and shrub species that bore seeds dispersed by birds, bats, or both. We documented restoration of dispersal processes over the first 76 months of experimental restoration in southern Mexico. Mixed-model repeated-measures randomized-block ANOVAs of seedlings recruited into experimental controls and mixed-species plantings from late-secondary and mature forest indicated that bats and birds played different roles in the first years of a restoration process. Bats dispersed pioneer tree and shrub species to slowly regenerating grassy areas, while birds mediated recruitment of later-successional species into planted stands of trees and to a lesser extent into controls. Of species of pioneer trees and shrubs established in plots, seven were primarily dispersed by birds, three by bats and four by both birds and bats. Of later-successional species recruited past the seedling stage, 13 were of species primarily dispersed by birds, and six were of species dispersed by both birds and bats. No later-successional species primarily dispersed by bats established in control or planted plots. Establishment of recruited seedlings was ten-fold higher under cover of planted trees than in grassy controls. Even pre-reproductive trees drew fruit-eating birds and the seeds that they carried from nearby forest, and provided conditions for establishment of shade-tolerant tree species. Overall, after 76 months of cattle exclusion, 94% of the recruited shrubs and trees in experimental plots were of species that we did not plant.

Indirect facilitation becomes stronger with seedling age in a degraded seasonally dry forest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torres, Romina C.; Renison, Daniel

2016-01-01

In seasonally dry forests direct facilitation by woody species due to amelioration of harsh abiotic conditions could be important during germination and early establishment of tree seedlings, and under some species but not others. Recent research suggests that at later stages facilitation by woody species may be indirect due to protection of saplings from herbivores, implying that under absence of herbivores reforestation programs may plant saplings in unprotected open sites. We used the native tree Lithraea molleoides from central Argentina as a model species to test this hypothesis. We performed a seeding and planting experiment simulating early and late establishment respectively, which included 234 study plots situated in herbaceous, shrub and tree patches of differing species composition and under two herbivore treatments (grazed and ungrazed) and replicated at three sites. Seedling counts averaged 0.82% of the sown seeds after 6 months, were highest under shrubs and lowest in open patches, and were influenced by woody species composition only in tree patches (all P values < 0.05). At seedling stages we detected no influence of herbivory (P = 0.4) nor of indirect facilitation due to herbivory (herbivory × patch type P = 0.7). Survival of planted saplings was 53% after 3 years and over winter dieback affected 76% of the saplings. At sapling stages we found an increasing importance of indirect facilitation through protection from herbivores, as we recorded the highest sapling survival and growth at tree and shrub patches and the lowest in open patches (all P values < 0.001), and a negative effect of livestock (P < 0.001) mainly on the open patches (herbivory × patch type P = 0.07 and P = 0.001 for survival and growth, respectively). We found no significant influence of woody species composition on sapling survival and growth (all P values > 0.05). We conclude that direct facilitation is involved at all studied stages while indirect facilitation becomes increasingly important at the sapling stage.

Strategies for Reforestation under Uncertain Future Climates: Guidelines for Alberta, Canada

PubMed Central

Gray, Laura K.; Hamann, Andreas

2011-01-01

Background Commercial forestry programs normally use locally collected seed for reforestation under the assumption that tree populations are optimally adapted to local environments. However, in western Canada this assumption is no longer valid because of climate trends that have occurred over the last several decades. The objective of this study is to show how we can arrive at reforestation recommendations with alternative species and genotypes that are viable under a majority of climate change scenarios. Methodology/Principal Findings In a case study for commercially important tree species of Alberta, we use an ecosystem-based bioclimate envelope modeling approach for western North America to project habitat for locally adapted populations of tree species using multi-model climate projections for the 2020s, 2050s and 2080s. We find that genotypes of species that are adapted to drier climatic conditions will be the preferred planting stock over much of the boreal forest that is commercially managed. Interestingly, no alternative species that are currently not present in Alberta can be recommended with any confidence. Finally, we observe large uncertainties in projections of suitable habitat that make reforestation planning beyond the 2050s difficult for most species. Conclusion/Significance More than 50,000 hectares of forests are commercially planted every year in Alberta. Choosing alternative planting stock, suitable for expected future climates, could therefore offer an effective climate change adaptation strategy at little additional cost. Habitat projections for locally adapted tree populations under observed climate change conform well to projections for the 2020s, which suggests that it is a safe strategy to change current reforestation practices and adapt to new climatic realities through assisted migration prescriptions. PMID:21853061

Bassett Creek Watershed, Hennepin County, Minnesota. Feasibility Report for Flood Control. Main Report.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-09-01

and storage yard owned by the Burlington Northern Railroad. The latter tract is covered predominantly by invader plant species , with only a few trees ...vegetation. Beautification Measures - The planting of flood-tolerant species of trees and shrubs to restore this area is recommended. See plate G-4i for...PLANT SPECIES TO BE INCLUDED IN THIS AREA INCLUDE: TREES GREEN ASH HACKBERRY RED DOGWOOD VIBURNUM RED MAPLES WILLOW STAGHORN SUMAC HAZEL NUT RIVER

Comparison of fall and spring planting on strip-mine spoils in the bituminous region of Pennsylvania

Treesearch

Grant Davis

1973-01-01

To evaluate fall versus spring planting of 10 coniferous tree species and 5 hardwood shrub species, experimental plantings were established over a 2-year period on 7 graded strip-mine spoils. In general, initial tree survival was better with spring planting than with fall planting, especially on the more acid sites. Shrubs survived well with both spring and fall...

Climate-based seed zones for Mexico: guiding reforestation under observed and projected climate change

Treesearch

Dante Castellanos-Acuña; Kenneth W. Vance-Borland; J. Bradley St. Clair; Andreas Hamann; Javier López-Upton; Erika Gómez-Pineda; Juan Manuel Ortega-Rodríguez; Cuauhtémoc Sáenz-Romero

2018-01-01

Seed zones for forest tree species are a widely used tool in reforestation programs to ensure that seedlings are well adapted to their planting environments. Here, we propose a climate-based seed zone system for Mexico to address observed and projected climate change. The proposed seed zone classification is based on bands of climate variables often related to genetic...

Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative (ARRI)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Presentation: ARRI’s goals: Plant more high-value hardwood trees, increase the survival rates and growth rates of planted trees, and expedite the establishment of forest habitat through natural succession

Desert Southwest Community Tree Guide: Benefits, Costs and Strategic Planting

Treesearch

Greg McPherson; J.R. Simpson; P.J. Peper; S.E. Maco; Q. Xiao; E. Mulrean

2004-01-01

This report quantifies benefits and costs for typical large-, medium-, small-stature, deciduous trees (Fraxinus uhdei, Prosopis chilensis, Acacia farnesiana), as well as a conifer (Pinus halapensis). The analysis assumed that trees were planted in a residential yard site or a public (street/park) site, a 40-year time frame, and...

Development of White and Norway Spruce Trees from Several Seed Sources 29 Years After Planting

Treesearch

James P. King; Paul O. Rudolf

1969-01-01

A 29-year-old test of trees grown from seven white spruce and six Norway spruce seed sources and planted in Wisconsin and Minnesota demonstrates the importance of seed-source selection and indicates that trees from some Norway spruce sources equal or surpass the native white spruce.

18 CFR 1304.203 - Vegetation management.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... located to minimize removal of trees or other vegetation on the TVA land. (d) Grass may be planted and... ground level is allowed. (h) Removal of trees outside of the access corridor but within the SMZ may be... corridor. (k) Planting of trees, shrubs, wildflowers, native grasses, and ground covers within the SMZ is...

18 CFR 1304.203 - Vegetation management.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... located to minimize removal of trees or other vegetation on the TVA land. (d) Grass may be planted and... ground level is allowed. (h) Removal of trees outside of the access corridor but within the SMZ may be... corridor. (k) Planting of trees, shrubs, wildflowers, native grasses, and ground covers within the SMZ is...

Distribution of Mercury Concentrations in Tree Rings and Surface Soils Adjacent to a Phosphate Fertilizer Plant in Southern Korea.

PubMed

Jung, Raae; Ahn, Young Sang

2017-08-01

This study aimed to determine mercury concentrations in tree rings and surface soils at distances of 4, 26 and 40 km from a fertilizer plant located in Yeosu City, Korea. Mercury concentrations in all tree rings were low prior to the establishment of the plant in 1977 and became elevated thereafter. The highest average mercury concentration in the tree rings was 11.96 ng g -1 at the Yeosu site located nearest to the plant, with the lowest average mercury concentration of 4.45 ng g -1 at the Suncheon site furthest away from the plant. In addition, the highest mercury content in the surface soil was 108.51 ng cm -3 at the Yeosu site, whereas the lowest mercury content in the surface soil was 31.47 ng cm -3 at the Suncheon site. The mercury levels decreased gradually with increasing distance from the plant.

Triacylglycerols Composition and Volatile Compounds of Virgin Olive Oil from Chemlali Cultivar: Comparison among Different Planting Densities

PubMed Central

Guerfel, Mokhtar; Ben Mansour, Mohamed; Ouni, Youssef; Guido, Flamini; Boujnah, Dalenda; Zarrouk, Mokhtar

2012-01-01

The present study focused on the comparison the chemical composition of virgin olive oil samples obtained from fruits of the main Tunisian olive cultivar (Chemlali) grown in four planting densities (156, 100, 69, and 51 trees ha−1). Despite the variability in the triacylglycerols and volatile compounds composition, the quality indices (free fatty acids, peroxide value, and spectrophotometric indices K232 and K270) all of the virgin olive oils samples studied met the commercial standards. Decanal was the major constituent, accounting for about 30% of the whole volatiles. Moreover, the chemical composition of the volatile fraction of the oil from fruits of trees grown at the planting density of 156, 100, and 51 trees ha−1 was also characterised by the preeminence of 1-hexanol, while oils from fruits of trees grown at the planting density of 69 trees ha−1 had higher content of (E)-2-hexenal (20.3%). Our results confirm that planting density is a crucial parameter that may influence the quality of olive oils. PMID:22629139

iTREE: Long-term variability of tree growth in a changing environment - identifying physiological mechanisms using stable C and O isotopes in tree rings.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siegwolf, R. T. W.; Buchmann, N.; Frank, D.; Joos, F.; Kahmen, A.; Treydte, K.; Leuenberger, M.; Saurer, M.

2012-04-01

Trees play are a critical role in the carbon cycle - their photosynthetic assimilation is one of the largest terrestrial carbon fluxes and their standing biomass represents the largest carbon pool of the terrestrial biosphere. Understanding how tree physiology and growth respond to long-term environmental change is pivotal to predict the magnitude and direction of the terrestrial carbon sink. iTREE is an interdisciplinary research framework to capitalize on synergies among leading dendroclimatologists, plant physiologists, isotope specialists, and global carbon cycle modelers with the objectives of reducing uncertainties related to tree/forest growth in the context of changing natural environments. Cross-cutting themes in our project are tree rings, stable isotopes, and mechanistic modelling. We will (i) establish a European network of tree-ring based isotope time-series to retrodict interannual to long-term tree physiological changes, (ii) conduct laboratory and field experiments to adapt a mechanistic isotope model to derive plant physiological variables from tree-ring isotopes, (iii) implement this model into a dynamic global vegetation model, and perform subsequent model-data validation exercises to refine model representation of plant physiological processes and (iv) attribute long-term variation in tree growth to plant physiological and environmental drivers, and identify how our refined knowledge revises predictions of the coupled carbon-cycle climate system. We will contribute to i) advanced quantifications of long-term variation in tree growth across Central Europe, ii) novel long-term information on key physiological processes that underlie variations in tree growth, and iii) improved carbon cycle models that can be employed to revise predictions of the coupled carbon-cycle climate system. Hence iTREE will significantly contribute towards a seamless understanding of the responses of terrestrial ecosystems to long-term environmental change, and ultimately help reduce uncertainties of the magnitude and direction of the past and future terrestrial carbon sink.

Partitioning of soil phosphorus among arbuscular and ectomycorrhizal trees in tropical and subtropical forests.

PubMed

Liu, Xubing; Burslem, David F R P; Taylor, Joe D; Taylor, Andy F S; Khoo, Eyen; Majalap-Lee, Noreen; Helgason, Thorunn; Johnson, David

2018-05-01

Partitioning of soil phosphorus (P) pools has been proposed as a key mechanism maintaining plant diversity, but experimental support is lacking. Here, we provided different chemical forms of P to 15 tree species with contrasting root symbiotic relationships to investigate plant P acquisition in both tropical and subtropical forests. Both ectomycorrhizal (ECM) and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) trees responded positively to addition of inorganic P, but strikingly, ECM trees acquired more P from a complex organic form (phytic acid). Most ECM tree species and all AM tree species also showed some capacity to take up simple organic P (monophosphate). Mycorrhizal colonisation was negatively correlated with soil extractable P concentration, suggesting that mycorrhizal fungi may regulate organic P acquisition among tree species. Our results support the hypothesis that ECM and AM plants partition soil P sources, which may play an ecologically important role in promoting species coexistence in tropical and subtropical forests. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

A method of detecting carbonyl compounds in tree leaves in China.

PubMed

Huang, Juan; Feng, Yanli; Fu, Jiamo; Sheng, Guoying

2010-06-01

Carbonyl compounds have been paid more and more attention because some carbonyl species have been proven to be carcinogenic or a risk for human health. Plant leaves are both an important emission source and an important sink of carbonyl compounds. But the research on carbonyl compounds from plant leaves is very scarce. In order to make an approach to the emission mechanism of plant leaves, a new method was established to extract carbonyl compounds from fresh plant leaves. The procedure combining derivatization with ultrasonication was developed for the fast extraction of carbonyl compounds from tree leaves. Fresh leaves (< 0.01 g) were minced and ultrasonicated in acidic 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH)-acetonitrile solution for 30 min and then holding 30 min to allow aldehydes and ketones in leaves to react completely with DNPH. The extraction process was performed under room temperature and only took 60 min. The advantages of this method were very little sample preparation, requiring short treatment time and usual equipment. Four greening trees, i.e., camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora), sweet olive (Osmanthus fragrans), cedar (Cedrus deodara), and dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides), were selected and extracted by this method. Seven carbonyl compounds, including formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetone, acrolein, p-tolualdehyde, m/o-tolualdehyde, and hexaldehyde were determined and quantified. The most common carbonyl species of the four tree leaves were formaldehyde, acrolein, and m/o-tolualdehyde. They accounted for 67.3% in cedar, 50.8% in sweet olive, 45.8% in dawn redwood, and 44.6% in camphor tree, respectively. Camphor tree had the highest leaf level of m/o-tolualdehyde with 15.0 +/- 3.4 microg g(-1)(fresh leaf weight), which indicated that camphor tree may be a bioindicator of the level of tolualdehyde or xylene in the atmosphere. By analyzing carbonyl compounds from different tree leaves, it is not only helpful for further studying the relationship between sink and emission of carbonyls from plants, but also helpful for exploring optimum plant population in urban greening.

Tree diversity and the role of non-host neighbour tree species in reducing fungal pathogen infestation

PubMed Central

Hantsch, Lydia; Bien, Steffen; Radatz, Stine; Braun, Uwe; Auge, Harald; Bruelheide, Helge

2014-01-01

The degree to which plant pathogen infestation occurs in a host plant is expected to be strongly influenced by the level of species diversity among neighbouring host and non-host plant species. Since pathogen infestation can negatively affect host plant performance, it can mediate the effects of local biodiversity on ecosystem functioning. We tested the effects of tree diversity and the proportion of neighbouring host and non-host species with respect to the foliar fungal pathogens of Tilia cordata and Quercus petraea in the Kreinitz tree diversity experiment in Germany. We hypothesized that fungal pathogen richness increases while infestation decreases with increasing local tree diversity. In addition, we tested whether fungal pathogen richness and infestation are dependent on the proportion of host plant species present or on the proportion of particular non-host neighbouring tree species. Leaves of the two target species were sampled across three consecutive years with visible foliar fungal pathogens on the leaf surface being identified macro- and microscopically. Effects of diversity among neighbouring trees were analysed: (i) for total fungal species richness and fungal infestation on host trees and (ii) for infestation by individual fungal species. We detected four and five fungal species on T. cordata and Q. petraea, respectively. High local tree diversity reduced (i) total fungal species richness and infestation of T. cordata and fungal infestation of Q. petraea and (ii) infestation by three host-specialized fungal pathogen species. These effects were brought about by local tree diversity and were independent of host species proportion. In general, host species proportion had almost no effect on fungal species richness and infestation. Strong effects associated with the proportion of particular non-host neighbouring tree species on fungal species richness and infestation were, however, recorded. Synthesis. For the first time, we experimentally demonstrated that for two common forestry tree species, foliar fungal pathogen richness and infestation depend on local biodiversity. Thus, local tree diversity can have positive impacts on ecosystem functioning in managed forests by decreasing the level of fungal pathogen infestation. PMID:25558092

Tree diversity and the role of non-host neighbour tree species in reducing fungal pathogen infestation.

PubMed

Hantsch, Lydia; Bien, Steffen; Radatz, Stine; Braun, Uwe; Auge, Harald; Bruelheide, Helge

2014-11-01

The degree to which plant pathogen infestation occurs in a host plant is expected to be strongly influenced by the level of species diversity among neighbouring host and non-host plant species. Since pathogen infestation can negatively affect host plant performance, it can mediate the effects of local biodiversity on ecosystem functioning.We tested the effects of tree diversity and the proportion of neighbouring host and non-host species with respect to the foliar fungal pathogens of Tilia cordata and Quercus petraea in the Kreinitz tree diversity experiment in Germany. We hypothesized that fungal pathogen richness increases while infestation decreases with increasing local tree diversity. In addition, we tested whether fungal pathogen richness and infestation are dependent on the proportion of host plant species present or on the proportion of particular non-host neighbouring tree species.Leaves of the two target species were sampled across three consecutive years with visible foliar fungal pathogens on the leaf surface being identified macro- and microscopically. Effects of diversity among neighbouring trees were analysed: (i) for total fungal species richness and fungal infestation on host trees and (ii) for infestation by individual fungal species.We detected four and five fungal species on T. cordata and Q. petraea , respectively. High local tree diversity reduced (i) total fungal species richness and infestation of T. cordata and fungal infestation of Q. petraea and (ii) infestation by three host-specialized fungal pathogen species. These effects were brought about by local tree diversity and were independent of host species proportion. In general, host species proportion had almost no effect on fungal species richness and infestation. Strong effects associated with the proportion of particular non-host neighbouring tree species on fungal species richness and infestation were, however, recorded. Synthesis . For the first time, we experimentally demonstrated that for two common forestry tree species, foliar fungal pathogen richness and infestation depend on local biodiversity. Thus, local tree diversity can have positive impacts on ecosystem functioning in managed forests by decreasing the level of fungal pathogen infestation.

Geospatial Technologies and i-Tree Echo Inventory for Predicting Climate Change on Urban Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sriharan, S.; Robinson, L.; Ghariban, N.; Comar, M.; Pope, B.; Frey, G.

2015-12-01

Urban forests can be useful both in mitigating climate change and in helping cities adapt to higher temperatures and other impacts of climate change. Understanding and managing the impacts of climate change on the urban forest trees and natural communities will help us maintain their environmental, cultural, and economic benefits. Tree Inventory can provide important information on tree species, height, crown width, overall condition, health and maintenance needs. This presentation will demonstrate that a trees database system is necessary for developing a sustainable urban tree program. Virginia State University (VSU) campus benefits from large number and diversity of trees that are helping us by cleaning the air, retaining water, and providing shade on the buildings to reduce energy cost. The objectives of this study were to develop campus inventory of the trees, identify the tree species, map the locations of the trees with user-friendly tools such as i-Tree Eco and geospatial technologies by assessing the cost/benefit of employing student labor for training and ground validation of the results, and help campus landscape managers implement adaptive responses to climate change impacts. Data was collected on the location, species, and size of trees by using i-Tree urban forestry analysis software. This data was transferred to i-Tree inventory system for demonstrating types of trees, diameter of the trees, height of the trees, and vintage of the trees. The study site was mapped by collecting waypoints with GPS (Global Positioning System) at the trees and uploading these waypoints in ArcMap. The results of this study showed that: (i) students make good field crews, (ii) if more trees were placed in the proper area, the heating and cooling costs will reduce, and (iii) trees database system is necessary for planning, designing, planting, and maintenance, and removal of campus trees Research sponsored by the NIFA Grant, "Urban Forestry Management" (2012-38821-20153).

Water Table Depth and Growth of Young Cottonwood

Treesearch

W. M. Broadfoot

1973-01-01

Planted cottonwood grew best when the water table was about 2 feet deep, whether the tree was planted on soil with a high water table or the water table was raised 1 year after planting. Growth over a 1- foot-deep water table was about the same as over no water table, but a surface water table restricted growth of cuttings planted in the water, and killed trees planted...

High School Students’ Learning and Perceptions of Phylogenetics of Flowering Plants

PubMed Central

Landis, Jacob B.; Crippen, Kent J.

2014-01-01

Basic phylogenetics and associated “tree thinking” are often minimized or excluded in formal school curricula. Informal settings provide an opportunity to extend the K–12 school curriculum, introducing learners to new ideas, piquing interest in science, and fostering scientific literacy. Similarly, university researchers participating in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) outreach activities increase awareness of college and career options and highlight interdisciplinary fields of science research and augment the science curriculum. To aid in this effort, we designed a 6-h module in which students utilized 12 flowering plant species to generate morphological and molecular phylogenies using biological techniques and bioinformatics tools. The phylogenetics module was implemented with 83 high school students during a weeklong university STEM immersion program and aimed to increase student understanding of phylogenetics and coevolution of plants and pollinators. Student response reflected positive engagement and learning gains as evidenced through content assessments, program evaluation surveys, and program artifacts. We present the results of the first year of implementation and discuss modifications for future use in our immersion programs as well as in multiple course settings at the high school and undergraduate levels. PMID:25452488

Identification of Ganoderma Disease Resistance Loci Using Natural Field Infection of an Oil Palm Multiparental Population.

PubMed

Tisné, Sébastien; Pomiès, Virginie; Riou, Virginie; Syahputra, Indra; Cochard, Benoît; Denis, Marie

2017-06-07

Multi-parental populations are promising tools for identifying quantitative disease resistance loci. Stem rot caused by Ganoderma boninense is a major threat to palm oil production, with yield losses of up to 80% prompting premature replantation of palms. There is evidence of genetic resistance sources, but the genetic architecture of Ganoderma resistance has not yet been investigated. This study aimed to identify Ganoderma resistance loci using an oil palm multi-parental population derived from nine major founders of ongoing breeding programs. A total of 1200 palm trees of the multi-parental population was planted in plots naturally infected by Ganoderma , and their health status was assessed biannually over 25 yr. The data were treated as survival data, and modeled using the Cox regression model, including a spatial effect to take the spatial component in the spread of Ganoderma into account. Based on the genotypes of 757 palm trees out of the 1200 planted, and on pedigree information, resistance loci were identified using a random effect with identity-by-descent kinship matrices as covariance matrices in the Cox model. Four Ganoderma resistance loci were identified, two controlling the occurrence of the first Ganoderma symptoms, and two the death of palm trees, while favorable haplotypes were identified among a major gene pool for ongoing breeding programs. This study implemented an efficient and flexible QTL mapping approach, and generated unique valuable information for the selection of oil palm varieties resistant to Ganoderma disease. Copyright © 2017 Tisné et al.

7 CFR 319.75-1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... subpart. Nursery stock. All field-grown florist's stock, trees, shrubs, vines, cuttings, grafts, scions, buds, fruit pits, and other seeds of fruit and ornamental trees or shrubs, and other plants and plant...

Dominance of legume trees alters nutrient relations in mixed species forest restoration plantings within seven years

Treesearch

Ilyas Siddique; Vera Lex Engel; David Lamb; Gabriela B. Nardoto; Jean P.H.B. Ometto; Luiz A. Martinelli; Susanne Schmidt

2008-01-01

Failures in reforestation are often attributed to nutrient limitation for tree growth. We compared tree performance and nitrogen and phosphorus relations in adjacent mixed-species plantings of contrasting composition, established for forest restoration on Ultisol soil, originally covered by tropical semi-deciduous Atlantic Forest in Southeast Brazil. Nutrient relations...

Midwest community tree guide: benefits, costs, and strategic planting

Treesearch

E. Gregory McPherson; James R. Simpson; Paula J. Peper; Scott E. Maco; Shelley L. Gardner; Shauna K. Cozad; Qingfu Xiao

2006-01-01

This report quantifies benefits and costs for typical small, medium, and large deciduous (losing their leaves every autumn) trees: crabapple, red oak, and hackberry (see "Common and Scientific Names" section). The analysis assumed that trees were planted in a residential yard or public site (streetside or park) with a 60 percent survival rate over a 40-year...

Assisted migration: What it means to nursery managers and tree planters

Treesearch

Mary I. Williams; R. Kasten Dumroese

2014-01-01

Projections indicate that natural plant adaptation and migration may not keep pace with climate changes. This mismatch in rates will pose significant challenges for practitioners that select, grow, and outplant native tree species. Populations of native tree species planted today must be able to meet the climatic challenges they will face during this century. One...

Foliar nitrogen characteristics of four tree species planted in New York City forest restoration sites

Treesearch

Nancy Falxa-Raymond; Matthew I. Palmer; Timon McPhearson; Kevin L. Griffin

2014-01-01

Urban forests provide important environmental benefits, leading many municipal governments to initiate citywide tree plantings. However, nutrient cycling in urban ecosystems is difficult to predict, and nitrogen (N) use in urban trees may be quite different from use in rural forests. To gain insight into these biogeochemical and physiological processes, we compared...

[Species composition and spatial structure of plants in urban parks of Beijing].

PubMed

Zhao, Juan-Juan; Ouyang, Zhi-Yun; Zheng, Hua; Xu, Wei-Hua; Wang, Xiao-Ke

2009-02-01

By the method of stratified random sampling, the species composition and spatial structure of the plants in 53 parks in Beijing urban area were investigated, aimed to provide basic information for the protection of plant diversity in the parks and the management of the parks. A total of 492 plant species belong to 96 families and 283 genera were recorded. Based on the data of 21 investigation items about the trees, shrubs, and grasses in the study area and related statistical analyses, the plant structural patterns commonly seen in the green space of the parks of Beijing urban area were introduced. Among the plants in the parks, native species occupied 53.86% of the total. The chorological composition of the genera embraced broad kinds of geographical elements in China, and the predominance of dominant plants was remarkable. In most green patches of the parks, herbaceous species were more abundant and had higher coverage, shrubs had relatively low coverage and were less beneath tree canopy, and trees and shrubs had lower species richness and density. The canopy breadth and the diameter of breast height of trees as well as the breadth of shrubs and the heights of trees and shrubs were basically at the second grade, but the canopy structure of the trees were better, with good conditions of sunlight and growth. The crown missing of the shrubs was relatively low. It was suggested from correlation analyses and document survey of Beijing parks construction history that park landscape design, alien species introduction; and cultivation management were the main factors affecting the species composition and spatial structure of the plants in Beijing urban parks.

Deer browse growth reduced by pine overstory

Treesearch

Lowell K. Halls

1974-01-01

Twig growth of young browse plants growing in the open was several times greater than that of plants beneath pine trees. The difference was most pronounced when plants were youngest. Most twig growth was within reach of deer (below 5 feet) until plants were 5 or 6 years old, but the proportion decreased with age for tall shrubs and small trees. Although twigs...

Harnessing ant defence at fruits reduces bruchid seed predation in a symbiotic ant-plant mutualism.

PubMed

Pringle, Elizabeth G

2014-06-22

In horizontally transmitted mutualisms, mutualists disperse separately and reassemble in each generation with partners genetically unrelated to those in the previous generation. Because of this, there should be no selection on either partner to enhance the other's reproductive output directly. In symbiotic ant-plant mutualisms, myrmecophytic plants host defensive ant colonies, and ants defend the plants from herbivores. Plants and ants disperse separately, and, although ant defence can indirectly increase plant reproduction by reducing folivory, it is unclear whether ants can also directly increase plant reproduction by defending seeds. The neotropical tree Cordia alliodora hosts colonies of Azteca pittieri ants. The trees produce domatia where ants nest at stem nodes and also at the node between the peduncle and the rachides of the infloresence. Unlike the stem domatia, these reproductive domatia senesce after the tree fruits each year. In this study, I show that the tree's resident ant colony moves into these ephemeral reproductive domatia, where they tend honeydew-producing scale insects and patrol the nearby developing fruits. The presence of ants significantly reduced pre-dispersal seed predation by Amblycerus bruchid beetles, thereby directly increasing plant reproductive output.

Harnessing ant defence at fruits reduces bruchid seed predation in a symbiotic ant–plant mutualism

PubMed Central

Pringle, Elizabeth G.

2014-01-01

In horizontally transmitted mutualisms, mutualists disperse separately and reassemble in each generation with partners genetically unrelated to those in the previous generation. Because of this, there should be no selection on either partner to enhance the other's reproductive output directly. In symbiotic ant–plant mutualisms, myrmecophytic plants host defensive ant colonies, and ants defend the plants from herbivores. Plants and ants disperse separately, and, although ant defence can indirectly increase plant reproduction by reducing folivory, it is unclear whether ants can also directly increase plant reproduction by defending seeds. The neotropical tree Cordia alliodora hosts colonies of Azteca pittieri ants. The trees produce domatia where ants nest at stem nodes and also at the node between the peduncle and the rachides of the infloresence. Unlike the stem domatia, these reproductive domatia senesce after the tree fruits each year. In this study, I show that the tree's resident ant colony moves into these ephemeral reproductive domatia, where they tend honeydew-producing scale insects and patrol the nearby developing fruits. The presence of ants significantly reduced pre-dispersal seed predation by Amblycerus bruchid beetles, thereby directly increasing plant reproductive output. PMID:24807259

Native plant diversity increases herbivory to non-natives

PubMed Central

Pearse, Ian S.; Hipp, Andrew L.

2014-01-01

There is often an inverse relationship between the diversity of a plant community and the invasibility of that community by non-native plants. Native herbivores that colonize novel plants may contribute to diversity–invasibility relationships by limiting the relative success of non-native plants. Here, we show that, in large collections of non-native oak trees at sites across the USA, non-native oaks introduced to regions with greater oak species richness accumulated greater leaf damage than in regions with low oak richness. Underlying this trend was the ability of herbivores to exploit non-native plants that were close relatives to their native host. In diverse oak communities, non-native trees were on average more closely related to native trees and received greater leaf damage than those in depauperate oak communities. Because insect herbivores colonize non-native plants that are similar to their native hosts, in communities with greater native plant diversity, non-natives experience greater herbivory. PMID:25232143

Hardwood tree growth on amended mine soils in west virginia.

PubMed

Wilson-Kokes, Lindsay; Delong, Curtis; Thomas, Calene; Emerson, Paul; O'Dell, Keith; Skousen, Jeff

2013-09-01

Each year surface mining in Appalachia disrupts large areas of forested land. The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act requires coal mine operators to establish a permanent vegetative cover after mining, and current practice emphasizes soil compaction and planting of competitive forage grasses to stabilize the site and control erosion. These practices hinder recolonization of native hardwood trees on these reclaimed sites. Recently reclamation scientists and regulators have encouraged re-establishment of hardwood forests on surface mined land through careful selection and placement of rooting media and proper selection and planting of herbaceous and tree species. To evaluate the effect of rooting media and soil amendments, a 2.8-ha experimental plot was established, with half of the plot being constructed of weathered brown sandstone and half constructed of unweathered gray sandstone. Bark mulch was applied to an area covering both sandstone types, and the ends of the plot were hydroseeded with a tree-compatible herbaceous seed mix, resulting in eight soil treatments. Twelve hardwood tree species were planted, and soil chemical properties and tree growth were measured annually from 2007 to 2012. After six growing seasons, average tree volume index was higher for trees grown on brown sandstone (5333 cm) compared with gray sandstone (3031 cm). Trees planted in mulch outperformed trees on nonmulched treatments (volume index of 6187 cm vs. 4194 cm). Hydroseeding with a tree-compatible mix produced greater ground cover (35 vs. 15%) and resulted in greater tree volume index than nonhydroseed areas (5809 vs. 3403 cm). Soil chemical properties were improved by mulch and improved tree growth, especially on gray sandstone. The average pH of brown sandstone was 5.0 to 5.4, and gray sandstone averaged pH 6.9 to 7.7. The mulch treatment on gray sandstone resulted in tree growth similar to brown sandstone alone and with mulch. After 6 yr, tree growth on brown sandstone was about double the tree growth on gray sandstone, and mulch was a successful amendment to improve tree growth. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Carbon payments and low-cost conservation.

PubMed

Crossman, Neville D; Bryan, Brett A; Summers, David M

2011-08-01

A price on carbon is expected to generate demand for carbon offset schemes. This demand could drive investment in tree-based monocultures that provide higher carbon yields than diverse plantings of native tree and shrub species, which sequester less carbon but provide greater variation in vegetation structure and composition. Economic instruments such as species conservation banking, the creation and trading of credits that represent biological-diversity values on private land, could close the financial gap between monocultures and more diverse plantings by providing payments to individuals who plant diverse species in locations that contribute to conservation and restoration goals. We studied a highly modified agricultural system in southern Australia that is typical of many temperate agriculture zones globally (i.e., has a high proportion of endangered species, high levels of habitat fragmentation, and presence of non-native species). We quantified the economic returns from agriculture and from carbon plantings (monoculture and mixed tree and shrubs) under six carbon-price scenarios. We also identified high-priority locations for restoration of cleared landscapes with mixed tree and shrub carbon plantings. Depending on the price of carbon, direct annual payments to landowners of AU$7/ha/year to $125/ha/year (US$6-120/ha/year) may be sufficient to augment economic returns from a carbon market and encourage tree plantings that contribute more to the restoration of natural systems and endangered species habitats than monocultures. Thus, areas of high priority for conservation and restoration may be restored relatively cheaply in the presence of a carbon market. Overall, however, less carbon is sequestered by mixed native tree and shrub plantings. © 2011 Society for Conservation Biology.

Assessing the Impact of Asian Longhorned Beetle in Worcester, MA: Thermal Effects, Community Responses, and Future Vulnerability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elmes, Arthur Francis Marett

Urban environments experience air, water, noise, and heat pollution as a consequence of their composition, structure, and function. These adverse environmental conditions, which have direct and indirect effects on human health and ecological stability, can be mitigated or partially offset by healthy and extensive urban forests. Additionally, urban trees provide a number of cultural, aesthetic, and property value benefits. However, to provide maximum ecosystem service benefits, an urban forest must be carefully planned and maintained, so that average tree lifespan is maximized and ecological vulnerability is minimized. Maximal urban forest resilience is best achieved via taxonomic and age-diversity, such that no one genus or age-cohort dominates. This diversity enhances overall urban forest resilience, which in turn facilitates maximum ecosystem service provision. The Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB, Anoplophora glabripennis) infestation in Worcester, MA represents a case example of taxonomic monoculture vulnerability, but also an excellent opportunity to reinvest and diversify the urban forest. As a result of the ALB infestation, which was first documented in 2008, approximately 35,000 host trees were removed from residential and public property, substantially reducing urban tree canopy coverage and uncovering impervious surfaces. Chapter two quantifies this Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) loss, and shows that in loss areas Land Surface Temperature (LST) increases range from 1 - 6° C. The research investigates multi-scale effects of this relationship, particularly in the hard-hit Burncoat and Greendale neighborhoods of Worcester, MA. In response to the large quantity of UTC loss suffered due to ALB, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), the City of Worcester, and the Worcester Tree Initiative (WTI) have together planted over 30,000 trees, primarily via tree giveaway programs to local residents. Chapter three assesses the effectiveness of this initiative in terms of juvenile tree mortality rates - a critical indicator of long-term urban forest success. Results indicate that tree stewardship variables such as renter proportion and number of trees planted per property are strong predictors of tree mortality. Tree species was shown to be strong predictor of mortality, with ornamental trees showing lower mortality rates than shade deciduous or conifers. Finally, Chapter four investigates the potential risk of further ALB infestation in the Worcester area, using a circuit theory dispersal model, which uses an analogy with electrical circuits to predict the dispersal of random-walkers across a heterogeneous landscape. The results indicate that impervious surfaces such as roads, sidewalks, and parking lots, as well as proximity to existing trees are facilitators of ALB movement. Circuit-based dispersal maps highlight the importance of narrow dispersal corridors connecting larger areas of potential dispersal. Dispersal potential was combined with ALB habitat suitability measured with Mahalanobis typicality, yielding a hybrid map of ALB infestation risk. These map products are valuable both as contributions to the understanding of invasive species movement in novel environments, and as tools for land managers attempting to eradicate ALB, such as the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. This dissertation investigates three elements of the ALB infestation of Worcester, providing a holistic explanation of the impacts, recovery, and vulnerability of Worcester's urban forest.

Genetic diversity and domestication origin of tea plant Camellia taliensis (Theaceae) as revealed by microsatellite markers

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Tea is one of the most popular beverages in the world. Many species in the Thea section of the Camellia genus can be processed for drinking and have been domesticated. However, few investigations have focused on the genetic consequence of domestication and geographic origin of landraces on tea plants using credible wild and planted populations of a single species. Here, C. taliensis provides us with a unique opportunity to explore these issues. Results Fourteen nuclear microsatellite loci were employed to determine the genetic diversity and domestication origin of C. taliensis, which were represented by 587 individuals from 25 wild, planted and recently domesticated populations. C. taliensis showed a moderate high level of overall genetic diversity. The greater reduction of genetic diversity and stronger genetic drift were detected in the wild group than in the recently domesticated group, indicating the loss of genetic diversity of wild populations due to overexploitation and habitat fragmentation. Instead of the endangered wild trees, recently domesticated individuals were used to compare with the planted trees for detecting the genetic consequence of domestication. A little and non-significant reduction in genetic diversity was found during domestication. The long life cycle, selection for leaf traits and gene flow between populations will delay the emergence of bottleneck in planted trees. Both phylogenetic and assignment analyses suggested that planted trees may have been domesticated from the adjacent central forest of western Yunnan and dispersed artificially to distant places. Conclusions This study contributes to the knowledge about levels and distribution of genetic diversity of C. taliensis and provides new insights into genetic consequence of domestication and geographic origin of planted trees of this species. As an endemic tea source plant, wild, planted and recently domesticated C. taliensis trees should all be protected for their unique genetic characteristics, which are valuable for tea breeding. PMID:24405939

Genetic diversity and domestication origin of tea plant Camellia taliensis (Theaceae) as revealed by microsatellite markers.

PubMed

Zhao, Dong-Wei; Yang, Jun-Bo; Yang, Shi-Xiong; Kato, Kenji; Luo, Jian-Ping

2014-01-09

Tea is one of the most popular beverages in the world. Many species in the Thea section of the Camellia genus can be processed for drinking and have been domesticated. However, few investigations have focused on the genetic consequence of domestication and geographic origin of landraces on tea plants using credible wild and planted populations of a single species. Here, C. taliensis provides us with a unique opportunity to explore these issues. Fourteen nuclear microsatellite loci were employed to determine the genetic diversity and domestication origin of C. taliensis, which were represented by 587 individuals from 25 wild, planted and recently domesticated populations. C. taliensis showed a moderate high level of overall genetic diversity. The greater reduction of genetic diversity and stronger genetic drift were detected in the wild group than in the recently domesticated group, indicating the loss of genetic diversity of wild populations due to overexploitation and habitat fragmentation. Instead of the endangered wild trees, recently domesticated individuals were used to compare with the planted trees for detecting the genetic consequence of domestication. A little and non-significant reduction in genetic diversity was found during domestication. The long life cycle, selection for leaf traits and gene flow between populations will delay the emergence of bottleneck in planted trees. Both phylogenetic and assignment analyses suggested that planted trees may have been domesticated from the adjacent central forest of western Yunnan and dispersed artificially to distant places. This study contributes to the knowledge about levels and distribution of genetic diversity of C. taliensis and provides new insights into genetic consequence of domestication and geographic origin of planted trees of this species. As an endemic tea source plant, wild, planted and recently domesticated C. taliensis trees should all be protected for their unique genetic characteristics, which are valuable for tea breeding.

Tree genetics defines fungal partner communities that may confer drought tolerance.

PubMed

Gehring, Catherine A; Sthultz, Christopher M; Flores-Rentería, Lluvia; Whipple, Amy V; Whitham, Thomas G

2017-10-17

Plant genetic variation and soil microorganisms are individually known to influence plant responses to climate change, but the interactive effects of these two factors are largely unknown. Using long-term observational studies in the field and common garden and greenhouse experiments of a foundation tree species ( Pinus edulis ) and its mutualistic ectomycorrhizal fungal (EMF) associates, we show that EMF community composition is under strong plant genetic control. Seedlings acquire the EMF community of their seed source trees (drought tolerant vs. drought intolerant), even when exposed to inoculum from the alternate tree type. Drought-tolerant trees had 25% higher growth and a third the mortality of drought-intolerant trees over the course of 10 y of drought in the wild, traits that were also observed in their seedlings in a common garden. Inoculation experiments show that EMF communities are critical to drought tolerance. Drought-tolerant and drought-intolerant seedlings grew similarly when provided sterile EMF inoculum, but drought-tolerant seedlings grew 25% larger than drought-intolerant seedlings under dry conditions when each seedling type developed its distinct EMF community. This demonstration that particular combinations of plant genotype and mutualistic EMF communities improve the survival and growth of trees with drought is especially important, given the vulnerability of forests around the world to the warming and drying conditions predicted for the future.

Mycorrhizal strategies for nitrogen acquisition have divergent effects on soil carbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wurzburger, N.; Brookshire, J.

2016-12-01

Most land plants acquire nitrogen (N) through associations with mycorrhizal fungi, but these symbioses employ contrasting strategies for N acquisition, which may lead to different stocks of soil carbon (C). Here we experimentally test the hypothesis that contrasting strategies for N acquisition by arbuscular (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (ECM) plants drive divergent patterns in soil decomposer activity and C loss. By employing a simple mesocosm system where we grew AM and ECM trees in 13C- and 15N-enriched organic matter, we quantified loss rates of soil C, uptake of N and net contributions of new plant C to soil. We found that AM trees promoted greater soil C loss relative to ECM trees and key mechanisms of N acquisition explained this pattern. AM trees were less dependent on biomass C to acquire N than ECM trees, and N uptake was correlated with soil C loss for AM, but not ECM trees. Further, while new plant C inputs stimulated soil C loss in both symbioses, we detected plant C inputs more frequently and measured higher rates of decomposer activity in soils colonized by AM relative to ECM trees. Together, our findings suggest that contrasting strategies of N acquisition by AM and ECM, including differences in stimulating decomposition, explain mycorrhizal effects on soil C. Our study provides experimental demonstration of the key mechanisms by which mycorrhizal strategies may give rise to broad patterns in soil C across terrestrial ecosystems.

Urban stress-induced biogenic VOC emissions impact secondary aerosol formation in Beijing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghirardo, A.; Xie, J.; Zheng, X.; Wang, Y.; Grote, R.; Block, K.; Wildt, J.; Mentel, T.; Kiendler-Scharr, A.; Hallquist, M.; Butterbach-Bahl, K.; Schnitzler, J.-P.

2015-08-01

Trees can significantly impact the urban air chemistry by the uptake and emission of reactive biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs), which are involved in ozone and particle formation. Here we present the emission potentials of "constitutive" (cBVOCs) and "stress-induced" BVOCs (sBVOCs) from the dominant broadleaf woody plant species in the megacity of Beijing. Based on an inventory of BVOC emissions and the tree census, we assessed the potential impact of BVOCs on secondary particulate matter formation in 2005 and 2010, i.e., before and after realizing the large tree-planting program for the 2008 Olympic Games. We found that sBVOCs, such as fatty acid derivatives, benzenoids and sesquiterpenes, constituted a significant fraction (∼ 15 %) of the total annual BVOC emissions, and we estimated that the overall annual BVOC budget may have doubled from ∼ 3.6 × 109 g C year-1 in 2005 to ∼ 7.1 × 109 g C year-1 in 2010 due to the increase in urban greens, while at the same time, the emission of anthropogenic VOCs (AVOCs) could be lowered by 24 %. Based on our BVOC emission assessment, we estimated the biological impact on SOA mass formation in Beijing. Compared to AVOCs, the contribution of biogenic precursors (2-5 %) for secondary particulate matter in Beijing was low. However, sBVOCs can significantly contribute (∼ 40 %) to the formation of total secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from biogenic sources; apparently, their annual emission increased from 1.05 μg m-3 in 2005 to 2.05 μg m-3 in 2010. This study demonstrates that biogenic and, in particular, sBVOC emissions contribute to SOA formation in megacities. However, the main problems regarding air quality in Beijing still originate from anthropogenic activities. Nevertheless, the present survey suggests that in urban plantation programs, the selection of plant species with low cBVOC and sBVOC emission potentials have some possible beneficial effects on urban air quality.

Food selection of the Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus) under semi-wild conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simpson, Boyd K.; Shukor, M. N.; Magintan, David

2013-11-01

A study on the selection of food plants by captive Malayan tapirs (Tapirus indicus) was undertaken in a 30 hectare natural forest enclosure at the Sungai Dusun Wildlife Reserve, Malaysia. Tapirs browsed on 217 species of plants (from 99 genera and 49 families) from a total of the 1142 specimens collected and identified. Food plants were heavily dominated by sapling trees and shrubs which comprised 93% of all plants taken, with the remainder comprising woody lianas, vines and herbaceous plants. Although tapirs browsed on a wide variety of plant species, the top 30 species consumed represented more than 60% of all the plants selected, whilst the vast majority of species were rarely eaten. More than 80 species of trees and shrubs were available, but not eaten at all. The most readily consumed species were the sub-canopy and understorey trees Xerospermum noronhianum, Aporosa prainiana and Baccaurea parviflora, while Aporosa, Knema and Xerospermum were the dominant plant genera. The Phyllanthaceae (leaf flowers), Myristicaceae (nutmegs) and Sapindaceae (rambutans) were the most commonly selected families comprising 45% of the diet. Tapirs fed on saplings trees up to 8.3 m in height, while plants taller than about 1.6 m were bent, broken or pushed to the ground to gain access to the foliage. Sapling stems up to 4.2 cm in diameter could be snapped by biting, while larger trees to 7 cm diameter could be pushed down. Tapirs typically fed on the newer leaves and shoots, however, often only consuming half of the available foliage on a plant. This study documents 160 new plant species suitable as Malayan tapir food, and is consistent with the generalist, but selective browsing nature of the Tapirus species in general.

An inventory of trees in Dublin city centre.

PubMed

Ningal, Tine; Mills, Gerald; Smithwick, Pamela

2010-01-01

While urban areas are often considered to be comprised chiefly of artificial surfaces, they can contain a substantial portion of green space and a great diversity of natural habitats. These spaces include public parks, private gardens and street trees, all of which can provide valuable environmental services, such as improved air quality. Trees play a particular role in cities as they are often placed along roadsides and in the median strip of busy streets. As such they regulate access to sunshine, restrict airflow, provide shelter, scavenge air pollutants and manage noise at the street level. A tree planting policy can be an important part of a broader environmental strategy aimed at improving the quality of life in urban areas but this requires up-to-date knowledge of the current tree stock, which does not exist for Dublin. This article presents an inventory of trees in Dublin's city centre, defined as the area between the Grand and Royal canals. The results show that there are over 10,000 trees in the study area representing a density of 684 trees km-2 or one tree to approximately every 50 residents of the city centre. The tree canopy extent when in full foliage was nearly 1 km2 in extent or 6% of the study area. A more detailed analysis of those trees planted along streets shows little species variation but clear distinction in the sizes of trees, which is indicative of the age of planting. These data are used to estimate the carbon stored in Dublin's trees.

Epigenetic regulation of adaptive responses of forest tree species to the environment

PubMed Central

Bräutigam, Katharina; Vining, Kelly J; Lafon-Placette, Clément; Fossdal, Carl G; Mirouze, Marie; Marcos, José Gutiérrez; Fluch, Silvia; Fraga, Mario Fernández; Guevara, M Ángeles; Abarca, Dolores; Johnsen, Øystein; Maury, Stéphane; Strauss, Steven H; Campbell, Malcolm M; Rohde, Antje; Díaz-Sala, Carmen; Cervera, María-Teresa

2013-01-01

Epigenetic variation is likely to contribute to the phenotypic plasticity and adaptative capacity of plant species, and may be especially important for long-lived organisms with complex life cycles, including forest trees. Diverse environmental stresses and hybridization/polyploidization events can create reversible heritable epigenetic marks that can be transmitted to subsequent generations as a form of molecular “memory”. Epigenetic changes might also contribute to the ability of plants to colonize or persist in variable environments. In this review, we provide an overview of recent data on epigenetic mechanisms involved in developmental processes and responses to environmental cues in plant, with a focus on forest tree species. We consider the possible role of forest tree epigenetics as a new source of adaptive traits in plant breeding, biotechnology, and ecosystem conservation under rapid climate change. PMID:23467802

Leaf mimicry in a climbing plant protects against herbivory.

PubMed

Gianoli, Ernesto; Carrasco-Urra, Fernando

2014-05-05

Mimicry refers to adaptive similarity between a mimic organism and a model. Mimicry in animals is rather common, whereas documented cases in plants are rare, and the associated benefits are seldom elucidated [1, 2]. We show the occurrence of leaf mimicry in a climbing plant endemic to a temperate rainforest. The woody vine Boquila trifoliolata mimics the leaves of its supporting trees in terms of size, shape, color, orientation, petiole length, and/or tip spininess. Moreover, sequential leaf mimicry occurs when a single individual vine is associated with different tree species. Leaves of unsupported vines differed from leaves of climbing plants closely associated with tree foliage but did not differ from those of vines climbing onto leafless trunks. Consistent with an herbivory-avoidance hypothesis, leaf herbivory on unsupported vines was greater than that on vines climbing on trees but was greatest on vines climbing onto leafless trunks. Thus, B. trifoliolata gains protection against herbivory not merely by climbing and thus avoiding ground herbivores [3] but also by climbing onto trees whose leaves are mimicked. Unlike earlier cases of plant mimicry or crypsis, in which the plant roughly resembles a background or color pattern [4-7] or mimics a single host [8, 9], B. trifoliolata is able to mimic several hosts. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The roles of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in phytoremediation and tree-herb interactions in Pb contaminated soil

DOE PAGES

Yang, Yurong; Liang, Yan; Han, Xiaozhen; ...

2016-02-04

Understanding the roles of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in plant interaction is essential for optimizing plant distribution to restore degraded ecosystems. Here, our study investigated the effects of AMF and the presence of legume or grass herbs on phytoremediation with a legume tree, Robinia pseudoacacia, in Pb polluted soil. In monoculture, mycorrhizal dependency of legumes was higher than that of grass, and AMF benefited the plant biomass of legumes but had no effect on grass. Mycorrhizal colonization of plant was enhanced by legume neighbors but inhibited by grass neighbor in co-culture system. N, P, S and Mg concentrations of mycorrhizalmore » legumes were larger than these of non-mycorrhizal legumes. Legume herbs decreased soil pH and thereby increased the Pb concentrations of plants. The neighbor effects of legumes shifted from negative to positive with increasing Pb stress levels, whereas grass provided a negative effect on the growth of legume tree. AMF enhanced the competition but equalized growth of legume-legume under unpolluted and Pb stress conditions, respectively. In conclusion, (1) AMF mediate plant interaction through directly influencing plant biomass, and/or indirectly influencing plant photosynthesis, macronutrient acquisition, (2) legume tree inoculated with AMF and co-planted with legume herbs provides an effective way for Pb phytoremediation.« less

The roles of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in phytoremediation and tree-herb interactions in Pb contaminated soil

PubMed Central

Yang, Yurong; Liang, Yan; Han, Xiaozhen; Chiu, Tsan-Yu; Ghosh, Amit; Chen, Hui; Tang, Ming

2016-01-01

Understanding the roles of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in plant interaction is essential for optimizing plant distribution to restore degraded ecosystems. This study investigated the effects of AMF and the presence of legume or grass herbs on phytoremediation with a legume tree, Robinia pseudoacacia, in Pb polluted soil. In monoculture, mycorrhizal dependency of legumes was higher than that of grass, and AMF benefited the plant biomass of legumes but had no effect on grass. Mycorrhizal colonization of plant was enhanced by legume neighbors but inhibited by grass neighbor in co-culture system. N, P, S and Mg concentrations of mycorrhizal legumes were larger than these of non-mycorrhizal legumes. Legume herbs decreased soil pH and thereby increased the Pb concentrations of plants. The neighbor effects of legumes shifted from negative to positive with increasing Pb stress levels, whereas grass provided a negative effect on the growth of legume tree. AMF enhanced the competition but equalized growth of legume-legume under unpolluted and Pb stress conditions, respectively. In conclusion, (1) AMF mediate plant interaction through directly influencing plant biomass, and/or indirectly influencing plant photosynthesis, macronutrient acquisition, (2) legume tree inoculated with AMF and co-planted with legume herbs provides an effective way for Pb phytoremediation. PMID:26842958

The roles of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in phytoremediation and tree-herb interactions in Pb contaminated soil

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, Yurong; Liang, Yan; Han, Xiaozhen

Understanding the roles of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in plant interaction is essential for optimizing plant distribution to restore degraded ecosystems. Here, our study investigated the effects of AMF and the presence of legume or grass herbs on phytoremediation with a legume tree, Robinia pseudoacacia, in Pb polluted soil. In monoculture, mycorrhizal dependency of legumes was higher than that of grass, and AMF benefited the plant biomass of legumes but had no effect on grass. Mycorrhizal colonization of plant was enhanced by legume neighbors but inhibited by grass neighbor in co-culture system. N, P, S and Mg concentrations of mycorrhizalmore » legumes were larger than these of non-mycorrhizal legumes. Legume herbs decreased soil pH and thereby increased the Pb concentrations of plants. The neighbor effects of legumes shifted from negative to positive with increasing Pb stress levels, whereas grass provided a negative effect on the growth of legume tree. AMF enhanced the competition but equalized growth of legume-legume under unpolluted and Pb stress conditions, respectively. In conclusion, (1) AMF mediate plant interaction through directly influencing plant biomass, and/or indirectly influencing plant photosynthesis, macronutrient acquisition, (2) legume tree inoculated with AMF and co-planted with legume herbs provides an effective way for Pb phytoremediation.« less

Genetic basis of aboveground productivity in two native Populus species and their hybrids.

PubMed

Lojewski, Nathan R; Fischer, Dylan G; Bailey, Joseph K; Schweitzer, Jennifer A; Whitham, Thomas G; Hart, Stephen C

2009-09-01

Demonstration of genetic control over riparian tree productivity has major implications for responses of riparian systems to shifting environmental conditions and effects of genetics on ecosystems in general. We used field studies and common gardens, applying both molecular and quantitative techniques, to compare plot-level tree aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP(tree)) and individual tree growth rate constants in relation to plant genetic identity in two naturally occurring Populus tree species and their hybrids. In field comparisons of four cross types (Populus fremontii S. Wats., Populus angustifolia James, F(1) hybrids and backcross hybrids) across 11 natural stands, productivity was greatest for P. fremontii trees, followed by hybrids and lowest in P. angustifolia. A similar pattern was observed in four common gardens across a 290 m elevation and 100 km environmental gradient. Despite a doubling in productivity across the common gardens, the relative differences among the cross types remained constant. Using clonal replicates in a common garden, we found ANPP(tree) to be a heritable plant trait (i.e., broad-sense heritability), such that plant genetic factors explained between 38% and 82% of the variation in ANPP(tree). Furthermore, analysis of the genetic composition among individual tree genotypes using restriction fragment length polymorphism molecular markers showed that genetically similar trees also exhibited similar ANPP(tree). These findings indicate strong genetic contributions to natural variation in ANPP with important ecological implications.

Coordinating short-term projects into an effective research program: effects of site preparation methods on bird communities in pine plantations

Treesearch

John C. Kilgo; Karl V. Miller; William F. Moore

2000-01-01

Several short-term projects conducted at the Savannah River Site have focused on the effects on avian populations of different techniques of preparing a site for tree planting in young pine plantations. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of these studies, to summarize the information they provide regarding the effects of pine management on avian...

Location and allocation decision for supply chain network of Cajeput oil (Case in XYZ company)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahardika, F. A.; Hisjam, M.; Widodo, B.; Kurniawan, B.

2017-11-01

Cajeput oil is a very promising business. And now, the fulfillment of Cajeput oil in Indonesia is still lacking. It's because the rate of production Cajeput leaves in Indonesia is still low. In Indonesia, XYZ company manages forests in 7 regions. XYZ currently are developing Cajeput oil business. XYZ is currently doing business productivity improvement of Cajeput by planting Cajeput trees in Location 3, Sragen. Besides the Cajeput trees planting program, XYZ plan to do the construction distillery Cajeput leaves. The purpose of the research in this paper is to minimize the total cost of the supply chain network of Cajeput oil in XYZ and to determine whether the construction of a Cajeput distillery should be done or not. This paper uses mixed integer linear programming to make matemathical models. To minimize the total cost, used IBM® ILOG®CPLEX software. From IBM® ILOG®CPLEX software. From the calculation ILOG®CPLEX IBM® software can be seen that the minimum total cost would be obtained if XYZ opened a new distillery with a capacity of 25000kg and a new factory with a capacity of 10000kg. Besides all the truck owned can be used entirely at optimal capacity. And the total cost from IBM® ILOG®CPLEX is IDR 113,406,250.

Application of reliability-centered maintenance to boiling water reactor emergency core cooling systems fault-tree analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Choi, Y.A.; Feltus, M.A.

1995-07-01

Reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) methods are applied to boiling water reactor plant-specific emergency core cooling system probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) fault trees. The RCM is a technique that is system function-based, for improving a preventive maintenance (PM) program, which is applied on a component basis. Many PM programs are based on time-directed maintenance tasks, while RCM methods focus on component condition-directed maintenance tasks. Stroke time test data for motor-operated valves (MOVs) are used to address three aspects concerning RCM: (a) to determine if MOV stroke time testing was useful as a condition-directed PM task; (b) to determine and compare the plant-specificmore » MOV failure data from a broad RCM philosophy time period compared with a PM period and, also, compared with generic industry MOV failure data; and (c) to determine the effects and impact of the plant-specific MOV failure data on core damage frequency (CDF) and system unavailabilities for these emergency systems. The MOV stroke time test data from four emergency core cooling systems [i.e., high-pressure coolant injection (HPCI), reactor core isolation cooling (RCIC), low-pressure core spray (LPCS), and residual heat removal/low-pressure coolant injection (RHR/LPCI)] were gathered from Philadelphia Electric Company`s Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station Units 2 and 3 between 1980 and 1992. The analyses showed that MOV stroke time testing was not a predictor for eminent failure and should be considered as a go/no-go test. The failure data from the broad RCM philosophy showed an improvement compared with the PM-period failure rates in the emergency core cooling system MOVs. Also, the plant-specific MOV failure rates for both maintenance philosophies were shown to be lower than the generic industry estimates.« less

Planting Bottomland Hardwoods for Wildlife in the Delta

Treesearch

Emile S. Gardiner; John A. Stanturf

2000-01-01

Tree season soon will be upon us. No, not cottontrees! The best time for planting dormant hardwood seedlings in the Delta is from December through February. All trees native to the Delta have some value as wildlife habitat. While some tree species produce mast, foliage, nectar, or fiber that are eaten by animals, others provide cover, vertical structure for nesting...

Database for estimating tree responses of walnut and other hardwoods to ground cover management practices

Treesearch

J.W. Van Sambeek

2010-01-01

The ground cover in plantings of walnut and other hardwoods can substantially affect tree growth and seed production. The number of alternative ground covers that have been suggested for establishment in tree plantings far exceeds the number that have already been tested with walnut and other temperate hardwoods. Knowing how other hardwood species respond to ground...

Australian toon planted in Hawaii: tree quality, growth, and stocking

Treesearch

Herbert L. Wick; Robert E. Nelson; Libert K. Landgraf

1971-01-01

Tree quality and rates of growth and survival were higher in 5- to 8-year-old Australian toon (Toona australis) plantations on sites with deep soils, good drainage, and as or broken pahoehoe rock than in plantations on sites with poor drainage or unbroken pahoehoe rock. Stocking averaged 236 trees per acre. Spacing in initial plants should be about 6...

Response of dwarf mistletoe-infested ponderosa pine to thinning: 2. Dwarf mistletoe propagation.

Treesearch

Lewis F. Roth; James W. Barrett

1985-01-01

Propagation of dwarf mistletoe in ponderosa pine saplings is little influenced by thinning overly dense stands to 250 trees per acre. Numerous plants that appear soon after thinning develop from formerly latent plants in the suppressed under-story. Subsequently, dwarf mistletoe propagates nearly as fast as tree crowns enlarge but the rate differs widely among trees....

Tree Sizes Harvested in Different Thinnings -- Another Look

Treesearch

W.F. Mann; D.P. Feduccia

1976-01-01

In loblolly planted at 10 by 10 feet, light- and medium- thinned plots had slightly more sawtimber-sized trees and board-foot volume than unthinned checks and heavily thinned plots at all ages. Average diameters of all trees were largest on checks, followed by light-thinned plots. Trends were similar for 32-year-old slash pine planted at 6 by 7 feet.

Yield Tables and Stand Structure for Unthinned Longleaf Pine Plantations in Louisiana and Texas

Treesearch

Richard E. Longrey; Robert L. Bailey

1977-01-01

A system of equations is developed to forecast number of trees per acre, basal area, and cubic foot yields in eight volume categories by l-inch diameter classes for several combinations of site index, age from planting, and either number of trees planted, number of trees surviving, or basal area at a given age.

A duplicate gene rooting of seed plants and the phylogenetic position of flowering plants

PubMed Central

Mathews, Sarah; Clements, Mark D.; Beilstein, Mark A.

2010-01-01

Flowering plants represent the most significant branch in the tree of land plants, with respect to the number of extant species, their impact on the shaping of modern ecosystems and their economic importance. However, unlike so many persistent phylogenetic problems that have yielded to insights from DNA sequence data, the mystery surrounding the origin of angiosperms has deepened with the advent and advance of molecular systematics. Strong statistical support for competing hypotheses and recent novel trees from molecular data suggest that the accuracy of current molecular trees requires further testing. Analyses of phytochrome amino acids using a duplicate gene-rooting approach yield trees that unite cycads and angiosperms in a clade that is sister to a clade in which Gingko and Cupressophyta are successive sister taxa to gnetophytes plus Pinaceae. Application of a cycads + angiosperms backbone constraint in analyses of a morphological dataset yields better resolved trees than do analyses in which extant gymnosperms are forced to be monophyletic. The results have implications both for our assessment of uncertainty in trees from sequence data and for our use of molecular constraints as a way to integrate insights from morphological and molecular evidence. PMID:20047866

Control of Citrus Huanglongbing via Trunk Injection of Plant Defense Activators and Antibiotics.

PubMed

Hu, J; Jiang, J; Wang, N

2018-02-01

Citrus huanglongbing (HLB) or greening is a devastating disease of citrus worldwide and no effective control measure is currently available. Plant defense activators environmentally friendly compounds capable of inducing resistance against many plant pathogens. Earlier studies showed that foliar spray of plant defense inducers could slow down HLB disease progress. In this study, eight plant defense activators and three antibiotics were evaluated in three field trials for their effect to control HLB by trunk injection of young and mature sweet orange trees. Results showed that four trunk injections of several activators, including salicylic acid, oxalic acid, acibenzolar-S-methyl, and potassium phosphate, provided significant control of HLB by suppressing 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' titer and disease progress. Trunk injection of penicillin, streptomycin, and oxytetracycline hydrochloride resulted in excellent control of HLB. In general, antibiotics were more effective in reduction of 'Ca. L. asiaticus' titer and HLB symptom expressions than plant defense activators. These treatments also resulted in increased yield and better fruit quality. Injection of both salicylic acid and acibenzolar-S-methyl led to significant induction of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes PR-1 and PR-2 genes. Meanwhile, injection of either potassium phosphate or oxalic acid resulted in significant induction of PR-2 or PR-15 gene expression, respectively. These results suggested that HLB diseased trees remained inducible for systemic acquired resistance under field conditions. In summary, this study presents information regarding controlling HLB via trunk injection of plant defense activators and antibiotics, which helps citrus growers in decision making regarding developing an effective HLB management program.

Tree planting experiences in the eastern interior coal province

Treesearch

Charles Medvick

1980-01-01

Fruit trees were planted successfully in 1918 and organized afforestation began in 1928. Professional foresters had a hand in some of the very earliest planting projects. Formal reclamation research played an important role in applying science to early reclamation technology; however, considerable work has preceded the scientists. Some success has been experienced with...

Deployment of Phytotechnology in the 317/319 Area at Argonne National Laboratory-East, Innovative Technology Evaluation Report

EPA Science Inventory

Hybrid poplar and hybrid willow trees were planted for several environmental objectives at the Argonne National Laboratory - East, near Chicago, IL. Some trees were planted to clean TCE and other solvents from soil, some were planted to control surface water flow on a landfill, a...

Planning the future's forests with assisted migration

Treesearch

Mary I. Williams; R. Kasten Dumroese

2014-01-01

Studies show that changes in climate may exceed plant adaptation and migration. The mismatch in rates between climate change and plant adaptation and migration will pose significant challenges for practitioners that select, grow, and outplant native tree species. Native tree species and populations that are planted today must meet the climatic challenges that they will...

7 CFR 1410.22 - CRP conservation plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... may be waived by CCC. (b) The practices and management activities included in the CRP conservation.... (c) If applicable, a tree planting plan shall be developed and included in the CRP conservation plan. Such tree planting plan may allow up to 3 years to complete plantings if 10 or more acres of hardwood...

7 CFR 1410.22 - CRP conservation plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... may be waived by CCC. (b) The practices and management activities included in the CRP conservation.... (c) If applicable, a tree planting plan shall be developed and included in the CRP conservation plan. Such tree planting plan may allow up to 3 years to complete plantings if 10 or more acres of hardwood...

7 CFR 1410.22 - CRP conservation plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... may be waived by CCC. (b) The practices and management activities included in the CRP conservation.... (c) If applicable, a tree planting plan shall be developed and included in the CRP conservation plan. Such tree planting plan may allow up to 3 years to complete plantings if 10 or more acres of hardwood...

7 CFR 1410.22 - CRP conservation plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... may be waived by CCC. (b) The practices and management activities included in the CRP conservation.... (c) If applicable, a tree planting plan shall be developed and included in the CRP conservation plan. Such tree planting plan may allow up to 3 years to complete plantings if 10 or more acres of hardwood...

36 CFR 702.2 - Conduct on Library premises.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... feature or any tree, shrub, plant, or turf; (8) Stepping upon or climbing upon any statue, fountain, or other ornamental architectural feature or any tree, shrub, or plant; (9) Bathing, wading, or swimming in...

Expedition 19 Crew Ceremony

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-20

Expedition 19 Commander Gennady I. Padalka, left, watches as Flight Engineer Michael R. Barratt plants a tree during the traditional tree planting ceremony at the Cosmonaut Hotel, Saturday, March 21, 2009 in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. (Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Controlling exotic plants in your forest

Treesearch

James H. Miller

1999-01-01

The author discusses the impacts of exotic plants and suggests control and rehabilitation measures. Trees, shrubs, and vines addressed include silk tree or mimosa, Chinese and Japanese privet, kudzu, multiflora rose, Japanese honeysuckle, and Chinese wisteria.

Evapotranspiration of the urban forest at the municipal scale in Los Angeles, CA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Litvak, E.; Pataki, D. E.

2015-12-01

The severest drought on record in southern California and predictions of continued water shortages make it essential to understand urban water use. However, urban evapotranspiration (ET), which is an important part of municipal water budgets, remains a major uncertainty. Urban ET is difficult to measure and model, particularly in cities with diverse plant composition. The city of Los Angeles contains more than 6 million trees, most of which are non-natives that originate from multiple geographic regions, which further complicates predictions of urban forest transpiration. Previously, we made extensive in situ measurements of tree transpiration and turfgrass ET in greater Los Angeles area. Here, we utilize these data to systematize transpiration of different tree species based on physiological mechanisms underlying plant water relations. The resulting empirical model estimates Los Angeles urban forest ET from easy-to-collect plant characteristics and freely available environmental parameters. Plant characteristics are tree diameter, wood type (e.g. coniferous), phenological type (e.g. evergreen) and plant composition. Environmental parameters are vapor pressure deficit of the air, incoming solar radiation and reference ET (all available at http://cimis.water.ca.gov). By combining this model with existing surveys of urban trees in Los Angeles, we estimated that citywide ET of irrigated landscapes varies from 1.2 ± 0.5 mm/d in winter to 2.8 ± 1.1 mm/d in summer. On average, trees and turfgrass contributed 27% and 73% to total tree+turfgrass ET, correspondingly. To our knowledge, this model provides the first citywide estimates of Los Angeles ET differentiated by wood types and plant composition. These results will inform decision makers about species-specific water use by urban trees and assist with determining landscape designs that are beneficial for water conservation. This model may also be incorporated into a regional hydrologic model to provide spatially resolved ET at the municipal scale.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Popenoe, J.

Long sylleptic shoots produced on apple trees in the nursery result in increased early yields once the trees are planted in the orchard. Spur-type Delicious trees do not naturally produce branches in the nursery. To achieve branched spur-type Delicious trees, applications of combinations of growth regulators benzyladenine (BA) and gibberellic acid 4 + 7 (GA) and leaf removal (LR) techniques were tested. Spacings of 15, 25, 35, and 45 cm and MM.106, M.7, M.26 and seedling rootstocks were tested for their effects on branching. Carbon partitioning changes caused by these treatments were evaluated by dry weight analysis and for benzyladenine,more » leaf removal and tipping treatments by {sup 14}C-photoassimilate labelling. Possible involvement of roots produced cytokinins was examined by {sup 14}C-benzyladenine labeling through the xylem and by analyzing relationships between root mass and branching characteristics. Although partitioning of {sup 14}C-photoassimilate was increased to the top of the plant by BA sprays, and to the bottom of the plant by LR and tipping for up to six days after treatment, final plant weights were not different. No relationship between branching and root mass or {sup 14}C-benzyladenine mobilization was found. This evidence indicates branched trees possessed no greater dry weight than unbranched trees, only a redistribution of the dry weight into a form more suited to early fruit production in high density planting systems.« less

Nectar Robbing Positively Influences the Reproductive Success of Tecomella undulata (Bignoniaceae)

PubMed Central

Singh, Vineet Kumar; Barman, Chandan; Tandon, Rajesh

2014-01-01

The net consequence of nectar robbing on reproductive success of plants is usually negative and the positive effect is rarely produced. We evaluated the influence of nectar robbing on the behaviour of pollinators and the reproductive success of Tecomella undulata (Bignoniaceae) in a natural population. Experimental pollinations showed that the trees were strictly self-incompatible. The three types of floral colour morphs of the tree viz. red, orange and yellow, lacked compatibility barriers. The pollinators (Pycnonotus cafer and Pycnonotus leucotis) and the robber (Nectarinia asiatica) showed equal preference for all the morphs, as they visited each morph with nearly equal frequency and flower-handling time. The sunbirds caused up to 60% nectar robbing, mostly (99%) by piercing through the corolla tube. Although nectar is replenished at regular intervals, insufficient amount of nectar compelled the pollinators to visit additional trees in bloom. Data of manual nectar robbing from the entire tree showed that the pollinators covered lower number of flowers per tree (5 flowers/tree) and more trees per bout (7 trees/bout) than the unrobbed ones (19 flowers/tree and 2 trees bout). The robbed trees set a significantly greater amount of fruits than the unrobbed trees. However, the number of seeds in a fruit did not differ significantly. The study shows that plant-pollinator-robber interaction may benefit the self-incompatible plant species under conditions that increases the visits of pollinators among the compatible conspecifics in a population. PMID:25036554

Nectar robbing positively influences the reproductive success of Tecomella undulata (Bignoniaceae).

PubMed

Singh, Vineet Kumar; Barman, Chandan; Tandon, Rajesh

2014-01-01

The net consequence of nectar robbing on reproductive success of plants is usually negative and the positive effect is rarely produced. We evaluated the influence of nectar robbing on the behaviour of pollinators and the reproductive success of Tecomella undulata (Bignoniaceae) in a natural population. Experimental pollinations showed that the trees were strictly self-incompatible. The three types of floral colour morphs of the tree viz. red, orange and yellow, lacked compatibility barriers. The pollinators (Pycnonotus cafer and Pycnonotus leucotis) and the robber (Nectarinia asiatica) showed equal preference for all the morphs, as they visited each morph with nearly equal frequency and flower-handling time. The sunbirds caused up to 60% nectar robbing, mostly (99%) by piercing through the corolla tube. Although nectar is replenished at regular intervals, insufficient amount of nectar compelled the pollinators to visit additional trees in bloom. Data of manual nectar robbing from the entire tree showed that the pollinators covered lower number of flowers per tree (5 flowers/tree) and more trees per bout (7 trees/bout) than the unrobbed ones (19 flowers/tree and 2 trees bout). The robbed trees set a significantly greater amount of fruits than the unrobbed trees. However, the number of seeds in a fruit did not differ significantly. The study shows that plant-pollinator-robber interaction may benefit the self-incompatible plant species under conditions that increases the visits of pollinators among the compatible conspecifics in a population.

What Makes a Tree a Tree?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

NatureScope, 1986

1986-01-01

Provides: (1) background information on trees, focusing on the parts of trees and how they differ from other plants; (2) eight activities; and (3) ready-to-copy pages dealing with tree identification and tree rings. Activities include objective(s), recommended age level(s), subject area(s), list of materials needed, and procedures. (JN)

INTRODUCTION TO PHYTOTECHNOLOGIES

EPA Science Inventory

A tree is a tree is a tree; or is it? To a child a tree is to climb, to a landscape architect a tree shapes the view, while to an environmental engineer a tree may be a self-assembling, solar- powered pump and treat system. Phytoremediation is the art and science of using plant...

Soil nutrients influence spatial distributions of tropical trees species

USGS Publications Warehouse

John, R.; Dalling, J.W.; Harms, K.E.; Yavitt, J.B.; Stallard, R.F.; Mirabello, M.; Hubbell, S.P.; Valencia, R.; Navarrete, H.; Vallejo, M.; Foster, R.B.

2007-01-01

The importance of niche vs. neutral assembly mechanisms in structuring tropical tree communities remains an important unsettled question in community ecology [Bell G (2005) Ecology 86:1757-1770]. There is ample evidence that species distributions are determined by soils and habitat factors at landscape (0.5 million individual trees of 1,400 species and 10 essential plant nutrients, we used Monte Carlo simulations of species distributions to test plant-soil associations against null expectations based on dispersal assembly. We found that the spatial distributions of 36-51% of tree species at these sites show strong associations to soil nutrient distributions. Neutral dispersal assembly cannot account for these plant-soil associations or the observed niche breadths of these species. These results indicate that belowground resource availability plays an important role in the assembly of tropical tree communities at local scales and provide the basis for future investigations on the mechanisms of resource competition among tropical tree species. ?? 2007 by The National Academy of Sciences of the USA.

DupTree: a program for large-scale phylogenetic analyses using gene tree parsimony.

PubMed

Wehe, André; Bansal, Mukul S; Burleigh, J Gordon; Eulenstein, Oliver

2008-07-01

DupTree is a new software program for inferring rooted species trees from collections of gene trees using the gene tree parsimony approach. The program implements a novel algorithm that significantly improves upon the run time of standard search heuristics for gene tree parsimony, and enables the first truly genome-scale phylogenetic analyses. In addition, DupTree allows users to examine alternate rootings and to weight the reconciliation costs for gene trees. DupTree is an open source project written in C++. DupTree for Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux along with a sample dataset and an on-line manual are available at http://genome.cs.iastate.edu/CBL/DupTree

Tree Canopy Cover Mapping Using LiDAR in Urban Barangays of Cebu City, Central Philippines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ejares, J. A.; Violanda, R. R.; Diola, A. G.; Dy, D. T.; Otadoy, J. B.; Otadoy, R. E. S.

2016-06-01

This paper investigates tree canopy cover mapping of urban barangays (smallest administrative division in the Philippines) in Cebu City using LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA) was used to extract tree canopy cover. Multi-resolution segmentation and a series of assign-class algorithm in eCognition software was also performed to extract different land features. Contextual features of tree canopies such as height, area, roundness, slope, length-width and elliptic fit were also evaluated. The results showed that at the time the LiDAR data was collected (June 24, 2014), the tree cover was around 25.11 % (or 15,674,341.8 m2) of the city's urban barangays (or 62,426,064.6 m2). Among all urban barangays in Cebu City, Barangay Busay had the highest cover (55.79 %) while barangay Suba had the lowest (0.8 %). The 16 barangays with less than 10 % tree cover were generally located in the coastal area, presumably due to accelerated urbanization. Thirty-one barangays have tree cover ranging from 10.59--27.3 %. Only 3 barangays (i.e., Lahug, Talamban, and Busay) have tree cover greater than 30 %. The overall accuracy of the analysis was 96.6 % with the Kappa Index of Agreement or KIA of 0.9. From the study, a grouping can be made of the city's urban barangays with regards to tree cover. The grouping will be useful to urban planners not only in allocating budget to the tree planting program of the city but also in planning and creation of urban parks and playgrounds.

Phreatophyte influence on reductive dechlorination in a shallow aquifer contaminated with trichloroethene (TCE)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lee, R.W.; Jones, S.A.; Kuniansky, E.L.; Harvey, G.; Lollar, B.S.; Slater, G.F.

2000-01-01

Phytoremediation uses the natural ability of plants to degrade contaminants in groundwater. A field demonstration designed to remediate aerobic shallow groundwater contaminated with trichloroethene began in April 1996 with the planting of cottonwood trees, a short-rotation woody crop, over an approximately 0.2-ha area at the Naval Air Station, Fort Worth, Texas. The project was developed to demonstrate capture of contaminated groundwater and degradation of contaminants by phreatophytes. Analyses from samples of groundwater collected from July 1997 to June 1998 indicate that tree roots have the potential to create anaerobic conditions in the groundwater that will facilitate degradation of trichloroethene by microbially mediated reductive dechlorination. Organic matter from root exudates and decay of tree roots probably stimulate microbial activity, consuming dissolved oxygen. Dissolved oxygen concentrations, which varied across the site, were smallest near a mature cottonwood tree (about 20 years of age and 60 meters southwest of the cottonwood plantings) where degradation products of trichloroethene were measured. Oxidation of organic matter is the primary microbially mediated reaction occurring in the groundwater beneath the planted trees whereas near the mature cottonwood tree, data indicate that methanogenesis is the most probable reaction occurring. Reductive dechlorination in groundwater either is not occurring or is not a primary process away from the mature tree. Carbon-13 isotope values for trichloroethene are nearly identical at locations away from the mature tree, further confirming that dechlorination is not occurring at the site.

25 CFR 216.7 - Approval of mining plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... replanting; (2) Types and mixtures of shrubs, trees, or tree seedlings, grasses or legumes to be planted; and (3) Types and methods of planting, including the amount of grasses or legumes per acre, or the number...

25 CFR 216.7 - Approval of mining plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... replanting; (2) Types and mixtures of shrubs, trees, or tree seedlings, grasses or legumes to be planted; and (3) Types and methods of planting, including the amount of grasses or legumes per acre, or the number...

Drivers of Tree Growth, Mortality and Harvest Preferences in Species-Rich Plantations for Smallholders and Communities in the Tropics

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Huong; Vanclay, Jerome; Herbohn, John; Firn, Jennifer

2016-01-01

There is growing interest in multi-species tropical plantations but little information exists to guide their design and silviculture. The Rainforestation Farming system is the oldest tropical polyculture planting system in the Philippines and provides a unique opportunity to understand the underlying processes affecting tree performance within diverse plantings. Data collected from 85 plots distributed across the 18 mixed-species plantations in the Philippines was used to identify the factors influencing growth, probability of harvest, and death of trees in these complex plantings. The 18 sites (aged from 6 to 11 years at time of first measurement) were measured on three occasions over a 6-year period. We used data from the first period of data collection to develop models predicting harvesting probability and growth of trees in the second period. We found little evidence that tree species diversity had an effect on tree growth and tree loss at the community level, although a negative effect was found on tree growth of specific species such as Parashorea plicata and Swietenia macrophylla. While tree density of stands at age 10+ years (more than 1000 trees/ha with diameter > 5cm) did not have an impact on growth, growth rates were decreasing in stands with a high basal area. Tree size in the first period of measure was a good predictor for both tree growth and tree status in the next period, with larger trees tending to grow faster and having a greater chance of being harvested, and a lower possibility of mortality than smaller trees. Shade-intolerant trees were both more likely to be harvested, and had a higher probability of death, than shade-tolerant individuals. Native species and exotic species were equally likely to have been lost from the plots between measurement periods. However, shade-tolerant native trees were likely to grow faster than the others at age 10+ years. Our findings suggest that species traits (e.g. shade tolerance) could play an important role in optimizing species composition for this type of plantation. Shade-intolerant species with rapid early growth could contribute early income for farmers in mixed plantings where some products may take years to realize. We also suggest selective harvesting or thinning (for small shade-intolerant trees) applied at age 10+ years could reduce the competition for resources between individuals. PMID:27764186

Drivers of Tree Growth, Mortality and Harvest Preferences in Species-Rich Plantations for Smallholders and Communities in the Tropics.

PubMed

Nguyen, Huong; Vanclay, Jerome; Herbohn, John; Firn, Jennifer

2016-01-01

There is growing interest in multi-species tropical plantations but little information exists to guide their design and silviculture. The Rainforestation Farming system is the oldest tropical polyculture planting system in the Philippines and provides a unique opportunity to understand the underlying processes affecting tree performance within diverse plantings. Data collected from 85 plots distributed across the 18 mixed-species plantations in the Philippines was used to identify the factors influencing growth, probability of harvest, and death of trees in these complex plantings. The 18 sites (aged from 6 to 11 years at time of first measurement) were measured on three occasions over a 6-year period. We used data from the first period of data collection to develop models predicting harvesting probability and growth of trees in the second period. We found little evidence that tree species diversity had an effect on tree growth and tree loss at the community level, although a negative effect was found on tree growth of specific species such as Parashorea plicata and Swietenia macrophylla. While tree density of stands at age 10+ years (more than 1000 trees/ha with diameter > 5cm) did not have an impact on growth, growth rates were decreasing in stands with a high basal area. Tree size in the first period of measure was a good predictor for both tree growth and tree status in the next period, with larger trees tending to grow faster and having a greater chance of being harvested, and a lower possibility of mortality than smaller trees. Shade-intolerant trees were both more likely to be harvested, and had a higher probability of death, than shade-tolerant individuals. Native species and exotic species were equally likely to have been lost from the plots between measurement periods. However, shade-tolerant native trees were likely to grow faster than the others at age 10+ years. Our findings suggest that species traits (e.g. shade tolerance) could play an important role in optimizing species composition for this type of plantation. Shade-intolerant species with rapid early growth could contribute early income for farmers in mixed plantings where some products may take years to realize. We also suggest selective harvesting or thinning (for small shade-intolerant trees) applied at age 10+ years could reduce the competition for resources between individuals.

Topsoil depth substantially influences the responses to drought of the foliar metabolomes of Mediterranean forests

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rivas-Ubach, Albert; Barbeta, Adrià; Sardans, Jordi

Soils provide physical support, water, and nutrients to terrestrial plants. Upper soil layers are crucial for forest dynamics, especially under drought conditions, because many biological processes occur there and provide support, water and nutrients to terrestrial plants. We postulated that tree size and overall plant function manifested in the metabolome composition, the total set of metabolites, were dependent on the depth of upper soil layers and on water availability. We sampled leaves for stoichiometric and metabolomic analyses once per season from differently sized Quercus ilex trees under natural and experimental drought conditions as projected for the coming decades. Different sizedmore » trees had different metabolomes and plots with shallower soils had smaller trees. Soil moisture of the upper soil did not explain the tree size and smaller trees did not show higher concentrations of biomarker metabolites related to drought stress. However, the impact of drought treatment on metabolomes was higher in smaller trees in shallower soils. Our results suggested that tree size was more dependent on the depth of the upper soil layers, which indirectly affect the metabolomes of the trees, than on the moisture content of the upper soil layers. Metabolomic profiling of Q. ilex supported the premise that water availability in the upper soil layers was not necessarily correlated with tree size. The higher impact of drought on trees growing in shallower soils nevertheless indicates a higher vulnerability of small trees to the future increase in frequency, intensity, and duration of drought projected for the Mediterranean Basin and other areas. Metabolomics has proven to be an excellent tool detecting significant metabolic changes among differently sized individuals of the same species and it improves our understanding of the connection between plant metabolomes and environmental variables such as soil depth and moisture content.« less

Advances in the use of DNA barcodes to build a community phylogeny for tropical trees in a Puerto Rican forest dynamics plot.

PubMed

Kress, W John; Erickson, David L; Swenson, Nathan G; Thompson, Jill; Uriarte, Maria; Zimmerman, Jess K

2010-11-09

Species number, functional traits, and phylogenetic history all contribute to characterizing the biological diversity in plant communities. The phylogenetic component of diversity has been particularly difficult to quantify in species-rich tropical tree assemblages. The compilation of previously published (and often incomplete) data on evolutionary relationships of species into a composite phylogeny of the taxa in a forest, through such programs as Phylomatic, has proven useful in building community phylogenies although often of limited resolution. Recently, DNA barcodes have been used to construct a robust community phylogeny for nearly 300 tree species in a forest dynamics plot in Panama using a supermatrix method. In that study sequence data from three barcode loci were used to generate a well-resolved species-level phylogeny. Here we expand upon this earlier investigation and present results on the use of a phylogenetic constraint tree to generate a community phylogeny for a diverse, tropical forest dynamics plot in Puerto Rico. This enhanced method of phylogenetic reconstruction insures the congruence of the barcode phylogeny with broadly accepted hypotheses on the phylogeny of flowering plants (i.e., APG III) regardless of the number and taxonomic breadth of the taxa sampled. We also compare maximum parsimony versus maximum likelihood estimates of community phylogenetic relationships as well as evaluate the effectiveness of one- versus two- versus three-gene barcodes in resolving community evolutionary history. As first demonstrated in the Panamanian forest dynamics plot, the results for the Puerto Rican plot illustrate that highly resolved phylogenies derived from DNA barcode sequence data combined with a constraint tree based on APG III are particularly useful in comparative analysis of phylogenetic diversity and will enhance research on the interface between community ecology and evolution.

The ghosts of trees past: savanna trees create enduring legacies in plant species composition.

PubMed

Stahlheber, Karen A; Crispin, Kimberly L; Anton, Cassidy; D'Antonio, Carla M

2015-09-01

Isolated trees in savannas worldwide are known to modify their local environment and interact directly with neighboring plants. Less is known about how related tree species differ in their impacts on surrounding communities, how the effects of trees vary between years, and how composition might change following loss of the tree. To address these knowledge gaps, we explored the following questions: How do savanna trees influence the surrounding composition of herbaceous plants? Is the influence of trees consistent across different species and years? How does this change following the death of the tree? We surveyed herbaceous species composition and environmental attributes surrounding living and dead evergreen and deciduous Quercus trees in California (USA) savannas across several years that differed in their total precipitation. Oak trees of all species created distinct, homogenous understory communities dominated by exotic grasses across several sites. The composition of the low-diversity understory communities showed less interannual variation than open grassland, despite a two-fold difference in precipitation between the driest and wettest year. Vegetation composition was correlated with variation in soil properties, which were strongly affected by trees. Oaks also influenced the communities beyond the edge of the crown, but this depended on site and oak species. Low-diversity understory communities persisted up to 43 years following the death of the tree. A gradual decline in the effect of trees on the physical, environment following death did not result in vegetation becoming more similar to open grassland over time. The presence of long-lasting legacies of past tree crowns highlights the difficulty of assigning control of the current distribution of herbaceous species in grassland to their contemporary environment.

KSC-02pd0428

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-03-28

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Astronaut Frank Culbertson stands next to the cherry laurel tree he has dedicated and helped plant near KSC Headquarters Building. The tree commemorates his stay on and safe return from the International Space Station as a member of the Expedition 3 crew. Culbertson served as commander for the four-month stay, August to December 2001. The tree planting is a tradition for the Expedition crews.

KSC-02pd0427

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-03-28

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Astronaut Frank Culbertson digs into the pile of dirt to plant the cherry laurel tree (right) near KSC Headquarters Building. The tree commemorates his stay on and safe return from the International Space Station as a member of the Expedition 3 crew. Culbertson served as commander for the four-month stay, August to December 2001. The tree planting is a tradition for the Expedition crews.

Genome-wide analysis of oleosin gene family in 22 tree species: An accelerator for metabolic engineering of biofuel crops and agrigenomics industrial applications?

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Triacylglycerols (TAGs) are the major molecules of energy storage in eukaryotes. Trees contribute to part of enormous plant oil reserves because fruits and kernels of many trees contain up to 50-80% of oil. TAGs accumulate in oil bodies in plants, similar to oil droplets in animals. Oleosins (OLEs) ...

Force of habit: shrubs, trees and contingent evolution of wood anatomical diversity using Croton (Euphorbiaceae) as a model system

Treesearch

Rafael Arévalo; Benjamin W. van Ee; Ricarda Riina; Paul E. Berry; Alex C. Wiedenhoeft

2017-01-01

Background and Aims Wood is a major innovation of land plants, and is usually a central component of the body plan for two major plant habits: shrubs and trees. Wood anatomical syndromes vary between shrubs and trees, but no prior work has explicitly evaluated the contingent evolution of wood anatomical diversity in the context...

Adaptability of 14 tree species to two hydrol humic latosol soils in Hawaii.

Treesearch

Craig O. Whitesell; Jr. Myron O. Ishennrood

1971-01-01

Tree species capable of thriving on soils in high rainfall areas are needed in Hawaii for reforestation. The soils are highly leached and infertile.Two native and 12 introduced tree species were planted at two sites to determine adaptability. Survival, growth, vigor, and form were appraised 1 to 7 years after planting. Performance varied-both within and between species...

Do isolated gallery-forest trees facilitate recruitment of forest seedlings and saplings in savannna?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azihou, Akomian Fortuné; Glèlè Kakaï, Romain; Sinsin, Brice

2013-11-01

Facilitation is an ecological process that allows some species to establish in environments they can hardly afford in the absence of the process. This study investigated if the subcanopy of gallery-forest trees isolated in savanna is suitable for the early recruitment of forest woody species. We measured tree crown area as well as the density of seedlings and saplings of gallery-forest tree species beneath isolated trees and in the savanna matrix along 50 transects of 5-km long and 600 m wide located along four gallery forests. We then tested the nurse-plant effect and Janzen-Connell hypothesis beneath isolated trees. We also examined the relationships between the crown area and the density of seedlings and saplings. Among the eight identified tree species isolated in savanna, only Daniellia oliveri and Khaya senegalensis showed nurse-plant effect and promoted a significant, yet low early recruitment with a seedling-to-sapling survival of 0.044 and 0.578, respectively. The suitability of the subcanopy of isolated trees decreased with the recruitment progression and Janzen-Connell effects were absent. Seedlings had neutral association with the crown area of isolated trees which shifted to positive at the sapling stage. The species of the isolated tree and the crown area explained less than 20% of total variance, indicating that other predictive factors are important in explaining the nurse-plant effect observed in this study.

Suitable utilization of woody plants for hibitation on Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomita-Yokotani, Kaori; Baba, Keiichi; Suzuki, Toshisada; Kimura, Shunta; Sato, Seigo; Katoh, Hiroshi; Abe, Yusuke; Katayama, Takeshi

2016-07-01

We have been investigating the usefulness of woody plants for habitation on Mars. During our research, we have found that woody plants have several properties which can be utilized for therapy and materials for enrage and construction even on Mars. Japanese people traditionally believe that "Bonsai" have therapeudic properties. Trees can become carbon fuel which can be used as energy on Mars. Tree materials could be used as a tool in closed bio-ecosystems such as for the purification and/or separation of solutions in an environment in space. Here, we will show some results of their abilities, the water leakage and vacuum seal test, separation of solutions using carbon materials made from trees. At the initiation of this research, we named the trees used as material for the experiment related to space environments "CosmoBon", small bonsai tree. To establish our research, as the first step, we will try to do the experiment using "CosmoBon".

Tree planting - strip-mined area in Maryland

Treesearch

Fred L. Bagley

1980-01-01

This report is written to elucidate some of the problems encountered in the planting of trees on strip-mined areas in Maryland. When problems are recognized, normally a solution (or at least, an improvement) can be instituted to alleviate the problem. The methods cited herein are those of experienced foresters engaged in strip-mine planting during the past seventeen...

Transgenic hairy roots. recent trends and applications.

PubMed

Giri, A; Narasu, M L

2000-03-01

Agrobacterium rhizogenes causes hairy root disease in plants. The neoplastic roots produced by A. rhizogenes infection is characterized by high growth rate and genetic stability. These genetically transformed root cultures can produce higher levels of secondary metabolites or amounts comparable to that of intact plants. Hairy root cultures offer promise for production of valuable secondary metabolites in many plants. The main constraint for commercial exploitation of hairy root cultures is their scaling up, as there is a need for developing a specially designed bioreactor that permits the growth of interconnected tissues unevenly distributed throughout the vessel. Rheological characteristics of heterogeneous system should also be taken into consideration during mass scale culturing of hairy roots. Development of bioreactor models for hairy root cultures is still a recent phenomenon. It is also necessary to develop computer-aided models for different parameters such as oxygen consumption and excretion of product to the medium. Further, transformed roots are able to regenerate genetically stable plants as transgenics or clones. This property of rapid growth and high plantlet regeneration frequency allows clonal propagation of elite plants. In addition, the altered phenotype of hairy root regenerants (hairy root syndrome) is useful in plant breeding programs with plants of ornamental interest. In vitro transformation and regeneration from hairy roots facilitates application of biotechnology to tree species. The ability to manipulate trees at a cellular and molecular level shows great potential for clonal propagation and genetic improvement. Transgenic root system offers tremendous potential for introducing additional genes along with the Ri T-DNA genes for alteration of metabolic pathways and production of useful metabolites or compounds of interest. This article discusses various applications and perspectives of hairy root cultures and the recent progress achieved with respect to transformation of plants using A. rhizogenes.

POLUTE. Forest Air Pollutant Uptake Model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Murphy, C.E. Jr.; Sinclair, T.R.

1992-02-13

POLUTE is a computer model designed to estimate the uptake of air pollutants by forests. The model utilizes submodels to describe atmospheric diffusion immediately above and within the canopy, and into the sink areas within or on the trees. The program implementing the model is general and can be used, with only minor changes, for any gaseous pollutant. The model provides an estimate describing the response of the vegetarian-atmosphere system to the environment as related to three types of processes: atmospheric diffusion, diffusion near and inside the absorbing plant, and the physical and chemical processes at the sink on ormore » within the plant.« less

Native fauna on exotic trees: phylogenetic conservatism and geographic contingency in two lineages of phytophages on two lineages of trees.

PubMed

Gossner, Martin M; Chao, Anne; Bailey, Richard I; Prinzing, Andreas

2009-05-01

The relative roles of evolutionary history and geographical and ecological contingency for community assembly remain unknown. Plant species, for instance, share more phytophages with closer relatives (phylogenetic conservatism), but for exotic plants introduced to another continent, this may be overlaid by geographically contingent evolution or immigration from locally abundant plant species (mass effects). We assessed within local forests to what extent exotic trees (Douglas-fir, red oak) recruit phytophages (Coleoptera, Heteroptera) from more closely or more distantly related native plants. We found that exotics shared more phytophages with natives from the same major plant lineage (angiosperms vs. gymnosperms) than with natives from the other lineage. This was particularly true for Heteroptera, and it emphasizes the role of host specialization in phylogenetic conservatism of host use. However, for Coleoptera on Douglas-fir, mass effects were important: immigration from beech increased with increasing beech abundance. Within a plant phylum, phylogenetic proximity of exotics and natives increased phytophage similarity, primarily in younger Coleoptera clades on angiosperms, emphasizing a role of past codiversification of hosts and phytophages. Overall, phylogenetic conservatism can shape the assembly of local phytophage communities on exotic trees. Whether it outweighs geographic contingency and mass effects depends on the interplay of phylogenetic scale, local abundance of native tree species, and the biology and evolutionary history of the phytophage taxon.

Mercury levels in lichens from different host trees around a chlor-alkali plant in New Brunswick, Canada.

PubMed

Sensen, Marion; Richardson, David H S

2002-07-03

Mercury concentrations were determined in the epiphytic lichen Hypogymnia physodes along five transects starting from a chlor-alkali plant located at Dalhousie, New Brunswick, a landfill site and a nearby electricity generating station. Lichen samples were collected from white birch (Betula papyrifera) and spruce (Picea sp.) or balsam fir (Abies balsamea). Average lichen background mercury values were 0.088+/-0.005 microg/g from white birch and 0.148+/-0.046 microg/g from spruce trees, with a detection limit of 0.05 microg/g. The chlor-alkali plant and a power plant were identified, respectively, as a major source and a minor source of elevated mercury levels in lichens. At 125 m north-west of the New Brunswick Power plant, 0.28 microg/g Hg were found in Hypogymnia physodes from spruce trees, while at 250 m west (downwind) of the chlor-alkali plant, 3.66 microg/g of mercury were determined. High values, 0.98 microg/g in lichens from spruce trees and 0.79 microg/g in lichen samples from white birch were also measured at 125 m south of the chlor-alkali plant and decreased exponentially with distance. The sphere of influence of the chlor-alkali plant with respect to mercury deposition was estimated to extend 2.4-3.4 km from the plant. The mercury concentrations in Hypogymnia physodes collected from white birch were significantly lower than the concentrations in the same lichen from spruce trees in areas with elevated levels of mercury, but not in areas with low mercury levels. The magnitude of this difference dropped with distance from the source.

Molecular basis of angiosperm tree architecture.

PubMed

Hollender, Courtney A; Dardick, Chris

2015-04-01

The architecture of trees greatly impacts the productivity of orchards and forestry plantations. Amassing greater knowledge on the molecular genetics that underlie tree form can benefit these industries, as well as contribute to basic knowledge of plant developmental biology. This review describes the fundamental components of branch architecture, a prominent aspect of tree structure, as well as genetic and hormonal influences inferred from studies in model plant systems and from trees with non-standard architectures. The bulk of the molecular and genetic data described here is from studies of fruit trees and poplar, as these species have been the primary subjects of investigation in this field of science. No claim to original US Government works. New Phytologist © 2014 New Phytologist Trust.

Tree leaf trade-offs are stronger for sub-canopy trees: leaf traits reveal little about growth rates in canopy trees.

PubMed

Wills, Jarrah; Herbohn, John; Hu, Jing; Sohel, Shawkat; Baynes, Jack; Firn, Jennifer

2018-06-01

Can morphological plant functional traits predict demographic rates (e.g., growth) within plant communities as diverse as tropical forests? This is one of the most important next-step questions in trait-based ecology and particularly for global reforestation efforts. Due to the diversity of tropical tree species and their longevity, it is difficult to predict their performance prior to reforestation efforts. In this study, we investigate if simple leaf traits are predictors of the more complex ecological process of plant growth in regenerating selectively logged natural forest within the Wet Tropics (WTs) bioregion of Australia. This study used a rich historical data set to quantify tree growth within plots located at Danbulla National Park and State Forest on the Atherton Tableland. Leaf traits were collected from trees that have exhibited fast or slow growth over the last ~50 yr of measurement. Leaf traits were found to be poor predictors of tree growth for trees that have entered the canopy; however, for sub-canopy trees, leaf traits had a stronger association with growth rates. Leaf phosphorus concentrations were the strongest predictor of Periodic Annual Increment (PAI) for trees growing within the sub-canopy, with trees with higher leaf phosphorus levels showing a higher PAI. Sub-canopy tree leaves also exhibited stronger trade-offs between leaf traits and adhere to theoretical predictions more so than for canopy trees. We suggest that, in order for leaf traits to be more applicable to reforestation, size dependence of traits and growth relationships need to be more carefully considered, particularly when reforestation practitioners assign mean trait values to tropical tree species from multiple canopy strata. © 2018 by the Ecological Society of America.

Restoration of Degraded Soil in the Nanmangalam Reserve Forest with Native Tree Species: Effect of Indigenous Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria

PubMed Central

Ramachandran, Andimuthu; Radhapriya, Parthasarathy

2016-01-01

Restoration of a highly degraded forest, which had lost its natural capacity for regeneration, was attempted in the Nanmangalam Reserve Forest in Eastern Ghats of India. In field experiment, 12 native tree species were planted. The restoration included inoculation with a consortium of 5 native plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB), with the addition of small amounts of compost and a chemical fertilizer (NPK). The experimental fields were maintained for 1080 days. The growth and biomass varied depending on the plant species. All native plants responded well to the supplementation with the native PGPB. The plants such as Pongamia pinnata, Tamarindus indica, Gmelina arborea, Wrightia tinctoria, Syzygium cumini, Albizia lebbeck, Terminalia bellirica, and Azadirachta indica performed well in the native soil. This study demonstrated, by using native trees and PGPB, a possibility to restore the degraded forest. PMID:27195310

Restoration of Degraded Soil in the Nanmangalam Reserve Forest with Native Tree Species: Effect of Indigenous Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria.

PubMed

Ramachandran, Andimuthu; Radhapriya, Parthasarathy

Restoration of a highly degraded forest, which had lost its natural capacity for regeneration, was attempted in the Nanmangalam Reserve Forest in Eastern Ghats of India. In field experiment, 12 native tree species were planted. The restoration included inoculation with a consortium of 5 native plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB), with the addition of small amounts of compost and a chemical fertilizer (NPK). The experimental fields were maintained for 1080 days. The growth and biomass varied depending on the plant species. All native plants responded well to the supplementation with the native PGPB. The plants such as Pongamia pinnata, Tamarindus indica, Gmelina arborea, Wrightia tinctoria, Syzygium cumini, Albizia lebbeck, Terminalia bellirica, and Azadirachta indica performed well in the native soil. This study demonstrated, by using native trees and PGPB, a possibility to restore the degraded forest.

Results 18 years after planting loblolly pines at different spacings

Treesearch

S. Little; H. A. Somes

1958-01-01

In 1939 a test of four spacings in planting loblolly pine seedlings was begun in an abandoned field on Maryland's Eastern Shore. The spacings were 4, 5.7, 8, and 11.3 feet between trees; each spacing was replicated on four 100-footsquare plots. In the 4- and 8-foot spacings, rows and trees within rows were 4 or 8 feet apart, with trees opposite in adjoining rows....

Plant, fungal, bacterial, and nitrogen interactions in the litter layer of a native Patagonian forest.

PubMed

Vivanco, Lucía; Rascovan, Nicolás; Austin, Amy T

2018-01-01

Plant-microbial interactions in the litter layer represent one of the most relevant interactions for biogeochemical cycling as litter decomposition is a key first step in carbon and nitrogen turnover. However, our understanding of these interactions in the litter layer remains elusive. In an old-growth mixed Nothofagus forest in Patagonia, we studied the effects of single tree species identity and the mixture of three tree species on the fungal and bacterial composition in the litter layer. We also evaluated the effects of nitrogen (N) addition on these plant-microbial interactions. In addition, we compared the magnitude of stimulation of litter decomposition due to home field advantage (HFA, decomposition occurs more rapidly when litter is placed beneath the plant species from which it had been derived than beneath a different plant species) and N addition that we previously demonstrated in this same forest, and used microbial information to interpret these results. Tree species identity had a strong and significant effect on the composition of fungal communities but not on the bacterial community of the litter layer. The microbial composition of the litter layer under the tree species mixture show an averaged contribution of each single tree species. N addition did not erase the plant species footprint on the fungal community, and neither altered the bacterial community. N addition stimulated litter decomposition as much as HFA for certain tree species, but the mechanisms behind N and HFA stimulation may have differed. Our results suggest that stimulation of decomposition from N addition might have occurred due to increased microbial activity without large changes in microbial community composition, while HFA may have resulted principally from plant species' effects on the litter fungal community. Together, our results suggest that plant-microbial interactions can be an unconsidered driver of litter decomposition in temperate forests.

Plant genetics and interspecific competitive interactions determine ectomycorrhizal fungal community responses to climate change.

PubMed

Gehring, Catherine; Flores-Rentería, Dulce; Sthultz, Christopher M; Leonard, Tierra M; Flores-Rentería, Lluvia; Whipple, Amy V; Whitham, Thomas G

2014-03-01

Although the importance of plant-associated microbes is increasingly recognized, little is known about the biotic and abiotic factors that determine the composition of that microbiome. We examined the influence of plant genetic variation, and two stressors, one biotic and one abiotic, on the ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungal community of a dominant tree species, Pinus edulis. During three periods across 16 years that varied in drought severity, we sampled the EM fungal communities of a wild stand of P. edulis in which genetically based resistance and susceptibility to insect herbivory was linked with drought tolerance and the abundance of competing shrubs. We found that the EM fungal communities of insect-susceptible trees remained relatively constant as climate dried, while those of insect-resistant trees shifted significantly, providing evidence of a genotype by environment interaction. Shrub removal altered the EM fungal communities of insect-resistant trees, but not insect-susceptible trees, also a genotype by environment interaction. The change in the EM fungal community of insect-resistant trees following shrub removal was associated with greater shoot growth, evidence of competitive release. However, shrub removal had a 7-fold greater positive effect on the shoot growth of insect-susceptible trees than insect-resistant trees when shrub density was taken into account. Insect-susceptible trees had higher growth than insect-resistant trees, consistent with the hypothesis that the EM fungi associated with susceptible trees were superior mutualists. These complex, genetic-based interactions among species (tree-shrub-herbivore-fungus) argue that the ultimate impacts of climate change are both ecological and evolutionary. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Progressive erosion of genetic and epigenetic variation in callus-derived cocoa (Theobroma cacao) plants.

PubMed

Rodríguez López, Carlos M; Wetten, Andrew C; Wilkinson, Michael J

2010-06-01

*Relatively little is known about the timing of genetic and epigenetic forms of somaclonal variation arising from callus growth. We surveyed for both types of change in cocoa (Theobroma cacao) plants regenerated from calli of various ages, and also between tissues from the source trees. *For genetic change, we used 15 single sequence repeat (SSR) markers from four source trees and from 233 regenerated plants. For epigenetic change, we used 386 methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) markers on leaf and explant (staminode) DNA from two source trees and on leaf DNA from 114 regenerants. *Genetic variation within source trees was limited to one slippage mutation in one leaf. Regenerants were far more variable, with 35% exhibiting at least one mutation. Genetic variation initially accumulated with culture age but subsequently declined. MSAP (epigenetic) profiles diverged between leaf and staminode samples from source trees. Multivariate analysis revealed that leaves from regenerants occupied intermediate eigenspace between leaves and staminodes of source plants but became progressively more similar to source tree leaves with culture age. *Statistical analysis confirmed this rather counterintuitive finding that leaves of 'late regenerants' exhibited significantly less genetic and epigenetic divergence from source leaves than those exposed to short periods of callus growth.

Synergy of agroforestry and bottomland hardwood afforestation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Twedt, D.J.; Portwood, J.; Clason, Terry R.

2003-01-01

Afforestation of bottomland hardwood forests has historically emphasized planting heavy-seeded tree species such as oak (Quercus spp.) and pecan (Caryaillinoensis) with little or no silvicultural management during stand development. Slow growth of these tree species, herbivory, competing vegetation, and limited seed dispersal, often result in restored sites that are slow to develop vertical vegetation structure and have limited tree diversity. Where soils and hydrology permit, agroforestry can provide transitional management that mitigates these historical limitations on converting cropland to forests. Planting short-rotation woody crops and intercropping using wide alleyways are two agroforestry practices that are well suited for transitional management. Weed control associated with agroforestry systems benefits planted trees by reducing competition. The resultant decrease in herbaceous cover suppresses small mammal populations and associated herbivory of trees and seeds. As a result, rapid vertical growth is possible that can 'train' under-planted, slower-growing, species and provide favorable environmental conditions for naturally invading trees. Finally, annual cropping of alleyways or rotational pulpwood harvest of woody crops provides income more rapidly than reliance on future revenue from traditional silviculture. Because of increased forest diversity, enhanced growth and development, and improved economic returns, we believe that using agroforestry as a transitional management strategy during afforestation provides greater benefits to landowners and to the environment than does traditional bottomland hardwood afforestation.

Expedition 19 Crew Ceremony

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-20

Members of the media watch as Expedition 19 Commander Gennady I. Padalka, left, and Flight Engineer Michael R. Barratt plant a tree during the traditional tree planting ceremony at the Cosmonaut Hotel, Saturday, March 21, 2009 in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. (Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Starting Trees from Cuttings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kramer, David C.

1983-01-01

Describes a procedure for starting tree cuttings from woody plants, explaining "lag time," recommending materials, and giving step-by-step instructions for rooting and planting. Points out species which are likely candidates for cuttings and provides tips for teachers for developing a unit. (JM)

Effects of competing vegetation on growth of loblolly pine plantations in the West Gulf Coastal Plain

Treesearch

Dean W. Coble

2015-01-01

Competing woody vegetation negatively affects the growth of planted loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) trees by seizing site resources that otherwise would be used by the planted trees (Burkhart and Sprinz 1984).

Botanic gardens and the conservation of tree species.

PubMed

Oldfield, Sara F

2009-11-01

The general role of botanic gardens in plant conservation has been widely accepted since the 1970s and many threatened plant species are now in well-documented living collections and seed banks. Conserving tree species in ex situ collections still presents particular challenges. Many trees have so-called 'recalcitrant' seeds that cannot be stored in conventional seed banks and the sheer size of living trees restricts the number of individuals of a particular species that can be grown in a botanic garden. Even if space is available, is ex situ conservation a desirable option and how does this compare with conserving tree species in their natural habitats? In reality, conservation action for globally threatened tree species, by either in situ or ex situ means, remains inadequate and steps should be taken to combine approaches to prevent the urgent loss of tree species worldwide.

The importance of chemosensory clues in Aguaruna tree classification and identification.

PubMed

Jernigan, Kevin A

2008-05-03

The ethnobotanical literature still contains few detailed descriptions of the sensory criteria people use for judging membership in taxonomic categories. Olfactory criteria in particular have been explored very little. This paper will describe the importance of odor for woody plant taxonomy and identification among the Aguaruna Jívaro of the northern Peruvian Amazon, focusing on the Aguaruna category númi (trees excluding palms). Aguaruna informants almost always place trees that they consider to have a similar odor together as kumpají - 'companions,' a metaphor they use to describe trees that they consider to be related. The research took place in several Aguaruna communities in the upper Marañón region of the Peruvian Amazon. Structured interview data focus on informant criteria for membership in various folk taxa of trees. Informants were also asked to explain what members of each group of related companions had in common. This paper focuses on odor and taste criteria that came to light during these structured interviews. Botanical voucher specimens were collected, wherever possible. Of the 182 tree folk genera recorded in this study, 51 (28%) were widely considered to possess a distinctive odor. Thirty nine of those (76%) were said to have odors similar to some other tree, while the other 24% had unique odors. Aguaruna informants very rarely described tree odors in non-botanical terms. Taste was used mostly to describe trees with edible fruits. Trees judged to be related were nearly always in the same botanical family. The results of this study illustrate that odor of bark, sap, flowers, fruit and leaves are important clues that help the Aguaruna to judge the relatedness of trees found in their local environment. In contrast, taste appears to play a more limited role. The results suggest a more general ethnobotanical hypothesis that could be tested in other cultural settings: people tend to consider plants with similar odors to be related, but say that plants with unique odors are unrelated to any other plants.

Phytoremediation: A new technology gets ready to bloom

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bishop, J.

1997-05-01

For most environmental managers and owners of contaminated property, the prospect of undertaking site cleanups conjures up complex images of heavy machinery, high-tech treatment programs, heavy financial burdens, negative public reactions and a morass of regulatory requirements and potential legal liabilities. A few years ago, a handful of agricultural and biological scientists set out to change all that. Based on their knowledge of the ability of plants and trees to remove contaminants from the environment, they began developing the groundwork for phytoremediation, a collection of straightforward, low-tech cleanup technologies that is receiving increasing attention from regulators and owners of contaminatedmore » sites. At least five companies devoted exclusively to commercial applications of phytoremediation have emerged from this early work. Phytoremediation is the use of selected crop plants or trees to extract or promote degradation of toxic substances in soils, groundwater, surface water, wastewater and sediments. It may even be possible in some cases to harvest such contaminants as heavy metals that have been taken up by plants and recover them for recycling. In other variations, plants stimulate the growth of naturally occurring microbial populations, which then degrade organic contaminants, such as petroleum hydrocarbons, in soils. At appropriate sites, the cost of applying phytoremediation techniques may range from half to less than 20% of the cost of using physical, chemical or thermal techniques.« less

Branching out to residential lands: Missions and strategies of five tree distribution programs in the U.S.

Treesearch

Vi D. Nguyen; Lara A. Roman; Dexter H. Locke; Sarah K. Mincey; Jessica R. Sanders; Erica Smith Fichman; Mike Duran-Mitchell; Sarah Lumban Tobing

2017-01-01

Residential lands constitute a major component of existing and possible tree canopy in many cities in the United States. To expand the urban forest on these lands, some municipalities and nonprofit organizations have launched residential yard tree distribution programs, also known as tree giveaway programs. This paper describes the operations of five tree distribution...

Deciphering structural and temporal interplays during the architectural development of mango trees.

PubMed

Dambreville, Anaëlle; Lauri, Pierre-Éric; Trottier, Catherine; Guédon, Yann; Normand, Frédéric

2013-05-01

Plant architecture is commonly defined by the adjacency of organs within the structure and their properties. Few studies consider the effect of endogenous temporal factors, namely phenological factors, on the establishment of plant architecture. This study hypothesized that, in addition to the effect of environmental factors, the observed plant architecture results from both endogenous structural and temporal components, and their interplays. Mango tree, which is characterized by strong phenological asynchronisms within and between trees and by repeated vegetative and reproductive flushes during a growing cycle, was chosen as a plant model. During two consecutive growing cycles, this study described vegetative and reproductive development of 20 trees submitted to the same environmental conditions. Four mango cultivars were considered to assess possible cultivar-specific patterns. Integrative vegetative and reproductive development models incorporating generalized linear models as components were built. These models described the occurrence, intensity, and timing of vegetative and reproductive development at the growth unit scale. This study showed significant interplays between structural and temporal components of plant architectural development at two temporal scales. Within a growing cycle, earliness of bud burst was highly and positively related to earliness of vegetative development and flowering. Between growing cycles, flowering growth units delayed vegetative development compared to growth units that did not flower. These interplays explained how vegetative and reproductive phenological asynchronisms within and between trees were generated and maintained. It is suggested that causation networks involving structural and temporal components may give rise to contrasted tree architectures.

The critical amplifying role of increasing atmospheric moisture demand on tree mortality and associated regional die-off

DOE PAGES

Breshears, David D.; Adams, Henry D.; Eamus, Derek; ...

2013-08-02

Drought-induced tree mortality, including large-scale die-off events and increases in background rates of mortality, is a global phenomenon (Allen et al., 2010) that can directly impact numerous earth system properties and ecosystem goods and services (Adams et al., 2010; Breshears et al., 2011; Anderegg et al., 2013). Tree mortality is particularly of concern because of the likelihood that it will increase in frequency and extent with climate change (McDowell et al., 2008, 2011; Adams et al., 2009; McDowell, 2011; Williams et al., 2013). Recent plant science advances related to drought have focused on understanding the physiological mechanisms that not onlymore » affect plant growth and associated carbon metabolism, but also the more challenging issue of predicting plant mortality thresholds (McDowell et al., 2013). Although some advances related to mechanisms of mortality have been made and have increased emphasis on interrelationships between carbon metabolism and plant hydraulics (McDowell et al., 2011), notably few studies have specifically evaluated effects of increasing atmospheric demand for moisture (i.e., vapour pressure deficit; VPD) on rates of tree death. In this opinion article we highlight the importance of considering the key risks of future large-scale tree die-off and other mortality events arising from increased VPD. Here we focus on mortality of trees, but our point about the importance of VPD is also relevant to other vascular plants.« less

Urban landscapes and the western drought

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pataki, D. E.

2015-12-01

Cities in the western U.S. are heavily irrigated and have increasingly been the focus of water conservation measures. Even cities that previously relied only on voluntary reductions in outdoor water use have been employing stricter mandates to limit irrigation. These cities are in a period of transition and the outcomes are far from certain. There are many tradeoffs in the environmental and social consequences of different urban water management strategies. Here we review recent work studying these tradeoffs in cities of southern California and Utah. We have measured the water use of different types of landscapes ranging from turfgrass to urban trees to xeriscapes. Unshaded turfgrass shows evapotranspiration (ET) rates close to potential ET; however, shaded turfgrass uses substantially less water. On the other hand, plants used in xeriscapes may have surprisingly high transpiration rates if they are heavily watered. In addition, unshaded xeriscapes may substantially alter surface energy balance and have unintended consequences for urban climate. Through whole tree sap flux measurements and scaling of ET estimates, we have found that urban trees generally use less water than turfgrass, and provide additional cooling benefits through interception of radiation. Current measures to reduce outdoor water use through irrigation restrictions and turfgrass removal programs do not include safeguards to ensure that urban trees receive adequate irrigation, and the future of urban tree canopies in western cities is highly uncertain. Although trees and other deep-rooted vegetation may require less irrigation than turfgrass and better withstand periods of drought, this vegetation must still be appropriate managed with water inputs informed by an understanding of plant water relations and urban subsurface hydrology. On the current trajectory, cities may see a substantial loss of vegetative cover and leaf area unless an understanding of ecohydrology is better integrated into strategies for long-term stewardship of urban landscapes in a changing climate.

Overstorey tree species regulate colonization by native and exotic plants: a source of positive relationships between understorey diversity and invasibility

Treesearch

Kathleen S. Knight; Jacek Oleksyn; Andrzej M. Jagodzinski; Peter B. Reich; Marek Kasprowicz

2008-01-01

The North American woody species, Prunus serotina Ehrh., is an aggressive invader of forest understories in Europe. To better understand the plant invasion process, we assessed understorey plants and Prunus serotina seedlings that have colonized a 35- year-old replicated common-garden experiment of 14 tree species in south-western...

Effects of tree shelters on planted red oaks after six growing seasons

Treesearch

Douglas O. Lantagne

1995-01-01

A 22 year-old shelterwood treatment that failed to regenerate oaks on an upland site in Michigan was clearcut in the fall of 1986 and planted with 2-0 northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) seedlings the following spring. The four planting treatments included: control (clearcut harvest only), brush control only, 48 inch tree shelters only, and brush...

Canopy gap size influences niche partitioning of the ground-layer plant community in a northern temperate forest

Treesearch

Christel C. Kern; Rebecca A. Montgomery; Peter B. Reich; Terry F. Strong

2013-01-01

The Gap Partitioning Hypothesis (GPH) posits that gaps create heterogeneity in resources crucial for tree regeneration in closed-canopy forests, allowing trees with contrasting strategies to coexist along resource gradients. Few studies have examined gap partitioning of temperate, ground-layer vascular plants. We used a ground-layer plant community of a temperate...

The potential of urban tree plantings to be cost effective in carbon credit markets

Treesearch

M.R. McHale; E.G. McPherson; I.C. Burke

2007-01-01

Emission trading is considered to be an economically sensitive method for reducing the concentrations of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide, in the atmosphere. There has been debate about the viability of using urban tree plantings in these markets. The main concern is whether or not urban planting projects can be cost effective options for investors. We...

[Comprehensive evaluation and selection of urban eco-engineering virescent trees in Shenyang City].

PubMed

Lu, Min; Jiang, Fengqi; Li, Yingjie

2004-07-01

Urban virescence eco-engineering is the core of urban eco-environmental construction, which can promote urban sustainable development. In urban virescence eco-engineering, the comprehensive evaluation of ecological adapt-ability and ecological effect of urban plants is the scientific basis of rational application and selection of urban garden plants. The ecological effect and integrative functions of urban virescence eco-engineering depend upon the selection and layout of garden plants. Using the methods of garden expert consultation and evaluation, this paper established systematically integrative evaluation and application indices of virescence plants in Shenyang City, from the aspects of ecological adaptability, ecological effect, beautification effect, resistance to plant diseases and insect pests, anti-pollution and economic results. According to garden experts evaluation and location of Shenyang, 200 sorts of virescence trees were evaluated and classified on the basis of the comprehensive evaluation system of virescence trees, and using cold resistance, drought resistance, barren resistance, plant diseases and insect pests resistance, anti-pollution, ornamental quality and ecological effects as the indexes. The results showed that the number of first rank trees was 58, the second was 93, methods of third was 38, and the fourth was 11, ranked by integrative performance.

PAH dissipation in spiked soil: impacts of bioavailability, microbial activity, and trees.

PubMed

Mueller, Kevin E; Shann, Jodi R

2006-08-01

While trees have demonstrated potential in phytoremediation of several organic contaminants, little is known regarding their ability to impact the common soil contaminant PAHs. Several species of native North American trees were planted in soil artificially contaminated with three PAHs. Plant biomass, PAH dissipation, and microbial mineralization were monitored over the course of one year and environmental conditions were allowed to follow typical seasonal patterns. PAH dissipation and mineralization were not affected by planting. Extensive and rapid loss of PAHs was observed and attributed to high bioavailability and microbial activity in all treatments. The rate of this loss may have masked any significant planting effects. Anthracene was found to be more recalcitrant than pyrene or phenanthrene. Parallel soil aging studies indicated that sequestration to soil components was minimal. Contrary to common inferences in literature, amendment with decaying fine roots inhibited PAH degradation by the soil microbial community. Seasonal variation in environmental factors and rhizosphere dynamics may have also reduced or negated the effect of planting and should be taken into account in future phytoremediation trials. The unique root traits of trees may pose a challenge to traditional thought regarding PAH dissipation in the rhizosphere of plants.

Genetic transformation of fruit trees: current status and remaining challenges.

PubMed

Gambino, Giorgio; Gribaudo, Ivana

2012-12-01

Genetic transformation has emerged as a powerful tool for genetic improvement of fruit trees hindered by their reproductive biology and their high levels of heterozygosity. For years, genetic engineering of fruit trees has focussed principally on enhancing disease resistance (against viruses, fungi, and bacteria), although there are few examples of field cultivation and commercial application of these transgenic plants. In addition, over the years much work has been performed to enhance abiotic stress tolerance, to induce modifications of plant growth and habit, to produce marker-free transgenic plants and to improve fruit quality by modification of genes that are crucially important in the production of specific plant components. Recently, with the release of several genome sequences, studies of functional genomics are becoming increasingly important: by modification (overexpression or silencing) of genes involved in the production of specific plant components is possible to uncover regulatory mechanisms associated with the biosynthesis and catabolism of metabolites in plants. This review focuses on the main advances, in recent years, in genetic transformation of the most important species of fruit trees, devoting particular attention to functional genomics approaches and possible future challenges of genetic engineering for these species in the post-genomic era.

Growth responses of trees and understory plants to nitrogen fertilization in a subtropical forest in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Di; Li, Peng; Fang, Wenjing; Xu, Jun; Luo, Yongkai; Yan, Zhengbing; Zhu, Biao; Wang, Jingjing; Xu, Xiaoniu; Fang, Jingyun

2017-07-01

Reactive nitrogen (N) increase in the biosphere has been a noteworthy aspect of global change, producing considerable ecological effects on the functioning and dynamics of the terrestrial ecosystems. A number of observational studies have explored responses of plants to experimentally simulated N enrichment in boreal and temperate forests. Here we investigate how the dominant trees and different understory plants respond to experimental N enrichment in a subtropical forest in China. We conducted a 3.4-year N fertilization experiment in an old-aged subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in eastern China with three treatment levels applied to nine 20 m × 20 m plots and replicated in three blocks. We divided the plants into trees, saplings, shrubs (including tree seedlings), and ground-cover plants (ferns) according to the growth forms, and then measured the absolute and relative basal area increments of trees and saplings and the aboveground biomass of understory shrubs and ferns. We further grouped individuals of the dominant tree species, Castanopsis eyrei, into three size classes to investigate their respective growth responses to the N fertilization. Our results showed that the plot-averaged absolute and relative growth rates of basal area and aboveground biomass of trees were not affected by N fertilization. Across the individuals of C. eyrei, the small trees with a DBH (diameter at breast height) of 5-10 cm declined by 66.4 and 59.5 %, respectively, in N50 (50 kg N ha-1 yr-1) and N100 fertilized plots (100 kg N ha-1 yr-1), while the growth of median and large trees with a DBH of > 10 cm did not significantly change with the N fertilization. The growth rate of small trees, saplings, and the aboveground biomass of understory shrubs and ground-cover ferns decreased significantly in the N-fertilized plots. Our findings suggested that N might not be a limiting nutrient in this mature subtropical forest, and that the limitation of other nutrients in the forest ecosystem might be aggravated by the enhanced N availability, potentially resulting in an adverse effect on the development of natural subtropical forest.

CHRONIC IRRADIATION OF SCOTS PINE TREES (PINUS SYLVESTRIS) IN THE CHERNOBYL EXCLUSION ZONE: DOSIMETRY AND RADIOBIOLOGICAL EFFECTS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Farfan, E.; Jannik, T.

To identify effects of chronic internal and external radiation exposure for components of terrestrial ecosystems, a comprehensive study of Scots pine trees in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone was performed. The experimental plan included over 1,100 young trees (up to 20 years old) selected from areas with varying levels of radioactive contamination. These pine trees were planted after the 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident mainly to prevent radionuclide resuspension and soil erosion. For each tree, the major morphological parameters and radioactive contamination values were identified. Cytological analyses were performed for selected trees representing all dose rate ranges. A specially developedmore » dosimetric model capable of taking into account radiation from the incorporated radionuclides in the trees was developed for the apical meristem. The calculated dose rates for the trees in the study varied within three orders of magnitude, from close to background values in the control area (about 5 mGy y{sup -1}) to approximately 7 Gy y{sup -1} in the Red Forest area located in the immediate vicinity of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant site. Dose rate/effect relationships for morphological changes and cytogenetic defects were identified and correlations for radiation effects occurring on the morphological and cellular level were established.« less

Urban Sacramento oak reforestation: 17 years and 20,000 trees

Treesearch

Zarah Wyly; Erika Teach

2015-01-01

The Sacramento Tree Foundation (Tree Foundation), a nonprofit organization operating in the greater Sacramento California region, has been engaged in planting native oak trees in urban and suburban areas since 1998. Through an effort to provide efficient access to tree mitigation services and support compliance with local tree protection ordinances, more than 20,038...

Novel Insights into Tree Biology and Genome Evolution as Revealed Through Genomics.

PubMed

Neale, David B; Martínez-García, Pedro J; De La Torre, Amanda R; Montanari, Sara; Wei, Xiao-Xin

2017-04-28

Reference genome sequences are the key to the discovery of genes and gene families that determine traits of interest. Recent progress in sequencing technologies has enabled a rapid increase in genome sequencing of tree species, allowing the dissection of complex characters of economic importance, such as fruit and wood quality and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Although the number of reference genome sequences for trees lags behind those for other plant species, it is not too early to gain insight into the unique features that distinguish trees from nontree plants. Our review of the published data suggests that, although many gene families are conserved among herbaceous and tree species, some gene families, such as those involved in resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses and in the synthesis and transport of sugars, are often expanded in tree genomes. As the genomes of more tree species are sequenced, comparative genomics will further elucidate the complexity of tree genomes and how this relates to traits unique to trees.

Spreading tendencies of multiflora rose in the Southeast

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rosene, W.

1950-01-01

In 1948-49 studies were made on the spreading of multiflora rose at the sites of three old plantings in Alabama and Georgia. The age of these plantings varied from 14-40 years. Roses were invading surrounding land at each site. Observations indicated that seeds are carried by water and birds. Seedlings were numerous in drainageways leading from old shrubs. Birds had deposited seed under trees, in thickets, and along hedgerows. Seedlings growing under a single tree varied in number from a few to 50. Two rose bushes were found under a tree a mile from the probable point of origin. Seedlings were spreading in unimproved pastures by growing in thickets where they were protected from grazing and mowing. Plants were not found in cultivated fields. Spreading was similar near all three locations in like plant communities. Competition from trees affected multiflora more than that of any other type of vegetation. Plants thrive in pine woodlands with an open canopy, but growth is weak in a thick hardwood stand. Control will be necessary if multiflora rose is to be kept from spreading in idle land and unimproved pastures.

Amazon plant diversity revealed by a taxonomically verified species list.

PubMed

Cardoso, Domingos; Särkinen, Tiina; Alexander, Sara; Amorim, André M; Bittrich, Volker; Celis, Marcela; Daly, Douglas C; Fiaschi, Pedro; Funk, Vicki A; Giacomin, Leandro L; Goldenberg, Renato; Heiden, Gustavo; Iganci, João; Kelloff, Carol L; Knapp, Sandra; Cavalcante de Lima, Haroldo; Machado, Anderson F P; Dos Santos, Rubens Manoel; Mello-Silva, Renato; Michelangeli, Fabián A; Mitchell, John; Moonlight, Peter; de Moraes, Pedro Luís Rodrigues; Mori, Scott A; Nunes, Teonildes Sacramento; Pennington, Terry D; Pirani, José Rubens; Prance, Ghillean T; de Queiroz, Luciano Paganucci; Rapini, Alessandro; Riina, Ricarda; Rincon, Carlos Alberto Vargas; Roque, Nádia; Shimizu, Gustavo; Sobral, Marcos; Stehmann, João Renato; Stevens, Warren D; Taylor, Charlotte M; Trovó, Marcelo; van den Berg, Cássio; van der Werff, Henk; Viana, Pedro Lage; Zartman, Charles E; Forzza, Rafaela Campostrini

2017-10-03

Recent debates on the number of plant species in the vast lowland rain forests of the Amazon have been based largely on model estimates, neglecting published checklists based on verified voucher data. Here we collate taxonomically verified checklists to present a list of seed plant species from lowland Amazon rain forests. Our list comprises 14,003 species, of which 6,727 are trees. These figures are similar to estimates derived from nonparametric ecological models, but they contrast strongly with predictions of much higher tree diversity derived from parametric models. Based on the known proportion of tree species in neotropical lowland rain forest communities as measured in complete plot censuses, and on overall estimates of seed plant diversity in Brazil and in the neotropics in general, it is more likely that tree diversity in the Amazon is closer to the lower estimates derived from nonparametric models. Much remains unknown about Amazonian plant diversity, but this taxonomically verified dataset provides a valid starting point for macroecological and evolutionary studies aimed at understanding the origin, evolution, and ecology of the exceptional biodiversity of Amazonian forests.

Rich Sliding Motion and Dynamics in a Filippov Plant-Disease System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Can; Chen, Xi

In order to reduce the spread of plant diseases and maintain the number of infected trees below an economic threshold, we choose the number of infected trees and the number of susceptible plants as the control indexes on whether to implement control strategies. Then a Filippov plant-disease model incorporating cutting off infected branches and replanting susceptible trees is proposed. Based on the theory of Filippov system, the sliding mode dynamics and conditions for the existence of all the possible equilibria and Lotka-Volterra cycles are presented. We find that model solutions ultimately approach the positive equilibrium that lies in the region above the infected threshold value TI, or the periodic trajectories that lie in the region below TI, or the pseudo-attractor ET = (TS,TI), as we vary the susceptible and infected threshold values. It indicates that the plant-disease transmission is tolerable if the trajectories approach ET = (TS,TI) or the periodic trajectories lie in the region below TI. Hence an acceptable level of the number of infected trees can be achieved when the susceptible and infected threshold values are chosen appropriately.

Amazon plant diversity revealed by a taxonomically verified species list

PubMed Central

Cardoso, Domingos; Särkinen, Tiina; Alexander, Sara; Amorim, André M.; Bittrich, Volker; Celis, Marcela; Daly, Douglas C.; Fiaschi, Pedro; Funk, Vicki A.; Giacomin, Leandro L.; Heiden, Gustavo; Iganci, João; Kelloff, Carol L.; Knapp, Sandra; Cavalcante de Lima, Haroldo; Machado, Anderson F. P.; dos Santos, Rubens Manoel; Mello-Silva, Renato; Michelangeli, Fabián A.; Mitchell, John; Moonlight, Peter; de Moraes, Pedro Luís Rodrigues; Mori, Scott A.; Nunes, Teonildes Sacramento; Pennington, Terry D.; Pirani, José Rubens; Prance, Ghillean T.; de Queiroz, Luciano Paganucci; Rapini, Alessandro; Rincon, Carlos Alberto Vargas; Roque, Nádia; Shimizu, Gustavo; Sobral, Marcos; Stehmann, João Renato; Stevens, Warren D.; Taylor, Charlotte M.; Trovó, Marcelo; van den Berg, Cássio; van der Werff, Henk; Viana, Pedro Lage; Zartman, Charles E.; Forzza, Rafaela Campostrini

2017-01-01

Recent debates on the number of plant species in the vast lowland rain forests of the Amazon have been based largely on model estimates, neglecting published checklists based on verified voucher data. Here we collate taxonomically verified checklists to present a list of seed plant species from lowland Amazon rain forests. Our list comprises 14,003 species, of which 6,727 are trees. These figures are similar to estimates derived from nonparametric ecological models, but they contrast strongly with predictions of much higher tree diversity derived from parametric models. Based on the known proportion of tree species in neotropical lowland rain forest communities as measured in complete plot censuses, and on overall estimates of seed plant diversity in Brazil and in the neotropics in general, it is more likely that tree diversity in the Amazon is closer to the lower estimates derived from nonparametric models. Much remains unknown about Amazonian plant diversity, but this taxonomically verified dataset provides a valid starting point for macroecological and evolutionary studies aimed at understanding the origin, evolution, and ecology of the exceptional biodiversity of Amazonian forests. PMID:28923966

Fault Tree Analysis for an Inspection Robot in a Nuclear Power Plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferguson, Thomas A.; Lu, Lixuan

2017-09-01

The life extension of current nuclear reactors has led to an increasing demand on inspection and maintenance of critical reactor components that are too expensive to replace. To reduce the exposure dosage to workers, robotics have become an attractive alternative as a preventative safety tool in nuclear power plants. It is crucial to understand the reliability of these robots in order to increase the veracity and confidence of their results. This study presents the Fault Tree (FT) analysis to a coolant outlet piper snake-arm inspection robot in a nuclear power plant. Fault trees were constructed for a qualitative analysis to determine the reliability of the robot. Insight on the applicability of fault tree methods for inspection robotics in the nuclear industry is gained through this investigation.

Trees as bioindicators of industrial air pollution during implementation of pro-environmental policy in Silesia region (Poland).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sensuła, Barbara; Wilczyński, Slawomir; Opała, Magdalena; Pawełczyk, Sławomira; Piotrowska, Natalia

2015-04-01

The aim of research conducted within the project entitled "Trees as bioindicators of industrial air pollutants during the implementation of pro-environmental policies in the area of Silesia" (acronym BIOPOL) is the reconstruction of climate changes and anthropogenic effects and monitoring of the influence of human activities related to industrial development and the introduction of pro-environmental policy. The analysis will concern the climatic and anthropogenic signals recorded in annual tree rings width of Scots pine and in the isotopic composition of wood and its compenents (such as alpha-cellulose and glucose). Only a few studies made a complex multiproxies analysis of the influence of industrial air pollutants on changes in the tree rings width and their isotopic composition in any selected region. In addition, research is usually for a period of industrial development, is a lack of analysis for the period of implementation of EU law and standards on air quality to Polish law. The research area are the forests close to 3 different industrial plants (chemical- nitrogen plants, steel mills, power plants), in Silesia, where operating companies have strategic importance for the region and country. By analyzing the structure of land in Silesia noted a significant advantage of forest land and agricultural land. A large percentage of forest land providing protection for residents in case of failure in any of the plants. A cloud of noxious fumes is possible in large part retained in the trees. Waste generated by the chemical industry, metallurgy and energy represent the largest proportion of waste generated in the region. Already in the beginning of 21stcentury, the Waste Management Plans for various cities in Silesia are set out various strategic objectives to 2015, including in the economic sector: the implementation of non-waste technology and less and the best available techniques (BAT), the introduction of the principles of "cleaner production". The BIOPOL innovation is: a) multiproxy spatio-temporal analysis of the effects of climate changes and emission of air industrial pollution on trees during the development of industry and the implementation of pro-environmental policies in Silesia: - Analysis of the width of annual tree rings (since 1975) - Analysis of underestimation of the 14C concentration during the implementation of European standards (since 2000) - Analysis of the recorded signals of environmental changes in the composition of stable isotopes in annual tree rings - wood and its components b) modeling of the influence of pollutants emitted into the atmosphere on the width of annual growth of trees and C,O,N stable isotopes and radiocarbon - Spatio-temporal model of environmental change in the tree rings width and their isotopic composition close to each of the selected plants - comparison to the impact of climate change and industrial pollution for 3 different industries (steel mills, power plants, nitrogen plants) in the period from 1975 to present - Space model of environmental changes in the isotopic composition of trees near each of the selected plants (at varying distances from the chosen site) based on analysis of isotopic composition of annual shoots of pine trees in three consecutive years: from 2012 to 2014) - Estimation of emission components originating from industrial pollution for individual plants This project was funded by the National Science Centre allocated on the basis of the decision number DEC-2011/03/D/ST10/05251

Intermediate tree cover can maximize groundwater recharge in the seasonally dry tropics

PubMed Central

Ilstedt, U.; Bargués Tobella, A.; Bazié, H. R.; Bayala, J.; Verbeeten, E.; Nyberg, G.; Sanou, J.; Benegas, L.; Murdiyarso, D.; Laudon, H.; Sheil, D.; Malmer, A.

2016-01-01

Water scarcity contributes to the poverty of around one-third of the world’s people. Despite many benefits, tree planting in dry regions is often discouraged by concerns that trees reduce water availability. Yet relevant studies from the tropics are scarce, and the impacts of intermediate tree cover remain unexplored. We developed and tested an optimum tree cover theory in which groundwater recharge is maximized at an intermediate tree density. Below this optimal tree density the benefits from any additional trees on water percolation exceed their extra water use, leading to increased groundwater recharge, while above the optimum the opposite occurs. Our results, based on groundwater budgets calibrated with measurements of drainage and transpiration in a cultivated woodland in West Africa, demonstrate that groundwater recharge was maximised at intermediate tree densities. In contrast to the prevailing view, we therefore find that moderate tree cover can increase groundwater recharge, and that tree planting and various tree management options can improve groundwater resources. We evaluate the necessary conditions for these results to hold and suggest that they are likely to be common in the seasonally dry tropics, offering potential for widespread tree establishment and increased benefits for hundreds of millions of people. PMID:26908158

Intermediate tree cover can maximize groundwater recharge in the seasonally dry tropics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilstedt, U.; Bargués Tobella, A.; Bazié, H. R.; Bayala, J.; Verbeeten, E.; Nyberg, G.; Sanou, J.; Benegas, L.; Murdiyarso, D.; Laudon, H.; Sheil, D.; Malmer, A.

2016-02-01

Water scarcity contributes to the poverty of around one-third of the world’s people. Despite many benefits, tree planting in dry regions is often discouraged by concerns that trees reduce water availability. Yet relevant studies from the tropics are scarce, and the impacts of intermediate tree cover remain unexplored. We developed and tested an optimum tree cover theory in which groundwater recharge is maximized at an intermediate tree density. Below this optimal tree density the benefits from any additional trees on water percolation exceed their extra water use, leading to increased groundwater recharge, while above the optimum the opposite occurs. Our results, based on groundwater budgets calibrated with measurements of drainage and transpiration in a cultivated woodland in West Africa, demonstrate that groundwater recharge was maximised at intermediate tree densities. In contrast to the prevailing view, we therefore find that moderate tree cover can increase groundwater recharge, and that tree planting and various tree management options can improve groundwater resources. We evaluate the necessary conditions for these results to hold and suggest that they are likely to be common in the seasonally dry tropics, offering potential for widespread tree establishment and increased benefits for hundreds of millions of people.

Fault-Tree Compiler

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Butler, Ricky W.; Boerschlein, David P.

1993-01-01

Fault-Tree Compiler (FTC) program, is software tool used to calculate probability of top event in fault tree. Gates of five different types allowed in fault tree: AND, OR, EXCLUSIVE OR, INVERT, and M OF N. High-level input language easy to understand and use. In addition, program supports hierarchical fault-tree definition feature, which simplifies tree-description process and reduces execution time. Set of programs created forming basis for reliability-analysis workstation: SURE, ASSIST, PAWS/STEM, and FTC fault-tree tool (LAR-14586). Written in PASCAL, ANSI-compliant C language, and FORTRAN 77. Other versions available upon request.

Proofs for the Wave Theory of Plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, Orvin E.

1997-03-01

Oscillatory behavior in plants. (2)Standing waves observed coming from probes equally spaced up tree trunks and freshly cut live wood samples. (3)Beat frequencies observed while applying AC voltages to plants. (4)Plant length quantization. (5)Plant growth angle and voltage quantization with respect to the gravitational field. (6)The measurement of plant frequences with a low frequency spectrum analyzer which correlate with the frequencies observed by other means such as by measuring plant lengths, considered as half wavelengths, and beat frequencies. (7)Voltages obtained from insulated, isolated from light, diode dies placed in slits in tree trunks. Diodes become relatively low impedance sources for voltages as high as eight volts. Diodes indicate charge separating longitudinal standing waves sweeping up and down a tree trunk. Longitudinal waves also indicated by plant structure. (8)The measured discrete wave velocities appear to be dependent on their direction of travel with respect to the gravitational field. These provide growth references for the plant and a wave guide affect. For references see Wagner Research Laboratory Web Page.

Uncertainties in prescribed fire emissions and their impact on smoke dispersion predictions

EPA Science Inventory

Prescribed burning (PB) is practiced throughout the Southeastern U.S. for its important ecological and safety benefits such as preparing for tree seeding and planting, controlling disease and tree competition, managing understory debris, perpetuating fire-dependent plant species,...

Success of trees and shrubs in an 18-year-old planting on mine spoil

Treesearch

Gary L. Wade; Ralph L. Thompson; Willis G. Vogel; Willis G. Vogel

1985-01-01

Reports the status of l&year-old plantings of 25 tree and 25 shrub species on surface-mine spoil. The value of the species for wood products, wildlife habitat, site stabilizers, and soil builders is discussed

Assessment of wastewater treatment facility compliance with decreasing ammonia discharge limits using a regression tree model.

PubMed

Suchetana, Bihu; Rajagopalan, Balaji; Silverstein, JoAnn

2017-11-15

A regression tree-based diagnostic approach is developed to evaluate factors affecting US wastewater treatment plant compliance with ammonia discharge permit limits using Discharge Monthly Report (DMR) data from a sample of 106 municipal treatment plants for the period of 2004-2008. Predictor variables used to fit the regression tree are selected using random forests, and consist of the previous month's effluent ammonia, influent flow rates and plant capacity utilization. The tree models are first used to evaluate compliance with existing ammonia discharge standards at each facility and then applied assuming more stringent discharge limits, under consideration in many states. The model predicts that the ability to meet both current and future limits depends primarily on the previous month's treatment performance. With more stringent discharge limits predicted ammonia concentration relative to the discharge limit, increases. In-sample validation shows that the regression trees can provide a median classification accuracy of >70%. The regression tree model is validated using ammonia discharge data from an operating wastewater treatment plant and is able to accurately predict the observed ammonia discharge category approximately 80% of the time, indicating that the regression tree model can be applied to predict compliance for individual treatment plants providing practical guidance for utilities and regulators with an interest in controlling ammonia discharges. The proposed methodology is also used to demonstrate how to delineate reliable sources of demand and supply in a point source-to-point source nutrient credit trading scheme, as well as how planners and decision makers can set reasonable discharge limits in future. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Vapor-phase exchange of perchloroethene between soil and plants

USGS Publications Warehouse

Struckhoff, G.C.; Burken, J.G.; Schumacher, J.G.

2005-01-01

Tree core concentrations of tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethene, PCE) at the Riverfront Superfund Site in New Haven, MO, were found to mimic the profile of soil phase concentrations. The observed soil-tree core relationship was stronger than that of groundwater PCE to tree core concentrations at the same site. Earlier research has shown a direct, linear relationship between tree core and groundwater concentrations of chlorinated solvents and other organics. Laboratory-scale experiments were performed to elucidate this phenomenon, including determining partitioning coefficients of PCE between plant tissues and air and between plant tissues and water, measured to be 8.1 and 49 L/kg, respectively. The direct relationship of soil to tree core PCE concentrations was hypothesized to be caused by diffusion between tree roots and the soil vapor phase in the subsurface. The central findings of this research are discovering the importance of subsurface vapor-phase transfer for VOCs and uncovering a direct relationship between soil vapor-phase chlorinated solvents and uptake rates that impact contaminant translocation from the subsurface and transfer into the atmosphere. ?? 2005 American Chemical Society.

Combining Genome-Wide Information with a Functional Structural Plant Model to Simulate 1-Year-Old Apple Tree Architecture.

PubMed

Migault, Vincent; Pallas, Benoît; Costes, Evelyne

2016-01-01

In crops, optimizing target traits in breeding programs can be fostered by selecting appropriate combinations of architectural traits which determine light interception and carbon acquisition. In apple tree, architectural traits were observed to be under genetic control. However, architectural traits also result from many organogenetic and morphological processes interacting with the environment. The present study aimed at combining a FSPM built for apple tree, MAppleT, with genetic determinisms of architectural traits, previously described in a bi-parental population. We focused on parameters related to organogenesis (phyllochron and immediate branching) and morphogenesis processes (internode length and leaf area) during the first year of tree growth. Two independent datasets collected in 2004 and 2007 on 116 genotypes, issued from a 'Starkrimson' × 'Granny Smith' cross, were used. The phyllochron was estimated as a function of thermal time and sylleptic branching was modeled subsequently depending on phyllochron. From a genetic map built with SNPs, marker effects were estimated on four MAppleT parameters with rrBLUP, using 2007 data. These effects were then considered in MAppleT to simulate tree development in the two climatic conditions. The genome wide prediction model gave consistent estimations of parameter values with correlation coefficients between observed values and estimated values from SNP markers ranging from 0.79 to 0.96. However, the accuracy of the prediction model following cross validation schemas was lower. Three integrative traits (the number of leaves, trunk length, and number of sylleptic laterals) were considered for validating MAppleT simulations. In 2007 climatic conditions, simulated values were close to observations, highlighting the correct simulation of genetic variability. However, in 2004 conditions which were not used for model calibration, the simulations differed from observations. This study demonstrates the possibility of integrating genome-based information in a FSPM for a perennial fruit tree. It also showed that further improvements are required for improving the prediction ability. Especially temperature effect should be extended and other factors taken into account for modeling GxE interactions. Improvements could also be expected by considering larger populations and by testing other genome wide prediction models. Despite these limitations, this study opens new possibilities for supporting plant breeding by in silico evaluations of the impact of genotypic polymorphisms on plant integrative phenotypes.

7 CFR 760.504 - Eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers. 760.504..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SPECIAL PROGRAMS INDEMNITY PAYMENT PROGRAMS Tree Assistance Program § 760.504 Eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers. (a) To be eligible for TAP payments, the eligible orchardist...

7 CFR 760.504 - Eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers. 760.504..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SPECIAL PROGRAMS INDEMNITY PAYMENT PROGRAMS Tree Assistance Program § 760.504 Eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers. (a) To be eligible for TAP payments, the eligible orchardist...

7 CFR 760.504 - Eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers. 760.504..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SPECIAL PROGRAMS INDEMNITY PAYMENT PROGRAMS Tree Assistance Program § 760.504 Eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers. (a) To be eligible for TAP payments, the eligible orchardist...

7 CFR 760.504 - Eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers. 760.504..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SPECIAL PROGRAMS INDEMNITY PAYMENT PROGRAMS Tree Assistance Program § 760.504 Eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers. (a) To be eligible for TAP payments, the eligible orchardist...

Acceleration and novelty: community restoration speeds recovery and transforms species composition in Andean cloud forest.

PubMed

Wilson, Sarah Jane; Rhemtulla, Jeanine M

2016-01-01

Community-based tropical forest restoration projects, often promoted as a win-win solution for local communities and the environment, have increased dramatically in number in the past decade. Many such projects are underway in Andean cloud forests, which, given their extremely high biodiversity and history of extensive clearing, are understudied. This study investigates the efficacy of community-based tree-planting projects to accelerate cloud forest recovery, as compared to unassisted natural regeneration. This study takes place in northwest Andean Ecuador, where the majority of the original, highly diverse cloud forests have been cleared, in five communities that initiated tree-planting projects to restore forests in 2003. In 2011, we identified tree species along transects in planted forests (n = 5), naturally regenerating forests (n = 5), and primary forests (n = 5). We also surveyed 120 households about their restoration methods, tree preferences, and forest uses. We found that tree diversity was higher in planted than in unplanted secondary forest, but both were less diverse than primary forests. Ordination analysis showed that all three forests had distinct species compositions, although planted forests shared more species with primary forests than did unplanted forests. Planted forests also contained more animal-dispersed species in both the planted canopy and in the unplanted, regenerating understory than unplanted forests, and contained the highest proportion of species with use value for local people. While restoring forest increased biodiversity and accelerated forest recovery, restored forests may also represent novel ecosystems that are distinct from the region's previous ecosystems and, given their usefulness to people, are likely to be more common in the future.

Phytoremediation: using green plants to clean up contaminate soil, groundwater, and wastewater

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Negri, M.C.; Hinchman, R.R.; Gatliff, E.G.

1996-07-01

Phytoremediation, an emerging cleanup technology for contaminated soils, groundwater, and wastewater that is both low-tech and low-cost, is defined as the engineered use of green plants (including grasses, forbs, and woody species) to remove, contain, or render harmless such environmental contaminants as heavy metals, trace elements, organic compounds and radioactive compounds in soil or water. Our research includes a successful field demonstration of a plant bioreactor for processing the salty wastewater from petroleum wells; the demonstration is currently under way at a natural gas well site in Oklahoma, in cooperation with Devon Energy Corporation. A greenhouse experiment on zinc uptakemore » in hybrid poplar (Populus sp.) was initiated in 1995. These experiments are being conducted to confirm and extend field data indicating high levels of zinc (4,200 ppm) in leaves of hybrid poplar growing as a cleanup system at a site with zinc contamination in the root zone of some of the trees. Analyses of soil water from experimental pots that had received several doses of zinc indicated that the zinc was totally sequestered by the plants in about 4 hours during a single pass through the root system. The data also showed concentrations of sequestered metal of >38,000 ppm Zn in the dry root tissue. These levels of sequestered zinc exceed the levels found in either roots or tops of many of the known ``hyperaccumulator`` species. Because the roots sequester most of the contaminant taken up in most plants, a major objective of this program is to determine the feasibility of root harvesting as a method to maximize the removal of contaminants from soils. Available techniques and equipment for harvesting plant roots, including young tree roots, are being evaluated and modified as necessary for use with phytoremediation plants.« less

Simulation of carbon allocation and organ growth variability in apple tree by connecting architectural and source–sink models

PubMed Central

Pallas, Benoît; Da Silva, David; Valsesia, Pierre; Yang, Weiwei; Guillaume, Olivier; Lauri, Pierre-Eric; Vercambre, Gilles; Génard, Michel; Costes, Evelyne

2016-01-01

Background and aims Plant growth depends on carbon availability and allocation among organs. QualiTree has been designed to simulate carbon allocation and partitioning in the peach tree (Prunus persica), whereas MappleT is dedicated to the simulation of apple tree (Malus × domestica) architecture. The objective of this study was to couple both models and adapt QualiTree to apple trees to simulate organ growth traits and their within-tree variability. Methods MappleT was used to generate architectures corresponding to the ‘Fuji’ cultivar, accounting for the variability within and among individuals. These architectures were input into QualiTree to simulate shoot and fruit growth during a growth cycle. We modified QualiTree to account for the observed shoot polymorphism in apple trees, i.e. different classes (long, medium and short) that were characterized by different growth function parameters. Model outputs were compared with observed 3D tree geometries, considering shoot and final fruit size and growth dynamics. Key Results The modelling approach connecting MappleT and QualiTree was appropriate to the simulation of growth and architectural characteristics at the tree scale (plant leaf area, shoot number and types, fruit weight at harvest). At the shoot scale, mean fruit weight and its variability within trees was accurately simulated, whereas the model tended to overestimate individual shoot leaf area and underestimate its variability for each shoot type. Varying the parameter related to the intensity of carbon exchange between shoots revealed that behaviour intermediate between shoot autonomy and a common assimilate pool was required to properly simulate within-tree fruit growth variability. Moreover, the model correctly dealt with the crop load effect on organ growth. Conclusions This study provides understanding of the integration of shoot ontogenetic properties, carbon supply and transport between entities for simulating organ growth in trees. Further improvements regarding the integration of retroaction loops between carbon allocation and the resulting plant architecture are expected to allow multi-year simulations. PMID:27279576

Negative plant-soil feedback predicts tree-species relative abundance in a tropical forest.

PubMed

Mangan, Scott A; Schnitzer, Stefan A; Herre, Edward A; Mack, Keenan M L; Valencia, Mariana C; Sanchez, Evelyn I; Bever, James D

2010-08-05

The accumulation of species-specific enemies around adults is hypothesized to maintain plant diversity by limiting the recruitment of conspecific seedlings relative to heterospecific seedlings. Although previous studies in forested ecosystems have documented patterns consistent with the process of negative feedback, these studies are unable to address which classes of enemies (for example, pathogens, invertebrates, mammals) exhibit species-specific effects strong enough to generate negative feedback, and whether negative feedback at the level of the individual tree is sufficient to influence community-wide forest composition. Here we use fully reciprocal shade-house and field experiments to test whether the performance of conspecific tree seedlings (relative to heterospecific seedlings) is reduced when grown in the presence of enemies associated with adult trees. Both experiments provide strong evidence for negative plant-soil feedback mediated by soil biota. In contrast, above-ground enemies (mammals, foliar herbivores and foliar pathogens) contributed little to negative feedback observed in the field. In both experiments, we found that tree species that showed stronger negative feedback were less common as adults in the forest community, indicating that susceptibility to soil biota may determine species relative abundance in these tropical forests. Finally, our simulation models confirm that the strength of local negative feedback that we measured is sufficient to produce the observed community-wide patterns in tree-species relative abundance. Our findings indicate that plant-soil feedback is an important mechanism that can maintain species diversity and explain patterns of tree-species relative abundance in tropical forests.

Root morphology and mycorrhizal symbioses together shape nutrient foraging strategies of temperate trees

PubMed Central

Chen, Weile; Koide, Roger T.; Adams, Thomas S.; DeForest, Jared L.; Cheng, Lei; Eissenstat, David M.

2016-01-01

Photosynthesis by leaves and acquisition of water and minerals by roots are required for plant growth, which is a key component of many ecosystem functions. Although the role of leaf functional traits in photosynthesis is generally well understood, the relationship of root functional traits to nutrient uptake is not. In particular, predictions of nutrient acquisition strategies from specific root traits are often vague. Roots of nearly all plants cooperate with mycorrhizal fungi in nutrient acquisition. Most tree species form symbioses with either arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) or ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi. Nutrients are distributed heterogeneously in the soil, and nutrient-rich “hotspots” can be a key source for plants. Thus, predicting the foraging strategies that enable mycorrhizal root systems to exploit these hotspots can be critical to the understanding of plant nutrition and ecosystem carbon and nutrient cycling. Here, we show that in 13 sympatric temperate tree species, when nutrient availability is patchy, thinner root species alter their foraging to exploit patches, whereas thicker root species do not. Moreover, there appear to be two distinct pathways by which thinner root tree species enhance foraging in nutrient-rich patches: AM trees produce more roots, whereas EM trees produce more mycorrhizal fungal hyphae. Our results indicate that strategies of nutrient foraging are complementary among tree species with contrasting mycorrhiza types and root morphologies, and that predictable relationships between below-ground traits and nutrient acquisition emerge only when both roots and mycorrhizal fungi are considered together. PMID:27432986

Root morphology and mycorrhizal symbioses together shape nutrient foraging strategies of temperate trees.

PubMed

Chen, Weile; Koide, Roger T; Adams, Thomas S; DeForest, Jared L; Cheng, Lei; Eissenstat, David M

2016-08-02

Photosynthesis by leaves and acquisition of water and minerals by roots are required for plant growth, which is a key component of many ecosystem functions. Although the role of leaf functional traits in photosynthesis is generally well understood, the relationship of root functional traits to nutrient uptake is not. In particular, predictions of nutrient acquisition strategies from specific root traits are often vague. Roots of nearly all plants cooperate with mycorrhizal fungi in nutrient acquisition. Most tree species form symbioses with either arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) or ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi. Nutrients are distributed heterogeneously in the soil, and nutrient-rich "hotspots" can be a key source for plants. Thus, predicting the foraging strategies that enable mycorrhizal root systems to exploit these hotspots can be critical to the understanding of plant nutrition and ecosystem carbon and nutrient cycling. Here, we show that in 13 sympatric temperate tree species, when nutrient availability is patchy, thinner root species alter their foraging to exploit patches, whereas thicker root species do not. Moreover, there appear to be two distinct pathways by which thinner root tree species enhance foraging in nutrient-rich patches: AM trees produce more roots, whereas EM trees produce more mycorrhizal fungal hyphae. Our results indicate that strategies of nutrient foraging are complementary among tree species with contrasting mycorrhiza types and root morphologies, and that predictable relationships between below-ground traits and nutrient acquisition emerge only when both roots and mycorrhizal fungi are considered together.

Tree Leaf Bacterial Community Structure and Diversity Differ along a Gradient of Urban Intensity

PubMed Central

Messier, Christian; Kembel, Steven W.

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Tree leaf-associated microbiota have been studied in natural ecosystems but less so in urban settings, where anthropogenic pressures on trees could impact microbial communities and modify their interaction with their hosts. Additionally, trees act as vectors spreading bacterial cells in the air in urban environments due to the density of microbial cells on aerial plant surfaces. Characterizing tree leaf bacterial communities along an urban gradient is thus key to understand the impact of anthropogenic pressures on urban tree-bacterium interactions and on the overall urban microbiome. In this study, we aimed (i) to characterize phyllosphere bacterial communities of seven tree species in urban environments and (ii) to describe the changes in tree phyllosphere bacterial community structure and diversity along a gradient of increasing urban intensity and at two degrees of tree isolation. Our results indicate that, as anthropogenic pressures increase, urban leaf bacterial communities show a reduction in the abundance of the dominant class in the natural plant microbiome, the Alphaproteobacteria. Our work in the urban environment here reveals that the structures of leaf bacterial communities differ along the gradient of urban intensity. The diversity of phyllosphere microbial communities increases at higher urban intensity, also displaying a greater number and variety of associated indicator taxa than the low and medium urban gradient sites. In conclusion, we find that urban environments influence tree bacterial community composition, and our results suggest that feedback between human activity and plant microbiomes could shape urban microbiomes. IMPORTANCE In natural forests, tree leaf surfaces host diverse bacterial communities whose structure and composition are primarily driven by host species identity. Tree leaf bacterial diversity has also been shown to influence tree community productivity, a key function of terrestrial ecosystems. However, most urban microbiome studies have focused on the built environment, improving our understanding of indoor microbial communities but leaving much to be understood, especially in the nonbuilt microbiome. Here, we provide the first multiple-species comparison of tree phyllosphere bacterial structures and diversity along a gradient of urban intensity. We demonstrate that urban trees possess characteristic bacterial communities that differ from those seen with trees in nonurban environments, with microbial community structure on trees influenced by host species identity but also by the gradient of urban intensity and by the degree of isolation from other trees. Our results suggest that feedback between human activity and plant microbiomes could shape urban microbiomes. PMID:29238751

Tree Leaf Bacterial Community Structure and Diversity Differ along a Gradient of Urban Intensity.

PubMed

Laforest-Lapointe, Isabelle; Messier, Christian; Kembel, Steven W

2017-01-01

Tree leaf-associated microbiota have been studied in natural ecosystems but less so in urban settings, where anthropogenic pressures on trees could impact microbial communities and modify their interaction with their hosts. Additionally, trees act as vectors spreading bacterial cells in the air in urban environments due to the density of microbial cells on aerial plant surfaces. Characterizing tree leaf bacterial communities along an urban gradient is thus key to understand the impact of anthropogenic pressures on urban tree-bacterium interactions and on the overall urban microbiome. In this study, we aimed (i) to characterize phyllosphere bacterial communities of seven tree species in urban environments and (ii) to describe the changes in tree phyllosphere bacterial community structure and diversity along a gradient of increasing urban intensity and at two degrees of tree isolation. Our results indicate that, as anthropogenic pressures increase, urban leaf bacterial communities show a reduction in the abundance of the dominant class in the natural plant microbiome, the Alphaproteobacteria . Our work in the urban environment here reveals that the structures of leaf bacterial communities differ along the gradient of urban intensity. The diversity of phyllosphere microbial communities increases at higher urban intensity, also displaying a greater number and variety of associated indicator taxa than the low and medium urban gradient sites. In conclusion, we find that urban environments influence tree bacterial community composition, and our results suggest that feedback between human activity and plant microbiomes could shape urban microbiomes. IMPORTANCE In natural forests, tree leaf surfaces host diverse bacterial communities whose structure and composition are primarily driven by host species identity. Tree leaf bacterial diversity has also been shown to influence tree community productivity, a key function of terrestrial ecosystems. However, most urban microbiome studies have focused on the built environment, improving our understanding of indoor microbial communities but leaving much to be understood, especially in the nonbuilt microbiome. Here, we provide the first multiple-species comparison of tree phyllosphere bacterial structures and diversity along a gradient of urban intensity. We demonstrate that urban trees possess characteristic bacterial communities that differ from those seen with trees in nonurban environments, with microbial community structure on trees influenced by host species identity but also by the gradient of urban intensity and by the degree of isolation from other trees. Our results suggest that feedback between human activity and plant microbiomes could shape urban microbiomes.

Residential Knowledge of Native Tree Species: A Case Study of Residents in Four Southern Ontario Municipalities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almas, Andrew D.; Conway, Tenley M.

2017-01-01

In the past decade, municipalities across North America have increased investment in their urban forests in an effort to maintain and enhance the numerous benefits provided by them. Some municipalities have now drafted long-term urban forest management plans that emphasize the planting of native trees, to improve ecological integrity, and participation of residents, since the majority of urban trees are typically located on residential property. Yet it is unclear if residents are familiar with native trees or municipalities' urban forest management goals. Through a case study of southern Ontario municipalities, we administered a survey exploring residents' ability to correctly label common tree species as native or non-native, as well as their knowledge of urban forest management plans to test four hypotheses: 1) residents in municipalities with an urban forest management plans will be more knowledgeable about the native status of common street trees; 2) residents who have lived in the area longer will have greater knowledge; 3) knowledge level will be correlated with education level, ethnicity, and income; and 4) residents' knowledge will be related to having planted trees on their property. Our results indicate that residents are better able to identify common native trees than correctly determine which trees are non-native, although knowledge levels are generally low. Knowledge was significantly related to length of residency and tree planting experience, supporting hypotheses 2 and 4. These results highlight the importance of experience and local knowledge acquisition in relation to basic knowledge about urban trees, and also point to the failures of resident outreach within the case study municipalities.

Residential Knowledge of Native Tree Species: A Case Study of Residents in Four Southern Ontario Municipalities.

PubMed

Almas, Andrew D; Conway, Tenley M

2017-01-01

In the past decade, municipalities across North America have increased investment in their urban forests in an effort to maintain and enhance the numerous benefits provided by them. Some municipalities have now drafted long-term urban forest management plans that emphasize the planting of native trees, to improve ecological integrity, and participation of residents, since the majority of urban trees are typically located on residential property. Yet it is unclear if residents are familiar with native trees or municipalities' urban forest management goals. Through a case study of southern Ontario municipalities, we administered a survey exploring residents' ability to correctly label common tree species as native or non-native, as well as their knowledge of urban forest management plans to test four hypotheses: 1) residents in municipalities with an urban forest management plans will be more knowledgeable about the native status of common street trees; 2) residents who have lived in the area longer will have greater knowledge; 3) knowledge level will be correlated with education level, ethnicity, and income; and 4) residents' knowledge will be related to having planted trees on their property. Our results indicate that residents are better able to identify common native trees than correctly determine which trees are non-native, although knowledge levels are generally low. Knowledge was significantly related to length of residency and tree planting experience, supporting hypotheses 2 and 4. These results highlight the importance of experience and local knowledge acquisition in relation to basic knowledge about urban trees, and also point to the failures of resident outreach within the case study municipalities.

Fault-Tree Compiler Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Butler, Ricky W.; Martensen, Anna L.

1992-01-01

FTC, Fault-Tree Compiler program, is reliability-analysis software tool used to calculate probability of top event of fault tree. Five different types of gates allowed in fault tree: AND, OR, EXCLUSIVE OR, INVERT, and M OF N. High-level input language of FTC easy to understand and use. Program supports hierarchical fault-tree-definition feature simplifying process of description of tree and reduces execution time. Solution technique implemented in FORTRAN, and user interface in Pascal. Written to run on DEC VAX computer operating under VMS operating system.

Consequences of plant-chemical diversity for domestic goat food preference in Mediterranean forests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baraza, Elena; Hódar, José A.; Zamora, Regino

2009-01-01

The domestic goat, a major herbivore in the Mediterranean basin, has demonstrated a strong ability to adapt its feeding behaviour to the chemical characteristics of food, selecting plants according to their nutritive quality. In this study, we determine some chemical characteristics related to plant nutritional quality and its variability among and within five tree species, these being the main components of the mountain forests of SE Spain, with the aim of determining their influence on food selection by this generalist herbivore. We analyse nitrogen, total phenols, condensed tannins and fibre concentration as an indicator of the nutritive value of the different trees. To determine the preference by the domestic goat, we performed two types of feeding-choice assays, where goats had to select between different species or between branches of the same species but from trees of different nutritional quality. The analysis of the plant nutritional quality showed significant differences in the chemical characteristics between species, and a high variability within species. However, when faced with different tree species, the domestic goat selected some of them but showed striking individual differences between goats. When selecting between trees of the same species, the goats showed no differential selection. This limited effect of chemical plant characteristics, together with the variability in foraging behaviour, resulted in a widespread consumption of diverse plant species, which can potentially modulate the effect of the goat on vegetation composition, and open the way for the conservation of traditional livestock grazing on natural protected areas.

Impact of the timing and duration of weed control on the establishment of a rubber tree plantation.

PubMed

Guzzo, Caio D; Carvalho, Leonardo B de; Giancotti, Paulo R F; Alves, Pedro L C A; Gonçalves, Elaine C P; Martins, José V F

2014-03-01

Rubber tree production is reduced by weeds that compete for environmental resources; therefore, the timing and duration of weed control influences weed interference. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the growth of rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) plants, to determine the critical period for weed control, and to evaluate the growth recovery of rubber trees that coexisted with weeds for different periods of time after planting. Two groups of treatments were established under field conditions in the first year of the investigation: one group contained crescent periods of weed infestation, while the other contained crescent periods of weed control, also including a weed-free check and a total weedy check. In the second year of the investigation, the weeds were totally controlled. Urochloa decumbens was the dominant weed (over 90% groundcover). Crop growth was greatly reduced due to the weed interference. Plant height decreased more rapidly than did any other characteristic. Plant height, leaf dry mass, and leaf area decreased by 99%, 97% and 96%, respectively, and were the most reduced characteristics. Plant height also recovered more rapidly than did any characteristic when the period of weed control was lengthened. However, stem dry mass increased by 750%, making it the most recovered characteristic. The critical period for weed control was between 4 and 9½ months after planting in the first year; however, the rubber trees showed an expressive growth recovery when the weeds were controlled throughout the second year.

30 CFR 715.20 - Revegetation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... meet applicable State and Federal seed or introduced species statutes, and shall not include poisonous... for the type of plant materials selected to meet specific site conditions and climate. Any disturbed... postmining land use, the permittee shall plant trees adapted for local site conditions and climate. Trees...

30 CFR 715.20 - Revegetation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... meet applicable State and Federal seed or introduced species statutes, and shall not include poisonous... for the type of plant materials selected to meet specific site conditions and climate. Any disturbed... postmining land use, the permittee shall plant trees adapted for local site conditions and climate. Trees...

30 CFR 715.20 - Revegetation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... meet applicable State and Federal seed or introduced species statutes, and shall not include poisonous... for the type of plant materials selected to meet specific site conditions and climate. Any disturbed... postmining land use, the permittee shall plant trees adapted for local site conditions and climate. Trees...

Forestry 101.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Markham, Mary T.

2000-01-01

Introduces a unit on forest management in which students manage the school forest. Involves students in tree identification, determining the size or volume and height of trees, and evaluation of the forest for management decisions. Integrates mathematics, writing, and social studies with plant classification, plant reproduction, and the use of…

Shelterwood-planted northern red oaks: integrated costs and options

Treesearch

Martin A. Spetich; Daniel Dey; Paul Johnson

2009-01-01

Tree biology, environmental site conditions, relative monetary costs, management options, and the competitive struggle between planted trees and other vegetation were integrated when underplanting northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) seedlings in Boston Mountain shelterwoods. This approach provides insight into the collective costs (...

Young Children Learn to Restructure Personal Ideas about Growth in Trees.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sunal, Dennis W.; Sunal, Cynthia S.

1991-01-01

Three activities in which students identify and demonstrate similarities and differences in plants and in plant growth are presented. The activities include background information, objectives for the tree ring activities, a list of needed materials, procedures, evaluation procedures, and a glossary. (KR)

MicroRNAs in fruit trees: discovery, diversity and future research directions.

PubMed

Solofoharivelo, M C; van der Walt, A P; Stephan, D; Burger, J T; Murray, S L

2014-09-01

Since the first description of microRNAs (miRNAs) 20 years ago, the number of miRNAs identified in different eukaryotic organisms has exploded, largely due to the recent advances in DNA sequencing technologies. Functional studies, mostly from model species, have revealed that miRNAs are major post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression in eukaryotes. In plants, they are implicated in fundamental biological processes, from plant development and morphogenesis, to regulation of plant pathogen and abiotic stress responses. Although a substantial number of miRNAs have been identified in fruit trees to date, their functions remain largely uncharacterised. The present review aims to summarise the progress made in miRNA research in fruit trees, focusing specifically on the economically important species Prunus persica, Malus domestica, Citrus spp, and Vitis vinifera. We also discuss future miRNA research prospects in these plants and highlight potential applications of miRNAs in the on-going improvement of fruit trees. © 2014 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

The effects of planting density and cultural intensity on loblolly pine crown characteristics at age twelve

Treesearch

Madison Akers; Michael Kane; Robert Teskey; Richard Daniels; Dehai Zhao; Santosh Subedi

2012-01-01

Twelve-year old loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) stands were analyzed for the effects of planting density and cultural intensity on tree and crown attributes. Four study installations were located in the Piedmont and Upper Coastal Plain regions of the U.S. South. The treatments included six planting densities (740, 1480, 2220, 2960, 3700, 4440 trees...

Economic rationale for planting less trees in the face of seedling mortality

Treesearch

Thomas J. Dean; S. Joseph Chang

2002-01-01

Simple economic analyses are used to demonstrate that planting extra trees to compensate for initial seedling mortality can actually reduce the profit expected from a pine plantation. At a 6-percent interest rate, the cost of planting 15 or 25 percent additional seedlings compounded to the end of a 30-year rotation exceeds the revenue lost to these rates of seedling...

The Woody Plant Seed Manual

Treesearch

Franklin T. Bonner; Robert P. Karrfalt

2008-01-01

The first comprehensive handbook on the seeds of trees and shrubs produced by the USDA Forest Service was USDA Misc. Pub. 654, Woody-Plant Seed Manual. The manuscript was ready for publication in 1941, but World War II delayed publication until 1948. The boom in tree planting in the 1950s and 1960s created a large demand for seeds and exposed the gaps in our knowledge...

Access to mycorrhizal networks and roots of trees: importance for seedling survival and resource transfer.

PubMed

Teste, François P; Simard, Suzanne W; Durall, Daniel M; Guy, Robert D; Jones, Melanie D; Schoonmaker, Amanda L

2009-10-01

Mycorrhizal networks (MNs) are fungal hyphae that connect roots of at least two plants. It has been suggested that these networks are ecologically relevant because they may facilitate interplant resource transfer and improve regeneration dynamics. This study investigated the effects of MNs on seedling survival, growth and physiological responses, interplant resource (carbon and nitrogen) transfer, and ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungal colonization of seedlings by trees in dry interior Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca) forests. On a large, recently harvested site that retained some older trees, we established 160 isolated plots containing pairs of older Douglas-fir "donor" trees and either manually sown seed or planted Douglas-fir "receiver" seedlings. Seed- and greenhouse-grown seedlings were sown and planted into four mesh treatments that served to restrict MN access (i.e., planted into mesh bags with 0.5-, 35-, 250-microm pores, or without mesh). Older trees were pulse labeled with carbon (13CO2) and nitrogen (15NH4(15)NO3) to quantify resource transfer. After two years, seedlings grown from seed in the field had the greatest survival and received the greatest amounts of transferred carbon (0.0063% of donor photo-assimilates) and nitrogen (0.0018%) where they were grown without mesh; however, planted seedlings were not affected by access to tree roots and hyphae. Size of "donor" trees was inversely related to the amount of carbon transferred to seedlings. The potential for MNs to form was high (based on high similarity of EM communities between hosts), and MN-mediated colonization appeared only to be important for seedlings grown from seed in the field. These results demonstrate that MNs and mycorrhizal roots of trees may be ecologically important for natural regeneration in dry forests, but it is still uncertain whether resource transfer is an important mechanism underlying seedling establishment.

29 CFR 780.208 - Forest and Christmas tree activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Forest and Christmas tree activities. 780.208 Section 780... Christmas tree activities. Operations in a forest tree nursery such as seeding new beds and growing and transplanting forest seedlings are not farming operations. The planting, tending, and cutting of Christmas trees...

29 CFR 780.208 - Forest and Christmas tree activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Forest and Christmas tree activities. 780.208 Section 780... Christmas tree activities. Operations in a forest tree nursery such as seeding new beds and growing and transplanting forest seedlings are not farming operations. The planting, tending, and cutting of Christmas trees...

29 CFR 780.208 - Forest and Christmas tree activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Forest and Christmas tree activities. 780.208 Section 780... Christmas tree activities. Operations in a forest tree nursery such as seeding new beds and growing and transplanting forest seedlings are not farming operations. The planting, tending, and cutting of Christmas trees...

29 CFR 780.208 - Forest and Christmas tree activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Forest and Christmas tree activities. 780.208 Section 780... Christmas tree activities. Operations in a forest tree nursery such as seeding new beds and growing and transplanting forest seedlings are not farming operations. The planting, tending, and cutting of Christmas trees...

29 CFR 780.208 - Forest and Christmas tree activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Forest and Christmas tree activities. 780.208 Section 780... Christmas tree activities. Operations in a forest tree nursery such as seeding new beds and growing and transplanting forest seedlings are not farming operations. The planting, tending, and cutting of Christmas trees...

How Trees Can Save Energy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fazio, James R., Ed.

1991-01-01

This document might easily have been called "How To Use Trees To Save Energy". It presents the energy saving advantages of landscaping the home and community with trees. The discussion includes: (1) landscaping advice to obtain the benefits of tree shade; (2) the heat island phenomenon in cities; (3) how and where to properly plant trees for…

Thinning regimes and initial spacing for Eucalyptus plantations in Brazil.

PubMed

Ferraz Filho, Antonio C; Mola-Yudego, Blas; González-Olabarria, José R; Scolforo, José Roberto S

2018-01-01

This study focuses on the effects of different thinning regimes on clonal Eucalyptus plantations growth. Four different trials, planted in 1999 and located in Bahia and Espírito Santo States, were used. Aside from thinning, initial planting density, and post thinning fertilization application were also evaluated. Before canopy closure, and therefore before excessive competition between trees took place, it was found that stands planted under low densities (667 trees per hectare) presented a lower mortality proportion when compared to stand planted under higher densities (1111 trees per hectare). However, diameter growth prior to thinning operations was not statistically different between these two densities, presenting an overall mean of 4.9 cm/year. After canopy closure and the application of the thinning treatments, it was found that thinning regimes beginning early in the life of the stand and leaving a low number of residual trees presented the highest diameter and height growth. Unthinned treatments and thinning regimes late in the life of the stand (after 5.5 years), leaving a large number of residual trees presented the highest values of basal area production. The choice of the best thinning regime for Eucalyptus clonal material will vary according to the plantation objective.

A Pathogen Secreted Protein as a Detection Marker for Citrus Huanglongbing

PubMed Central

Pagliaccia, Deborah; Shi, Jinxia; Pang, Zhiqian; Hawara, Eva; Clark, Kelley; Thapa, Shree P.; De Francesco, Agustina D.; Liu, Jianfeng; Tran, Thien-Toan; Bodaghi, Sohrab; Folimonova, Svetlana Y.; Ancona, Veronica; Mulchandani, Ashok; Coaker, Gitta; Wang, Nian; Vidalakis, Georgios; Ma, Wenbo

2017-01-01

The citrus industry is facing an unprecedented crisis due to Huanglongbing (HLB, aka citrus greening disease), a bacterial disease associated with the pathogen Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) that affects all commercial varieties. Transmitted by the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), CLas colonizes citrus phloem, leading to reduced yield and fruit quality, and eventually tree decline and death. Since adequate curative measures are not available, a key step in HLB management is to restrict the spread of the disease by identifying infected trees and removing them in a timely manner. However, uneven distribution of CLas cells in infected trees and the long latency for disease symptom development makes sampling of trees for CLas detection challenging. Here, we report that a CLas secreted protein can be used as a biomarker for detecting HLB infected citrus. Proteins secreted from CLas cells can presumably move along the phloem, beyond the site of ACP inoculation and CLas colonized plant cells, thereby increasing the chance of detecting infected trees. We generated a polyclonal antibody that effectively binds to the secreted protein and developed serological assays that can successfully detect CLas infection. This work demonstrates that antibody-based diagnosis using a CLas secreted protein as the detection marker for infected trees offers a high-throughput and economic approach that complements the approved quantitative polymerase chain reaction-based methods to enhance HLB management programs. PMID:29403441

Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Communities in Urban Parks Are Similar to Those in Natural Forests but Shaped by Vegetation and Park Age

PubMed Central

Liu, Xinxin; Kotze, D. Johan; Jumpponen, Ari; Francini, Gaia; Setälä, Heikki

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi are important mutualists for the growth and health of most boreal trees. Forest age and its host species composition can impact the composition of ECM fungal communities. Although plentiful empirical data exist for forested environments, the effects of established vegetation and its successional trajectories on ECM fungi in urban greenspaces remain poorly understood. We analyzed ECM fungi in 5 control forests and 41 urban parks of two plant functional groups (conifer and broadleaf trees) and in three age categories (10, ∼50, and >100 years old) in southern Finland. Our results show that although ECM fungal richness was marginally greater in forests than in urban parks, urban parks still hosted rich and diverse ECM fungal communities. ECM fungal community composition differed between the two habitats but was driven by taxon rank order reordering, as key ECM fungal taxa remained largely the same. In parks, the ECM communities differed between conifer and broadleaf trees. The successional trajectories of ECM fungi, as inferred in relation to the time since park construction, differed among the conifers and broadleaf trees: the ECM fungal communities changed over time under the conifers, whereas communities under broadleaf trees provided no evidence for such age-related effects. Our data show that plant-ECM fungus interactions in urban parks, in spite of being constructed environments, are surprisingly similar in richness to those in natural forests. This suggests that the presence of host trees, rather than soil characteristics or even disturbance regime of the system, determine ECM fungal community structure and diversity. IMPORTANCE In urban environments, soil and trees improve environmental quality and provide essential ecosystem services. ECM fungi enhance plant growth and performance, increasing plant nutrient acquisition and protecting plants against toxic compounds. Recent evidence indicates that soil-inhabiting fungal communities, including ECM and saprotrophic fungi, in urban parks are affected by plant functional type and park age. However, ECM fungal diversity and its responses to urban stress, plant functional type, or park age remain unknown. The significance of our study is in identifying, in greater detail, the responses of ECM fungi in the rhizospheres of conifer and broadleaf trees in urban parks. This will greatly enhance our knowledge of ECM fungal communities under urban stresses, and the findings can be utilized by urban planners to improve urban ecosystem services. PMID:28970220

Short-rotation management of Eucalyptus: Guidelines for plantations in Hawaii. Forest Service general technical report (Final)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Whitesell, C.D.; DeBell, D.S.; Schubert, T.H.

1992-11-01

A 10-year research and development program was conducted on the island of Hawaii, where nearly 230,000 acres are suitable for growing biomass in short-rotation Eucalyptus plantations. Successful techniques are described for seedling production, plantation establishment (site preparation, weed control, planting), maintenance (weed control, fertilization), biomass yield estimation, and harvest. Basic biological relationships are described to aid decisions on site selection, initial spacing, fertilizer schedules, and rotation length. Environmental issues likely to be faced by growers of Eucalyptus plantations are discussed, including soil erosion, nutrient depletion, and monocultures. Continuing programs for tree improvement, monitoring, and silviculture research are recommeded. Production costsmore » for biomass yields are estimated for three promising management regimes, representing pure Eucalyptus plantings at dense and wide spacings and a mixed species plantation where Albizia is used as a nurse crop to provide nitrogen needed for optimum Eucalyptus growth.« less

7 CFR 760.500 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 2008 Farm Bill). (b) Eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers will be compensated as specified in... SPECIAL PROGRAMS INDEMNITY PAYMENT PROGRAMS Tree Assistance Program § 760.500 Applicability. (a) This subpart establishes the terms and conditions under which the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) will be...

7 CFR 760.500 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 2008 Farm Bill). (b) Eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers will be compensated as specified in... SPECIAL PROGRAMS INDEMNITY PAYMENT PROGRAMS Tree Assistance Program § 760.500 Applicability. (a) This subpart establishes the terms and conditions under which the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) will be...

7 CFR 760.500 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 2008 Farm Bill). (b) Eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers will be compensated as specified in... SPECIAL PROGRAMS INDEMNITY PAYMENT PROGRAMS Tree Assistance Program § 760.500 Applicability. (a) This subpart establishes the terms and conditions under which the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) will be...

7 CFR 760.500 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 2008 Farm Bill). (b) Eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers will be compensated as specified in... SPECIAL PROGRAMS INDEMNITY PAYMENT PROGRAMS Tree Assistance Program § 760.500 Applicability. (a) This subpart establishes the terms and conditions under which the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) will be...

A Meta-analysis of Plant Photosynthetic Traits and Water-use efficiency Responses to Drought

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, J.

2017-12-01

Drought is predicted to become more intense and frequent in many regions of the world in the context of climate change, especially in the semi-arid regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Understanding the plant photosynthetic traits (Pn, Gs and Tr) and water use efficiency (WUE) response to drought is very important with regard to plant growth and productivity, which could reflect the terrestrial primary productivity worldwide. We used a meta-analysis based on studies of a worldwide range and full plant species Pn, Gs, Tr and WUE under drought condition and aimed to determine the responses of Pn, Gs, Tr and WUE of different drought intensities (mild, moderate and severe), different photosynthetic pathways (C3 and C4) and growth forms (herbs, shrubs, trees and lianas). Furthermore, reveal the differences from different plant groups (e.g. C3 and C4 plants; annual (A-herbs) and perennial (P-herbs) herbs; conifer, deciduous and evergreen trees) under the same drought intensities. Additionally, we analyzed the relationship between stomatal conductance (Gs) with Pn, Tr and WUE. Our results were as follows: 1) drought decreased the photosynthetic traits with the drought stress increasing, but increased the water use efficiency, and increased to the greatest extent in lianas, compared with herbs, shrubs and trees. 2) Furthermore, C4 plants had an advantage in photosynthesis compared to C3 plants under the same drought conditions. However, the WUE in C4 plants was not promoted as in C3 plants. The photosynthesis traits showed a more substantial decrease in P-herbs than in A-herbs. The drought promoted the WUE in P-herbs, but inhibited it in A-herbs. Compared with conifer and deciduous trees, the photosynthesis traits declined the most in evergreen tree. The WUE in deciduous trees showed a more obvious increase among the three leaf habits. 3) Finally, the Gs showed a close relationship with photosynthesis rate (Pn) and transpiration rate (Tr), which could explain 50% of the decrease in the Pn and 72% of the decline in Tr. Nevertheless, the Gs did not show a significant linear correlation with WUE, it's a more complex relationship between them .Our study provides comprehensive information about the changes in plant photosynthetic traits and water use efficiency under drought.

Tree fern trunks facilitate seedling regeneration in a productive lowland temperate rain forest.

PubMed

Gaxiola, Aurora; Burrows, Larry E; Coomes, David A

2008-03-01

Seedling regeneration on forest floors is often impaired by competition with established plants. In some lowland temperate rain forests, tree fern trunks provide safe sites on which tree species establish, and grow large enough to take root in the ground and persist. Here we explore the competitive and facilitative effects of two tree fern species, Cyathea smithii and Dicksonia squarrosa, on the epiphytic regeneration of tree species in nutrient-rich alluvial forests in New Zealand. The difficulties that seedlings have in establishing on vertical tree fern trunks were indicated by the following observations. First, seedling abundance was greatest on the oldest sections of tree fern trunks, near the base, suggesting that trunks gradually recruited more and more seedlings over time, but many sections of trunk were devoid of seedlings, indicating the difficulty of establishment on a vertical surface. Second, most seedlings were from small-seeded species, presumably because smaller seeds can easily lodge on tree fern trunks. Deer browsing damage was observed on 73% of epiphytic seedlings growing within 2 m of the ground, whereas few seedlings above that height were browsed. This suggests that tree ferns provide refugia from introduced deer, and may slow the decline in population size of deer-preferred species. We reasoned that tree ferns would compete with epiphytic seedlings for light, because below the tree fern canopy photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) was about 1% of above-canopy PAR. Frond removal almost tripled %PAR on the forest floor, leading to a significant increase in the height growth rate (HGR) of seedlings planted on the forest floor, but having no effects on the HGRs of epiphytic seedlings. Our study shows evidence of direct facilitative interactions by tree ferns during seedling establishment in plant communities associated with nutrient-rich soils.

SUMO Nitrogen Labeling Experiment and Soil Biogeochemistry

DOE Data Explorer

Grossiord, Charlotte [Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL; Gessler, Arthur [Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL; Reed, Sasha [USGS; Borrego, Isaac [USGS; Collins, Adam [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Dickman, Turin L. [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Ryan, Max [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Schönbeck, Leonie [Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL; Sevanto, Sanna [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Villagrosa, Alberto [University of Alicante; McDowell, Nate [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)

2018-01-01

The Los Alamos Survival–Mortality experiment (SUMO) is located on Frijoles Mesa near Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA, at an elevation of 2150 m. This was a tree manipulation study that investigated the relative impacts of drought and warming on plant function and reveals how trees adapt to drought and heat in semi-arid regions. The study factored the role of tree hydraulic acclimation to both precipitation and temperature and separated their effects.The experiment is located in a pinon-juniper woodland near the ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forest ecotone. In a semi-arid woodland, adult trees (piñon and juniper) were exposed to chronic warming (+4 °C) and precipitation reduction (-45 %). After five years of continuous treatment exposure, soil and plant nitrogen isotopic composition were measured to assess plant nitrogen allocation. See SUMO Target Tree Information data package (doi:10.15485/1440544) for additional information. Data released by Los Alamos National Lab for public use under LA-UR-18-23656.

Exploring Association between Morphology of Tree Planting and User Activities in Urban Public Space; An opportunity of Urban Public Space Revitalisation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Qi; Liu, Yan

2018-03-01

This paper discusses the association between the morphology of tree planting in urban riverside brown field and user activities. With the growth of popularity, the revitalisation of urban public space is also promising. This research used drone photography and mapping to systematically surveys sample sites. An original observation study of user activities proceed in four sample public spaces in Sheffield. The study results found there are huge popularity and duration difference of user activities between various tree planting morphologies and typologies. The public space with lawn and rounded by mature trees attracted most users with the most activity types; the neat and silent public space is the favourite choice of lunch and reading, meanwhile it got the longest activity duration; but the space with sparse morphology and small trees are more likely be forgotten and abandoned. This finding offered a great opportunity for urban public space revitalisation in post-industrial cities.

System-Wide Water Resources Program Nutrient Sub-Model (SWWRP-NSM) Version 1.1

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

species including crops, native grasses, and trees . The process descriptions utilize a single plant growth model to simulate all types of land covers...characteristics: • Multi- species , multi-phase, and multi-reaction system • Fast (equilibrium-based) and slow (non-equilibrium-based or rate- based...Transformation and loading of N and P species in the overland flow • Simulation of the N and P cycle in the water column (both overland and

Enhanced Degradation of TCE on a Superfund Site Using Endophyte-Assisted Poplar Tree Phytoremediation.

PubMed

Doty, Sharon L; Freeman, John L; Cohu, Christopher M; Burken, Joel G; Firrincieli, Andrea; Simon, Andrew; Khan, Zareen; Isebrands, J G; Lukas, Joseph; Blaylock, Michael J

2017-09-05

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a widespread environmental pollutant common in groundwater plumes associated with industrial manufacturing areas. We had previously isolated and characterized a natural bacterial endophyte, Enterobacter sp. strain PDN3, of poplar trees, that rapidly metabolizes TCE, releasing chloride ion. We now report findings from a successful three-year field trial of endophyte-assisted phytoremediation on the Middlefield-Ellis-Whisman Superfund Study Area TCE plume in the Silicon Valley of California. The inoculated poplar trees exhibited increased growth and reduced TCE phytotoxic effects with a 32% increase in trunk diameter compared to mock-inoculated control poplar trees. The inoculated trees excreted 50% more chloride ion into the rhizosphere, indicative of increased TCE metabolism in planta. Data from tree core analysis of the tree tissues provided further supporting evidence of the enhanced rate of degradation of the chlorinated solvents in the inoculated trees. Test well groundwater analyses demonstrated a marked decrease in concentration of TCE and its derivatives from the tree-associated groundwater plume. The concentration of TCE decreased from 300 μg/L upstream of the planted area to less than 5 μg/L downstream of the planted area. TCE derivatives were similarly removed with cis-1,2-dichloroethene decreasing from 160 μg/L to less than 5 μg/L and trans-1,2-dichloroethene decreasing from 3.1 μg/L to less than 0.5 μg/L downstream of the planted trees. 1,1-dichloroethene and vinyl chloride both decreased from 6.8 and 0.77 μg/L, respectively, to below the reporting limit of 0.5 μg/L providing strong evidence of the ability of the endophytic inoculated trees to effectively remove TCE from affected groundwater. The combination of native pollutant-degrading endophytic bacteria and fast-growing poplar tree systems offers a readily deployable, cost-effective approach for the degradation of TCE, and may help mitigate potential transfer up the food chain, volatilization to the atmosphere, as well as direct phytotoxic impacts to plants used in this type of phytoremediation.

Disentangling the Effects of Water Stress on Carbon Acquisition, Vegetative Growth, and Fruit Quality of Peach Trees by Means of the QualiTree Model.

PubMed

Rahmati, Mitra; Mirás-Avalos, José M; Valsesia, Pierre; Lescourret, Françoise; Génard, Michel; Davarynejad, Gholam H; Bannayan, Mohammad; Azizi, Majid; Vercambre, Gilles

2018-01-01

Climate change projections predict warmer and drier conditions. In general, moderate to severe water stress reduce plant vegetative growth and leaf photosynthesis. However, vegetative and reproductive growths show different sensitivities to water deficit. In fruit trees, water restrictions may have serious implications not only on tree growth and yield, but also on fruit quality, which might be improved. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to understand the complex interrelations among the physiological processes involved in within-tree carbon acquisition and allocation, water uptake and transpiration, organ growth, and fruit composition when affected by water stress. This can be studied using process-based models of plant functioning, which allow assessing the sensitivity of various physiological processes to water deficit and their relative impact on vegetative growth and fruit quality. In the current study, an existing fruit-tree model (QualiTree) was adapted for describing the water stress effects on peach ( Prunus persica L. Batsch) vegetative growth, fruit size and composition. First, an energy balance calculation at the fruit-bearing shoot level and a water transfer formalization within the plant were integrated into the model. Next, a reduction function of vegetative growth according to tree water status was added to QualiTree. Then, the model was parameterized and calibrated for a late-maturing peach cultivar ("Elberta") under semi-arid conditions, and for three different irrigation practices. Simulated vegetative and fruit growth variability over time was consistent with observed data. Sugar concentrations in fruit flesh were well simulated. Finally, QualiTree allowed for determining the relative importance of photosynthesis and vegetative growth reduction on carbon acquisition, plant growth and fruit quality under water constrains. According to simulations, water deficit impacted vegetative growth first through a direct effect on its sink strength, and; secondly, through an indirect reducing effect on photosynthesis. Fruit composition was moderately affected by water stress. The enhancements performed in the model broadened its predictive capabilities and proved that QualiTree allows for a better understanding of the water stress effects on fruit-tree functioning and might be useful for designing innovative horticultural practices in a changing climate scenario.

Dendroscope: An interactive viewer for large phylogenetic trees

PubMed Central

Huson, Daniel H; Richter, Daniel C; Rausch, Christian; Dezulian, Tobias; Franz, Markus; Rupp, Regula

2007-01-01

Background Research in evolution requires software for visualizing and editing phylogenetic trees, for increasingly very large datasets, such as arise in expression analysis or metagenomics, for example. It would be desirable to have a program that provides these services in an effcient and user-friendly way, and that can be easily installed and run on all major operating systems. Although a large number of tree visualization tools are freely available, some as a part of more comprehensive analysis packages, all have drawbacks in one or more domains. They either lack some of the standard tree visualization techniques or basic graphics and editing features, or they are restricted to small trees containing only tens of thousands of taxa. Moreover, many programs are diffcult to install or are not available for all common operating systems. Results We have developed a new program, Dendroscope, for the interactive visualization and navigation of phylogenetic trees. The program provides all standard tree visualizations and is optimized to run interactively on trees containing hundreds of thousands of taxa. The program provides tree editing and graphics export capabilities. To support the inspection of large trees, Dendroscope offers a magnification tool. The software is written in Java 1.4 and installers are provided for Linux/Unix, MacOS X and Windows XP. Conclusion Dendroscope is a user-friendly program for visualizing and navigating phylogenetic trees, for both small and large datasets. PMID:18034891

Estimating urban trees and carbon stock potentials for mitigating climate change in Lagos: Case of Ikeja Government Reserved Area (GRA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elias, P. O.; Faderin, A.

2014-12-01

Urban trees are a component of the urban infrastructure which offers diverse services including environmental, aesthetic and economic. The accumulation of carbon in the atmosphere resulting from the indiscriminate distribution of human populations and urban activities with the unsustainable consumption of natural resources contributes to global environmental change especially in coastal cities like Lagos. Carbon stocks and sequestration by urban trees are increasingly recognized to play significant roles for mitigating climate change. This paper focuses on the estimation of carbon stock and sequestration through biomass estimation and quantification in Ikeja GRA, Lagos. Ikeja possesses a characteristic feature as a microcosm of Lagos due to the wide range of land uses. A canopy assessment of tree population was carried out using itree canopy software. A GPS survey was used to collect an inventory of all trees showing their location, spatial distribution and other attributes. The analysis of the carbon storage and sequestration potential of both actual and potential tree planting sites involved biomass estimations from tree allometry equations. Trees were identified at species level and measurements of their dendrometric values were recorded and integrated into the GIS database to estimate biomass of trees and carbon storage. The trees in the study area were estimated to have a biomass of 441.9 mg and carbon storage of 221.395 kg/tree. By considering the potential tree planting sites the estimated carbon stored increased to 11,352.73 kg. Carbon sequestration value in the study area was found to be 1.6790 tonnes for the existing trees and 40.707 tonnes for the potential tree planting sites (PTPS). The estimation of carbon storage and sequestration values of trees are important incentives for carbon accounting/footprints and monitoring of climate change mitigation which has implications for evaluation and monitoring of urban ecosystem.

Study on the Adsorption Capacities for Airborne Particulates of Landscape Plants in Different Polluted Regions in Beijing (China)

PubMed Central

Zhang, Wei-Kang; Wang, Bing; Niu, Xiang

2015-01-01

Urban landscape plants are an important component of the urban ecosystem, playing a significant role in the adsorption of airborne particulates and air purification. In this study, six common landscape plants in Beijing were chosen as research subjects, and the adsorption capacities for each different plant leaf and the effects of the leaf structures for the adsorption capacities for particulates were determined. Preliminary results show that needle-leaved tree species adsorbed more airborne particulates than broad-leaved tree species for the same leaf area. Pinus tabuliformis exhibits the highest adsorption capacity, at 3.89 ± 0.026 μg·cm−2, almost two times as much as that of Populus tomentosa (2.00 ± 0.118 μg·cm−2). The adsorption capacities for PM10 of the same tree species leaves, in different polluted regions had significant differences, and the adsorption capacities for PM10 of the tree species leaf beside the Fifth Ring Road were higher than those of the tree species leaves in the Botanical Garden, although the adsorption capacities for PM2.5 of the same tree species in different polluted regions had no significant differences. By determining the soluble ion concentrations of the airborne particulates in two regions, it is suggested that the soluble ion concentrations of PM10 in the atmosphere in the Botanical Garden and beside the Fifth Ring Road have significant differences, while those of PM2.5 in the atmosphere had no significant differences. In different polluted regions there are significant adaptive changes to the leaf structures, and when compared with slightly polluted region, in the seriously polluted region the epidermis cells of the plant leaves shrinked, the surface textures of the leaves became rougher, and the stomas’ frequency and the pubescence length increased. Even though the plant leaves exposed to the seriously polluted region changed significantly, these plants can still grow normally and healthily. PMID:26287227

Symbiont diversification in ambrosia beetles: Diversity of fungi associated with exotic scolytine beetles

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In virtually every forest habitat, ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae, Platypodinae) plant and maintain symbiotic fungus gardens inside dead or dying wood. Some introduced ambrosia beetles aggressively attack live trees and can damage tree crops, lumber, and native woody plant t...

The Arab Citizens of Israel: Motivations for Collective Action

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-03-01

46 Jewish National Fund, “Tree Planting Center,” https://secure2.convio.net/jnf/site/ Ecommerce ?store_id=3181...2008]. ———, “Tree Planting Center,” available at https://secure2.convio.net/jnf/site/ Ecommerce ?store_id=3181&VIEW_HOMEPA GE=true

7 CFR 301.45-1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... trailer skirts. Bark. The tough outer covering of the woody stems of trees, shrubs, and other woody plants....g., Christmas trees), trees with roots, and shrubs with roots and persistent woody stems, unless...

Boron deficiency in woody plants: various responses and tolerance mechanisms

PubMed Central

Wang, Nannan; Yang, Chengquan; Pan, Zhiyong; Liu, Yongzhong; Peng, Shu’ang

2015-01-01

Boron (B) is an essential microelement for higher plants, and its deficiency is widespread around the world and constrains the productivity of both agriculture and forestry. In the last two decades, numerous studies on model or herbaceous plants have contributed greatly to our understanding of the complex network of B-deficiency responses and mechanisms for tolerance. In woody plants, however, fewer studies have been conducted and they have not well been recently synthesized or related to the findings on model species on B transporters. Trees have a larger body size, longer lifespan and more B reserves than do herbaceous plants, indicating that woody species might undergo long-term or mild B deficiency more commonly and that regulation of B reserves helps trees cope with B deficiency. In addition, the highly heterozygous genetic background of tree species suggests that they may have more complex mechanisms of response and tolerance to B deficiency than do model plants. Boron-deficient trees usually exhibit two key visible symptoms: depression of growing points (root tip, bud, flower, and young leaf) and deformity of organs (root, shoot, leaf, and fruit). These symptoms may be ascribed to B functioning in the cell wall and membrane, and particularly to damage to vascular tissues and the suppression of both B and water transport. Boron deficiency also affects metabolic processes such as decreased leaf photosynthesis, and increased lignin and phenol content in trees. These negative effects will influence the quality and quantity of wood, fruit and other agricultural products. Boron efficiency probably originates from a combined effect of three processes: B uptake, B translocation and retranslocation, and B utilization. Root morphology and mycorrhiza can affect the B uptake efficiency of trees. During B translocation from the root to shoot, differences in B concentration between root cell sap and xylem exudate, as well as water use efficiency, may play key roles in tolerance to B deficiency. In addition, B retranslocation efficiency primarily depends on the extent of xylem-to-phloem transfer and the variety and amount of cis-diol moieties in the phloem. The B requirement for cell wall construction also contribute to the B use efficiency in trees. The present review will provide an update on the physiological and molecular responses and tolerance mechanisms to B deficiency in woody plants. Emphasis is placed on the roles of B reserves that are more important for tolerance to B deficiency in trees than in herbaceous plants and the possible physiological and molecular mechanisms of differential B efficiency in trees. We propose that B may be used to study the relationship between the cell wall and the membrane via the B-bridge. Transgenic B-efficient tree cultivars have considerable potential for forestry or fruit rootstock production on low B soils in the future. PMID:26579163

Forest gene conservation programs in Alberta, Canada

Treesearch

Jodie Krakowski

2017-01-01

Provincial tree improvement programs in Alberta began in 1976. Early gene conservation focused on ex situ measures such as seed and clone banking, and research trials of commercial species with tree improvement programs. The gene conservation program now encompasses representative and unique populations of all native tree species in situ. The ex situ program aims to...

Vegetation in Bangalore's Slums: Composition, Species Distribution, Density, Diversity, and History

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gopal, Divya; Nagendra, Harini; Manthey, Michael

2015-06-01

There is widespread acknowledgement of the need for biodiversity and greening to be part of urban sustainability efforts. Yet we know little about greenery in the context of urban poverty, particularly in slums, which constitute a significant challenge for inclusive development in many rapidly growing cities. We assessed the composition, density, diversity, and species distribution of vegetation in 44 slums of Bangalore, India, comparing these to published studies on vegetation diversity in other land-use categories. Most trees were native to the region, as compared to other land-use categories such as parks and streets which are dominated by introduced species. Of the most frequently encountered tree species, Moringa oleifera and Cocos nucifera are important for food, while Ficus religiosa plays a critical cultural and religious role. Tree density and diversity were much lower in slums compared to richer residential neighborhoods. There are also differences in species preferences, with most plant (herb, shrub and vines) species in slums having economic, food, medicinal, or cultural use, while the species planted in richer residential areas are largely ornamental. Historic development has had an impact on species distribution, with older slums having larger sized tree species, while recent slums were dominated by smaller sized tree species with greater economic and food use. Extensive focus on planting trees and plant species with utility value is required in these congested neighborhoods, to provide livelihood support.

Comparative uptake of trace elements in vines and olive trees over calcareous soils in western La Mancha

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ángel Amorós, José; Higueras, Pablo; Pérez-de-los-Reyes, Caridad; Jesús García, Francisco; Villaseñor, Begoña; Bravo, Sandra; Losilla, María Luisa; María Moreno, Marta

2014-05-01

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) and olive-tree (Olea europea L.) are very important cultures in Castilla-La Mancha for its extension and contribution to the regional economy. This study was carried out in the municipality of Carrión de Calatrava (Ciudad Real) where the variability of soils of different geological origin, with different evolutions giving a great diversity of soils. The metabolism of trace elements in plants has been extensively studied although each soil-plant system must be investigated, especially since small variations in composition can lead to marked differences. It can be stated that the composition of the plant reflects the environment where it is cultivated and the products of the plant (leaves, fruits, juices, etc…) will be influenced by the composition of the soil. The main aim of the work was to compare the uptake of 24 trace elements in grapevine and olive-tree cultivated in the same soil. Samples from surface soils and plant material (leaf) have been analyzed by X-ray fluorescence, obtaining trace elements in mg/kg. It can be concluded that the leaves of grapevines in the studied plots have shown content in elements: -Similar to the olive-tree in case of: Co, Ga, Y, Ta, Th, U y Nd. -Over to the olive-tree in: Sc, V, Cr, Ni, Rb, Sr, Zr, Nb, Ba, La, Ce, Hf y W. -Below to the olive-tree in: Cu, Zn, Cs y Pb. Keywords: woody culture soils, mineral nutrition, X-ray fluorescence.

Polychlorinated biphenyls in tree bark near a former manufacturing plant in Anniston, Alabama.

PubMed

Hermanson, Mark H; Johnson, Glenn W

2007-05-01

Tree bark samples were collected to identify the relative amounts and congener profiles of atmospheric polychlorinated biphenyls dissolved into bark lipids from the gas phase in Anniston, Alabama, USA, where PCBs were manufactured from the 1920s until 1971. The area is heavily contaminated with PCBs: At least 4550 metric tons (mt) of PCB and 14000 mt of PCB distillation residue, known as Montar, remain buried in two landfills near the plant site. A minimum of 20.5 mt of PCBs were emitted to the atmosphere by the plant between 1953 and 1971 based on emissions figures for 1970. Bark results show that total PCB concentrations range over more than three orders of magnitude from 171927 ng/g lipid near the plant/landfill area, dropping exponentially to 35 ng/g lipid at a distance of about 7 km. The exponential trend is highly correlated (r=-0.77) and significant (p<0.05). The most concentrated tree started growing after 1971 showing that atmospheric PCB concentrations remained high after PCB production ended. All PCB congener profiles show persistent congeners 31+28, 52, 66, 153, 138, and 180. Congener profiles from trees growing near the plant/landfill all have somewhat similar profiles but those growing during PCB production show high molecular mass compounds not usually found in the atmosphere and not found in younger trees, even in the most concentrated sample. We believe that high-temperature Montar disposal released high molecular mass PCBs into the gas phase which were dissolved into older tree bark lipids.

The Fault Tree Compiler (FTC): Program and mathematics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Butler, Ricky W.; Martensen, Anna L.

1989-01-01

The Fault Tree Compiler Program is a new reliability tool used to predict the top-event probability for a fault tree. Five different gate types are allowed in the fault tree: AND, OR, EXCLUSIVE OR, INVERT, AND m OF n gates. The high-level input language is easy to understand and use when describing the system tree. In addition, the use of the hierarchical fault tree capability can simplify the tree description and decrease program execution time. The current solution technique provides an answer precisely (within the limits of double precision floating point arithmetic) within a user specified number of digits accuracy. The user may vary one failure rate or failure probability over a range of values and plot the results for sensitivity analyses. The solution technique is implemented in FORTRAN; the remaining program code is implemented in Pascal. The program is written to run on a Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) VAX computer with the VMS operation system.

Herbivore diet breadth mediates the cascading effects of carnivores in food webs

PubMed Central

Singer, Michael S.; Lichter-Marck, Isaac H.; Farkas, Timothy E.; Aaron, Eric; Whitney, Kenneth D.; Mooney, Kailen A.

2014-01-01

Predicting the impact of carnivores on plants has challenged community and food web ecologists for decades. At the same time, the role of predators in the evolution of herbivore dietary specialization has been an unresolved issue in evolutionary ecology. Here, we integrate these perspectives by testing the role of herbivore diet breadth as a predictor of top-down effects of avian predators on herbivores and plants in a forest food web. Using experimental bird exclosures to study a complex community of trees, caterpillars, and birds, we found a robust positive association between caterpillar diet breadth (phylodiversity of host plants used) and the strength of bird predation across 41 caterpillar and eight tree species. Dietary specialization was associated with increased enemy-free space for both camouflaged (n = 33) and warningly signaled (n = 8) caterpillar species. Furthermore, dietary specialization was associated with increased crypsis (camouflaged species only) and more stereotyped resting poses (camouflaged and warningly signaled species), but was unrelated to caterpillar body size. These dynamics in turn cascaded down to plants: a metaanalysis (n = 15 tree species) showed the beneficial effect of birds on trees (i.e., reduced leaf damage) decreased with the proportion of dietary specialist taxa composing a tree species’ herbivore fauna. We conclude that herbivore diet breadth is a key functional trait underlying the trophic effects of carnivores on both herbivores and plants. PMID:24979778

Lignin engineering in field-grown poplar trees affects the endosphere bacterial microbiome.

PubMed

Beckers, Bram; Op De Beeck, Michiel; Weyens, Nele; Van Acker, Rebecca; Van Montagu, Marc; Boerjan, Wout; Vangronsveld, Jaco

2016-02-23

Cinnamoyl-CoA reductase (CCR), an enzyme central to the lignin biosynthetic pathway, represents a promising biotechnological target to reduce lignin levels and to improve the commercial viability of lignocellulosic biomass. However, silencing of the CCR gene results in considerable flux changes of the general and monolignol-specific lignin pathways, ultimately leading to the accumulation of various extractable phenolic compounds in the xylem. Here, we evaluated host genotype-dependent effects of field-grown, CCR-down-regulated poplar trees (Populus tremula × Populus alba) on the bacterial rhizosphere microbiome and the endosphere microbiome, namely the microbiota present in roots, stems, and leaves. Plant-associated bacteria were isolated from all plant compartments by selective isolation and enrichment techniques with specific phenolic carbon sources (such as ferulic acid) that are up-regulated in CCR-deficient poplar trees. The bacterial microbiomes present in the endosphere were highly responsive to the CCR-deficient poplar genotype with remarkably different metabolic capacities and associated community structures compared with the WT trees. In contrast, the rhizosphere microbiome of CCR-deficient and WT poplar trees featured highly overlapping bacterial community structures and metabolic capacities. We demonstrate the host genotype modulation of the plant microbiome by minute genetic variations in the plant genome. Hence, these interactions need to be taken into consideration to understand the full consequences of plant metabolic pathway engineering and its relation with the environment and the intended genetic improvement.

An Integrated View of Whole-Tree Hydraulic Architecture. Does Stomatal or Hydraulic Conductance Determine Whole Tree Transpiration?

PubMed Central

Rodríguez-Gamir, Juan; Primo-Millo, Eduardo; Forner-Giner, María Ángeles

2016-01-01

Hydraulic conductance exerts a strong influence on many aspects of plant physiology, namely: transpiration, CO2 assimilation, growth, productivity or stress response. However we lack full understanding of the contribution of root or shoot water transport capacity to the total water balance, something which is difficult to study in trees. Here we tested the hypothesis that whole plant hydraulic conductance modulates plant transpiration using two different seedlings of citrus rootstocks, Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf. and Cleopatra mandarin (Citrus reshni Hort ex Tan.). The two genotypes presented important differences in their root or shoot hydraulic conductance contribution to whole plant hydraulic conductance but, even so, water balance proved highly dependent on whole plant conductance. Further, we propose there is a possible equilibrium between root and shoot hydraulic conductance, similar to that between shoot and root biomass production, which could be related with xylem anatomy. PMID:27223695

Anatomy and genetic diversity of two populations of Schinus terebinthifolius (Anacardiaceae) from the Tibagi River basin in Paraná, Brazil.

PubMed

Ruas, E A; Ruas, C F; Medri, P S; Medri, C; Medri, M E; Bianchini, E; Pimenta, J A; Rodrigues, L A; Ruas, P M

2011-03-29

Knowledge of the effects of flooding on plant survival is relevant for the efficiency of management and conservation programs. Schinus terebinthifolius is a tree of economic and ecological importance that is common in northeast Brazil. Flooding tolerance and genetic variation were investigated in two riparian populations of S. terebinthifolius distributed along two different ecological regions of the Tibagi River basin. Flooding tolerance was evaluated through the investigation of young plants, submitted to different flooding intensities to examine the morphological and anatomical responses to this stress. The growth rate of S. terebinthifolius was not affected by flooding, but total submersion proved to be lethal for 100% of the plants. Morphological alterations such as hypertrophied lenticels were observed in both populations and lenticel openings were significantly higher in plants from one population. Genetic analysis using DNA samples obtained from both populations showed a moderate degree of genetic variation between populations (13.7%); most of the variation was found within populations (86.3%). These results show that for conservation purposes and management of degraded areas, both populations should be preserved and could be used in programs that intend to recompose riparian forests.

Maximum plant height and the biophysical factors that limit it.

PubMed

Niklas, Karl J

2007-03-01

Basic engineering theory and empirically determined allometric relationships for the biomass partitioning patterns of extant tree-sized plants show that the mechanical requirements for vertical growth do not impose intrinsic limits on the maximum heights that can be reached by species with woody, self-supporting stems. This implies that maximum tree height is constrained by other factors, among which hydraulic constraints are plausible. A review of the available information on scaling relationships observed for large tree-sized plants, nevertheless, indicates that mechanical and hydraulic requirements impose dual restraints on plant height and thus, may play equally (but differentially) important roles during the growth of arborescent, large-sized species. It may be the case that adaptations to mechanical and hydraulic phenomena have optimized growth, survival and reproductive success rather than longevity and mature size.