Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 1999. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 32 p. : ill. (some col.), maps Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 31-32).

Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2004. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 82 p. : ill. (some col.), maps. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 45-48).

Thesis (M.S.)--Marshall University, 2002. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains x, 52 p. with maps and illustrations. Includes bibliographical references (p. 48-52).

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2009. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 119 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2008. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 131 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Marshall University, 2004. / Title from document title page. Includes abstract. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 120 p. including illustrations. Includes bibliographical references (p. 110-114).

Increasing energy demand, coupled with the recent emphasis on domestic production, has resulted in an increase in natural gas exploration and pipeline construction in the central Appalachian region. Very little is known about the effects of natural gas pipeline construction on sediment production. The goals of this project were to measure erosion and examine the effects of vegetation and precipitation characteristics on erosion on a newly constructed pipeline in the Fernow Experimental Forest in West Virginia. The study explored whether seed rate, slope class, or aspect, influenced erosion. The cross country pipeline was buried beneath the surface on study hillslopes ranging from 30-68% and beneath a less steep segment with slopes ranging from 18-26%. A mixture of native herbaceous-plant seeds and straw mulch were applied following construction. Two different seeding rates were applied to compare vegetative recovery and to determine if increasing the seed rate would decrease erosion. A 1-time seed rate, or the normal Forest Service application rate, and a 3-time seed rate (1-time + twice that rate) were tested. Two aspects (northwest-facing and southeast-facing) and four precipitation variables (30-minute maximum intensity, duration, total rainfall amount, and time since last event) were defined. Sediment concentrations were compared for differences between two slopes, two seed rates, and two aspect classes. Precipitation variables were analyzed to identify those that could explain significant amounts of the variability in erosion from the pipeline. The 1-time seed rate sections produced less sediment than the 3-time seed rate sections, but this was probably more a function of subsurface flow differences associated with the sections seeded with the lighter rate and the water bar construction. Precipitation intensity explained the most variability in erosion. Study sites with gentler slopes produced less sediment than the steeper sections, as expected. As vegetation became established, sediment concentrations decreased for all study sections and reached low and relatively constant levels by approximately the end of August 2009.

Increased anthropogenic deposition of nitrogen (N) and land-use changes associated with planted forests have important implications for sustainable forest management and associated water quality. The purpose of the research for this dissertation was to explore how N deposition will affect the long-term health, productivity, and carbon (C) and N sequestration of conifer and hardwood forest types by examining the mechanisms controlling N cycling and NO3-N production in two watersheds with contrasting vegetation at the Fernow Experimental Forest (FEF), West Virginia. I utilized watershed C and N budgets to account for differences in stream export of NO3-N from streams draining adjacent watersheds containing (i) planted Norway spruce (Picea abies) and (ii) native Appalachian hardwoods. I also investigated spatial and temporal patterns of dissolved C and N across both watersheds and identified key soil properties associated with NO3-N in soil solution and streamwater. In a third study, I performed a soil inoculation and incubation experiment, which utilized soil from both watersheds, mixed in ratios in order to create a gradient of soil chemical and biotic characteristics. Important differences in biogeochemical cycling of C and N were documented in the watersheds after nearly 40 years of influence by contrasting vegetation. Total C and N pools were 28% and 35% lower in the spruce watershed than the hardwood watershed, respectively. Results also identify vegetation-mediated differences in soil characteristics, with lower soil pH and base cations, and higher extractable aluminum and C:N ratios measured in the spruce soil as compared to the native hardwood soil. Establishment of a spruce monoculture at the FEF significantly altered N cycling, depleted N stores, increased soil acidity, and altered organic matter dynamics, thus leading to low net nitrification rates. Carbon and N properties and processes in the soil profile should be taken into consideration in forests managed for ecosystem services including C sequestration and improvement or maintenance of water quality through alleviation of N inputs into aquatic ecosystems. / Ph. D.