Between 1913 and 1964, automobile roads appeared throughout the Cascade Mountains around Mount Hood, just east of Portland, Oregon. From elaborate scenic highways to primitive dirt trails, each had its own story. Many of them are gone today, decommissioned and decomposing with the rotting understory soil of the forest. However, some remain as the most utilized spaces in Mount Hood National Forest, one of the most popular public land units for recreation in the country, owned and managed by the United States Forest Service. "Seeing the Forest for the Roads" uncovers the history of why roads were built, who planned them, and how they were used. At the same time, it seeks to answer the question, how do roads shape the way that people view wild nature? As places that are simultaneously easily accessible and "untrammeled," wilderness has much to do with roads. But it has even more to do with the people that envisioned, constructed, and used the roads. The story that follows is divided into four sections, from the Progressive Era, through the Roaring Twenties, New Deal years, and into the mid-twentieth century. It concludes with the Wilderness Act of 1964, a profound, important statement about the relationship between technology, nature, and human beings, which singled out roads as the most visible, damaging threat to the existence of wilderness as modern Americans know it. I argue that in order to understand wilderness as both a legal term and a social construct, scholars must look at the roads themselves, particularly from a local, on-the-ground perspective. In the end, what results is a more nuanced understanding of the twentieth-century history of technology and nature, as well as the social, cultural, and intellectual context that produced both sides of the same coin in wilderness.

The relationship of building to site is the most fundamental aspect in the creation of architecture. As man is a product of nature and his environment the way in which he chooses to after that environment in the process of building reveals not only his attitude towards his physical surroundings, but his purpose and justification for dwelling there. Not all attitudes will be the same, just as purpose will vary from person to person and structure to structure. Mario Botta has said, “The first step in the architectural act is taking possession of the site. It is a conscious act of transforming a unicum, an awareness that grounds the new intervention in the geography, history, and culture of a particular site. The architecture is the constriction of this site. There can be no indifference toward the site. It is the very territory of architecture as well as the primary condition determining the laws by which one must build.” Within the scope of my project I hoped to define this awareness within myself, this conscious act of defining and creating architecture against a background that demands the site be recognized as a primary generator of architectural form and attitude. / Master of Architecture

Phytophthora lateralis is the causal agent of cedar root rot, a fatal forest pathogen whose principal host is Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (Port-Orford-cedar), a predominantly riparian-restricted endemic tree species of ecological, economical, and cultural importance to coastal Oregon and California. Local scale distribution of P. lateralis is thought to be associated with timber harvest and road-building disturbances. However, knowledge of the landscape-scale factors that contribute to successful invasions of P. lateralis is also important for effective land management of Port-Orford-cedar. P. lateralis is able to infest in wet conditions via stream networks (zoospore) and dry conditions via road networks (resting spore). This study tested the hypothesis that vehicles spread P. lateralis by relating its distribution to traffic intensive, anthropogenic disturbances (i.e. a road network, timber harvest) over a 31-yr period in a 3,910-km² portion of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest in the Siskiyou Mountains of Oregon. Indices of road disturbance (presence/absence, configuration, length, density, road-stream network connectivity) and timber harvest (presence/absence, area, density, frequency) were related to locations of infested cedar populations from a USFS survey dataset using a geographic information system (GIS). About 40% of 934 7th-field catchments were infested with the pathogen. Total road length of the study site was 5,070 km; maximum road density was 8.2 km/km2 and averaged 1.6 km/km² in roaded catchments (n = 766). Timber activities extracted 17,370 ha (2,338 cutting units) of forest across 509 catchments; 345 catchments were cut ≥ twice. Maximum harvest density was 0.92 km²/km² ([mean] = 0.04). Both road networks and timber harvest patchworks were significantly related to cedar root rot heterogeneity. Chi-squared contingency tables showed that infestation rates were 2.2 times higher in catchments with roads compared to roadless catchments and 1.4 times higher in catchments with road-stream intersections compared to those that were unconnected. Infestation was twice as likely in catchments with both harvest and road presence than road presence alone. Single-variable logistic regression showed that a one percent increase in harvest density increased infestation odds 25% and a one-unit (km/km²) increase in road density increased infestation odds 80%. Road and stream network configuration was also important to pathogen distribution: 1) uninfested catchments are most likely to be spatially removed from infested, roaded catchments, 2) only 11% of 287 roaded catchments downstream of infested, roaded catchments were uninfested, and 3) only 12% of 319 catchments downstream of infested catchments were uninfested. Road networks and timber harvest patchworks appear to reduce landscape heterogeneity by providing up-catchment and down-catchment access to host populations by linking pathogenic materials to the stream network. Timber harvest data suggest that while infestation risk to Port-Orford-cedar populations remains high, management policies may have curbed infestation risk in timber-harvested catchments; if this is a result of specific P. lateralis mitigation policies adopted in the late 1980's or broader, region-wide conservation policies (i.e. the Northwest Forest Plan) is yet unclear. / Graduation date: 2012

I studied the nest-site selection of the Acadian Flycatcher (Empidonax virescens) in the George Washington National Forest of southwestern Virginia from early May through July 1996 and 1997. Data were collected from nine 30 ha study plots. I measured habitat features at 37 Acadian Flycatcher nests and compared them to 30 nonuse sites randomly selected within the vegetation types associated with nests. Because Acadian Flycatchers have a strong riparian habitat association for nest-site selection, nonuse sites were established along riparian corridors not occupied by nesting flycatchers. Data also were collected to determine relationships between microhabitat characteristics and nesting success of the Acadian Flycatcher. Nest-sites were associated with a more mature or climax community, as evident from the high percentage (75%) of nests in eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), a climax community tree species and the greater basal area found at nest-sites over nonuse sites. Nest-sites also had lower small stem density and ground cover than nonuse sites. Nest-sites were always found near streams, although I found no conclusive evidence that any stream characteristic influenced nest-site selection. Habitat features did not differ between successful and depredated nests. Brood parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) was not a major factor in the reproductive success of Acadian Flycatchers (only a 2% parasitism rate); depredation accounted for the majority of nest failures. These results suggest that silviculture activities near riparian corridors could drastically reduce habitat availability and subsequently contribute to population declines of the Acadian Flycatcher. Future research should focus on determining the size of riparian buffer strips needed to retain this species along riparian corridors in the Appalachian Mountains. This strategy can be applied to the current downtown revitalization efforts by the City of Muncie. The ideas and general theories can also be applied by small Indiana towns which suffer from economic problems. A comprehensive plan that is tailored specifically for a downtown which account for the organization, design, economic, and promotion needs of downtown will set the course for successful commercial revitalization. / Department of Biology

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1982. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Includes bibliographical references. / The program for a proposed nature research and education center is developed and used to generate a 3000 sq. ft. wilderness complex. Issues of inhabitation, scale, and publicness in a natural landscape are presented. The experimental orientation of the facility is expressed in the functioning and character of spaces and details. To establish the context of the design problem, the evolution of social attitudes towards nature is summarized. Ultimately the scope of architectural referencing, as determined by an objective view of the environment, is questioned. And, as a result, an effort has been made to produce an architectural presence not wholly controlled by use, but also as an "offering" to the environment. / by Donald B. Livingstone. / M.Arch.

This study integrated remotely sensed data, geographic information system (GIS), and classification tree-based modeling to delineate ecological units for the Ashley National Forest. Data points , provided by the Ashley National Forest, with a known location and dominant vegetation type, were related to data layers that were determined to be helpful in a landtype classification. These layers included elevation, slope, aspect, potential solar irradiation, precipitation, geology, basins, Landsat thematic mapper (TM) bands 3, 4, 5, and 6, and basic land cover. These points, with their related information, were then used to train the tree-based model for landtype classification. This resulted in a set of rules, in the form of a binary decision tree, that could be applied to the entire study area. After the landtype classification was obtained, it was cross-classified with geology to produce a landtype association layer. This resulting data layer was compared to an existing landtype association map and it was determined, by cross-tabulation, that the two classifications identified many of the same patterns.

Lichen sensitivity to air quality has been recognized in Europe for over 125 years: recently Federal agencies in this country have begun using lichens as air quality bioindicators. This study presents the results of three different approaches to air quality biomonitoring using lichens: (1) a lichen community analysis, (2) an elemental analysis of lichen tissue content, and (3) the growth of removable lichen transplants. The lichen community and elemental tissue content analyses were part of an air quality baseline on the Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska. The lichen transplant experiment compared the growth of three different lichen species and evaluated and refined a transplant technique in western Oregon. Lichen communities were sampled on 50 Pinus contorta peatlands in southeast Alaska. These peatlands make good air quality biomonitoring sites because: (1) the trees are slow growing and provide stable substrates for lichen colonization; (2) many branches are at eye level, making the canopy epiphytes easily observable; (3) the scattered, open distribution of the trees allows for good air circulation on the sites; and (4) precipitation, light conditions, and relative humidity are high, which stimulate lichen growth. A total of 100 lichen species were encountered during whole-plot ocular surveys of each plot. Multivariate ordination revealed what appears to be a successional gradient represented by high cover of Bryoria species at older sites and high cover of Platismatia norvegica, P. glauca, Hypogymnia enteromorpha sens. lat. and H. inactiva at younger sites. A second pattern revealed by ordination analysis appears to be a climatic gradient with high Alectoria sarmentosa cover on moister, warmer sites, and high cover of Bryoria species on drier, colder sites. The first two gradients contained 35% and 21%, respectively, of the information in the analytical data set (cumulative r��=56%). Elemental tissue content of Alectoria sarmentosa was determined from 43 of the peatland plots in southeast Alaska. The range of values for 16 elements are reported and compared to other regional studies; the ranges of values for most elements were within normal background levels. Quality assurance techniques are described for separation of laboratory and field noise from elemental content signal. Principal components analysis was used to create three synthetic gradients of plot-level elemental content. The first three principal components captured 55% of the correlation structure among elements. Iron (r=-0.91), aluminum (r=-0.80) and chromium (r=-0.71) are all highly correlated with the first gradient. This gradient could represent sites enriched by elements from dirt; aluminum and iron silicates are both persistent and abundant components of weathered rock and soil. Potassium (r=-0.82), phosphorous (r=-0.63), zinc (r=-0.60), manganese (r=-0.58), magnesium (r=-0.51) and nickel (r=0.54) are correlated with the second gradient. Many of these elements are supplemented by salt water aerosols (Nieboer et al. 1978; Rhoades 1988). Lead (r=0.70) and cadmium (r=0.59) were correlated with the third axis. This gradients could represent enrichment from fossil fuel combustion. Recommendations for standardizing future regional studies of lichen elemental content are made. Removable lichen transplants were constructed using live thalli of known weight, a 5 cm length of nylon monofilament, silicone glue, and reusable attachment mechanisms. Transplants were returned to several sites in Western Oregon and were weighed every several months for 13 months. Reference standards for each species were used to correct for changes in lichen water content due to changes in lab humidity. Despite apparent vigor, Alectoria proved unsuitable for repeated weighings because of biomass loss due to fragmentation (average of 9% biomass loss). Growth of Evernia and Lobaria transplants differed both between species and between sites. Average growth over the 13 months for Evernia in the foothills and valley was 40% and 30% respectively; for Lobaria it was 16% and 15%. Differences in growth between species could be due to different: (1) growth rates; (2) sensitivities to air quality; (3) sensitivities to microhabitat; and (4) sensitivities to transplant trauma. Differences in growth between valley and foothill sites could be due to differences in: (1) micro- or macrohabitat conditions; and (2) air quality. / Graduation date: 1995

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2004. / Advisor: Dr. Frances C. James, Florida State University, College of Arts and Science, Dept. of Biological Science. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed June 16, 2004). Includes bibliographical references.

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