Study objectives included determining whether prescribed burning affected ponderosa pine growth; mathematically modeling the growth response to burning; and determining whether forest management history affected growth response. I sampled 188 trees from two areas near Flagstaff, Arizona; one area (Brannigan Flat) had been logged and thinned, and the other (Chimney Spring) had not; both were burned in 1976. Within each study area, control and burned plots were of similar age, vigor, height, and competition index. Trees at Chimney Spring were older, less vigorous, and taller, and had a higher competition index than at Brannigan. For each tree, periodic basal area increment (PBAI) was calculated for the years 1974-1984. To determine which variable would best model growth, postfire PBAI (individual years, 1977-1984) was correlated with previous growth (average PBAI 1974-1976); crown ratio; competition index; thinning index; and diameter. Two models of growth response were developed; one oriented toward satisfying theoretical and research goals, and the other, toward management applications. Growth was modeled using stepwise multiple linear regression, and the dependent variable was postfire PBAI. Research Model independent variables were previous growth, years (climate), and treatment-year interaction, and 72% of total variance was explained. Fire affected growth significantly and negatively for two years, and then burned trees grew similarly to control trees. Management Model independent variables were crown ratio, competition index, crown ratio, subject tree diameter, year, and treatment, and 52% of total variance was explained. This model, too, indicated a slight negative effect of burning on growth. Management history was not a significant determinant of growth response. Both models validated well; the ratio of observed-to-predicted residual mean square was 1.04 and 0.91 (Research and Management Models, respectively). Thinning index was not significantly related to postfire growth, but a change in carbohydrate allocation from stem wood to crown and root expansion could have resulted in observed burning effects. Management implications include (1) short-term growth decline may result from burning, (2) management history did not affect growth response, and (3) burning impact is greatest in dense stands of small trees.

Management, under the concepts of multiple-use and adaptive management, requires the assessment of potentials and limitations of the natural ecosystems to provide satisfaction to human needs, to protect long term productivity, and preserve biological diversity. Overstory-understory relationships were developed for ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) ecosystems to help managers to evaluate herbage production potentials. Secondary data sources from the Beaver Creek and the Heber Watersheds were divided as follows: igneous soils, igneous clay loam, igneous loam-sandy loam, sedimentary soils, alluvium, and sandstone. Regression models were fitted to the raw data by the least squared method. The dependent variables were herbage production (lb/ac) by component; namely total, grass and grass like plants, forbs and half shrubs, and shrubs. The independent variables were total and ponderosa pine basal area (ft 2 /ac). Semilogarithmic models fitted the data from igneous soils, while logarithmic transformations of hyperbolic models fitted the data from sedimentary soils. For igneous soils, ponderosa pine basal area suffice for adequate predictions of herbage production. Significant differences were found between equations for alluvium and sandstone. The resulting equations for ponderosa pine integrate the core of the model UNDER. Mathematical functions developed elsewhere are included in UNDER to compute herbage production in pinyon-juniper and mixed conifer ecosystems. UNDER is linked to other simulators by MICROSIM. MICROSIM, a multiple-resource simulation model, is a tool to assist in the assessment of potentials of forest and woodlands of Arizona. MICROSIM is a menu driven program for IBM or compatibles it contains the module Flora, for estimating plant responses, and module Fauna, to evaluate impacts on animals. Further development of MICROSIM should include the linkage to more modules and models, and to Geographical Information Systems.

A three-phase study was performed to examine abiotic and biotic metrics at southern pine beetle infestation sites in northern Georgia in 2002 to find early indicators that can be leveraged by forest managers to mitigate the effects of future outbreaks: creation of a 2003 Final Impact Map, determining if MODIS MOD13Q1 EVI 16-day image composites can distinguish differences in biomass indicators among healthy and infested loblolly pine and hardwood forests, and creation of an Infestation Risk Map derived from significant climate and physical variables at known infestation sites.Three land cover classification techniques (change vector analysis, enhanced wetness differencing index and standard land cover classification analysis of Landsat 5 TM) were compared to determine which would provide the best estimate of final infestation damage. Classification accuracy results indicated that the latter provided the most reliable site damage information and it became the reference map against which outbreak model results were compared.Using time series analysis of MODIS composites acquired March 2000 - December 2006 to measure 11 phenology metrics for infested and healthy loblolly and hardwood stands showed that the imagery differentiated between forest classes. Results indicated the lowest base vegetation biomass in 2001 for infested loblolly, relative to healthy loblolly, with many metrics trending towards hardwood values following infestation.Abiotic influences included those related to landscape position and climate. Statistical testing showed increased beetle success: 1) along ridge tops at maximum solar exposure, 2) in areas with canopy density>60%, 3) in areas experiencing cooler summers and warmer winters, and 4) where precipitation was significantly lower at infested sites in the 2 years preceding outbreak.The Infestation Risk Map was developed from significant physical and climate indicator variables using the fuzzy theory modeling approach. Comparison of model output to infestation sites resulted in Chi-squared and Cramér's V values of 55.4 and 0.16, respectively, indicating that infestation risk distributions strongly paralleled site infestation. Comparison of model output and low, medium and high infestation density clusters resulted in Chi-squared and Cramér's V values of 241.24 and 0.66, respectively, indicating a more substantive relationship between infestation density and risk classes.

The Rodeo-Chediski Wildfire the largest in Arizona's history at the time of burning damaged and disrupted ecosystems resources and functioning in a largely mosaic pattern throughout the ponderosa pine (Pinus Ponderosa) forests exposed to the burn. Impacts of this wildfire on ecosystems resources and functioning were studied from shortly after the cessation of the wildfire in late summer of 2002 through the spring of 2007 on two previously instrumented watersheds located on sandstone derived soils within the burn. One watershed was burned by a high severity (stand-replacing fire), while the other watershed burned in a low severity (stand-modifying) fire. This dissertation focuses on the effects fire severity had on watersheds resources and functioning in terms of the tree overstories, herbaceous understories, large and small mammals, avifauna, hydrologic functioning, soil water repellency, hillslope soil movement, and fuel loadings. The results of these studies indicated the cumulative impacts incurred to ecosystem resources, hydrologic functioning, and flammable fuels were much greater on the watershed exposed to the high severity (stand-replacing) fire. It is anticipated that the overall ecological and hydrologic function on the watershed burned by a high severity will not approach pre-fire conditions for many years. The watershed burned at a low severity, however, was approaching pre-fire conditions nearly five years after fire and is expected to be recovered within the next few years.

Four regional Scots pine ring-width chronologies at the northern forest-limit, and in the northern, middle and southern boreal forest belts in Finland cover the last fourteen centuries. Tree-ring statistics and response functions were examined, and tree-ring width variation was also compared to North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and volcanic forcing. The tree-ring statistics show evidence of an ecogeographical gradient along a north-south transect. The three northernmost regional chronologies share a positive response to mid-summer temperature, and all four chronologies show positive and significant correlation to early-summer precipitation. Moreover, a positive and significant relationship to winter NAO was detected in three out of four regional chronologies. NAO also drives the common (inter-regional) growth variability. Years of known cool summers caused by volcanic forcing exhibit exceptionally narrow tree rings in the three northernmost regional chronologies.

Secondary growth responses of native and nonnative trees exposed to the same climatic conditions can elucidate sensitivities and thus adaptability to a particular region. A long-term mixed-species planting in the pine barrens of northern lower Michigan presented an opportunity to discriminate responses from species commonly planted in this region. Mean ring-width chronologies from living native Pinus resinosa Ait. and P. strobus L. and nonnative P. sylvestris L. and Picea abies (L.) Karst. at this plantation were generated, standardized, and analyzed by correlation analysis against mean monthly climatic variables. The native pine chronologies had the highest mean ring widths and signal-to-noise ratios (SNR), were highly correlated to each other, and exhibited positive responses to years with above-normal April temperatures but no significant relationships to variations in precipitation. The P. sylvestris chronology was highly correlated to the other two pine chronologies and responded similarly to April temperatures but exhibited negative correlations to January and April precipitation and positive correlations to September precipitation. The P. abies chronology had the highest mean sensitivity and was correlated with the P. strobus chronology but only responded positively to precipitation from the previous December. The low SNR (P. sylvestris, P. abies), high mean sensitivity (P. abies), and larger number of significant correlations to variations in monthly climatic variables (P. sylvestris) suggest that these nonnative species are more sensitive to this local climate. These results provide insights to the adaptability, establishment, and geographic distribution of the nonnative Pinaceae.

Coloradia pandora (Blake) is a phytophagous insect that defoliates Pinus ponderosa (Dougl. ex Laws.) in south-central Oregon. Little is known about the extent of damage this insect inflicts upon its host trees during an outbreak. In this paper, we present stem analyses on four dominant Pinus ponderosa trees that enable us to determine the amount of volume lost during each Coloradia pandora outbreak on this site for the past 450 years. We found that on average an outbreak inhibits radial growth so that an individual tree produces 0.057 m³ less wood volume than the potential growth for the duration of an individual outbreak. A total of 0.549 m³ of growth per tree was inhibited by 10 outbreaks during the lifetime of the trees, which, in this stand, equates to 9.912 m³/ha (1,700 board feet/acre) of wood suppressed over the last 450 years throughout the stand. Our results do not support previous findings of a lag in suppression onset between the canopy of the tree versus the base. Crossdating of stem analysis samples is paramount to definitively examine the potential for a lagged response throughout the

In this dissertation is analysed the transfer of artificial radionuclides (137Cs and 90Sr) from soil to tree. The main goal of this work – to estimate specific activi-ties of 137Cs and 90Sr in selected trees, investigate the peculiarities of these ra-dionuclides distribution in trees, suggest the methodology for estimation of the transfer of radionuclides from soil to tree in tree wood by chemical analog in soil under the tree crown, and to do the forecast of transfer of radionuclides in sys-tem “soil–tree” by the most relevant models. The main tasks solved in this dissertation are following: to do the radiomet-ric, radiochemical and biological affections researches of selected pines, evalu-ate the specific activity and concentration in collected samples of investigated radionuclides and their chemical analogs, apperciate the transfer of 137Cs and 90Sr from soil to tree and analyse peculiarities of this process by soil radioactive pollution and plants growing peculiarities; to modelling the spread of 137Cs and 90Sr distribution in system “soil–plant”, the accumulation of these radionuclides in tree and internal doses. This dissertation consists of introduction, five chapters, the main conclusion and recommendation, bibliography and list of author publications. In the introduction it is discussed the investigated problem, actualities of work, object of research, scientific novelty and practical significant of this dis-sertation, protective hypotheses. Additionally it is... [to full text] / Disertacijoje nagrinėjama dirbtinės kilmės radionuklidų (137Cs ir 90Sr) per-naša iš dirvožemio į medį. Pagrindinis šio darbo uždavinys – nustatyti 137Cs ir 90Sr savituosius aktyvumus tyrimui parinktuose medžiuose bei įvertinti šių ra-dionuklidų pasiskirstymo juose ypatumus, pasiūlyti metodiką radionuklido per-našos iš dirvožemio į medį vertinimui pagal radionuklido cheminį analogą dir-vožemyje po medžio laja, atlikti radionuklido pernašos iš dirvožemio į medį prognozę, parinkus tinkamiausius modelius. Šiame darbe sprendžiami tokie pagrindiniai uždaviniai: atlikti medžių sandų radiometrinius, radiocheminius ir pušų biologinio pažeistumo tyrimus; įvertinti tiriamųjų radionuklidų ir jų stabiliųjų cheminių analogų savituosius aktyvumus bandiniuose; įvertinti 137Cs ir 90Sr pernašos iš dirvožemio į medžius ir pasiskirs-tymo juose ypatumus, atsižvelgiant į dirvožemio radioaktyviąją užtaršą ir augalo vystymosi ypatumus; modeliuoti 137Cs ir 90Sr migracijos sistemoje „dirvožemis–medis“ sklaidą, įvertinti radionuklidų sukauptą augale kiekį, modeliuoti augalo patiriamą vidinę apšvitą. Disertaciją sudaro įvadas, penki skyriai, bendrosios išvados, rekomendaci-jos, naudotos literatūros ir autorės publikacijų sąrašai. Įvadiniame skyriuje aptariama tiriamoji problema, darbo aktualumas, apra-šomas tyrimų objektas, darbo mokslinis naujumas, darbo rezultatų praktinė reikšmė, ginamieji teiginiai. Pristatomos disertacijos tema autorės paskelbtos publikacijos, pranešimai, disertacijos struktūra... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

Magistro darbe tiriama žėlimo ypatumai grynuose pušynuose po neplynųjų atvejinių kirtimų Liepynės, Meros, Nemenčinės, Purviniškių girininkijose. Darbo objektas – V.Į. Nemenčinės miškų urėdijos Liepynės, Meros, Nemenčinės, Purviniškių girininkijų 2006–2012 metais neplynaisiais (atvejiniais) kirtimais iškirstos brandžių pušynų kirtavietės. Darbo metodai – Tyrimai vykdyti 1–7 metų minėtų girininkijų neplynųjų atvejinių kirtimų pušynų kirtavietėse 2012–2013 metais. Siekiant įvertinti žėlinių kokybę ir atlikti jų apskaitą tiriamų kirtaviečių apskaitos aikštelės buvo tolygiai išdėstytos sąlyginai – vienodais atstumais sklypų įstrižainių kryptimis. Nuo žėlinių tankumo priklausėšių stačiakampių apskaitos aikštelių plotas.Kai žėliniai buvo vidutinio tankumo (2–8 tūkst. vnt./ha) – 10 m2, kai reti (< 2 tūkst. vnt./ha) – 20 m2. Apskaitos aikštelių kiekis priklausė nuo kirtavietės ploto. Mažesniuose kaip 1 ha sklypuose buvo išdėstytos penkios aikštelės, 1–3 ha – išdėstytos aštuonios ir didesniuose kaip 3 ha – dešimt ir daugiau apskaitos aikštelių.Kiekvienoje apskaitos aikštelėje atlikti tokie vertinimai: savaiminukų gausa ir rūšis, savaiminukų gyvybingumas, žolinės dangos agresyvumo laipsnis, pažeidimai ir galimos priežastys. Darbo rezultatai – tirtose 20 neplynųjų kirtimų kirtaviečių vidutinis žėlinių tankis – 2270 vnt./ha, vidutinė žėlinių rūšinė sudėtis – 6P4B. Liepynės girininkijos – 3750 vnt./ha, 8P2B. Meros – 1210 vnt./ha,7B3P. Nemenčinės – 2070 vnt./ha,6P4B. Purviniškių – 1500 vnt... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The present Master’s thesis examines the growth peculiarities of pure pine forests after selective shelterwood cutting in Liepynė, Mera, Nemenčinė, Purviniškės forestries. Object of the thesis – cutting areas of mature pine forests, cut by selective (shelterwood) cutting, in Liepynė, Mera, Nemenčinė, Purviniškių forestries of Nemenčinė Forest Enterprise during the period of 2006–2012. Methods of the research – research was carried out in selective cutting areas of pine forests of aforementioned forestries in 1-7 years, during the period of 2012-2013. Seeking to assess the quality of sprouts and make the inventory, inventory sites of researched cutting areas were divided into relatively equal distances between areas at diagonal direction. The area of rectangular inventory sites depended on density of sprouts. In case of average density (2–8 thousandunits/ha) – 10 m2, and in case of low density (< 2 thousand units/ha) – 20 m2. The number of inventory sites depended on area of cutting zone. There were five sites in smaller than 1 ha plots, while there were eight sites in plots of 1–3 ha, and there were ten and more inventory sites in 3 ha plots. The following assessments were made in each inventory site: abundance and species of wildings, viability of wildings, aggressiveness degree of grass cover, its damage and possible causes. Results of the thesis– average density of sprouts in 20 researched selective cutting areas is2270 units/ha, average species composition of sprouts –... [to full text]

For the first time in northern Scotland, Modern tree-ring chronologies for Scots pine growing on peat are compared against those growing on mineral substrates. Mean tree-ring growth of pine on active bogs/mires is found to be limited to 0.5 to 1 mm yr-1, compared to ≥1.5 mm yr-1 on adjacent mineral sites. Almost instant change of radial growth rates in response to changes in water levels highlights the potential use of pine in reconstructions of lake levels and water tables in bog and mire. Dendroclimatological analysis identifies January and February temperatures to often be more important than summer temperature. Positive correlation of ring-width and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) indices also occur in January and February. Lower winter temperatures, due to increased altitude and distance from the moderating effects of the ocean, may be important in limiting tree growth near its northern margin. Moving correlation functions identify a widespread reduction in the response of pine growing on both substrates from the 1920s. Nine subfossil pine site chronologies located beyond the species current northern limit are cross-matched to form a chronology called WRATH-9. This chronology is tentatively crossdated against Irish pine chronologies to provide the first picture of Neolithic Scots pines 200 year expansion from c. 3200 BC and subsequent 250 year retreat across northern Scotland at annual resolution. The mean orientation of maximum radial growth at eleven modern pine sites is found to coincide well with the W/SW prevailing wind, suggesting Scots pine may provide a good proxy indicator of wind. Six coeval Neolithic sites indicate a broadly consistent northerly prevailing wind. This provides tentative evidence for a change of prevailing wind that may be related to a southward incursion of the polar front in the eastern N. Atlantic. The potential of this exciting subfield of dendroclimatological analysis is called dendroaeology and is highlighted for further research.