This study investigates the pheromone preference of a bark beetle predator Thanasimus dubius between latent and intermediate phases of southern pine beetle. Two trap treatments were set up in each SPB phase. Standard Lindgren funnel traps were baited with either SPB lures or Ips lures. The number of T. dubius caught in each trap was recorded and data was analyzed using both the Mann Whitney U test and a two-way factorial ANOVA. Thanasimus dubius showed no variation in SPB pheromone preference but did show a slight increase in preference for Ips pheromones in intermediate phase areas. A protocol was developed to identify prey DNA within gut contents of T. dubius to understand prey preference in relation to pheromone preference. Primers were developed to amplify CO1 gene sequences from five different bark beetles. All primers were specific to their own DNA and able to detect at least 0.2 picograms of DNA.

Knowing and understanding the sapwood and heartwood functions and properties are crucial in pressure-treating southern pine. It is very difficult to penetrate heartwood with chemicals. Therefore, knowing heartwood content before treatment will benefit companies in chemical consumption, treating cycles, and, foremost, cost. In this study, two different assessments were conducted in which lumber and pole heartwood/sapwood data was collected from eight treating plants across five Southeastern states. In both assessments, the data indicated some significant differences between similar products from different vendors, but there was no significant difference in heartwood content between plant locations. The results suggested that the amount of heartwood increases as the size and length of the products increase. These findings can argue that the size of raw materials that vendors use and the products they manufacture have more effect on heartwood content than plant location.

This study investigates pine heights by age for actively managed stands in the southeastern U.S. using ICESat-2 ATL08-derived height data and maps derived from the Landsat time series. We intersected ICESat-2 ground tracks with locations of pine plantations and the Landscape Change Monitoring System (LCMS) Fast Loss product to identify previously clear-cut pine plantations. We subtracted the LCMS Fast Loss year from the date of the ICESat-2 acquisition to determine plantation age at the time of the height measurement. We stratified the data for management intensity, where stands that experience both thinning and harvesting were considered actively managed. The goal was to develop age-height relationships across the region to characterize better the impact of management on productivity and site index. This research involved the analysis of over 137,998 ICESat-2 ATL08 segments in actively managed pine stands in the U.S. Southeast. We compared a subset of ICESat-2 heights with heights derived from airborne laser scanning acquisitions (ALS) available through the USGS 3D Elevation Program. The resulting R2 was 0.82, giving us confidence in the ICESat-2 ATL08-derived forest heights. Then, through data processing and analysis, we successfully stratified the spatial patterns of ICESat-2 ATL08 heights in the southeastern region. These patterns provided insights into the distribution and variability of forest heights across the region, contributing to informed decisions in forest management. We identified some challenges in predicting pine stand age through Landsat-derived disturbance products. We found that LCMS Fast Loss labels some heavy thins as a ‘Fast Loss,’ in addition to stand-clearing disturbances like clear-cuts, adding noise to our estimation of stand age. To overcome this issue, we employed a robust model of the logarithm of heights with a reciprocal of age using a random sample consensus (RANSAC) model to calculate site indices at base age 25 (years). Our results showed the site index for the region at a base age of 25 years is 20.1 m with a model R2 of 0.91. We compared the ICESat-2-derived site index with the FIA-derived site index to see the robustness of our results. Then, the modeled site index values were used to produce a map at a base age of 25 years for the U.S. Southeast, offering insights into spatial differences in regional forest productivity. The results of this study have important implications for ecological research, forest management, and well-informed decision-making. Insights into the distribution and trends of actively managed forest heights in the Southeast are gained from studying the vast dataset, allowing for more efficient land management and conservation initiatives. In actively manage stands, our site index equation improves the ability to anticipate site productivity and estimate future timber outputs. The difficulties with age estimation that have been observed highlight the need for better methods for mapping disturbances using remote sensing in forests that use thinning as a silvicultural prescription. / US Forest Service, joint venture agreement 20-JV-11330145-037, and the USDA Mclntire-Stennis Formula Grant program, accession number 7003904, “Precision forestry for southern pine carbon monitoring.” / Master of Science

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 Southern Pine Beetle, or SPB, (Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmerman) is a bark beetle that is endemic to the Southern forest ecosystem. Beetle populations remain stable for years at a time; however, for reasons not fully understood the beetle undergoes accelerated population growth on approximate ten-year cycles, culminating in increased beetle activity. Although most trees can withstand a beetle assault when populations are reduced, healthy trees, and even pine species that are not generally attacked can become a host tree for millions of beetles during infestations. Much of Appalachia was paralyzed by an unusually heavy snowstorm on January 27, 1998, resulting in major power failures and tremendous tree damage. Environmental hazards such as this storm have historically been a factor with southern pine beetle populations. This study hypothesizes that the blizzard of January 27, 1998, significantly increased the southern pine beetle population. The evidence, however, did not support this hypothesis.

<p>For papermakers, an understanding of the development of strength properties in the paper is of uttermost importance. Strong papers are desirable both in the traditional paper industry as well as in new fields of application, such as fibre-based packaging and light-weight building material. In this study, the effects of adding abaca (Musa textilis) as a reinforcement fibre for softwood pulp was investigated. Moreover, the LB Multilayer Handsheet Former for the production of stratified sheets was evaluated and used to study the effects of placing selected fibres in separate layers, rather than by making homogeneous sheets from a mixture of the pulps.</p><p>Handsheets of a softwood sulphate pulp with the addition of abaca fibres were made in a conventional sheet former. It was seen that the addition of abaca fibres can increase the tearing resistance, fracture toughness, folding endurance and air permeance. Tensile strength, tensile stiffness and tensile energy absorption, however, decreased somewhat.</p><p>It was shown that the LB Multilayer Handsheet Former is suitable for studying the effects of stratification of paper. The sheet former produces sheets with good formation and the variation of paper properties of the sheets is retained at a fairly constant level when the number of layers in the stratified sheets is increased. The uniformity of the sheets produced in the LB Multilayer Handsheet Former are generally at the same level as of those produced in conventional sheet formers.</p><p>Homogeneous and stratified sheets were produced in the LB Multilayer Handsheet Former and it was found that by stratifying a sheet, so that pulp with a high tear index and pulp with a high tensile index are placed in separate layers, it was possible to increase the tear index by approximately 25%, while the tensile index was decreased by 10-20%.</p>

For papermakers, an understanding of the development of strength properties in the paper is of uttermost importance. Strong papers are desirable both in the traditional paper industry as well as in new fields of application, such as fibre-based packaging and light-weight building material. In this study, the effects of adding abaca (Musa textilis) as a reinforcement fibre for softwood pulp was investigated. Moreover, the LB Multilayer Handsheet Former for the production of stratified sheets was evaluated and used to study the effects of placing selected fibres in separate layers, rather than by making homogeneous sheets from a mixture of the pulps. Handsheets of a softwood sulphate pulp with the addition of abaca fibres were made in a conventional sheet former. It was seen that the addition of abaca fibres can increase the tearing resistance, fracture toughness, folding endurance and air permeance. Tensile strength, tensile stiffness and tensile energy absorption, however, decreased somewhat. It was shown that the LB Multilayer Handsheet Former is suitable for studying the effects of stratification of paper. The sheet former produces sheets with good formation and the variation of paper properties of the sheets is retained at a fairly constant level when the number of layers in the stratified sheets is increased. The uniformity of the sheets produced in the LB Multilayer Handsheet Former are generally at the same level as of those produced in conventional sheet formers. Homogeneous and stratified sheets were produced in the LB Multilayer Handsheet Former and it was found that by stratifying a sheet, so that pulp with a high tear index and pulp with a high tensile index are placed in separate layers, it was possible to increase the tear index by approximately 25%, while the tensile index was decreased by 10-20%.

<p>A large portion of the anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases (<italic>GHG</italic>s) are cycled through the terrestrial biosphere. Quantifying the exchange of these gases between the terrestrial biosphere and the atmosphere is critical to constraining their atmospheric budgets now and in the future. These fluxes are governed by biophysical processes like photosynthesis, transpiration, and microbial respiratory processes which are driven by factors like meteorology, disturbance regimes, and long term climate and land cover change. These complex processes occur over a broad range of temporal (seconds to decades) and spatial (millimeters to kilometers) scales, necessitating the application of simplifying models to forecast fluxes at the scales required by climate mitigation and adaptation policymakers. </p><p>Over the long history of biophysical research, much progress has been made towards developing appropriate models for the biosphere-atmosphere exchange of <italic>GHG</italic>s. Many processes are well represented in model frameworks, particularly at the leaf scale. However, some processes remain poorly understood, and models do not perform robustly over coarse spatial scales and long time frames. Indeed, model uncertainty is a major contributor to difficulties in constraining the atmospheric budgets of greenhouse gases. </p><p>The central objective of this dissertation is to reduce uncertainty in the quantification and forecasting of the biosphere-atmosphere exchange of greenhouse gases by addressing a diverse array of research questions through a combination of five unique field experiments and modeling exercises. In this first chapter, nocturnal evapotranspiration -- a physiological process which had been largely ignored until recent years -- is quantified and modeled in three unique ecosystems co-located in central North Carolina, U.S.A. In the second chapter, more long-term drivers of evapotranspiration are explored by developing and testing theoretical relationships between plant water use and hydraulic architecture that may be readily incorporated into terrestrial ecosystem models. The third chapter builds on this work by linking key parameters of carbon assimilation models to structural and climatic indices that are well-specified over much of the land surface in an effort to improve model parameterization schemes. The fourth chapter directly addresses questions about the interaction between physiological carbon cycling and disturbance regimes in current and future climates, which are generally poorly represented in terrestrial ecosystem models. And the last chapter explores effluxes of methane and nitrous oxide (which are historically understudied) in addition to CO₂ exchange in a large temperate wetland ecosystem (which is an historically understudied biome). While these five case studies are somewhat distinct investigations, they all: a) are all grounded in the principles of biophysics, b) rely on similar measurement and mathematical modeling techniques, and c) are conducted under the governing objective of reducing measurement and model uncertainty in the biosphere-atmosphere exchange of greenhouse gases.</p> / Dissertation

On the forefront of the recent expansion in biofuels research is the production of cellulosic ethanol, or ethanol produced from a cellulose containing feedstock. Cellulose is a six-carbon polysaccharide found in most plant life and is one of the most abundant organic compounds on the planet. While the first generation of ethanol facilities uses sugar and starch based (corn kernels) plants as their feedstock, the next generation will use cellulosic sources such as wood chips, switchgrass, and forest residues. These cellulosic sources require far less energy and resources to grow and harvest, and are also much more abundant. A cellulosic source widely available in Georgia and much of the southeastern US is southern pine. This study involves the modeling of a complete 2000 dry ton per day pine to ethanol production facility with the AspenTech3 software Aspen Plus, which outputs a mass and energy balance as well as the capital cost of the equipment. A key parameter which affects the competitiveness of cellulosic ethanol is the internal processing energy required to convert the pine to ethanol. As a result, the heat and electrical load of every component within the facility is modeled and then quantified through the Aspen Plus simulation. After this base case energy analysis is developed, various alternate plant configurations are integrated in an attempt to reduce this process energy requirement. The material that is not fermented into ethanol is burned on-site to provide steam and electricity to the plant, as well as excess electricity to be sold to the grid as a byproduct. As the facility processing energy requirement is decreased, more excess electricity is available for sale. The implementation of the alternate distillation scenarios effectively reduce the internal processing energy in a manner as to increase the amount of excess electricity sold to the grid by 13.5%. The additional equipment required in this alternate scenario returns a simple payback period of 1.1 years through the additional revenue of the increased electricity sale.

Southern pine beetle (SPB), Dendroctonus frontalis (Zimmerman), is one of the most destructive insect pests of pine trees in southern United States, Mexico and Central America. There is relatively little information on the effect of habitat fragmentation on the connectivity and the spatial population genetics of SPB. This study therefore, adds to previously generated information by assessing how habitat fragmentation affects the spatial population genetic structure of SPB. It also introduces a new approach to the study of bark beetle population dynamics by assessing how landscape variables shape their effective dispersal. To address this issue, a suite of eight highly polymorphic DNA microsatellite markers were used to measure SPB movement over a representative range of SPB habitat and non-habitat (matrix). At the broadest scale, highly significant genetic differentiation suggests that the sampled populations are not panmictic. Loci with higher variability yielded higher resolution for both the infinite allele model based measure of differentiation (FST) and the stepwise mutation based measure (RST) estimates. It is apparent that allelic frequency differences, allelic size ranges and repeat motif played a role in the observed patterns of pair-wise differentiations between the sampled localities. It is supposed that gene flow, wide-range dispersal and recent divergent time could have contributed to the lower level of genetic structure observed in the pair wise estimates. The sampled populations did not show any differentiation attributable to the host species from which they were collected. Mantel test of genetic distance and Euclidean geographic distance revealed no correlation. Mantel tests of the correlation between genetic distance and cost weighted Euclidean distances also suggest that dispersal of SPB across geographic barriers is not significantly reduced. Thus, landscape features and host preference do not appear to have had an impact on population genetic structure of SPB. Since movements of these beetles were not significantly hindered by environmental factors like major rivers, roads, elevation and host type, it is advisable for regional pest management offices to put an effort and coordinate their prevention and management plans in a broader scale to alleviate the problem associated with this native insect pest. Disequilibrium in the observed homogenized pattern of the beetle in this study suggests human contribution in the dispersal of SPB. Therefore, stringent control is deemed necessary in transportation of logs. This could improve our pest management system hence its positive implication in timber industry is obvious.