Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2003. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 77 p. : ill. (some col.), maps (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 73-75).

Thesis (M.A. in National Security Affairs)--Naval Postgraduate School, June, 2003. / Thesis advisor(s): Peter Lavoy, Douglas Porch. Includes bibliographical references (p. 79-83). Also available online.

A description of a mountain climbing expedition. Manuscript states it was read June 9, 1897.

No description available.

An analysis of Ernest Buckler's novel The Mountain and the Valley using Jacques Derrida's theoretical perspectives on the nature of writing as supplement. David Canaan is a writer who dreams of writing the perfect novel: his failed dream reveals that writing cannot capture perfection or presence.

North America’s first officially designated backcountry ski area, the Hankin-Evelyn Backcountry Ski Area (Hankin) in northern British Columbia, offers mountain communities seeking alternative recreational amenities an interesting model to emulate. The aim of the research is to explore backcountry ski area design by assessing the quality of both the ski area design elements and the ski experience at Hankin. A case study and a questionnaire were used to gather information about the ski experience and site design. Analysis explores the desired ski experience reported in the questionnaires and the preferred ski area design elements obtained from the case study, direct observations and the questionnaires. Conclusions suggest ski area design elements affect the quality of the ski experience and that backcountry skiers desire a wilderness experience. Findings can be used to inform the design of these unique wilderness recreation areas and expand upon the current knowledge of ski area design.

No description available.

No description available.

Temperature is commonly suggested to be the most important regulating factor for the position of the treeline. But also other abiotic and biotic processes may influence. To understand treeline shifts, it is necessary to improve the knowledge about the treeline forming species and their establishment, growth and survival. What are the drivers behind the shifts? The abundance of other vegetation is previously reported to facilitate growth of seedlings above treeline and also warmer temperatures are commonly observed to improve growth.   This study observed growth of mountain birch seedlings during one growing season. The relative importance of environmental factors in relation to the amount of growth and abundance was investigated. The study was conducted in the area of Abisko, Northern Sweden, using 4 sites, where transects were established just above the treeline. The sites differed in the amount of mean precipitation and aspect of the slopes. The vegetation composition around the seedlings and at the average treeline was observed, soil temperatures measured and the aspect of the slope estimated   Seedling growth was observed at all sites, with the highest amount in the sites with most precipitation, Pålnoviken and Katterjåkk. The observed soil mean and maximum temperatures were consistently highest in the southern facing slopes of Jiebrenjåkk and Pålnoviken. The vegetation was mostly dominated by dwarf shrubs, herbaceous plant cover, mosses and bare ground, and did not differ between the seedlings and the average treeline. The best model for growth was found to be the combination of the factors site, herbaceous plant cover, litter and soil mean temperature. Herbaceous plant cover was observed to improve the amount of growth in the drier sites of Pålnoviken and Jiebrenjåkk.   The finding of mountain birch seedlings growing in all vegetation types along the treeline, indicates that they have no preference of vegetation type for establishment. However, the negative influence of bare ground on growth supports the theory that abundance of vegetation facilitates growth of seedlings. The highest amount of growth was found in the sites with most precipitation, suggesting this to be an important factor for growth. In contrast to the expectations, warmer soil temperatures and the south facing slopes did not affect growth positively. This could be explained by the extremely high temperatures of the summer that may have induced drought. Finally, the improved growth by herbaceous plant cover in the drier sites may be because of their preference of moisture and nutrient rich soils, that could also support the growth of mountain birch seedlings.

The growth and productivity of British Columbia’s interior forests is largely limited by soil nutrient availability. Fertilization has been shown to be an effective silvicultural tool for increasing the development of immature stands throughout the region. This has lead to increased interest in long-term, repeated fertilization as a means of addressing timber-supply shortfalls as a result of the current mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) outbreak. However, there is little information related to the impacts of repeated fertilization on the cycling of nutrients in many of these stands. This study makes use of a long-term (13-15 year) fertilization experiment in two lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm) and two interior spruce (Picea glauca [Moench] Voss and Picea engelmannii Parry) forests in the central interior of British Columbia subject to two levels (periodic and annual) of nitrogen(N)-based fertilization. The primary goal of the project was to examine the effects of different fertilizer regimes on aspects of soil chemistry. Specifically, this project was concerned with the impacts of repeated fertilization on: 1) soil carbon (C) and N cycling, and 2) soil base cation (e.g., Ca, Mg & K) availability. Soil and foliar nutrient regimes were quantified throughout the 2008 and 2009 growing seasons using ion-exchange membrane (IEM) plant root simulator (PRS) probes and traditional soil and foliar analyses. Fertilization increased N cycling at all sites, with generally elevated soil and foliar N and significant soil-foliar N relationships in several cases. Nitrate (NO3 -) increased in the fertilized plots in several cases; however, there was minimal evidence of NO3 - leaching. Greater than 90% of fertilizer-N inputs were retained onsite, suggesting these forests are not N-saturated. Soil, tree and total ecosystem C generally increased in response to fertilization, with the spruce sites exhibiting greater C accrual per unit of fertilizer N than the pine sites. Further, significant linear relationships between soil C and N were evident at all sites. At sites with poorly buffered soils (pH < 4), fertilizer treatments generally led to increased soil acidification and decreases in soil and foliar Ca. Decreases in soil Ca may have been due to significant increases in sulfate leaching; whereas foliar Ca decreases appear to be related to compromised uptake systems, potentially from increased soil aluminum. Buffering capacities, rather than forest type, appear to be the best predictor of soil and foliar Ca responses to fertilization. Despite significant changes in soil chemistry at all four sites, it does not appear that current fertilization rates are detrimentally affecting tree growth. / Graduate