In Australia the protection of building timbers from termites relied for many years upon the application of persistent organochlorines as well as the organophosphate compound (chlorpyrifos) and the synthetic pyrethroid (bifenthrin) as soil chemical barriers (Lenz et al. 1990; Watson, 1990; NHMRC, 1992; AS 3660.1 1995). The persistent organochlorines have been banned since 1987 in the USA and from June 1995 in all Australian states except the Northern Territory. The study evaluated the life-cycle of boron as an alternative wood preservative, its toxicity to foraging populations of subterranean termites (‘termites’) over time were particularly referred to the influence of foraging space and determined a suitable loading of boron in timber for hazard class2 (H2) conditions as defined in Australian standard-1997. Preservative treatment of timber according to Australian Standard 1604 (1997) prevents attack and damage of wood and wood products from biodeteriogens (namely fungi and insects). Above-ground interior timber framings are not normally liable to decay but to damage by wood-destroying insects. The study examined the use of borates as wood preservatives to prevent attack and damage by subterranean termites (‘termites’) of the genus of Coptotermes. In addressing the aims of this study, several different avenues of approach were followed. The chapter sequence in this thesis follows the pattern of measuring the effects of borates on a wide range from 20 termites in laboratory bioassay to thousands of termites in natural colonies.

A method was developed for extending a fine-scaled forest gap model to a watershed-scaled landscape, using the Eastern Cross Timbers ecoregion as a case study for the method. A topographic wetness index calculated from digital elevation data was used as a measure of hydrologic across the modeled landscape, and the gap model modified to have with a topographically-based hydrologic input parameter. The model was parameterized by terrain type units that were defined using combinations of USDA soil series and classes of the topographic wetness index. A number of issues regarding the sources, grid resolutions, and processing methods of the digital elevation data are addressed in this application of the topographic wetness index. Three different grid sizes, 5, 10, and 29 meter, from both LiDAR-derived and contour-derived elevation grids were used, and the grids were processed using both single-directional flow algorithm and bi-directional flow algorithm. The result of these different grids were compared and analyzed in context of their application in defining terrain types for the forest gap model. Refinements were made in the timescale of gap model’s weather model, converting it into a daily weather generator, in order to incorporate the effects of the new topographic/hydrologic input parameter. The precipitation model was converted to use a Markov model to initiate a sequence of wet and dry days for each month, and then daily precipitation amounts were determined using a gamma distribution. The output of the new precipitation model was analyzed and compared with a 100-year history of daily weather records at daily, monthly, and annual timescales. Model assumptions and requirements for biological parameters were thoroughly investigated and questioned. Often these biological parameters are based on little more than assumptions and intuition. An effort to base as many of the model’s biological parameters on measured data was made, including a new technique for estimating optimal volumetric growth rate by measuring tree rings. The gap model was set up to simulate various terrain types within the landscape.

This population study of Quercus stellata in the Texas Cross Timbers evaluates that population by observation and sampling of 220 upland forest stands. The Texas Cross Timbers is divided into the East Cross Timbers (ECT) and the West Cross Timbers (WCT) by the Fort Worth Prairie.

This research represents the first systematic collection of the woody plants throughout the Cross Timbers. It provides the first keys to these plants in their vegetative condition, plant descriptions, distribution maps, and some quantitative measurements used for descriptive purposes. Descriptions of the woody plants were constructed as an aid in verification after a specimen has been identified by use of the keys. The measurements given pertain only to the woody plants as they occur in the Cross Timbers. Distributional maps are provided for all the taxa considered in this research. With the exception of those species which have the ecological amplitude to grow throughout the Cross Timbers, the distribution of the majority of the remaining species seems to be most strongly influenced by average annual precipitation. In a few instances, conditions associated with latitude appear to govern the distribution of species or varieties within the Cross Timbers. Throughout the Cross Timbers, post oak (Quercus stelta), blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica), and hickory (Caraa texan) dominate the upland forests. The streamside forests are dominated by willow (alix nigra), cottonwood (Populus deltoides), and hackberry (Celtis laevi ata). The variation in the vegetation of the Cross Timbers is not due to any change in dominant species, but rather to the distribution of the associated species which occur in the two prominent community types.

Throughout its current range, the Cross Timbers forest ecosystem is vulnerable to land-use change. In this study, we examined the surrounding land use matrix on the vegetation structure, composition and regeneration of six Cross Timbers forest fragments in Denton County, Texas (north of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex). Two fragments adjacent to agricultural land, two to residential neighborhoods, and two formally protected forest sites were selected. In summer 2015, five 100 m2 plots were randomly established in each fragment at least 200 meters from the edge. In each plot, all live and dead trees ≥ 3 cm diameter were identified and their height and diameter at breast height (DBH at 1.3 m aboveground) measured. Evidence of dumping (presence of trash) was recorded as an index of human frequentation. Differences in vegetation structure among the forest fragments were found. Most notably, fragments adjacent to agriculture contained 25% to 50% fewer trees per hectare than all other sites (Kruskal-Wallis, p < 0.02), especially trees <10 cm DBH. However, residential fragments had fewer trees that were ≥15 cm DBH compared to the other fragments, indicating that these are the youngest of the forest patches surveyed. Trash was observed in 60% of plots surveyed at residential forest sites, showing high levels of human frequentation compared to the protected and agricultural forest sites. Agricultural sites contained the lowest number of recorded tree species and were most similar to each other, sharing 91% of species. These findings indicate that surrounding land use affects forest structure and composition, consequently affecting valuable ecosystem services including wildlife habitat, aesthetics and recreation.

Thesis (M. A.)--Florida State University, 2005. / Advisor: Maxine D. Jones, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Dept. of History. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Jan. 27, 2006). Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 84 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Le bois est l’une des matières premières les plus utilisées dans la construction romaine, ce qui en faitun élément clé de l’économie et de l’environnement. Mais contrairement à la pierre, ce matériau nelaisse que peu de traces sur le terrain, rendant ainsi son interprétation parfois complexe.Cette thèse tente d’aborder le bois de construction gallo-romain sous différents aspects (choix et transportdu bois, chaîne opératoire technique du travail et état sanitaire) à partir d’une approche interdisciplinairealliant Sciences de l’Homme et Sciences biologiques.Le point novateur de ce travail réside dans la réalisation d’une clé de détermination des traces (galerieset vermoulures) que les insectes xylophages laissent dans le bois archéologique. Savoir identifier ces traces conduit à de nouvelles pistes interprétatives : déterminer le moment où s’est produitl’infestation (bois sur pied, lors d’une phase de stockage, après sa mise en place dans l’architectureou après l’abandon du site et l’enfouissement des vestiges) ; estimer la durée et localiser la source del’infestation ; obtenir des indications sur les choix et les gestes des constructeurs et mieux appréhenderla conservation du patrimoine ligneux. / Wood is one of the most used raw materials in Roman construction. So timber is a key element of theeconomy and of the environment. If stone is easely discovered during excavations timber leaves a fewremains on archaeological excavations. So interpreting resultsis diffi cult.This PhD attempts to approach the Gallo-Roman timber in various aspects (choice and transport ofwood, technical chain of work and wood condition) from an interdisciplinary approach combininghuman and biological sciences.The innovative part of this work is the realization of an atlas to determine the xylophagous’s traces(galleries and frass) into the archaeological wood. Knowing how to identify these traces is importantto develop new archaeological interpretations: Is it an infestation of alive tree? Is it an infestation duringa storage phase, the use of the building or after the abandonment of the site and during the taphonomicalprocess ? To estimate the duration of the infestation and locate its origin; to document choicesand actions of the builders; and to have a better understanding of the conservation of wood heritage.

Soccer has a global reach and is entrenched in the lives of millions of people throughout the world, but the culture surrounding it is not as strong and never has been in the United States. Nonetheless, there is a recent emergence of American supporters groups that exhibit characteristics similar to those outside of the US. This ethnographic study focuses on one such group, the Timbers Army, to explore how they construct their own unique supporter identity and to understand how participants come to see the group relative to their understanding of the world at local and global levels. To explore this, this work employs globalization theory, in particular that of cultural hybridization and glocalization. In turn, through an iterative, grounded theory approach, the findings elucidate key concepts related to these theories. Briefly, the findings show how the Timbers Army's particular identity is constructed through multiple influences including an attachment to the city of Portland, a fierce regional rivalry, national references and recognition, and an awareness of and interaction with the global socio-cultural institution of soccer. This work is the first to acknowledge the burgeoning movement of American soccer supporters and provides a starting point for further inquiry into groups that exhibit both a strong local attachment and an outward looking global perspective.

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