Use and effectiveness of Washington state’s extension forest stewardship program

This paper describes the use by family forest landowners of educational programs provided by Washington State University Cooperative Extension (WSUCE), and the associated use of technical assistance programs provided by state and federal agencies and the private sector. Approximately 100,000 family forest owners controlled 19% or over 1.2 M ha of Washington’s forestland and accounted for 29% of the timber harvested in the state on a volume basis in 1998. A variety of public and private assistance and education programs are available to encourage and help family forest owners manage their forests. In 1999 a mail survey was conducted to evaluate use and effectiveness of Washington’s family forest assistance and education programs. Over half of the 872 responding family forest landowners had contact with an extension educator, program or educational material, and about three quarters of these respondents gave an overall rating of the usefulness of extension programs and materials as good or excellent. Respondents attending WSUCE forestry educational programs have larger median land ownership size, are older, have owned their forests longer, have a higher rate of absentee ownership, and are better educated than non-users. They are more likely to actively manage their forests for timber production and exhibit a clearer understanding of the multiple-use capabilities of their forests.     

Veterinary antibiotic sorption to agroforestry buffer,grass buffer and cropland soils

The potential of veterinary antibiotics (VAs) to impact human and environmental health requires the development and evaluation of land management practices that mitigate VA loss from manure-treated agroecosystems. Vegetative buffer strips (VBS) are postulated to be one management tool that can reduce VA transport to surface water resources. The objectives of this study were to (1) investigate oxytetracycline (OTC) and sulfadimethoxine (SDT) sorption to agroforestry buffer, grass buffer, and cropland soils, (2) evaluate differences in VA sorption to soils collected from different vegetative management and soil series, and (3) elucidate relationships between soil properties and VA sorption. Sorption/extraction isotherms for OTC were well-fitted by the Freundlich isotherm model (r ² > 0.86). OTC was strongly adsorbed by all soils and the VA was not readily extractable. OTC and SDT solid to solution partition coefficients (K _d) values are significantly greater for soils planted to VBS relative to grain crops. Significant differences in OTC and SDT K _d values were also noted among the soil series studied. Linear regression analyses indicate that clay content and pH were the most important soil properties controlling OTC and SDT adsorption, respectively. Results from this study suggest that agroforestry and grass buffer strips may effectively mitigate antibiotic loss from agroecosystems, in part, due to enhanced antibiotic sorption properties.     

Presence and viability of Ceratocystis lukuohia in ambrosia beetle frass from Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death‐affected Metrosideros polymorpha trees on Hawaiʻi Island

Rapid ?ōhi?a Death (ROD) is a fungal disease of ?ōhi?a lehua (Myrtaceae: Metrosideros polymorpha) caused by Ceratocystis lukuohia and C. huliohia. ROD is the aetiological agent of widespread mortality of this important tree on Hawai?i Island, but its epidemiology remains unclear. We investigated the prevalence and viability of C. lukuohia in ambrosia beetle frass in ROD‐affected ?ōhi?a trees. A total of 200 frass traps were placed onto C. lukuohia‐infected ?ōhi?a at four locations on the east side of Hawai?i Island. Frass was collected and screened for the presence of C. lukuohia DNA using a diagnostic qPCR assay. In addition, frass samples were screened for viability by carrot baiting. All trapped beetles were of the genus Xyleborus, with the majority being the non‐native X. ferrugineus. Of the frass samples tested, 62% contained C. lukuohia DNA and 17% of carrot baits were positive for the fungus. These results indicate that ambrosia beetle frass releases C. lukuohia into the environment. We discuss the potential role infested frass could play in the ROD pathosystem.     

The periderms of three North American conifers

Summary The anatomy of periderms in three North American conifers are described and compared. The phellems of balsam fir and eastern hemlock consist of tangential bands of thin-walled phellem (TnP) separated by one, or sometimes more, cell layers of thick-walled phellem (TkP). The phellem of white spruce contains tangential bands of TnP and TkP, as well as one to several cell layers of crystalliferous phellem (CP) abaxially adjacent to every TkP zone. The TkP, and to a lesser extent the TnP, are distinctive for each of the three conifers.The terminations of phellem growth cycles in fir and hemlock are delineated by thickened adaxial suberinic walls in the last-formed layer of TnP cells. In spruce, the adaxial suberinic walls of the last-formed layer of CP cells are thickened. TkP marks the geginning of phellem growth cycles in all three conifers.TkP cells are true suberized phellem cells, not phelloids.     

Variable-retention harvests in the Pacific Northwest: A review of short-term findings from the DEMO study

In the Pacific Northwest (PNW) region of the contiguous United States, retention of live (green) trees in harvest units is an integral part of forest management practices on federal lands, yet the ecological benefits that result from various levels or patterns of retained trees remain speculative. The Demonstration of Ecosystem Management Options (DEMO) study was established to address these informational gaps. The experimental design consists of six treatments, each 13 ha in size, replicated at six locations (blocks) in western Washington and Oregon. Treatments represent strong contrasts in retention level (15–100% of original basal area) and pattern (trees dispersed vs. aggregated in 1-ha patches) in mature Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) forests. A wide variety of ecological responses and public perceptions of visual quality have been examined; this paper provides a comprehensive review of the short-term (1–7 years) results of these studies. Level of retention had a strong effect on many responses. At 15% retention, regardless of pattern, microclimate, ecological responses, and public perceptions of visual quality did not differ from those measured in the “clearcut” areas of aggregated treatments. In contrast to level of retention, pattern of retention had limited effect on most measures of biological response. Small changes within forest aggregates were balanced by large changes in adjacent harvested areas, thus on average, responses within aggregated treatments were comparable to those in dispersed treatments. Nevertheless, retaining trees in 1-ha aggregates provided several benefits over dispersed retention. Aggregates greatly reduced damage to and mortality of residual trees (particularly at lower levels of retention) and provided short-term refugia for forest organisms sensitive to disturbance or environmental stress (e.g., bryophytes and late-seral herbs). However, aggregates were susceptible to edge effects (e.g., elevated light and temperature), which may compromise their ability to serve as sources for recolonization of adjacent harvested areas. Collectively, our findings suggest that retention levels >15% are needed to effectively retain sensitive plants and animals, ameliorate harsh microclimatic conditions, and gain public acceptance of retention harvests in these forests. A combination of relatively large (≥1 ha) aggregates and dispersed trees at levels considerably greater than current minimum standards in the PNW may be the most effective strategy for sustaining a broad array of forest values in managed stands.     

Mechanical site preparation effects on understory plant diversity in the Piedmont of the southern USA

Diversity of understory vegetation was compared among four intensities of site preparation and an adjacent 50-year-old pine-hardwood forest. The study site was a six-year-old loblolly pine (Pines taeda) plantation in the lower Piedmont of Georgia. Species richness and Shannon diversity indices were used to evaluate vine and woody (trees and shrubs) species diversity. Biomass distribution was compared among four plant categories: vines, forbs, grasses, and woody. Moderate intensity treatments (chainsaw and shear and chop) consistently ranked highest overall in diversity, with the mature pine-hardwood forest ranking lowest. Distribution of the four plant categories was not significantly affected by intensity of site preparation.Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station Series No. 9-892325P.     

A jack pine survival model for spring-lifting and planting delays in Ontario

The general problem of developing a model capable of exploring the survival response of seedlings to tradeoffs in the timing of spring lifting, planting and cold storage was investigated. After the construction of an overall model framework, one general and three specific functions to predict first-year survival for batches of 2 + 0 jack pine seelings were developed. The independent variables required by the functions include: cold storage duration (days), average air and soil temperature during planting (°C), cumulative degree days at time of planting (°C), ratio of terminal-to-top length at time of lifting, and cumulative degree days at time of lifting (°C). A brief example of the type of use to which such functions could be put, and an indication of the expected level of confidence that may be placed in such a prediction, is presented. The survival functions developed in this study were not designed for widespread use throughout the Province of Ontario. At most they should be limited to 2 + 0 jack pine planting stock originating from Swastika Nursery, and planted nearby.Approved for publication as Journal Article No. J-7315 of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, Mississippi State University.     

Policies Affecting Forestry Entrepreneurship

Many demand and supply-side policies impede or foster forestry entrepreneurship. A study was conducted to consolidate existing knowledge on policies influencing forestry entrepreneurship in Finland, Norway, Japan, Australia, the Philippines and the USA, and to draw conclusions on these impeding and fostering factors. From the country studies it was difficult to find common structures on policies affecting forestry entrepreneurship. This is understandable because most policies in forestry are aimed at supporting sustainable forest management, wood production and ecological services of the forests rather than entrepreneurship as such. Despite the high variety of policies applied in the study countries, it can be concluded that strict public control on forests’ use and management potentially impedes forestry entrepreneurship. While these policies assist to correct market failure and to promote sustainability of forest management, they may also result into unnecessary and ineffective regulations that limit the opportunities for forestry entrepreneurship. A common feature promoting the demand for forestry entrepreneurship in some of the countries studied is the strong emphasis on forestry cooperatives, which were important institutions to support small-scale forestry entrepreneurship. In many study countries, different ad hoc programs are implemented to find new economic and entrepreneurial opportunities aside from the current use of wood and forests. Subsidies and tax incentives are commonly applied to reduce risks from making forestry investments or otherwise increase the economic return from timber production.     

Long-term ecology of native pinewood communities in East Glen Affric, Scotland

Fossil pollen, stomata and charcoal were examined from a lakesedimentary sequence in the Glen Affric National Nature Reserve,one of the largest areas of remnant native pine woodland inScotland, in order to assess ecosystem dynamics over the last11 000 years. Results reveal that pinewood communities havebeen continuously present in East Glen Affric for the last 8300years. Pinus sylvestris first arrived in the area around 9900cal. BP, but occurred in only low abundance for the subsequent1600 years. Pine populations expanded around 8300 cal. BP andremained in relatively constant abundance throughout the remainderof the Holocene. There is no evidence of a hypothesized regionalmid-Holocene ‘pine decline’ at the site. Charcoalresults reveal that pinewood communities in East Glen Affricdo not appear to have been dependent on fire for either theirestablishment or their maintenance as has previously been suggested.