Effectiveness of Thinning and Prescribed Fire Fuel Treatments in Piñon-Juniper Woodlands of the Davis Mountains,West Texas,USA

We evaluated the effectiveness of four fire hazard mitigation techniques in piñon-juniper forests of the Davis Mountains Preserve in West Texas. Four replicate fuel treatments (thin only, thin + burn, burn only, and control) were implemented to assess the effects of fire and fire surrogates on fuel loadings. The results suggested that the thin only and the thin + burn treatments significantly altered fuel loadings. The thin + burn treatment resulted in a 63% reduction in tree density, the thin only treatment resulted in a 23% reduction, and the burn only treatment showed an 8% reduction. Seedling density and tree basal area were not significantly affected by the treatments. Although thinning and thinning + burning were the most effective for reducing live fuels, they generated significant increases in surface fuels. Our results suggest that more aggressive thinning operations that target larger trees and prescribed burning during hotter, drier conditions could enhance future fuel management treatments in piñon-juniper woodlands in this region.     

Chapter 12. A Wildfire and Emissions Policy Model for the Boise National Forest

Summary

We utilized the Boise National Forest's Hazard/Risk model, along with fire history records and fire behavior models, to estimate the current and anticipated levels of large wildfires and associated greenhouse gas and particulate emissions based on the forest condition and wildfire regime on the BNF. The model indicated that the forests at greatest risk of large, intense wildfires are the dense pondero-sa pine-Douglas-fir forests that make up over 1.1 million acres on the forest. We conclude that without an aggressive treatment program to reduce large areas of contiguous heavy fuel loadings the forest will be burned at an annual average rate of about 7.5% of the remaining at-risk forest. Using recent fire data to develop average patterns of intensity in wildfires within this forest type, we estimate that emissions will average around 1 million tons of carbon (C) per year over the next 20 years as the bulk of the ponderosa pine forests are burned. An aggressive treatment program featuring the removal of fuels where necessary, and prescribed fire as a means of re-introducing fire to these ecosystems, would result in a 30-50 percent reduction in the average annual wildfire experienced in the dense ponderosa pine forests, a 14-35% decrease in the average annual C emissions, and a 10-31% decrease in particulate emissions. We argue that the most effective way to curb emissions is with an aggressive treatment program linked to a landscape-based ecosystem management plan. This would have the effect of breaking up large contiguous landscape patterns so that fires become more patchy and diverse in their environmental impact, resulting in significantly reduced emissions as well as improved landscape diversity.     

Chapter 10. Mapping Ecological Attributes Using an Integrated Vegetation Classification System Approach

Summary

Land managers need vegetation maps to inventory, monitor, and manage ecological resources across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Current vegetation maps usually only describe one vegetation characteristic, such as cover types, across the landscape. Although these maps provide important information for land management, they often fall short of addressing key issues like forest health and ecosystem management. In this paper we present an integrated approach where three different vegetation classifications are used in concert to spatially characterize many ecological attributes such as snag densities, insect susceptibility, and fire behavior across the landscape. Two examples from the Pacific Northwest are used to illustrate how this approach can be used to describe fuel characteristics and resource hazard across multiple scales.     

构树染色体制片效果影响因素与核型分析

于2017年10月采集广东省广州市的构树Broussonetia papyrifea种子5 000粒,2018年2月进行种子萌发,通过常规压片方法进行核型分析。结果表明,在2018年3月2日至5月9日的10:00-10:30,发育7 d的材料有丝分裂指数最高,相比于化学处理方法,用冰水混合物预处理12h时染色体形态更清晰易辨;解离10min时根尖细胞染色体分散较好。构树染色体数目为26条,为二倍体,核型公式为2 n=2 x=26 m,核型属于2A型。     

温度对玉米秸秆成型颗粒烘焙制备生物炭及其特性的影响

采用低温烘焙技术制备玉米秸秆成型生物炭,可解决玉米秸秆带来的环境污染及资源浪费。研究以玉米秸秆成型颗粒为原料,利用固定床反应器,制备了不同烘焙温度(250～400℃)成型生物炭,采用元素分析、工业分析、能量产率、质量产率、机械性能、疏水性、红外光谱(Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,FTIR)、扫描电镜(Scanning electron microscopy,SEM)、元素K含量等分析生物炭特性。随烘焙温度升高,热值增加,能量产率降低,400℃时,成型生物炭热值为21.86MJ/kg,能量产率为50.17%。成型生物炭颗粒表面裂纹增多,机械性能降低,350℃烘焙成型生物炭(CSP350)机械性能好于400℃烘焙成型生物炭(CSP400),低于成型生物质颗。烘焙生物炭疏水性提升,可贮藏于室外。成型玉米秸秆经烘焙热解发生了脱水、脱羰基、脱甲基反应,纤维素、半纤维素热解剧烈,木质素开始热解。随温度升高,其孔径呈下降趋势,比表面积增大。结果表明,玉米秸秆成型烘焙生物炭可作为优质生物燃料,适宜制备温度为300～350℃。     

平行极板电容传感器介电式颗粒饲料水分检测仪设计与试验

为了实现颗粒饲料含水率的快速、无损检测,设计了以STM32F103ZET6单片机为控制芯片的颗粒饲料水分检测仪,采用平行极板电容传感器、温度传感器、质量传感器和相应的检测电路分别检测颗粒饲料样品的电容、温度和容积密度,经过单片机进行处理后实现颗粒饲料的含水率检测,并在OLED显示屏上显示检测结果。采用自制颗粒饲料水分检测仪,分析了含水率、温度、容积密度对颗粒饲料相对介电常数的影响规律,并建立了相对介电常数与含水率、温度、容积密度之间的关系模型,模型的决定系数为0.996 8。同时对颗粒饲料水分检测仪的检测精度进行了检验,含水率实测值与仪器检测值之间的决定系数为0.990 3。试验结果表明,与烘干法相比,所设计检测仪的绝对测量误差值在±0.6%以内,具有一定的实用价值。该研究为颗粒饲料水分快速、无损在线检测提供一种新的方法和技术支撑。     

南方8种森林地表死可燃物在平地无风时的燃烧蔓延速率与预测模型

【目的】研究Rothermel林火蔓延速率预测模型及另外2种以Rothermel模型为核心的蔓延速率预测模型对南方8种典型森林地表死可燃物的适用性,为林火蔓延速率预测提供理论支撑和指导。【方法】以南方地区8种典型速率地表死可燃物为对象,根据研究对象的野外实际条件,在东北林业大学帽儿山实验林场风洞实验室内,构建不同可燃物床层含水率、载量及高度的可燃物床层,每种可燃物在平地无风条件下进行36次点烧试验,共288次点烧,记录每种可燃物类型不同配比条件下的蔓延速率。通过直接使用Rothermel模型、重新估计Rothermel模型参数、对Rothermel模型形式改进后自建模型的对比,得到最合适的预测模型。【结果】 1)平地无风条件下,南方8种典型森林地表死可燃物床层最大蔓延速率为0.55 m ·min -1 ,平均蔓延速率由大到小依次为:华山松、云南松、毛竹、柳杉、杉木、马尾松、麻栎及青冈栎。2)直接使用Rothermel模型预测的林火蔓延速率误差较大,平均绝对误差为0.18 m ·min -1 ,平均相对误差为70.0%。3)重新估计参数后的Rothermel模型及自建模型,预测的可燃物蔓延速率精度显著提高,平均绝对误差分别为0.04、0.037 m ·min -1 ,平均相对误差分别<18%、16.45%。4)重新估计参数的Rothermel模型与自建模型的预测误差的差异不显著,其中自建模型的预测值与实测值的 R 2 变化在0.71~0.90,平均为0.80。【结论】对南方8种典型森林的地表死可燃物类型,在平地无风条件下,重新估计参数的Rothermel模型及自建模型的预测精度相近,但自建模型可能更简单易用,可预测平地无风条件下可燃物地表火蔓延速率。     

农作物乙醇燃料的综合效益分析

乙醇作为化石燃料的替代品,对于能源需求日趋紧张的中国来说具有非常重要的意义.然而,农作物乙醇作为燃料其生命周期、经济效益及环境效益如何将直接影响其推广使用.文章就农作物乙醇作为燃料的综合效益进行了全面分析,得出了除甜高梁外多数农作物作为燃料乙醇原料具有较低的能效转换率之结论.而且在目前情况下,由于生产成本较高,所产生的经济效益也较差.但其对于解缓能源紧张问题、提高农民收入、促进人员就业具有良好的社会效益,同时对机动车辆的废气污染排放有所改善.     

不同粗蛋白质水平全混合颗粒日粮对马头山羊生长性能及血液生化指标的影响

本研究旨在探讨不同粗蛋白质水平全混合颗粒日粮对育肥期马头山羊的生长性能及血液生化指标的影响。选用3～4月龄马头山羊羯羔36只,随机分为4组,分别饲喂粗蛋白质水平为16.15%(对照组)、14.54%(试验1组)、12.92%(试验2组)和11.31%(试验3组)的全混合颗粒日粮,进行育肥试验。预试期18 d,正试期42 d。结果表明:试验3组马头山羊的平均日增重(0.17 kg/d)高于试验2组(P<0.05),对照组、试验1组和试验2组平均日增重差异不显著;试验3组马头山羊的血清尿素氮高于其他各组(P<0.05),谷草转氨酶/谷丙转氨酶低于其他各试验组(P<0.05),谷丙转氨酶低于对照组和试验1组(P<0.05)。在本试验条件下,马头山羊育肥期全混合颗粒日粮中适宜的粗蛋白质水平为11.31%,不同粗蛋白质水平全混合颗粒日粮对马头山羊血液生化指标均没有不良影响。     

Eighty Years of Grazing by Cattle Modifies Sagebrush and Bunchgrass Structure

Grazing by cattle is ubiquitous across the sagebrush steppe; however, little is known about its effects on sagebrush and native bunchgrass structure. Understanding the effects of long-term grazing on sagebrush and bunchgrass structure is important because sagebrush is a keystone species and bunchgrasses are the dominant herbaceous functional group in these communities. To investigate the effects of long-term grazing on sagebrush and bunchgrass structure, we compared nine grazing exclosures with nine adjacent rangelands that were grazed by cattle in southeast Oregon. Grazing was moderate utilization (30 ? 45%) with altering season of use and infrequent rest. Long-term grazing by cattle altered some structural aspects of bunchgrasses and sagebrush. Ungrazed bunchgrasses had larger dead centers in their crowns, as well as greater dead fuel depths below and above the crown level compared with grazed bunchgrasses. This accumulation of dry fuel near the meristematic tissue may increase the probability of fire-induced mortality during a wildfire. Bunchgrasses in the ungrazed treatment had more reproductive stems than those in the long-term grazed treatment. This suggests that seed production of bunchgrasses may be greater in ungrazed areas. Sagebrush height and longest canopy diameter were 15% and 20% greater in the ungrazed compared with the grazed treatment, respectively. However, the bottom of the sagebrush canopy was closer to the ground in the grazed compared with the ungrazed treatment, which may provide better hiding cover for ground-nesting avian species. Sagebrush basal stem diameter, number of stems, amount of dead material in the canopy, canopy gap size, and number of canopy gaps did not differ between ungrazed and grazed treatments. Moderate grazing does not appear to alter the competitive relationship between a generally unpalatable shrub and palatable bunchgrasses. Long-term, moderate grazing appears to have minimal effects to the structure of bunchgrasses and sagebrush, other than reducing the risk of bunchgrass mortality during a fire event.