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Compass: Spring 2005   Silent Invaders of Our Southern Forests When invasive plants take over our forests and communities.   Inside the Science Measuring Invasions Kudzu - Out of Ecological Place and Time Kudzu Containment Oriental Bittersweet: A Patient Invader What Can Experimental Forests Teach Us About Invasives? Snapshot From the Field Landowner’s TOOLBOX Around The Station... New Products From the Southern Research Station Download this Issue of Compass

New Products From the Southern Research Station

Southern Pine Ecosystems

1 Dickens, E.D.; Barnett, J.P.; Hubbard, W.G.; Jokela, E.J. 2004. Slash pine: still growing and growing! Proceedings of the slash pine symposium. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-76. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 148 p.

This volume presents the experiences of scientists and land managers over a 20-year period in managing southern pine ecosystems. In 17 research papers the authors explore a renewed interest in managing slash pine over its natural and expanded range, but particularly within the southeastern Coastal Plain, with a focus on that species. ability to produce high-grade, high-value lumber.
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2 Sullivan, Brian T.; Fettig, Christopher J.; Otrosina, William J. [and others]. 2003. Association between severity of prescribed burns and subsequent activity of conifer-infesting beetles in stands of longleaf pine. Forest Ecology and Management. 185: 327-340.

A randomized complete block experiment was performed to measure the effect of prescribed, dormant-season burns of three different levels of severity (measured as fuel consumption and soil surface heating) on subsequent insect infestation and mortality of mature longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.). Attacks of Ips and Dendroctonus bark beetles were apparent on nearly all dead or dying trees, and evidence suggested that root pathogens may have contributed to tree susceptibility to beetle attack and mortality. Our data indicate that selection of burn regimes that reduce or eliminate consumption of duff (e.g., favoring heading fires over backing fires) could significantly reduce mortality of longleaf pine managed for long rotations.

Wetlands, Bottomlands, and Streams

3 Adams, Susan B.; Schmetterling, David A.; Young, Michael K. 2005. Instream movements by boreal toads (Bufo boreas boreas). Herpetological Review. 36(1): 27-33.

Boreal toads (Bufo boreas boreas) are declining throughout much of their range in Western North America; documenting their movement patterns may prove integral to understanding and arresting the declines. Evaluating boreal toad travel via streams could enhance our understanding of home range size, dispersal distances and routes, and the effects of disturbance on dispersal. We evaluated instream movements of boreal toads to determine the prevalence, distance, and 24 hour timing of summer movements by juvenile and adult boreal toads in three western Montana streams.

4 Barton, Christopher D.; DeSteven, Diane; Kilgo, John C. 2004. Mitigation bank promotes research on restoring Coastal Plain depression wetlands (South Carolina). Ecological Restoration. 22(4): 291-292.

In 1997 the U.S. Department of Energy established a wetland mitigation bank to compensate for unavoidable wetland impacts on the Savannah River Site. This effort provided an opportunity to investigate wetland restoration techniques and ecological responses. Research and management staffs from the USDA Forest Service, Westinghouse Savannah River Corporation, the Savannah River Technology Center, the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, and several universities developed a project to restore degraded depression wetlands on the Savannah River Site. The mitigation project seeks cost-effective methods to restore the hydrology and vegetation typical of natural depression wetlands, and so enhance habitats for wetland-dependent wildlife. We present a summary of this project and the research studies underway.

5 Conner, Richard N.; Dickson, James G.; Williamson, J. Howard; Ortego, Brent. 2004. Width of forest streamside zones and breeding bird abundance in eastern Texas. Southeastern Naturalist. 3(4): 669-682.

We evaluated breeding bird communities in forested streamside zones in eastern Texas to determine threshold widths of riparian forest associated with the addition of mature-forest-breeding birds and loss of shrub-breeding birds. We observed an association of shrub-breeding birds with narrow streamside zones and an increasing number of mature forest species within wider streamside zones. Streamside zones also provided song perches for many shrub breeding species. Our results provide important information to help forest managers balance the habitat requirements of both shrub-breeding and forest-breeding birds when they harvest timber in southern pine forests.

6 Grace, J.M., III; Skaggs, R.W.; Malcom, H.R. [and others]. 2003. Increased water yields following harvesting operations on a drained coastal watershed. In: Proceedings of the 2003 American Society of Agricultural Engineers international meeting; paper no. 03-2039. St. Joseph, MI: American Society of Agricultural Engineers: 25 p.

The impact of harvesting a 23-ha mature primarily hardwood forest watershed with poorly drained organic soils near Plymouth, NC was evaluated using a paired watershed approach. Event outflow, event peak flow, and number of flow days were significantly increased by the harvesting operation. Mean event outflow increased from 22.6 mm on the control to 47.3 mm on the harvested, which represents a 2-fold increase. Similarly, event peak flow and number of flow days from the harvested watershed were more than 50 percent greater than observed on the control. Daily outflow and water table depths observed on the harvested watershed were similar to those from the control.

7 Grace, J.M., III; Skaggs, R.W.; Malcom, H.R. [and others]. 2003. Influence of thinning operations on hydrology of a drained coastal plantation watershed. In: Proceedings of the 2003 American Society of Agricultural Engineers international meeting; paper no. 03-2038. St. Joseph, MI: American Society of Agricultural Engineers: 22 p.

Forest management activities such as harvesting, thinning, and site preparation can affect hydrologic behavior of watersheds on poorly drained soils. Effects of thinning on hydrology are presented for an artificially drained loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantation paired watersheds in eastern North Carolina. Thinning increased daily outflow, peak flow rates, and had no significant impact on water table depths. Mean daily outflow doubled and peak flow rates increased 40 percent on the thinned watershed in relation to the control. Differences in hydrologic behavior are primarily attributed to the thinning operation, which resulted in reduced evapotranspiration.

8 Harrison, Charles A.; Kilgo, John C. 2004. Short-term breeding bird response to two harvest practices in a bottomland hardwood forest. Wilson Bulletin. 116(4): 314-323.

Clearcutting is the preferred timber harvest method in bottomland hardwood forests because it is most likely to result in regeneration of preferred species. However, clearcutting generally has negative impacts on forest birds. Patch-retention harvesting may provide similar silvicultural benefits, but its effects on birds are unknown. We surveyed breeding birds in uncut control, clearcut, and patch-retention treatment areas (11-13 ha) for one season prior to harvest and two seasons postharvest in a bottomland hardwood forest in the Lower Coastal Plain of southeastern South Carolina. Based on density response, patch-retention harvesting appears to be less detrimental to forest birds than clearcutting. However, additional work is needed to determine whether retained patches influence avian survival and productivity.

9 Myszewski, Jennifer H.; Bridgwater, Floyd E.; Lowe, William J. [and others]. 2004. Genetic variation in the microfibril angle of loblolly pine from two test sites. Southern Journal of Applied Forestry. 28(4): 196-204.

We examined the heritability of microfibril angle (MFA) in loblolly pine, Pinus taeda L., and its genetic relationships with height, diameter, volume, and specific gravity. Analyses of variance revealed statistically significant genetic and environmental influences on MFA. Significant general combining ability (GCA), specific combining ability (SCA), and SCA × block effects indicated both additive and nonadditive genetic influences on MFA. Individual-tree, narrow-sense heritability estimates were variable. Genetic correlations between MFA, specific gravity, and growth traits were nonsignificant due to large estimated standard errors.

10 Peacock, Evan; Haag, Wendell R.; Warren, Melvin L., Jr. 2005. Prehistoric decline in freshwater mussels coincident with the advent of maize agriculture. Conservation Biology. 19(2): 547-551.

Freshwater mussels are particularly sensitive harbingers of modern-day ecosystem deterioration. Using data from prehistoric Native American shell middens, we examined prehistoric trends in abundance of freshwater mussels of the genus Epioblasma in North America during the last 5000 years. The relative abundance of Epioblasma declined steadily, which could be explained either by an increase in human impacts to streams or by long-term climatic changes unrelated to human activities. The rate of decline increased significantly, however, after the advent of large-scale maize agriculture in the Southeastern United States about 1000 years before the present. Results suggest that human land-use activities in prehistory caused changes in freshwater mussel communities lower in magnitude but similar in direction to changes caused by recent activities.

11 Phillips, Jonathan D.; Marion, Daniel A. 2005. Biomechanical effects, lithological variations, and local pedodiversity in some forest soils of Arkansas. Geoderma. 124: 73-89.

This study examines the potential biomechanical effects of trees and of lithological variations within parent material in explaining soil diversity in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas. Soils diversity on Ouachita sideslopes is high, and the soil series vary primarily in morphological properties such as soil thickness and rock fragment content. The pattern of variation in these properties indicates that the biomechanical effects of individual trees . as opposed to chemical and hydrological effects . and local lithological variations control soil type diversity. Results also suggest divergent evolution whereby the pedologic effects of trees are large and long-lived relative to the magnitude of the initial effects and lifespan of the plants.

Mountain and Highland Ecosystems

12 Clinton, Barton D.; Vose, James M.; Vroblesky, Don A.; Harvey, Gregory J. 2004. Determination of the relative uptake of ground vs. surface water by Populus deltoides during phytoremediation. International Journal of Phytoremediation. 6(3): 239-252.

The use of plants to remediate polluted groundwater is becoming an attractive alternative to more expensive traditional techniques. In order to adequately assess the effectiveness of the phytoremediation treatment, a clear understanding of water-use habits by the selected plant species is essential. We examined the relative uptake of surface water (i.e., precipitation) vs. groundwater by mature Populus deltoides by applying irrigation water at a rate equivalent to a 5-cm rain event. Examination of differences in isotopic signatures among irrigation water, groundwater, and xylem sap showed that water use by Populus deltoides is variable. Hence, studies addressing phytoremediation effectiveness must account for the relative proportion of surface vs. groundwater uptake.

13 Elliott, Katherine J.; Vose, James M. 2005. Initial effects of prescribed fire on quality of soil solution and streamwater in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Southern Journal of Applied Forestry. 29 (1): 5-15.

Prescribed burning is being used in the Conasauga River watershed in southeastern Tennessee and northern Georgia by national forest managers to restore degraded pine/oak communities. Although burning might be an effective tool for restoring these stands to a shortleaf pine/mixed-oak/bluestem grass community type, it is not known whether these restoration burns will have a negative impact on water quality. Six subwatersheds (similar in vegetation, soil type, stream size and location, and disturbance history) were located within the Conasauga River watershed. Four of the sites were burned in March 2001, and two sites were designated as controls. Our results suggest that low-intensity, low-severity fires could be used as a tool to restore vegetation structure and compositions in these mixed pine-hardwood ecosystems without negatively impacting water quality.

14 Grace, J.M. III. 2004. Sediment plume development from forest roads: how are they related to filter strip recommendations? In: Proceedings of the 2004 American Society of Agricultural Engineers/Canadian Society of Agricultural Engineering international meeting; paper no. 04-5015. St. Joseph, MI: American Society of Agricultural Engineers: 11 p.

Sediment movement downslope of forest road systems is a concern because these sediments have the potential to reach stream systems. Filter strips and streamside management zones are recommended and implemented to minimize sediment delivery to stream systems. This paper reports the findings of an investigation to assess sediment travel distances downslope of forest roads and characterize the factors influencing these distances. A total of 235 forest road turn-outs (lead-off ditches) and visible sediment plumes were randomly selected and measured on national forests in Alabama and Georgia. This paper also examines how the study results relate to suggested Best Management Practices for forest operations below forest road turn-outs in Alabama and Georgia.

15 Grace, J.M. III. 2005. Factors influencing sediment plume development from forest roads. In: Environmental Connection 2005, Proceedings of the meeting of the International Erosion Control Association. Steamboat Springs, CO: International Erosion Control Association: pp. 221-230.

Design and development of Best Management Practices to control sediment movement from the forest road prism requires a better understanding of the factors influencing sediment transport distances downslope. Relationships developed specifically for national forests will give managers additional planning and evaluation tools for roads and can be used to assess the potential for environmental impacts on existing forest roads. Data from a study to evaluate factors influencing sediment plume development were used to develop a prediction equation based on site specific road characteristics. Road section length and road width had the greatest influence on sediment travel distances. Generally, visible sediment plume development extended less than 90 m.

16 Greenberg, Cathryn H.; Miller, Stanlee. 2004. Soricid response to canopy gaps created by wind disturbance in the Southern Appalachians. 3(4): 715-732.

We used drift fences with pitfall traps to compare soricid abundance, richness, and demographic parameters among intact multiple-tree windthrow gaps, salvaged gaps, and mature forest in a xeric Southern Appalachian forest type during 1997-1999. We also tested whether capture rates were correlated with rainfall, and whether similar-sized species did not co-occur as predicted by multi-species assemblage rules. We captured six species: northern short-tailed shrew, least shrew, masked shrew, smoky shrew, pygmy shrew, and southeastern shrew. Results suggest that forest management that mimics conditions created by multiple windthrows in xeric forest of the Southern Appalachians is unlikely to affect shrew communities adversely, at least in the short term.

17 Greenberg, Cathryn H.; Tanner, George W. 2004. Breeding pond selection and movement patterns by eastern spadefoot toads (Scaphiopus holbrookii) in relation to weather and edaphic conditions. Journal of Herpetology. 38(4): 569-577.

 Eastern spadefoot toads (Scaphiopus holbrookii) require fi sh-free, isolated, ephemeral ponds for breeding, but otherwise inhabit surrounding uplands, commonly xeric longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) and wiregrass (Aristida beyrichiana) ecosystem. Fire suppression in the Florida sandhills has the potential to alter upland and pond suitability through increased hardwood densities and resultant higher transpiration. In this paper, we explore breeding and metamorphic emigration movements in relation to weather, hydrological conditions of ponds, and surrounding upland matrices. Explosive breeding occurred during nine periods and in all seasons. Our results suggest that spadefoot toads are highly adapted to breeding conditions and upland habitat heterogeneity created by weather patterns and fire frequency in Florida sandhills.

18 Greenberg, Cathryn H.; Tanner, George W. 2005. Spatial and temporal ecology of eastern spadefoot toads on a Florida landscape. Herpetologica. 61(1): 20-28.

Effective amphibian conservation must consider population and landscape processes, but information at multiple scales is rare. We explore spatial and temporal patterns of breeding and recruitment by eastern spadefoot toads (Scaphiopus holbrookii), using nine years of data from continuous monitoring with drift fences and pitfall traps at eight ephemeral ponds in longleaf pine-wiregrass sandhills. We conservatively estimated a 7-year lifespan. Adult "population" trends clearly refl ected breeding effort rather than numbers per se; capture rates fluctuated dramatically among years, but showed no overall trends during the 9-year study. Our paper provides empirical information that can be used to generate realistic metapopulation models for S. holbrookii as a tool in conservation planning.

19 Miller, Daniel R.; Schlarbaum, Scott E. 2005. Acorn fall and weeviling in a northern red oak seedling orchard. Journal of Entomological Science. 40(1): 2005.

In 2000, we determined levels of damage by acorn weevils (Curculio spp.) and patterns of acorn fall in a northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) seedling orchard in eastern Tennessee. Trees were selected in the spring of 2000 based on abundance of acornets. The floating method for assessing sound acorns overestimated acorn damage by 36 percent. Weevils accounted for approximately 66 percent of all damage. The percentage of weeviled acorns was negatively correlated to total acorn production per tree. The rate of acorn drop was higher in October and November than in September. However, the percentage of acorns damaged by weevils was higher for acorns falling in September.

Inventory and Monitoring

20 Bentley, James W.; Howell, Michael; Johnson, Tony G. Arkansas' timber industry - an assessment of timber product output and use, 2002. Resour. Bull. SRS.99. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 43 p.

In 2002, roundwood output from Arkansas. forests totaled 680 million cubic feet. Mill byproducts generated from primary manufacturers were 326 million cubic feet. Almost all plant residues were used primarily for fuel and fiber products. Saw logs were the leading roundwood product at 342 million cubic feet; pulpwood ranked second at 213 million cubic feet; and veneer logs were third at 94 million cubic feet. The number of primary processing plants was 288 in 2002. Receipts for those mills totaled 721 million cubic feet.
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21 Bentley, James W.; Johnson, Tony G. 2004. Eastern Texas harvest and utilization study, 2003. Resour. Bull. SRS-97. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 28 p.

In 2003, a harvest and utilization study was conducted on 81 operations throughout eastern Texas. There were 2,072 total trees measured, 1,557 or 75 percent were softwood, while 515 or 25 percent were hardwood. Results from this study showed that 87 percent of the total softwood volume measured was utilized for a product, while the other 13 percent was left as logging residue. Seventy-six percent of the total hardwood volume measured was utilized for a product, while 24 percent was left as logging residue.
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22 Johnson, Tony G.; Howell, Michael; Bentley, James W. 2005. Oklahoma's timber industry - an assessment of timber product output and use, 2002. Resour. Bull. SRS-100. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 34 p.

In 2002, roundwood output from Oklahoma.s forests totaled 126 million cubic feet. Mill byproducts generated from primary manufacturers totaled 50 million cubic feet. Almost all plant residue was used primarily for fuel and fiber products. Saw logs were the leading roundwood product at 64 million cubic feet; pulpwood ranked second at 49 million cubic feet. There were 109 primary processing plants operating in Oklahoma in 2002. Receipts totaled 123 million cubic feet.
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23 Oswalt, Sonja N. 2005. Forest resources of South Carolina's national forests, 2001. Resour. Bull. SRS-98. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 35 p.

This bulletin describes forest resources of the Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests in the State of South Carolina. It is based on sampling from the eighth forest inventory conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Forest Inventory and Analysis Research Work Unit. Findings suggest that South Carolina.s national forests are recovering from destruction caused by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. This bulletin addresses forest area estimates; timber growth, removals, and mortality; forest health; and trends across 23 years.
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24 Zarnoch, S.J.; Bentley, J.W.; Johnson, T.G. 2004. Determining sample size for tree utilization surveys. Res. Pap. SRS-34. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 11 p.

The Forest Service has conducted many studies to determine what proportion of the timber harvested in the South is actually utilized. We describe the statistical methods used to determine required sample sizes for estimating utilization ratios for a required level of precision. The data used are those for 515 hardwood and 1,557 softwood trees harvested in east Texas and classified into 5 product types. Two-stage sampling was used to collect the utilization data. The primary units were the logging operation locations, and the secondary units were the trees within locations.
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Large-Scale Assessment and Modeling

25 Coulston, John W.; Riittters, Kurt H. 2005. Preserving biodiversity under current and future climates: a case study. Global Ecology and Biogeography. 14: 31-38.

The conservation of biological and genetic diversity is a major goal of reserve systems at local, regional, and national levels. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources suggests a 12 percent threshold (area basis) for adequate protection of biological and genetic diversity of a plant community. However, thresholds based on area may protect only a small portion of the total diversity if the locations are chosen without regard to the variation within the community. The objectives of this study were to demonstrate methods to apply a coarse-filter approach for identifying gaps in the current reserve system of the Psuedotsuga menziesii (Douglas-fir) forest type group based on current climatic conditions and a global climate change scenario.

26 Li, Harbin; Wu, Jianguo. 2004. Use and misuse of landscape indices. Landscape Ecology. 19: 389-399.

High expectations for landscape analysis to improve understanding and prediction of ecological processes have largely been unfulfilled. We identified three kinds of critical issues: conceptual flaws in landscape pattern analysis, inherent limitations of landscape indices, and improper use of pattern indices. Many landscape analyses treat quantitative description of spatial pattern as an end itself, failing to explore relationships between pattern and process. Landscape indices and map data are sometimes used without testing ecological relevance, which may not only confound interpretation of results, but also lead to meaningless results. In addition, correlation analysis with indices is impeded by the lack of data. We examine the underlying problems of these challenges and offer some solutions.

27 Mercer, D. Evan. 2004. Policies for encouraging forest restoration. In: Stanturf, J.A.; Madsen, Palle, eds. Restoration of boreal and temperate forests. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press: 97-109.

Throughout the 20th century, many countries created national parks, forests, nature reserves, and sanctuaries to provide benefits that are underproduced on private lands. Private lands are now especially valuable for providing ecological services that public lands cannot provide, due to the increasing demands for all uses and the political and economic conflicts associated with allocating public lands between competing uses (e.g., recreation, watershed protection, biodiversity conservation, wildlife habitat, and commodity production). In many countries, the supply of public lands may not be adequate to ensure desirable flows of beneficial ecosystem services. Furthermore, because many ecological processes cross ownership borders, enhancing the flow of benefits requires management at a broader, landscape scale and with the participation of both public and private landowners.

28 Miller, Karl V.; Miller, James H. 2004. Forestry herbicide influences on biodiversity and wildlife habitat in southern forests. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 32(4): 1049-1060.

A shift to the Southeast in North American timber supplies has resulted in increased forest management intensity. Current site-preparation techniques rely on herbicide combinations, often coupled with mechanical treatments, and 21 years of post-planting applications. This near-total control of associated vegetation likely will affect plant diversity and wildlife habitat quality. Mitigation methods will be required to minimize vegetative and wildlife impacts. More uncertain are long-term impacts of increasing invasive plant occupation and projected increase in herbicide use needed to reverse this worsening situation. The potential of herbicides to meet wildlife management objectives in areas where traditional techniques have high social costs (e.g., prescribed fire) should be fully explored.

29 Park, Timothy; Bowker, J.M.; Leeworthy, Vernon R. 2002. Valuing snorkeling visits to the Florida Keys with stated and revealed preference models. Journal of Environmental Management. 65: 301-312.

Coastal coral reefs, especially in the Florida Keys, are declining at a disturbing rate. Marine ecologists and reef scientists have emphasized the importance of establishing nonmarket values of coral reefs to assess cost effectiveness of coral reef management and remediation programs. We develop a travel cost.contingent valuation model of demand for trips to the Florida Keys, focusing on willingness to pay (WTP) to preserve current water quality and health of the coral reefs. Snorkelers engage in a relatively focused set of activities, suggesting that they may not shift expenditures to other sites or other recreation activities in the Florida Keys when confronted with increased access costs for the snorkeling experience.

30 Selgrade, James F.; Roberds, James H. 2003. Equilibrium and nonequilibrium attractors for a discrete, selection-migration model. Canadian Applied Mathematics Quarterly. 11(2): 195-211.

This study presents a discrete-time model for the effects of selection and immigration on the demographic and genetic compositions of a population. Under biologically reasonable conditions, it is shown that the model always has an equilibrium. Although equilibria for similar models without migration must have real eigenvalues, for this selection-migration model we illustrate a Hopf bifurcation which produces long-term stable oscillations in allele frequency and population density. The interplay between the selection parameters in the fitness functions and the migration parameters is displayed by using migration parameters to reverse destabilizing bifurcations that occur as intrinsic density parameters are varied. Also, the rich dynamics for this selection-migration model are illustrated by a period-doubling cascade resulting in a pulsating strange attractor.

31 Turner, J.A.; Buongiorno, J.; Zhu, S.; Prestemon, J. 2004. Global context for the United States forest sector in 2030. In: Alavalapati, J.; Carter, D.R., eds. Proceedings of the annual meeting of the Southern Forest Economics Workers. [Place unknown]: [Publisher unknown]: 6-15.

The purpose of this study was to identify markets for, and competitors to, the United States forest industries in the next 30 years. The Global Forest Products Model was used to make predictions of international demand, supply, trade, and prices, conditional on the last RPA timber assessment projections for the United States. It was found that the United States, Japan, and Europe would remain important markets out to 2030, but China would grow into the world.s largest importer of roundwood and manufactured products. Mexico would become an important importer of sawnwood and papers, and the Republic of Korea would become an important importer of wood panels and pulp. The United States. share of exports of industrial roundwood and paper and paperboard would increase, while its exports of sawnwood would decline, replaced by exports from Canada, Finland, Austria, Chile, and New Zealand. Besides Finland and Austria, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand would remain the main competitors to United States. exports of wood-based panels.

32 Wagner, Robert G.; Newton, Michael; Cole, Elizabeth C. [and others]. 2004. The role of herbicides for enhancing forest productivity and conserving land for biodiversity in North America. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 32(4): 1028-1041. [Editor.s note: Southern Station scientist James H. Miller co-authored this publication.]

Over the past 60 years, forest managers have prescribed herbicides to increase reforestation success and long-term timber yields. Wildlife managers and others interested in conserving biodiversity, however, have often viewed herbicide use as conflicting with their objectives. Meeting future demands for wildlife habitat and biodiversity conservation will require that society.s growing demand for wood be satisfied on a shrinking forestland base. Increased fiber yields from intensively managed plantations, which include the use of herbicides, will be a crucial part of the solution. If herbicides are properly used, research indicates that negative effects on wildlife usually are short term and that herbicides can be used to meet wildlife habitat objectives.

33 Wear, David; Pye, John; Riitters, Kurt. 2004. Defining conservation priorities using fragmentation forecasts. Ecology and Society. 9(5): 4. http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol9/iss5/art4. [Date accessed: April 19, 2005].

Methods are developed for forecasting effects of population and economic growth on the distribution of interior forest habitat in the Southern United States. Forecasts are displayed by ecological section and province and by metropolitan statistical area. Loss of interior forests is expected to be especially high in certain ecological sections, including the Southern Appalachian Piedmont in North and South Carolina, the Gulf prairies and marshes in Texas, and the Florida coastal lowlands. Sixty-six percent of loss of interior forests will be in urban counties, which highlights the conservation importance of the urbanizing fringe. Forecasts provide a mechanism for assigning priorities and targeting areas for more detailed study and for conservation efforts.

Foundation Programs

34 Britton, Kerry O.; Orr, David; Sun, Jianghua. 2002. Kudzu. In: Van Driesche, R.; and others. Biological control of invasive plants in the Eastern United States. FHTET-2002-04. Morgantown, WV: USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team: 325-330. http://www.invasive.org/eastern/biocontrol/25Kudzu.html . [Date accessed: April 12, 2005].

Kudzu, a plant native to Japan, China, and Korea, is a perennial, semi-woody, climbing leguminous vine introduced into the United States in 1876. In this country, kudzu causes ecological and economic damage by rapidly covering fields, trees, and buildings. Kudzu blocks sunlight, eliminating other vegetation and wildlife habitat. Heaviest infestation is in the States of Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. Kudzu spreads primarily by its large tuberous roots. Scientists are researching biological control pathogens to control this nonnative invasive species.

35 Britton, Kerry O.; Sun, Jiang-Hua. 2002. Unwelcome guests: exotic forest pests. Acta Entomologica Sinica. 45 (1): 121-130.

Exotic forest pests cost China and the United States billions of dollars each year. Regulatory systems worldwide are overwhelmed with the increasing volume of international trade. Nursery stock, wood products, and pallets are the most common means of transport. Pests such as chestnut blight, gypsy moth, Dutch elm disease, and Asian longhorned beetle have caused major changes in the structure and function of American forests and urban landscapes. China.s natural resources are likewise under attack, and many of the pests come from the United States, such as the pinewood nematode and the red turpentine beetle. The authors discuss the biological basis of the invasiveness of exotic pests and what can be done about them.

36 Grace, J.M. III. 2004. NPS pollution related to forest management activities in Southern States. In: Proceedings of the 2004 American Society of Agricultural Engineers/Canadian Society of Agricultural Engineers international meeting; paper no. 04-5019. St. Joseph, MI: American Society of Agricultural Engineers: 17 p.

Nonpoint source pollution (NPS) has been identified as the Nation.s largest source of water quality problems. Forest activities have been identified as activities influencing NPS pollution in the South. However, results of studies in the 13 Southern States investigating the effect of forest operations on water quality are highly variable. The results taken collectively indicate that forest operations have little impact on the quality of water draining from forests in the South. Forestry Best Management Practices show the potential to protect water quality; however, accurate assessments of the overall effectiveness of BMPs are not possible because the benefits of BMPs on different scales are relatively unknown.

37 Jewett, D.K.; Jiang, C.J.; Britton, K.O. [and others]. 2003. Characterizing specimens of kudzu and related taxa with RAPDs. Castanea. 68(3): 254-260.

Kudzu is a perennial, semi-woody, climbing legume in the tribe Phaseoleae Benth., subtribe Glycininae Benth. It is native to China, where an abundance of natural enemies and its cultivation prevent kudzu from becoming either an important economic or environmental liability. Kudzu was introduced to the United States as an ornamental during the middle of the 19th century. During the first half of the 20th century, approximately 134,760 ha were planted throughout the Southeastern United States to feed livestock and for erosion control. During 1998, kudzu was included by legislators in the United States Congress on a growing list of invasive, exotic plants recognized under the Federal Noxious Weed Law. Presently, it costs commercial forests approximately $119/ha annually, it compromises the integrity of valuable natural resources, and dense infestations have interfered with exercises on military bases in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Three varieties of kudzu exist, and the plant may hybridize with related taxa. Distinction among varieties in the field is difficult, proving an obstacle to development of an integrated management program. Of particular concern is selecting potential biological control agents because insects and pathogens cannot be reconciled with identity of the plants from which they were collected. Using genetic markers for more convenient identification of specimens may be possible. Randomly amplified polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs) have been used successfully to characterize genetic composition and reveal variation among genomic DNA of many important cultivated plants, including wheat, soybean, and tea. The objective of this study is distinguishing between kudzu and its related taxa using RAPDs.

38 Miller, James H. 2003. Nonnative invasive plants of southern forests: a field guide for identification and control. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-62. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 93 p.

Nonnative invasive plants in southern forests infest under and beside forest canopies and dominate small forest openings, increasingly eroding forest productivity, hindering forest use and management activities, and degrading diversity and wildlife habitat. They occur as trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, ferns, and forbs. This book provides information on accurate identification and effective control of the 33 nonnative plants and groups invading the forests of the 13 Southern States, showing both growing and dormant season traits. It lists other nonnative plants of growing concern, control strategies, and selective herbicide application procedures. The book also recommends measures for preventing and managing invasions to maintain forest vigor with minimal disturbance, constant surveillance and treatment of new arrivals, and rehabilitation following eradication.
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39 Miller, James H.; Albritton, Tim. 2004. Privet is a plague: you can help stop it. Alabama.s Treasured Forests. Spring: 20-21, 26.

Privet is that rampant small-leaved shrub that stays green in winter and can be seen growing along many fencerows and forest edges, as well as invading interior forests. Three species of privet exist, but Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense) is most invasive. Privet can be controlled with concerted efforts and by using methods proven to be effective: prescribed burning; tractors with rootrakes and shredder-mulcher heads; brushsaws; pulling and digging plants; and safe and effective herbicides. The right combination depends on the extent of your infestation, the size of the privet, your objectives, and your budget.

40 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 2005. Forest Science in the South, 2004. Science Update SRS-007. Asheville, NC: 56 p.

Forest Science in the South, 2004 reports Southern Research Station accomplishments for fiscal year 2004, which includes the period from October 2003 through September 2004. The document summarizes budget allocations to resource categories and research units, and a list of collaborators receiving financial support. The document includes a directory of research units, a list of experimental forests, and highlights of administrative activities. A CD-ROM provides a list of research products.
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41 Good Nature Publishing Company. 2005. Nonnative invasive species of the South. [Poster]. Seattle: Good Nature Publishing Company. (A limited number of posters are available from the Southern Research Station.)

The poster features 22 nonnative invasive species in a southern garden. A key identifies each plant. A sample of the poster is included as a centerfold in the Spring 2005 issue of Compass. The poster can be ordered from Good Nature Publishing Company, 1904 Third Avenue Suite 415, Seattle, WA 98101 or call toll-free 1-800-631-3086 or call (206) 622-9522.

 

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