Month: December 2017

The Many Dimensions of Tree Trunks

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
The taller a tree grows, the wider its trunk becomes. “It’s a fundamental relationship,” says U.S. Forest Service research ecologist Dale Brockway. Scientists use math to describe this height-diameter relationship. But one of the mathematical constants – a scaling exponent of 2/3 – is not always so constant, according to a recent study by Brockway…  More 

Experimental Forests’ Road Data Go Digital

by Stephanie Laseter, EFR Network Lead  • 
Many national and experimental forests are crisscrossed by gravel roads that contain culverts and other drainage structures. Some culverts may be overdue for maintenance, while others may be too small for extreme rainfall events. U.S. Forest Service Southern Research Station scientists began assessing the capacity of these structures in 2016. The project spans the SRS…  More 

The Thorny Economics of Preventing Exotic Species Introductions

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
What if we lose tree species we know, love, and need? It has happened before. “Look at what happened to the American chestnut,” says U.S. Forest Service research forester Thomas Holmes. “Look at what’s happening right now to hemlock, redbay, and ash trees.” All three species, as well as many more, are threatened by non-native…  More 

National Fish & Aquatic Strategy

by Craig Roghair, SRS Fisheries Biologist  • 
The U.S. Forest Service recently completed an updated national fish and aquatic strategy titled Rise to the Future: National Fish and Aquatic Strategy. This plan builds on three decades of success and lessons learned from the original Rise to the Future Fisheries Strategy in 1987. Why does the Forest Service need an updated national fish…  More 

Sustainable Growth & the Future of Forested Watersheds

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
Forests provide high quality and dependable supplies of surface water. More than 19 million people in the Southeast get at least some of their drinking water from national forests, as U.S. Forest Service research revealed. However, most forest land in the Southeast U.S. is privately owned. Such land could be converted to other uses in…  More 

Planting for Pollinators

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
On a misty November day, 15 gardeners gathered in front of the Mid-America Science Museum in Hot Springs, Arkansas. They brought their shovels and many pots of native plants. “We installed about 30 different species,” says U.S. Forest Service forestry technician Virginia McDaniel. McDaniel designed the garden with Susan Hooks, Ouachita National Forest botanist. They…  More 

Farm Ponds Conserve Groundwater in MS

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
Below the earth’s surface, below the slow-moving creeks and placid bayous, aquifers store immense quantities of water. “In Mississippi, 90 percent of drinking water comes from groundwater,” says U.S. Forest Service research hydrologist Ying Ouyang. “Aquifers also provide water to farmers.” Over the past 50 years, groundwater levels in the Mississippi Delta have declined by…  More