All Articles Page 4

Translating National Forest Policies to Local Forest Management

by Naomi Cohen-Shields, SRS Science Communications Intern  • 
The USDA Forest Service operates at the national, regional, and local levels and must account for a variety of constraints and considerations across its range. Therefore, national-level priorities may not always translate into local-scale management actions. One example of a Forest Service, National Forest System priority area is carbon sequestration. Carbon sequestration is the process…  More 

Where Does the Rain Go?

by Naomi Cohen-Shields, SRS Science Communications Intern  • 
Millions of people depend on the forests of the Southern Appalachian Mountains for drinking water. As climate, land use, and land cover changes alter the forest structure in these mountains, they also alter water budgets. “The Southern Appalachian Mountains are a humid montane environment – they are essentially a cooler version of the tropics,” explains…  More 

Uncovering Urban Forests

by Naomi Cohen-Shields, SRS Science Communications Intern  • 
The scope of forest-pest risk analysis research is often limited to natural forests. Neglected are those tree communities called urban forests: trees within the boundaries of a city or populated area. Urban trees see a significant proportion of the impacts from invasive pests. Their unnatural distribution and close proximity to transported goods and other means…  More 

Government-Academic Partnership Gathers Tick Data

by Megan Bequette, SRS Science Communications Intern  • 
As an intern with the USDA Forest Service, I’ve had my fair share of run-ins with ticks. My first trip into the field took me deep into a relatively untamed forest. The other three interns tagging along were surprisingly serene about the bounty of insects and spiderwebs everywhere; I was constantly swatting away bugs and…  More 

Diets of Nestling Red-Headed Woodpeckers

by Megan Bequette, SRS Science Communications Intern  • 
The red-headed woodpecker has enjoyed better days. Over the past five decades, the species has suffered sharp declines in the northern and western parts of its range. While that much is clear, the role of their diets in the declines is not. A recent USDA Forest Service study observed the diets of nestling woodpeckers to…  More 

Oak Regeneration and Acorn Size

by Megan Bequette, SRS Science Communications Intern  • 
Oak regeneration is an oft-discussed topic in forestry. The trees aren’t sustainably generating in many upland temperate forests due to a variety of factors — including the fact that they are less competitive than other, more sun-loving species such as tulip poplar. One way that forest managers are responding to this issue is artificial oak…  More 

Acorns and Their Predators

by Megan Bequette, SRS Science Communications intern  • 
Acorns aren’t only for squirrels. They serve as a food source for a variety of wildlife, such as mice, deer, and turkeys. This presents somewhat of a problem for oak trees – acorn producers – because their future depends on acorns surviving and germinating to become the next generation. A recent study by USDA Forest…  More 

Species Selection for Woody Biomass Production

by Jennifer Moore Myers, SRS Science Communications  • 
In the southeastern U.S., short-rotation woody crops are a significant part of a growing renewable energy supply. A USDA Forest Service study examines how growing different tree species for bioenergy may have impacts on water yield. “Loblolly pine has long been considered the go-to woody bioenergy species in the South,” says Peter Caldwell, research hydrologist…  More 

Women in Science: Katie Greenberg

by Naomi Cohen-Shields, SRS Science Communications Intern  • 
The Women in Science series features women scientists from across SRS – their education, career paths, challenges, achievements, and inspirations. Meet Cathryn (Katie) H. Greenberg, a research ecologist with the Upland Hardwood Ecology and Management unit located at the Bent Creek Experimental Forest in Asheville, North Carolina. Her research focuses on how disturbances, both natural…  More 

Barriers to Bioenergy?

by Naomi Cohen-Shields, SRS Science Communication Intern  • 
At the national level, bioenergy is seen as a crucial component of a secure and renewable energy plan. Many people view southern forests as prime resources to support the hopeful bioenergy industry. But how is the national agenda for bioenergy received by communities in the South? “We are interested in understanding how the national discourse…  More