Tag: Water quality

Chinese tallow leaf litter negatively affects frogs

by Virginia McDaniel, Science Writer  • 
“Where I grew up in the Houston area, Chinese tallow was the main tree in forests near my house. They were a beautiful crimson color in the fall and great for climbing,” says USDA Forest Service researcher Daniel Saenz. “But most importantly, they were the best source of ammunition. Tallow fruits were the perfect size…  More 

Forests to Faucets 2.0

by Jennifer Moore Myers and Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
Standing on the banks of the Yadkin River in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the river tumbles peacefully by. The river water has made a long journey: it originated as rainfall deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. It flows through the Uwharrie, Sumter, and Francis Marion National Forests. It travels through Winston-Salem, Charlotte, and Charleston…  More 

Hill Demonstration Forest Joins Experimental Forest Network

by Ivan Garcia, SRS Science Communications Intern, and Jennifer Moore Myers, SRS Science Communications  • 
The USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station and the North Carolina State University College of Natural Resources recently signed an agreement adding NC State’s Hill Demonstration Forest to the SRS Experimental Forest Network. The Hill Demonstration Forest covers more than 2,600 acres in the Carolina Slate Belt and has a variety of forest types and…  More 

Assessing Surface Water Quality in the Mississippi Delta

by Jennifer Moore Myers, SRS Science Communications  • 
USDA Forest Service scientists are measuring surface water quality in the Big Sunflower River watershed of the Mississippi Delta to better understand eutrophication of the Gulf of Mexico. Extensive crop production contributes nutrients and suspended solids and leads to concerns about low dissolved oxygen and pathogens. Ying Ouyang, Ted Leininger, and colleagues monitored water quality…  More 

Closer to Understanding Enigmatic Mussel Declines

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
Just by existing and eating, mussels improve water quality. They are filter feeders, which means they eat small pieces of organic matter that float past them. But mussels are dying, often in streams that otherwise seem healthy. Many streams that formerly supported diverse mussel communities now are essentially defaunated. These events are enigmatic because other…  More 

Ying Ouyang Receives Soil Science Society of America’s Highest Honor

by Teresa Jackson, SRS Public Affairs  • 
Research hydrologist Ying Ouyang was recently named a 2019 Fellow by the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), the highest recognition bestowed by the organization. The SSSA is an international scientific society whose members are dedicated to advancing the field of soil science to sustain global soils. Each year, members nominate colleagues based on their professional…  More 

Using CAT in Local Watersheds

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
General circulation models use math to predict the future – future rainfall and temperature data, for example. But GCMs are meant for global or regional scales. “CAT is better for fine scales,” says USDA Forest Service research hydrologist Ying Ouyang. CAT, the Climate Assessment Tool, is a model developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.…  More 

Forests Supply Water to Puerto Rico

by Jennifer Moore Myers, SRS Science Communications  • 
Puerto Rico’s forests are still recovering from Hurricane Maria. Local scientists estimate that one out of five trees in the El Yunque National Forest were lost during or after the storm. Widespread forest restoration and monitoring efforts are underway. But that work isn’t focused on just the trees in those forests — water supply is an important ecosystem…  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 

Stream Crossings and Water Quality

by Stephanie Worley Firley, Eastern Threat Center  • 
In many situations, the adage “dirt doesn’t hurt” is true. One important exception is when soils erode, and rain washes the sediments into streams. Johnny Boggs, a biological scientist with the U.S. Forest Service Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center, recently led a study on preventing stream sedimentation in forests. Sedimentation impacts water quality and can…  More