 |
|
Window of opportunity for restoring oaks small, new study finds
May 15, 2008Communities of Oregon white oak were once widespread in the Pacific Northwest's western lowlands, but, today, they are in decline. Fire suppression, conifer and invasive plant encroachment, and land use change have resulted in the loss of as much as 99 percent of the oak communities historically present in some areas of the region.
A new technical report titled "Evaluation of Landscape Alternatives for Managing Oak at Tenalquot Prairie, Washington" outlines the findings of a study aimed at determining the success of different management scenarios in restoring the region's oak communities. The study's findings indicated that if oaks are to be successfully restored, more aggressive management is needed within the next several decades.
"In areas where conifers have encroached into oak woodlands and savannas, about two-thirds of the remaining oaks were predicted to die over a 50-year period unless the conifers are removed," said Peter Gould, a research forester and lead author of the report.
Gould and his colleagues conducted a landscape-level analysis of a portion of Fort Lewis, Washington, that is the site of many of the Puget Sound's last remaining oak communities. Using geographic information system technology, a forest growth model, and landscape visualization software, the researchers simulated the effects of five different management scenarios on the extent and condition of oaks. The scenarios ranged from no management at all to restoration of the historical extent of oak prairies typical of 1853.
"Oaks were predicted to benefit most under the scenarios that included widespread conifer removal in stands where oak was already present," Gould said.
USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station
Gould and his colleagues conducted a landscape-level analysis of a portion of Fort Lewis, Washington, that is the site of many of the Puget Sound's last remaining oak communities. Using geographic information system technology, a forest growth model, and landscape visualization software, the researchers simulated the effects of five different management scenarios on the extent and condition of oaks. The scenarios ranged from no management at all to restoration of the historical extent of oak prairies typical of 1853.
"Oaks were predicted to benefit most under the scenarios that included widespread conifer removal in stands where oak was already present," Gould said.
USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station
Oak Current Events and Oak News RSSNew Instrument Puts New Spin on Superconductors
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory are part of collaborative team that's used a brand new instrument at the DOE's Spallation Neutron Source to probe iron-arsenic compounds, the "hottest" new find in the race to explain and develop superconducting materials.
Spallation Neutron Source sends first neutrons to 'Big Bang' beam line
New analytical tools coming on line at the Spallation Neutron Source, the Department of Energy's state-of-the-art neutron science facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, include a beam line dedicated to nuclear physics studies.
CO2 emissions booming, shifting east, researchers report
Despite widespread concern about climate change, annual carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels and manufacturing cement have grown 38 percent since 1992, from 6.1 billion tons of carbon to 8.5 billion tons in 2007.
IMPACTS: On the Threshold of Abrupt Climate Changes
Abrupt climate change is a potential menace that hasn't received much attention. That's about to change. Through its Climate Change Prediction Program, the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research (OBER) recently launched IMPACTS - Investigation of the Magnitudes and Probabilities of Abrupt Climate Transitions - a program led by William Collins of Berkeley Lab's Earth Sciences Division (ESD) that brings together six national laboratories to attack the problem of abrupt climate change, or ACC.
3-D MRI technique helps radiologists detect high-risk carotid disease
Canadian researchers have used three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (3-D MRI) to accurately detect bleeding within the walls of diseased carotid arteries, a condition that may lead to a stroke.
Trends in prescription medication sharing among reproductive-aged women
Borrowing and sharing of prescription medications is a serious medical and public health concern.
Novel fungus helps beetles to digest hard wood
A little known fungus tucked away in the gut of Asian longhorned beetles helps the insect munch through the hardest of woods according to a team of entomologists and biochemists. Researchers say the discovery could lead to innovative methods of controlling the invasive pest, and potentially offer more efficient ways of breaking down plant biomass for generating biofuels.
Ultrasound used to predict heart attack risk
Repeat exams using widely available and inexpensive ultrasound imaging could help identify patients at high risk for a heart attack or other adverse cardiovascular events, according to a study published in the September issue of the journal Radiology.
Study shows clumps and streams of dark matter in inner regions of the Milky Way
Using one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world to simulate the halo of dark matter that envelopes our galaxy, researchers found dense clumps and streams of the mysterious stuff lurking in the inner regions of the halo, in the same neighborhood as our solar system.
A world-leading UK science project switches on first neutrons
The UK's ISIS Second Target Station Project moved a major step closer to completion today when the first neutrons were created in the ISIS Second Target Station.
More Oak Current Events and Oak News Articles
 | The Oak Inside the Acorn by Max Lucado It was hard for Little Acorn to believe he would ever be a big, strong oak tree. Soon Little Acorn grew into Little Oak. But now what was he to do? He couldn't grow oranges like the orange tree or flowers like the rose bush. He just grew and grew until he became Big Oak, and his branches were big and strong-but still he didn't know what he was to do. Then one day Big Oak found that his strong... |
 | War for the Oaks: A Novel by Emma Bull Acclaimed by critics and readers on its first publication in 1987, winner of the Locus Award for Best First Novel, Emma Bull’s War for the Oaks is one of the novels that has defined modern urban fantasy.Eddi McCandry sings rock and roll. But her boyfriend just dumped her, her band just broke up, and life could hardly be worse. Then, walking home through downtown Minneapolis on a dark night, she... |
 | Sons of the Oak (Runelords) by David Farland Certain works of fantasy are immediately recognizable as monuments, towering above the rest of the category. Authors of those works, such as Stephen R. Donaldson, Robert Jordan and Terry Goodkind, come immediately to mind. Add to that list David Farland, whose epic Runelords series continues now in Sons of the Oak.The story picks up eight years after the events of Lair of Bones and begins a new... |
 | Oak: The Frame of Civilization by William Bryant Logan From ink to sailing ships, a biography of the essential tree. "A dazzling book, full of knowledge and rare wisdom, too."—Thomas Pakenham, author of Remarkable Trees of the WorldProfessional arborist and award-winning nature writer William Bryant Logan deftly relates the delightful history of the reciprocal relationship between humans and oak trees since time immemorial—a profound link that... |
 | Oak Tree by Gordon Morrison As the oak tree blossoms, robins and squirrels begin to build their nests, bees fly in and out of their hive, and the tree comes to life. Not only is the oak a living thing itself, it is also a habitat for other living creatures that depend on it for nesting, food, and shelter. Readers follow the tree and its inhabitants through seasons of flowering, leafing and fruiting, the return to a deep... |
 | The Secret of Laurel Oaks by Lois Ruby When Lila and her family visit Laurel Oaks Plantation in Louisiana, her parents and brother scoff at the claim that the house is haunted. But secretly, Lila suspects there are ghostly presences willing to communicate with her, and her alone. One spirit eager to tell her story is Daphne, a slave girl at Laurel Oaks in the 1840s, who was blamed for the poisoning deaths of two girls and their... |
 | Oaks of California by Bruce M. Pavlik, Pamela Muick, Sharon Johnson Oaks of California, the first book ever devoted to the state's native oaks, celebrates the unique place of these trees in California's natural and cultural heritage. Winner of the 1992 Benjamin Franklin Award for best "Regional" book, this title continues to be the definitive popular guide to California's most emblematic tree... |
 | Oaks of North America by Howard A. Miller, Samuel Lamb This book details the history and uses of oaks in Part I. Part II is Eastern Oaks and Part III is on Western oaks, each with information on growth habitat and... |
 | By Oak, Ash, & Thorn: Modern Celtic Shamanism (Llewellyn's Celtic Wisdom) by D.J. Conway Take one part of the world''s oldest spiritual system (shamanism), mix in one part of one of the world''s most popular spiritual cultures (the Celts), and bring it up to date by blending in modern forms of shamanism. The result is one of the most amazing books you''ll ever use, D. J. Conway''s By Oak, Ash, & Thorn. This book is filled with information that can start you on a lifetime of... |
 | The Oak Apple (Morland Dynasty) by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles In the Morland Dynasty series, the majestic sweep of English history is richly and movingly portrayed through the fictional lives of the Morland family. It is 1630, and when civil war destroys the long years of peace in England, the clash between King and Parliament is echoed at Morland Place. Richard, the heir, brings home a Puritan bride, while his dashing brother Kit joins the Royalist cavalry... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |