and University of Washington researcher Susan Dickerson-Lange pokes her index finger into the damp soil beneath a canopy of second-growth conifers.
Alternatively open clear gaps in the forests tend to keep snow on the ground longer into the spring and summer.
and stay more intact in open meadows or gaps in a forest. This happens in part
because trees in warmer maritime forests radiate heat in the form of long-wave radiation to a greater degree than the sky does.
if you open up some gaps in the forest Lundquist said. The hope is that this paper gives us more of a global framework for how we manage our forests to conserve snowpack.
For the study Lundquist examined relevant published research the world over that listed paired snow measurements in neighboring forested and open areas;
and implements forest restoration projects in the Cedar River Watershed. Reservoirs in the western Cascades hold approximately a year's supply of water.
so watershed managers care about how forest changes due to management decisions or natural disturbances may impact that melting timetable.
and a large swath of dense second-growth trees grows there now. Watershed managers have tried thinning and cutting gaps in parts of the forest to encourage more tree
and plant diversity--that then leads to more diverse animal habitat--offering the UW a variety of sites to monitor.
With climate change a cold forest now might behave more like a warm forest 100 years from now.
This tells us that 150 million years ago the ancient forests of western North america consisted of members of these three families.
and can be found mainly in pine at night hidden away in pine forests crawling on rocks or sitting on stone garden walls.
and are environmental indicators of healthy forests. The peccaries are vulnerable to human activities such as deforestation
We hope to partner with local landowners to protect these cave sites as well as the forests that surround them
Historically mental health care has operated separately from general medical practices where collaborations exist to strongly encourage smoking cessation in typical patient populations said Jill M. Williams MD professor of psychiatry at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical school.
The above story is provided based on materials by Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical school. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
#Carbon storage recovers faster than plant biodiversity in regrowing tropical forestsa new study of regrowing tropical forests has concluded that plant biodiversity takes longer to recover than carbon storage following major disturbances such as clearance for farming.
since there are now many regrowing forests in South and Central america. The new study is the first large-scale analysis of the recovery of both plant biodiversity
and carbon pools in regrowing forests. Over half of all tropical forests have already been converted for agriculture logged
or burnt in the recent past. Regrowing forests could help both to soak up carbon emissions produced by human activities
and to reduce species extinctions. The scientists from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and Bournemouth University concluded that
although carbon recovered most quickly even after 80 years regrowing forests tended to have less carbon than old-growth forests.
This is probably because these forests are often dominated by small fast growing trees. It may take centuries for larger trees
In contrast although the number of tree species recovered relatively rapidly many species characteristic of old-growth forests were rare in regrowing forests.
Lead author Phil Martin a Phd student at the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology said#oewe think plant species normally found in old-growth forests are failing to colonise regrowing forests
These recovering forests are often far from old-growth forests and surrounded by farmland. This means forest animals cannot move seeds between the two forests.#
#Phil Martin added#oewe suggest that when conservationists aim to restore tropical forests they should help dispersal of seeds from undisturbed to regrowing areas by planting trees throughout the wider landscape.#
#In the study the researchers point out that these results show that forests that are regrowing following agricultural use may be more valuable for the carbon they store than for their biodiversity for the first 100 years.
Policies such as Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) often assume that carbon and biodiversity are interchangeable.
& Hydrology said#oeour results clearly indicate that preservation of old-growth forests is vital for the conservation of specialist species
. While the re-growth of forests following clearance is valuable in soaking up carbon the biodiversity benefits will take a very long time to emerge.#
The water-stressed tropical forest trees support the production of more honeydew a sugary excretion imbibed by the Azteca ants that nest in the laurels'stem cavities.
and Azteca ants (Azteca pittieri) Pringle and her colleagues studied the interaction at 26 sites in seasonally dry tropical forests along the Pacific coast of southern Mexico and Central America.
This'early bird'strategy was revealed by a team studying the winter foraging behaviour of birds in Wytham Woods near Oxford (UK).
By moving 36 of these feeders around the forest throughout the day and recording the results the team showed that birds gathered information about new food sources during the morning
'The team knew from previous studies at Wytham Woods that when the predation risk appears high birds delay putting on fat until late in the day.
and grasslands tropical forests are cleared for pastures steppes become cropland. The reasons are complex the impacts are immense:
many areas in these regions are classified as'degraded forest/cropland systems in the tropics'characterized by extremely high soil erosion.
But more images of this animal have been captured than ever before together with evidence of four other wild cat species in a heavily logged area of forest where they were expected not to thrive.
This is only one of four forest areas in all of Borneo--the third largest island in the world
Camera traps on the other hand sit silently in the forest often working for months on end come rain or shine.
All five cat species mentioned are charismatic and important components of the forest ecosystems and predators of a wide range of other animals.
Dr Robert Ewers from the Department of Life sciences at Imperial College London leads the SAFE tropical forest conservation project in Borneo where the bay cats were seen.
We were surprised completely to see so many bay cats at these sites in Borneo where natural forests have been logged so heavily for the timber trade.
Conservationists used to assume that very few wild animals can live in logged forest but we now know this land can be home for many endangered species. Our study today shows solid evidence that even large carnivores such as these magnificent bay cats can survive in commercially logged forests Dr Ewers added.
ZSL and Imperial College London conservationists will continue to study the effects of logging on wildlife populations looking more broadly than just the highly charismatic cats towards other mammal species both large and small.
and assess whether saving patches of forest within such areas might be a viable option for saving Borneo's mammals.
and around the freshwater pools in the forests that covered the Riversleigh area millions of years ago said Dr. Suzanne Hand of the University of New south wales a co-author of the study.
Professor Abbott and his team at the Department of chemistry at the University of Leicester have developed a new wood-based product similar to MDF that uses a resin based on starch from completely natural sources including potatoes.
MDF is made by breaking down bits of wood into wood fibres which are then pressurised and stuck together with resin and wax.
Part of the problem according to researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical center is that medical schools don't include meditation and stress-reduction training in their curriculum.
However for the past three years all third-year students at Wake Forest Baptist have been provided guided relaxation and mindfulness meditation training known as Applied Relaxation and Applied Mindfulness (ARAM) thanks to a grant
D. associate professor of family and community medicine at Wake Forest Baptist and lead author of the paper.
The goal of the Wake Forest Baptist training was threefold: to help familiarize future doctors with techniques recommended in many medical treatment plans for patients;
The above story is provided based on materials by Wake Forest Baptist Medical center. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length h
Since warmer winters can be expected as the climate changes the spring development phase for typical forest trees might start later
Advantage for shrubs and new tree speciesthere may be consequences for the forest ecosystem. After mild winters the native species run a higher risk of developing their leaves too late.
In that case more daylight reaches the forest floor and that benefits lower-growing shrubs and invasive tree species. They sprout earlier to the detriment of native species:
The native tree species in our forests have limited only a ability to adapt themselves to climate change.
The twigs came from the Weltwald or World Forest near Freising in which Bavarian state foresters have planted stands of trees from different climate regions.
The cold effect showed most strongly with the beeches the hornbeams and the North american sugar maple.
and carbon atoms in the wood to detect fog and rainfall in previous seasons. This is really the first time that climate reconstruction has ever been said done with redwoods Jim Johnstone who recently completed a postdoctoral position at the UW-based Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and the Ocean.
It uses the molecules captured in the wood to sample the atmosphere of the past.
By looking at the proportion of O-16 and O-18 in the wood from each season the team was able to measure the contribution of fog and rain.
Sea otters protect kelp forests by eating sea urchins. These are what ecologists call keystone species: critters that control an ecosystem and have a disproportionate impact on other species. And in the forests of New england
what are the keystone species? Put earthworms on the list. Kudzu vines grow madly covering power lines.
And in the forests of New england what are the invasive species? Put earthworms on that list too.
None of the earthworms in New england's forests are native. There are sixteen earthworm species reported in Vermont
Also a professor at UVM Ross a soil chemist wants to better understand the effects of all these earthworms on the soils of New england's Northern Forest.
He and Gorres know the worms are upsetting forest ecosystems --and they also think the worms have a role to play in global climate change.
Earthworm excretawhich is why on a gentle hillside in the town forest of Hinesburg Vt.
Each tree as it grows sucks in carbon dioxide from the air converting some of it into leaves and wood.
In other words a forest stores carbon from the atmosphere that would otherwise contribute to the greenhouse effect--and global warming.
In a forest like this without worms there would first be a duff layer which is a spongy bouncy layer above the deeper mineral soils
But in a New england forest they're not so benign since in breaking down that organic matter they redistribute carbon throughout the soil changing the basic layering of forest floors
--and the tree and understory species that depend on this system. A lot of plants that use the duff layer as a germination medium or a seed bank will no longer be around says Gorres.
The worms also release carbon dioxide as they eat adding to the forest's carbon emissions.
and change in the forest floor says Don Ross holding up three different species on his hand.
and exploring eighteen forest plots across Vermont--aims to answer that question. Earthworms create these stable aggregate structures says Knowles who is doing a lot of the digging
Land use historyrecent studies in the Northern Forest have shown that land use changes--like agricultural abandonment or intensive tree harvesting--can dramatically change the amount of carbon stored in that land's soils.
Much of the Northern Forest that was tilled previously farmland is currently gaining stored carbon. But what was the soil carbon like before European settlement?
In any case both Cogbill and Don Ross say land use history had a huge effect on the current status of the forest
Many of the forests here developed in the presence of earthworms when ag land was abandoned Gorres says.
That is likely to be quite different than a forest that has regenerated from a stand that was harvested timber
and there is a complete forest floor and no earthworms. Why is that? Nobody has really been able to answer that.
When we're trying to set up policies about how to increase sequestration of carbon from the air says Sandy Wilmot a forest scientist with the State of Vermont
For example differing forestry techniques clearly affect aboveground carbon storage and are likely to also influence belowground carbon too.
or even removed from some forest carbon protocols says Cecilia Danks a social scientist at UVM.
You don't get credit in the market right now--for the most part--for forest soil carbon. This research effort aims to move toward a better accounting of carbon in the Northern Forest and perhaps Danks hopes the chance for New england forestland owners to get a return on the carbon stored below their feet even carbon passing through the bowel
of an invasive earthworm. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by University of Vermont.
It is marketed by Ironwood and Forest Laboratories Inc as Linzess in the US and by Ironwood and Almirall SA as Constella in Europe.
rivals that of professional forestersas global forest and climate experts gather at the Oslo REDD Exchange 2013 to ramp up international efforts to protect carbon-storing forests in the developing world a recent study
by researchers at the Nairobi-based World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and European and Southeast Asian institutions finds that local communities--using simple tools like ropes
and sticks--can produce forest carbon data on par with results by professional foresters using high-tech devices.
and Forest Degradation) projects which pivot on the accurate measurement of carbon trapped in forests do not engage communities in this data gathering
Saving the world's forests requires us to close the massive gulf between international promises
and was based on a study conducted in Southeast asia's most complex carbon-rich forests: lowland forest in Indonesia mountain rain forest in China and monsoon forest in Laos and Vietnam.
It was published in a special issue of the journal Ecology and Society. The study is part of the EU-funded project Impacts of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation
and Forest Degradation and Enhancing Carbon Stocks (I-REDD+).+To determine if communities can provide accurate monitoring of aboveground forest-carbon stocks researchers trained community members in simple measuring tactics
and sent them to 289 preselected forest plots to measure the number of trees tree girth and biomass per hectare.
Researchers then compared their measurements to those gathered by professional foresters using handheld computers. The results showed strikingly similar results between community members and professional foresters across countries and forest types.
This corroborates a small but growing body of research suggesting that when armed with the simplest of techniques
and equipment community members with limited education can accurately monitor forest biomass--previously thought to be the domain of highly-trained professionals.
Community forest monitoring is also cheaper in the long run. Researchers compared costs per plot finding that while professional monitoring can be less expensive in the short-term--US$22-$53 as opposed to US$39-$82 for community-led efforts--modest investments in training could over time make community-led monitoring a cheaper alternative.
and are ensured continued access to the forests they rely on for their incomes. Despite agreement among all parties that REDD+must include local communities local engagement is lagging said the study's authors.
foresters who train local people are simply not aware of low-tech methods and their accuracy.
and better training in simple standardized monitoring methods that can be deployed across the world's forest nations.
The roadblocks are said ultimately surmountable Peter Minang a scientist at ICRAF and an expert on community forestry in developing countries.
and that the average annual rate of forest loss has tripled since the Great Recession of 2008.
It uses algorithms to detect changes to the forest in areas as small as 10 square meters about 100 square feet allowing scientists to find small-scale disturbances that cannot be detected by traditional satellite methods.
This level of detail was used to assess how well CLASLITE determined forest conditions in the mining areas.
In all we found that the rate of forest loss from gold mining accelerated from 5350 acres (2166 hectares) per year before 2008 to15180 acres (6145 hectares) each year after the 2008 global financial crisis that rocketed gold prices.
In addition to wreaking direct havoc on tropical forests gold mining releases sediment into rivers with severe effects on aquatic life.
Nobody should buy one gram of this jungle gold. The mining must be stopped. As of 2012 small illicit mines accounted for more than half of all mining operations in the region.
but are taking on a subordinate role to thousands of small mines in degrading the tropical forest throughout the region.
This trend highlights the importance of using this newer high-resolution monitoring system for keeping tabs on this growing cause of forest loss.
The gold rush in Madre de dios Perã exceeds the combined effects of all other causes of forest loss in the region including from logging ranching and agriculture.
In the October 28 2013 online issue of Global Change Biology Robert Warren assistant professor of biology at SUNY Buffalo State and co-author Mark A. Bradford assistant professor in the Yale School of Forestry
Native to Africa and so far found only in miombo woodlands the new species P. zanjensis is specialized potentially to this habitat.
Miombo is the Swahili word for the Brachystegia genus of trees which are an important tree species within miombo woodlands.
#A functional forest ecosystem is more than just treesin 2011 the University of Jyvã¤skylã¤held an academic conference on the ecological restoration of forests.
The researchers discussed the state of forests and how the situation of endangered forest species could be improved by restoring natural forest functions
and structures that have disappeared from forests. This kind of activity is called ecological restoration. For example the European union has committed politically to restore 15 per cent of weakened habitats by 2020 if necessary.
In the publication the researchers suggest that to successful ecological restoration should be planned and implemented at the landscape level.
For example the prevention of climate change the collection of wood for bioenergy and conflicting financial interests complicate the optimal use of ecological restoration.
The main message of the researchers is that a functioning forest ecosystem is much more than just trees.
A natural forest ecosystem consists of a huge amount of different species and functions. For example species dependent on old trees decayed wood
or burned wood have disappeared in many areas says researcher Panu Halme from the Department of Biological and Environmental science at the University of Jyvã¤skylã¤.
ramo grasslands and especially the adjoining dense cloud forests in steep remote regions where the bears are seen rarely.
and habitats from lowland tropical forests of the Amazon to snowcapped peaks of the high Andes.
Foundation the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and Cleveland Zoological Society the Andean Bear Conservation Alliance Woodland Park Zoo and other generous
and more fragmented forests resulting from ongoing human-caused deforestation could eventually convert much of southern Amazonia from rainforest to savanna.
#Economic assessment of mountain pine beetle timber salvagea recently published study by U s. Forest Service researchers evaluates potential revenues from harvesting standing timber killed by mountain pine beetle in the western
while positive net revenues could be produced in West Coast and Northern Rockies states with active timber markets the central Rocky mountain states of Colorado Utah and Wyoming
--which have the largest volume of standing dead timber--would not generate positive net revenues by salvaging beetle-killed timber.
A mountain pine beetle epidemic in the western United states has covered left mountainsides with dead pines especially lodgepole pine with most of the timber
and land affected on national forests. Policymakers and forest managers are considering increasing timber salvage rates on these lands as a way to address potential wildfire threat hazards from falling trees
and visual impact but first need to assess the broader economic ramifications of putting more timber on the market in areas where mills have closed
and markets have waned over the two last decades. Research Forester Jeff Prestemon and fellow scientists with the Forest Service Southern Research Station Forest Economics and Policy unit and with the Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment
Center were asked to evaluate the circumstances under which salvaging pine beetle-killed timber would be cost-effective.
The researchers used an economic assessment model to estimate potential salvage volumes costs and revenues from programs that would encourage salvage of standing dead timber summarizing findings by state and owner groups.
We carried out a set of multiyear simulations to produce an assessment of the net revenue impacts of salvage on national forests
and other public and private lands in the 12 contiguous western U s. states says Prestemon.
In short our results show that places where timber product markets are strong are likely to have profitable salvage
while places where product markets are weak would need sizable public expenditures to achieve appreciable reductions in the amount of dead standing timber says Prestemon.
The above story is provided based on materials by USDA Forest Service#Southern Research Station. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
In the latest research Carter and his colleagues showed that in areas near the national park border where local people were permitted to harvest some of the natural resources they needed such as timber and grass the amount of tigers'preferred type of habitat increased.
Residents depend on the forest for wood as fuel and building material and rely on local grasses to thatch roofs
Recognizing the potential for resource conflicts in 1996 the Nepalese government added a buffer zone next to the park where people have more access to the forest's resources
They also used satellite imagery to develop detailed maps of the local land cover including forests grasslands and bare ground.
which flow unbroken into nearby swaths of forest or grassy cover. That's probably because the grasslands and water attract animals for tigers to prey on the grasses conceal them
Policies in Chitwan's buffer zone such as prohibiting livestock from freely grazing in the forests and community-based forest management improved habitat quality.
Those residents depend on the same forests for wood for fuel and building and grasses to thatch roofs
In the buffer zone people are allowed both more access to the forest's resources and more say in its management.
Policies in Chitwan's buffer zone such as prohibiting livestock from freely grazing in the forests and community-based forest management improved habitat quality.
When combined with information about the condition of forests and grasslands it allowed Carter to see where tigers were hanging out and insight into why.
That's information conservation managers can use to fine tune policy as they work to balance their efforts to protect biodiversity with ways to also allow the people that depend on the forest for survival to thrive.
Now however over 100 experts have contributed data from 1170 forestry surveys in all major forest types in the Amazon to generate the first basin-wide estimates of the abundance frequency and spatial distribution of thousands of Amazonian trees.
or forest type such as swamps or upland forests. The study also offers insights into the rarest tree species in the Amazon.
Ecologist Miles Silman of Wake Forest University another co-author of the paper calls the phenomenon dark biodiversity.
The bowel disease necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the second most common cause of death among premature infants said Mark Underwood lead study author neonatologist and professor in the Department of Pediatrics at UC Davis Children
Underwood and his collaborators evaluated the effectiveness and safety of two types of probiotics of known purity and composition in a clinical trial that included nine breastmilk-and 12 formula-fed premature infants in the Neonatal Intensive care unit (NICU) at UC
and received the B. infantis probiotic Underwood said. No side effects were identified from administration of the two probiotic strains Underwood said.
One of the breastmilk-fed infants treated with B. lactis developed NEC early in the trial Underwood said indicating that B. lactis may not be as effective as B. infantis in protecting against NEC though the study was designed not to answer that question.
Because earlier research conducted in Europe Japan and Australia has demonstrated the potential benefits of probiotic therapy in preventing NEC many NICUS in the United states treat premature infants with the supplements said Underwood.
Probiotic therapy is not however the standard of care for premature infants in the United states. The American Academy of Pediatrics has established not a policy about using the products in newborns
B. lactis colonization was sustained not in the infants Underwood said. The highest total numbers and percentages of bifidobacteria were found after two weeks of B. infantis treatment in the breast milk-fed babies said Underwood.
In addition during the one week break in the phase of the study that involved the breast milk-fed infants the relative abundance of bifidobacteria was significantly greater for those treated with B. infantis.
and composition Underwood said. Specimens were obtained from the stool of the formula-fed infants at baseline the beginning of the study and then weekly for five weeks.
Underwood is submitting an application for a new investigational drug to the FDA for a multi-centered second phase clinical trial to evaluate the safety
and funded by the National institutes of health Underwood and his colleagues will conduct a larger trial. Story Source:
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