Transformation is a major bottleneck for genetic engineering and gene editing in forest tree species. This includes most genotypes of Populus and Eucalyptus, which are some of the world’s most widely-cultivated genera of plantation forest trees. To provide new tools for transformation, I tested the transcription factor-protein chimera consisting of...
The practice of modern silviculture on U.S. public lands has been stymied by a legacy of litigation and policy changes since the late 20th century. Forestry in the 1980s was focused on physical science strategies and failed to consider the social complexities of multi-use forest management. Emblematic of the challenges...
Floodplains are a significant and increasingly threatened ecosystem. As restoration projects are implemented more frequently in degraded floodplains, novel methods are emerging with a focus on restoring critical processes in which vegetation plays a key role. The purpose of this paper is two-fold: 1) to develop expectations for vegetation response,...
The majority of households in the U.S., Great Britain, and Australia feed wild birds, and 53 million people in the U.S. spent more than $5 billion on bird food and feeding accessories in 2016. Given the massive scale over which it occurs, purposeful feeding of wild birds has the potential...
Mohonk Preserve intends to manage their forestland more actively with the mission of promoting forest health, climate-adaptation, and overall ecosystem health for the benefit of their community and recreational users. Climate-adaptive management recommendations (recommendations that address climate change vulnerabilities —by promoting either resistance, resilience, or transition— while helping to meet...
Long-standing research has highlighted the critical role of physical and outdoor activities for children’s health and wellbeing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, children and youth around the world experienced heightened stress and poor mental health, which coincided with a decrease in active play and increase in screen-based activities. This work aims...
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is one of the strongest pieces of legislation enacted for the protection of imperiled species in the United States but has often spurred controversy among resource users for its emphasis on species protection and recovery above all other resource uses. In recent years, the Section...
Climate change represents an increasing threat to northeastern temperate forests. Nearly all forest communities have been affected by climate change and require climate-adaptation management (Jandl et al. 2018). Climate-adaptation management (CAM) promotes the viability of forested systems and the ecosystem services they provide under current and future climatic conditions (Bolte...
Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) have an extensive history of harvest in the United States. The Pacific Northwest is well-reputed as a major source of floral greens for international markets. One NTFP in particular, beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax), has been repeatedly identified as a prominent, high-value species in the floral greens industry...
Mountain pine beetles (MPB) have killed millions of acres of forest throughout the Rocky Mountain ecoregion in the United States and Canada and climate change may be intensifying outbreaks. Climate change can change forest ecosystems and dynamics by increasing drought conditions and intensifying heat waves. Due to changing climate conditions,...