Two key challenges emerge when initiating individual-tree growth models for bare ground or very young plantations. Both involve the need for a list of individual trees with known or predicted size and known expansion factor (number of trees per unit of area represented by each tree). In the case of...
In this thesis, we first examine the principle hypotheses behind the improved exotic growth of select timber species, and the evidence for each, with special focus on studies which examine growth between several ranges of a species. We find that literature suggests environmental factors directly tied to net primary production...
Estimating volume gains in genetically improved stands at rotation age is challenging because first-generation progeny tests in Douglas-fir were typically established to measure the relative growth performance of individual trees from open-pollinated parent trees. The overall goal of this dissertation research was to improve growth simulation of genetically improved Douglas-fir...
Nitrogen (N) fertilizer is a commonly applied silvicultural treatment in intensively managed Douglas-fir [Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco] plantations. When attempting to maximize average growth responses through fertilization, landowners experience difficulty prioritizing stands for treatment based on the likely magnitude of response and return on the operational investment. Field trials were...
Wood density is controlled to a large extent by the relative widths of earlywood and latewood in the stem, but the mechanisms controlling these amounts are poorly understood in coastal Douglas-fir. To understand the role of climatic factors, one hundred and thirty-six increment cores were collected and measured from the...
In this study an improved model of biomass and nutrient estimation of coastal Douglas-fir (Psuedotsuga menziesii) in the Pacific Northwest has been developed across a wide range of stand management regimes. This study quantifies and defines the type and intensity of biomass harvest and associated removal for actively managed stands...
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Douglas A. Maguire
In this study an improved model of biomass and nutrient estimation of
Understanding the tradeoff between water use and productivity is critical for modeling growth of intensively managed Douglas-fir forests in the Pacific Northwest. Evapotranspiration is closely linked to carbon dioxide intake during the process of photosynthesis. However, summer drought characterizing the growing season in this region imposes a limit on carbon...
Variable-retention harvesting was proposed to reduce loss of biodiversity and ecosystem processes associated with late-seral Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) forests in the Pacific Northwest. The Demonstration of Ecosystem Management Options experiment was established to test this hypothesis. Analysis presents various challenges to drawing statistical inferences about treatment effects. This dissertation explored...
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Douglas A. Maguire
Variable-retention harvesting was proposed to reduce loss of
The relationship between annual foliage production and nitrogen and water stress was examined in 14 naturally regenerated, mid-rotation ponderosa pine stands in central Oregon. Current-year and older foliage masses, and foliage nitrogen contents and concentration were estimated from 132 destructively sampled trees. Litterfall mass and nitrogen retranslocation rates from senescing...
The silviculture of mixed dipterocarp forests of Peninsular Malaysia can potentially be improved by developing quantitative tools and guidelines for this forest type. This thesis addresses three key objectives; 1) to test the hypothesis that a maximum size-density relationship can be identified in hill dipterocarp forests of Peninsular Malaysia, 2)...
Forest management requires classification of forest stands into groupings or types based on structural similarities, even when structure varies continuously along gradients. Managed, mixed-species, multi-aged forest stands often display complex structures containing extreme variation in trees size, density, and species composition, and as a result have diverse canopy structures. A...
Upper-stem diameter measurements from a levels-of-growing-stock study on Larix occidentalis in the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon were collected over a 25 year period with an optical dendrometer. The following hypotheses were tested with these data: 1) stand density regime has a significant effect on stem form; and 2) crown...
Managing forest ecosystems for sustainable, multiple use requires forest resource managers to understand how species composition and distribution vary across environmental gradients and respond to landscape scale disturbance. A number of statistical modeling tools are available to construct predictive models and maps from response data, a set of predictor variables,...
Plants respond to defoliation in many different and complex ways, depending on their growth habit and form as well as the extent and duration of the defoliation. Tree crowns have been shown to be quite sensitive to disturbances such as defoliation, however quantitative relationships have rarely been developed, making the...
Basal area and height growth were analyzed for individual trees in uneven-aged ponderosa and lodgepole pine stands in central Oregon. Basal area growth was modeled as a function of other stand and tree variables to address five general objectives: 1) to compare the predictive ability of distance-dependent versus distance-independent stand...
The behavior of coniferous trees subjected to wind loading was investigated through a series of experiments and also through simulation modeling. Previous studies that measured the natural oscillation frequencies and damping ratios were reviewed and equations were developed for predicting the natural frequency of a tree from the ratio of...
The objective of this project was to investigate the fate of ponderosa pine regeneration from seed to established seedling, and to determine the relative influences of several important stand elements on those fates. The project was carried out in a series of observational and experimental recruitment studies in central Oregon....
Knowledge of stand structure, stand dynamics, and production ecology of species mixtures lags well behind that of single-species, even-aged stands. Two mixed-species spacing trials in central Oregon allowed investigation of mixed-species dynamics in a controlled experimental setting. The first site, Pringle Butte, is a mixture of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa...
Forest growth models in the Pacific Northwest are predominantly empirical. Predictions of yield under alternative silvicultural regimes cannot rely completely on field trials; yet empirical growth models are often inadequate for extrapolating untested regimes and genotypes. The limitations of current models include (1) long time-steps (e.g. 5-10 years); (2) insufficient...
Forest soils and topography have long been known to influence forest productivity in complex terrain such as Oregon’s Coast Ranges. Incorporating physical site characteristics into predictions of forest growth and yield, however, has been problematic because of the high spatial variability of soil properties and the challenges associated with representing...
Northeastern Oregon geology and climate provides moderately productive conditions for forest management and timber production. Although site preparation and planting are commonly used silvicultural practices, little research exists on the efficacy of specific forest herbicides and responses of seedling survival and growth in this region. This research seeks to improve...
Without the natural occurrence of fire in ponderosa pine forests of the western US, lodgepole pine has started to dominate regeneration in many forest stands and may be gradually replacing ponderosa pine over time. This development, however, conflicts with recent efforts in this region to restore old-aged, open ponderosa pine...
Forest growth and yield models are critical to supporting decision making in forestry, but often lack considerations for wood properties. The feasibility of simulating wood properties in the context of a Douglas-fir individual tree growth and yield model was evaluated. This assessment explored the effect of predicted sapwood width, stem...
The search for the stand density that optimizes growth and hence generates the maximum amount of wood is one of the philosopher’s stone in modern forestry. Since scientific methods were applied to forestry, numerous generations of foresters have studied the relations between stocking density and growth, obtaining diverse results and...
Commercial thinning operations can result in damage to residual stems. A literature review revealed that little was known about the effects of residual logging wounds with regard to rotation-age commercial conifers, particularly Douglas-fir. An experiment to examine fungal colonization of Douglas-fir following logging damage showed that while damage was significant...
Organotin clusters have attracted notable attention for use as inorganic photoresists. This dissertation discerns dimeric and dodecameric organotin clusters, [(n-C₄H₉Sn)(OH)(H₂O)Cl₂]₂ (Sn₂) and [(n-C₄H₉Sn)₁₂O₁₄ (OH)₆ ]+ (Sn₁₂), both of which are stable hydrolysis and condensation products of n-C₄H₉SnCl₃. This work identifies Sn₂ as a superior precursor choice for solution deposition of...
The solution chemistry and kinetic behavior of hafnium peroxy sulfate solutions ("HafSOx") is described in terms of peroxide content and solution speciation. Additionally, thin film behavior, including thermal behavior and solubility, is characterized, and a mechanism of patterning is presented, as well as parameters that should be considered when looking...
Phosphate and peroxide stabilize new oxo-hydroxo niobium clusters in water at low pH. The clusters open a new chapter in aqueous niobium chemistry under acidic conditions. The clusters also produce atomically smooth, amorphous niobium oxide phosphate (NbPOx) thin films. Reaction pathways from cluster solutions to amorphous niobium oxide phosphate solids...
Amorphous metal thin films lack the grain boundaries and dislocations present in
crystalline metal films. As a result, amorphous metal films can be more mechanically robust, atomically smooth, and more resistant to chemical attack than crystalline metals. However, amorphous metals are meta-stable and subject to crystallization upon heating, thus limiting...
The subject of this PhD thesis is part of a research domain of great present interest in new semiconductor materials for photovoltaic and thermoelectric applications. This domain contains the elaboration and the study of both Cu-based chalcogenides bulk and thin-film samples, driven by materials design principles.
One of the most...
HafSOx is a dielectric material that also functions as an insulator. It is able to be spin-coated onto a silicon substrate, creating a thin, amorphous film. It is very dense, which helps lead it to a high dielectric constant, making it ideal for electronic devices through the use of lithography....
Several new solid-state inorganic borates have been prepared and
characterized. Single crystals of the simple orthoborate ScB0₃ were
grown and its structure was determined by single-crystal X-ray
methods. The new borates Li₃Sc(B0₃)₂, LaSc₃(B0₃)₄, NdSc₃(B0₃)₄,
SrNaB0₃, and Li4Ln4MB90₂₃ (Ln = Y, Er, and Gd; M = Al and Ga) were
identified...
A new approach to the discovery of high absorbing semiconductors for solar cells was taken by working under a set of design principles and taking a systemic methodology. Three transition metal chalcogenides at varying states of development were evaluated within this framework. Iron pyrite (FeS₂) is well known to demonstrate...
The primary focus of this work is on examining structure-property relationships of interest for high-power nonlinear optical and laser crystals. An intuitive and simply illustrated method for assessing the nonlinear optical potential of structurally characterized noncentrosymmetric materials is introduced. This method is applied to materials including common quartz and tourmaline...
The emphasis of this work has been in two areas of optical materials - the
crystal-chemical development of new optical frequency converters and the synthesis
and study of new hosts for Cr³⁺ luminescence and lasing.
A simple method has been developed to identify promising frequency-doubling
materials containing triangular oxoanions by...
Several types of solid-state inorganic materials are prepared and characterized. By using the SILAR (Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction) deposition method in conjunction with hydrothermal dehydration both low-temperature deposition and crystallization of oxide thin films are achieved. Various aspects of new transparent p-type materials are studied by examining both...
The use of an adjacency matrix to determine distant (not maximal or
minimal) subgroup and supergroup relationships between crystallographic spacegroup
types is described. Full lists of space-group types that are supergroups and
subgroups for every space-group type were compiled. A list of the space-group
types connected to each space-group type...
The materials Fe₂(Si,Ge)(S,Se)₄, Cu₃PS[subscript 4-x]Se[subscript x] (0 ≤ x ≤ 4), and Cu₃PxAs[subscript 1-x]S₄ (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) have been synthesized and studied as new earth-abundant absorbers for single and multijunction photovoltaic cells as well as solar fuel generation. The synthesis, single-crystal growth, and optical and electrical properties of...
An inorganic aqueous precursor for the deposition of ZrO2 thin films via spincoating
was developed. Hydrolysis and condensation chemistries of
ZrOCl₂·8H₂O were used as the principal reactions to guide the synthesis.
Refractive index, n, for a film annealed at 300 °C at 550 nm was measured to
be n=1.97 by...
The chemistry of hafnium oxide based and materials are described in the context of ion exchange and lithography. HafSOx, represented by the composition HfO₂₋[subscript x](SO₄)x, is described to possess a significant capacity towards ion exchange in acidic and basic solutions, enabling films of HafSOx to be cleanly and readily be...
New transparent p- and n-type semiconductors and luminescent materials have been prepared and characterized. Synthesis, structures, optical and electrical properties of new chalcogenide fluoride p-type transparent semiconductors MCuQF (M=Ba, Sr; Q=S, Se, Te) are described. Band-gap tuning and improvement in conductivity through p-type doping are demonstrated in the family. The...
The aqueous chemistries of two transition metal cations, Zr⁴⁺ and Nb⁵⁺, are examined and then used to develop inorganic precursor solutions. The oxides of these cations (ZrO₂ and Nb₂O₅) are deposited and characterized, and their morphological and optical properties discussed. Due to the obstacles created by niobium's aqueous chemistry, an...
Crystals of an incongruent-melting compound, Ba₃MgSi₂O₈, were grown by the flux method and its structure was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction methods. Ba₃MgSi₂O₈ crystallizes in trigonal space group P-3[bar]m1 with a = 5.6123(3) Å, c = 7.2667(9) Å and Z = 1. Eu²⁺ ions prefer one crystallographic Ba site...
This dissertation outlines two approaches for improving the efficiency and reducing the cost of photovoltaic energy generation. First, the structures of known binary copper and iron compounds are used to choose the promising compositions Fe₂XS₄ (X = Si, Ge), Cu₃TaQ₄ (Q = Se, Te), and BaCuQ'F (Q' = S, Se,...
The variegated aqueous chemistries of metal cations are applied to the design and synthesis of non-toxic solution precursors suitable for additive printing of large-area oxide electronics. Polycondensation behaviors of aqueous Al+3 and PO4 +3 are manipulated in the deposition of atomically smooth amorphous aluminum oxide phosphate (AlPO) dielectric films. AlPO...
Solid state luminescent sulfides are prepared as powders in order to elucidate the relationship between structure and light emission. While the sulfides studied in this dissertation are known phosphors, materials are investigated in a variety of new ways. Elementary properties and structures of MgS are reviewed, and preparation of MgS...
The Gd3+ ion has been used to induce quantum splitting in luminescent
materials by using cross-relaxation energy transfer (CRET). In Nd:LiGdF4, quantum
splitting results from a two-step CRET between Gd3+ and Nd3+, first involving a
transition 6G→6I on Gd3+ and an excitation within the 4f3 configuration of Nd3+
followed by...
The general emphasis of this work has been synthesis, characterization, and applications of n- and p-type inorganic oxide thin films that are deposited from solutions. In particular, a study of n-type transparent semiconductor films of tin (IV) oxide and zinc-doped tin (IV) oxide has been performed by spin coating. Solution...
Human alterations of landscapes take many forms, one of which is anthropogenic pollution. Mercury (Hg) is a complex contaminant because its uptake into the food web is not driven entirely by loading to the system; methylation is necessary to make Hg bioavailable and toxic to fish and wildlife. Because methylation...
Oxo-hydroxo Group 5 metal clusters are an untapped resource to study and advance aqueous solution processing of metal oxide thin films. The tetramethylammonium (TMA) hexatantalate salt (TMA6[H2Ta6O19]) yields dense Ta2O5 films (~95% of the bulk ß-Ta2O5 density) with atomically smooth surfaces (<4 Å root mean square surface roughness). This same...
From 1996 through 1998 I collected mature female black rockfish off Oregon and examined ovaries and otoliths to estimate weekly, age-specific larval production. In all reproductive seasons, older black rockfish extruded larvae earlier in the season, followed by progressively younger fish. Each year, beginning in May, I collected young-of-the-year (YOY)...
Current studies suggest that perfluorinated organic compounds, such as fluorotelomer alcohols (FtOHs) in the troposphere, may be precursors of perfluorocarboxylic acids and perfluorosulfonates in remote regions. Fluorinated organic compounds were investigated in archived extracts collected from remote locations in Okinawa, Japan (HSO) and Mount Bachelor, Oregon (MBO) during the springs...