Impacts of Disturbances and Climate on Carbon Sequestration and Biofuels

Research Issue

Currently, U.S. forests and forest products offset about 20% of the nation’s fossil fuel emissions. However, recent findings cast doubt on the sustainability of this offset. First, the strength of the U.S. forest carbon offset may be weakening due to forest ageing, climate variability, and increasing natural disturbances. Second, climate change is expected to further increase frequencies of insect outbreaks and wildfire, and alter species composition in forest ecosystems, consequently influencing forest carbon pools in a significant way.  These current and projected forest carbon cycle dynamics need to be considered in strategic forest planning and management decisions in coming decades if the nation’s forests are to provide stable or even increasing ecosystem services.

Our Research

We will provide high resolution continental maps of annually estimated forestland-atmosphere carbon exchange and other variables (i.e. biofuel product), and use a disturbance-driven ecosystem process model combined with age-climate related growth and mortality equations to project changes in carbon stocks under scenarios of future climate and disturbances. Data from FIA and ecosystem studies will be used to develop a forest age map and a net primary production (NPP) map of 2006 as “knowledge” to validate model simulations using historical climate, disturbances and atmospheric data. Through this work, we will take advantage of the combined power of FIA data and process knowledge from ecosystem studies, to achieve better accuracy and detection of carbon changes and causes of changes in the US forests, and provide the best available knowledge for managing forest C at regional and national scales.  

Expected Outcomes

The U.S. urgently needs a comprehensive forest management strategy that is based on the best available knowledge to sustain or increase forest benefits including the offset to fossil fuel emissions. The Chief of the Forest Service has called for a national effort to increase carbon sequestration, increase use of biofuels, and address threats to U.S. forests.  This research develops the scientific basis for evaluating the effects of climate change and disturbances on the forest carbon cycle, and provides basic information for analysis of tactical management alternatives at the scale of National Forests or States.

Research Results

We will provide the following specific data and products including: 1) the continental forest age and disturbance maps to characterize forest disturbance and regrowth effects; 2) age-climate related growth and mortality equations of major forest types within eco-regions; 3) inventory-based reference map of NPP served to constrain model predictions and as the “start point” for assessing future forest carbon changes, and 4) a unique disturbance-driven ecosystem process model, statistically parameterized by FIA data.

Zhang, F; Chen, JM; Pan, Y; Birdsey, RA; Shen, S; Ju, W; Dugan, AJ. 2015. Impacts of inadequate historical disturbance data in the early 20th century on modeling recent carbon dynamics (1951-2010) in conterminous US forests. JGR-Biogeosciences 120(3): 549-569. 

Birdsey, R; Pan, Y; Janowiak, M; Stewart, S; Hines, S; Parker, L; Gower, S; Lichstein, J; McCullough, K; Zhang, F; Chen, J; Mladenoff, D; Wayson, C; Swanston, C. 2014. Past and prospective carbon stocks in forests of northern Wisconsin: a report from the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest Climate Change Response Framework. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-127. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 52 p. 

Deng, F.; Chen, J.M.; Pan, Y.; Peters, W.; Birdsey, R.; McCullough, K.; Xiao, J. 2013. The use of forest stand age information in an atmospheric CO2 inversion applied to North America. Biogeosciences. 10(8): 5335-5348.

Dilling, L; Birdsey, R; Pan, Y. 2013. Opportunities and challenges for carbon management on U.S. public lands. Chapter 18. In: Brown DG, Robinson DT, French NHF, Reed BC (eds). Land use and the Carbon Cycle: Advance in Integrated Science, management, and Policy. Cambridge University Press, New York, p455-454. 

He, L; Chen, JM; Pan, Y; Birdsey, R; Kattge, J. 2012. Relationships between net primary productivity and forest stand age in U.S. forests. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 26: GB3009, doi:10.1029.

Zhang, F; Chen, JM; Pan, Y; Birdsey, RA; Shen, S; Ju, W; He, L. 2012. Attributing carbon changes in conterminous U.S. forests to disturbance and non-disturbance factors from 1901 to 2010. J. Geophysical Research 117: G02021, doi:10.1029.

Pan, Y; Chen, JM; Birdsey, R; McCullough, K; He, L; Deng, F. 2011. Age structure and disturbance legacy of North American forests. Biogeosciences 8:715-732. 

He, L; Chen, JM; Zhang, S; Gomez, G; Pan, Y; McCullough, K; Birdsey, R. 2011. Normalized algorithm for mapping and dating forest disturbances and regrowth for the United States. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation 13:236-245 

Pan, Y; Birdsey, R; Chen, J; McCullough, K. 2008. Forest Carbon Change of the United States in Response to Impact of Disturbances, Succession, Climate Variability and Atmospheric Chemistry. In: Proceedings of the International Conference of IUFRO-8.01.02 Landscape Ecology, p.136-137

Smith, Pete; Nabuurs, Gert-Jan; Janssens, Ivan A.; Reis, Stefan; Marland, Gregg; Soussana, Jean-François; Christensen, Torben R.; Heath, Linda; Apps, Mike; Alexeyev, Vlady; Fang, Jingyun; Gattuso, Jean-Pierre; Guerschman, Juan Pablo; Huang, Yao; Jobbagy, Esteban; Murdiyarso, Daniel; Ni, Jian; Nobre, Antonio; Peng, Changhui; Walcroft, Adrian; Wang, Shao Qiang; Pan, Yude; Zhou, Guang Sheng. 2008. Sectoral approaches to improve regional carbon budgets Climate Change 88: 209-249.

Pan Y, Birdsey R, Hom J, McCullough K. 2007. Modeling complex effects of multiple environmental stresses on carbon dynamics of Mid-Atlantic temperate forests. Book of Abstracts The U.S. North American Carbon Program (NACP) Investigators, p58-59. NACP All Scientists Meeting, January 22-24, Colorado Springs, CO.

Research Participants

Principal Investigators

• Yude Pan, Research Forester, US Forest Service Northern Research Station
• Richard Birdsey, Program Manager, US Forest Service Northern Research Station

Research Partners

• Jing Chen, University of Toronto

For further details log on website :
https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/disturbance/climate_change/disturbance_carbon_biofuels/

National Assessments of Urban Forests

Research Issue

To improve urban forest planning, management and policies at the local to national scale, information is needed on the extent of the urban forest resource, how it varies across the nation and how it is changing. This research combines top-down satellite analysis and national urban map data with local field data to help understand the magnitude and composition of this important resource, how urbanization is expanding, and factors that will lead to changes in tree species health and distribution in the future.  This information will lead to better regional and national policies and budgeting to improve environmental quality and sustain tree health in urban and urbanizing regions.

Our Research

Our research unit focuses on utilizing satellite or aerial-based technologies to assess urban tree cover distribution at the city to national scale. In conjunction with the aerial cover data, research investigates the best means to field sample urban areas to determine vital statistics such species composition and health, species diversity, and size-class distribution. These data are combined to produces estimates of urban forests composition and health, and associated ecosystem services at the local to nation scale. Long-term monitoring data are used to assess how the urban forest resource is changing, reasons for the changes, and likely changes in the future. National monitoring and assessments are part of the Resources Planning Act (RPA) Assessment program and the Forest Inventory and Analysis, and Forest Health Monitoring programs of the Forest Service. National urban forest field data collection is being pilot tested in various states across the United States as part of the Urban Forest Health Monitoring Program. Urban tree cover and ecosystem services at the national scale are being developed as part of the RPA program with the 2nd national urban forest assessment nearing completion. 

Expected Outcomes

These national data are being used to assess the risk of various invasive pests in urban areas and develop strategies to sustain ecosystem benefits and urban tree cover for future generations.

Research Results

Links to the abstracts of select published articles: 

• National Urban Forest Assessment (Journal of Forestry, 2001) 
• Asian longhorned beetle assessment (Journal of Economic Entomology, 2001)
• National Urban Forest Carbon Assessment(Environmental Pollution, 2002)
• National Urban Forest Compensatory Value (Journal of Arboriculture, 2002)
• The Increasing Influence of Urban Environments on U.S. Forest Management (Journal of Forestry, 2005)
• Air Pollution Removal by Urban Trees and Shrubs in the United States (Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 2006)
• Oxygen production by urban trees in the United States (Arboriculture and Urban Forestry 2007)
• Assessing Urban Forest Canopy Cover Using Airborne or Satellite Imagery (Arboriculture and Urban Forestry, 2008)
• Urban Forest Health Monitoring: Large-Scale Assessments in the United States (Arboriculture and Urban Forestry, 2008)

References

Buckelew Cumming, A., D.B. Twardus, D.J. Nowak. 2008. Urban Forest Health Monitoring:Large- Scale Assessments in the United States. Arboriculture and Urban Forestry. 34(6):341-346. 

Walton, J.T., D.J. Nowak, E.J. Greenfield. 2008. Assessing Urban Forest Canopy Cover Using Airborne or Satellite Imagery. Arboriculture and Urban Forestry. 34(6):334-340.

Buckelew Cumming, A., D.J. Nowak, D.B. Twardus, R. Hoehn, M. Mielke, and R. Rideout. 2007. Urban Forests of Wisconsin 2002: Pilot Monitoring Project 2002. USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry Report, NA-FR-05-07.  33 p. 

Nowak, D.J., A. Buckelew Cumming, D. Twardus, R. Hoehn, M. Mielke. 2007. National Forest Health Monitoring Program, Monitoring Urban Forests in Indiana: Pilot Study 2002, Part 2: Statewide Estimates Using the UFORE Model. Northeastern Area Report. NA-FR-01-07. 13 p. 

Nowak, D.J., R.H. Hoehn, and D.E. Crane. 2007. Oxygen production by urban trees in the United States. Arboriculture and Urban Forestry. 33(3):220-226.

Nowak, D.J., D.E. Crane and J.C. Stevens. 2006. Air pollution removal by urban trees and shrubs in the United States. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening. 4:115-12.

Pouyat, R.V., I.D. Yesilonis, and D. Nowak. 2006. Carbon storage by urban soils in the United States. J. Environ. Quality. 35:1566-1575. 

Nowak, D.J. and J.T. Walton. 2005. Projected Urban Growth and its Estimated Impact on the U.S. Forest Resource (2000-2050). J. For. 103(8):383-389.  

Nowak, D.J., J.T. Walton, J.F. Dwyer, S. Myeong, and L.G. Kaya. 2005. The increasing influence of urban environments on U.S. forest management. J. For. 103(8):377-382.

Walton, Jeffrey T. 2005. An investigation of national tree canopy assessments applied to urban forestry. Syracuse, NY: State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. 88 p. Ph.D. dissertation. 

Nowak, D.J. and D.E. Crane. 2002. Carbon storage and sequestration by urban trees in the United States. Environ. Poll. 116(3): 381-389.

Nowak, D.J. and J.F. Dwyer. 2002. Assessing the value of urban forests in the United States. In: 2001 Society of American Foresters National Conference Proceedings. Denver, CO. p. 237-241.

Nowak, D.J., D.E. Crane, J.C. Stevens, and M. Ibarra. 2002. Brooklyn’s Urban Forest. USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. 290. 107 p.

Nowak, D.J., D.E. Crane, and J.F. Dwyer. 2002. Compensatory value of urban trees in the United States. J. Arboric.28(4): 194-199.

Nowak, D.J. and J.F. Dwyer. 2002. Urban forest structure and value at the national scale. Proc. of the National Urban Forest Conference. Washington, DC. p. 24-25. 

Nowak, D.J., M.H. Noble, S.M. Sisinni, and J.F. Dwyer. 2001. Assessing the U.S. urban forest resource.J. For. 99(3):37-42. 

Nowak, D.J., J. Pasek, R. Sequeira, D.E. Crane, and V. Mastro. 2001. Potential effect of  Anoplophora glabripennis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) on urban trees in the United States. J. Econon. Entomol. 94(1):116-122.

Research Participants

Principal Investigators and Research Partners

• David J. Nowak, US Forest Service Northern Research Station Project Leader and Research Forester 
• Eric Greenfield, US Forest Service Northern Research Station Research Forester 
• Robert Hoehn, US Forest Service Northern Research Station Forester 
• Jack Stevens, US Forest Service Northern Research Station Forester
• Daniel E. Crane, US Forest Service Northern Research Station Information Technology Specialist
• Chris Sorrentino, US Forest Service Northern Research Station Data Services Specialist GIS
• Anne Cumming Buckelew, US Forest Service State & Private Forestry Northeastern Area Forester
• Dan Twardus, US Forest Service State & Private Forestry Northeastern Area Group Leader 
• Angie Rowe, US Forest Service Southern Research Station Supervisory Forester

For further details log on website :
https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/urban/landscape_change/national_assessments/

Effects of Insect Defoliation on Regional Carbon Dynamics of Forests

Research Issue

On an annual basis, insects severely defoliate more than 20 million acres of forested land in the conterminous United States, affecting a larger area and incurring higher economic costs than any other disturbance.  However, the long-term costs and ecosystem consequences of insect outbreaks on forest health and productivity are difficult to quantify at the regional scale because of the variety of pests involved, differences in forest types affected, and varying spatial scale and intensity of the impacts.  In particular, the effect of insect activity on carbon cycling and sequestration at the annual and decadal scale is poorly characterized.   

Our Research

We propose the development of a multi-scale approach to monitor defoliation and its impacts on forest carbon cycling using MODIS, Landsat (or similar), and high-resolution imagery.  Our overall objective is to quantify productivity and carbon sequestration effects of insect activity in two representative regions of North America (Mid-Atlantic Highlands and Upper Midwest/adjacent Canada) at the scale of MODIS products.  Our analyses will provide estimates of defoliation extent and intensity, as measured through seasonal losses in leaf biomass and changes to forest productivity derived from Terra MODIS imagery.  The research is premised on the identification of characteristic trends in forest phenology associated with defoliation that can be applied across years to map defoliated areas and resulting declines in forest productivity.  Remotely sensed estimates of reduced forest production will then be used to drive LANDIS-II, a spatially explicit forest simulator capable of modeling insect impacts on forest biomass and successional dynamics.

Expected Outcomes

Our research will reduce the uncertainties present in assessing forest carbon sequestration under scenarios of insect perturbations and related feedbacks (e.g., harvesting and fire).  This will facilitate more accurate carbon accounting at the regional and potentially broader scales.  Through the use of simulation models, we will address potential future impacts under different forest management scenarios and differing assumptions about the spread and prevalence of damaging pests.  Through the use of MODIS, we propose a monitoring and measurement system that can potentially be adapted for temperate and northern forests worldwide, and will provide a tool to facilitate both forest management and policy decisions.

Research Results

McNeil, BE, de Beurs KM, Eshleman KN, Foster JR, Townsend PA. 2007. Maintenance of ecosystem nitrogen limitation by ephemeral forest disturbance: An assessment using MODIS, Hyperion, and Landsat ETM+ Geophysical Research Letters 34: L19406.

Research Participants 

Principal Investigators

• Philip A. Townsend, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin - Madison
• Brian R. Sturtevant, US Forest Service- Northern Research Station Research Ecologist
• David J. Mladenoff, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Research Partner

• Robert Scheller, Department of Environmental Sciences and Management, Portland State University

For further details log on website :
https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/disturbance/forest_health/carbon_dynamics_insect_defoliation/

Monitoring and Understanding Forest/Atmosphere Carbon Dioxide Exchange: the NRS Flux Tower Network

Research Issue

The exchange of carbon dioxide (CO₂) between the land and the atmosphere is one of the most important indicators of ecosystem productivity. The eddy-flux measurement approach, involving the short-term measurement of flux densities (vertical transport of mass, momentum and energy per unit area and time), has become a standard approach to continuously monitor the effects of climate variability and other causal factors on carbon sequestration or release from ecosystems. Net ecosystem CO₂ exchange is presently measured at more than 30 sites in North America. Many of these research and monitoring sites are part of the AmeriFlux network. Flux towers are an integral part of the North American Carbon Program, a multi-agency effort to measure and understand the sources and sinks of CO₂, Methane (CH₄), and Carbon Monoxide (CO) in North America and in adjacent ocean regions.

Summed over the course of a month, season or year, data from these sites provide accurate measures of ecosystem CO2 source or sink strengths. The flux towers provide information specific to one ecosystem type or condition. Increasingly, multiple flux towers are located in contrasting conditions to increase understanding of the effects of different treatments (e.g., harvesting), gradients of vegetation composition, or age chronosequences. 

Data from flux sites help test physiological models of C exchange and are critical to relating fluxes and remote sensing data. Companion physiological and ecological measurements enable partitioning carbon fluxes into plant and soil components and reveal mechanisms responsible for these fluxes. At some sites, biomass-based estimates of C storage have validated C budgets from direct flux data, and vice-versa. Data from the flux sites have been applied in ecology, weather forecasting, and climate studies, especially for sites with several years of data to quantify inter-annual flux variations. 

Our Research

The Northern Research Station has several operating flux towers located at:

1. The Howland Research Forest
2. The Bartlett Experimental Forest
3. The Silas Little Experimental Forest
4. The Marcell Experimental Forest
5. The Baltimore Long Term Ecological Research Site

The Northern Research Station has a long-term study sponsored by NASA and the Forest Service under the North American Carbon Program, to develop a landscape-scale monitoring tier that links the intensive measurements of the flux tower sites with the extensive monitoring by FIA and remote sensing.

Expected Outcomes

• Develop quantitative scientific knowledge about changes in carbon stocks, and the factors regulating these changes, to support sustainable forest management for North America.
• Develop the scientific basis required to monitor and verify the results of managing forests for increasing carbon sequestration.
• To develop forecasts for future trends that will guide policies for protecting forests under climate variability and change.

Research Results

Scientific papers, models, data assimilation tools, large datasets for modeling and synthesis activities (available through AmeriFlux and the NRS website), general technical reports, methods manuals, books. 

• Howland data 
• Howland site info and papers

Research Participants

Principal Investigator

• David Hollinger, Plant Physiologist, USDA-Forest Service – NRS
• Kenneth Clark, Research Forester, USDA-Forest Service – NRS
• John Hom, Biological Scientist, , USDA-Forest Service – NRS
• Randy Kolka, Research Hydrologist, USDA-Forest Service- NRS

Research Partners

• Bryan Dail, University of Maine
• Andrew Richardson, University of New Hampshire
• Eric Davidson, Woods Hole Research Center
• Ming Xu, Rutgers University
• University of Maryland Baltimore County

For further details log on website :
https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/disturbance/climate_change/flux_towers/

Urban Natural Resources Stewardship

Research Issue

To improve urban forest planning, management and policies at the local to national scale, information is needed on the extent of the urban forest resource, how it varies across the nation and how it is changing. This research combines top-down satellite analysis and national urban map data with local field data to help understand the magnitude and composition of this important resource, how urbanization is expanding, and factors that will lead to changes in tree species health and distribution in the future.  This information will lead to better regional and national policies and budgeting to improve environmental quality and sustain tree health in urban and urbanizing regions.

Our Research

Our research unit focuses on utilizing satellite or aerial-based technologies to assess urban tree cover distribution at the city to national scale. In conjunction with the aerial cover data, research investigates the best means to field sample urban areas to determine vital statistics such species composition and health, species diversity, and size-class distribution. These data are combined to produces estimates of urban forests composition and health, and associated ecosystem services at the local to nation scale. Long-term monitoring data are used to assess how the urban forest resource is changing, reasons for the changes, and likely changes in the future. National monitoring and assessments are part of the Resources Planning Act (RPA) Assessment program and the Forest Inventory and Analysis, and Forest Health Monitoring programs of the Forest Service. National urban forest field data collection is being pilot tested in various states across the United States as part of the Urban Forest Health Monitoring Program. Urban tree cover and ecosystem services at the national scale are being developed as part of the RPA program with the 2nd national urban forest assessment nearing completion. 

Expected Outcomes

These national data are being used to assess the risk of various invasive pests in urban areas and develop strategies to sustain ecosystem benefits and urban tree cover for future generations.

Research Results

Links to the abstracts of select published articles: 

• National Urban Forest Assessment (Journal of Forestry, 2001) 
• Asian longhorned beetle assessment (Journal of Economic Entomology, 2001)
• National Urban Forest Carbon Assessment(Environmental Pollution, 2002)
• National Urban Forest Compensatory Value (Journal of Arboriculture, 2002)
• The Increasing Influence of Urban Environments on U.S. Forest Management (Journal of Forestry, 2005)
• Air Pollution Removal by Urban Trees and Shrubs in the United States (Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 2006)
• Oxygen production by urban trees in the United States (Arboriculture and Urban Forestry 2007)
• Assessing Urban Forest Canopy Cover Using Airborne or Satellite Imagery (Arboriculture and Urban Forestry, 2008)
• Urban Forest Health Monitoring: Large-Scale Assessments in the United States (Arboriculture and Urban Forestry, 2008)

References

Buckelew Cumming, A., D.B. Twardus, D.J. Nowak. 2008. Urban Forest Health Monitoring:Large- Scale Assessments in the United States. Arboriculture and Urban Forestry. 34(6):341-346. 

Walton, J.T., D.J. Nowak, E.J. Greenfield. 2008. Assessing Urban Forest Canopy Cover Using Airborne or Satellite Imagery. Arboriculture and Urban Forestry. 34(6):334-340.

Buckelew Cumming, A., D.J. Nowak, D.B. Twardus, R. Hoehn, M. Mielke, and R. Rideout. 2007. Urban Forests of Wisconsin 2002: Pilot Monitoring Project 2002. USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry Report, NA-FR-05-07.  33 p. 

Nowak, D.J., A. Buckelew Cumming, D. Twardus, R. Hoehn, M. Mielke. 2007. National Forest Health Monitoring Program, Monitoring Urban Forests in Indiana: Pilot Study 2002, Part 2: Statewide Estimates Using the UFORE Model. Northeastern Area Report. NA-FR-01-07. 13 p. 

Nowak, D.J., R.H. Hoehn, and D.E. Crane. 2007. Oxygen production by urban trees in the United States. Arboriculture and Urban Forestry. 33(3):220-226.

Nowak, D.J., D.E. Crane and J.C. Stevens. 2006. Air pollution removal by urban trees and shrubs in the United States. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening. 4:115-12.

Pouyat, R.V., I.D. Yesilonis, and D. Nowak. 2006. Carbon storage by urban soils in the United States. J. Environ. Quality. 35:1566-1575. 

Nowak, D.J. and J.T. Walton. 2005. Projected Urban Growth and its Estimated Impact on the U.S. Forest Resource (2000-2050). J. For. 103(8):383-389.  

Nowak, D.J., J.T. Walton, J.F. Dwyer, S. Myeong, and L.G. Kaya. 2005. The increasing influence of urban environments on U.S. forest management. J. For. 103(8):377-382.

Walton, Jeffrey T. 2005. An investigation of national tree canopy assessments applied to urban forestry. Syracuse, NY: State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. 88 p. Ph.D. dissertation. 

Nowak, D.J. and D.E. Crane. 2002. Carbon storage and sequestration by urban trees in the United States. Environ. Poll. 116(3): 381-389.

Nowak, D.J. and J.F. Dwyer. 2002. Assessing the value of urban forests in the United States. In: 2001 Society of American Foresters National Conference Proceedings. Denver, CO. p. 237-241.

Nowak, D.J., D.E. Crane, J.C. Stevens, and M. Ibarra. 2002. Brooklyn’s Urban Forest. USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. 290. 107 p.

Nowak, D.J., D.E. Crane, and J.F. Dwyer. 2002. Compensatory value of urban trees in the United States. J. Arboric.28(4): 194-199.

Nowak, D.J. and J.F. Dwyer. 2002. Urban forest structure and value at the national scale. Proc. of the National Urban Forest Conference. Washington, DC. p. 24-25. 

Nowak, D.J., M.H. Noble, S.M. Sisinni, and J.F. Dwyer. 2001. Assessing the U.S. urban forest resource.J. For. 99(3):37-42. 

Nowak, D.J., J. Pasek, R. Sequeira, D.E. Crane, and V. Mastro. 2001. Potential effect of  Anoplophora glabripennis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) on urban trees in the United States. J. Econon. Entomol. 94(1):116-122.

Research Participants

Principal Investigators and Research Partners

• David J. Nowak, US Forest Service Northern Research Station Project Leader and Research Forester 
• Eric Greenfield, US Forest Service Northern Research Station Research Forester 
• Robert Hoehn, US Forest Service Northern Research Station Forester 
• Jack Stevens, US Forest Service Northern Research Station Forester
• Daniel E. Crane, US Forest Service Northern Research Station Information Technology Specialist
• Chris Sorrentino, US Forest Service Northern Research Station Data Services Specialist GIS
• Anne Cumming Buckelew, US Forest Service State & Private Forestry Northeastern Area Forester
• Dan Twardus, US Forest Service State & Private Forestry Northeastern Area Group Leader 
• Angie Rowe, US Forest Service Southern Research Station Supervisory Forester

For further details log on website :
https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/urban/landscape_change/national_assessments/

Development of Software Tools for the Planning, Execution and Analysis of Inventory and Monitoring Studies

Research Issue

National Inventory and Monitoring Applications Center (NIMAC) clients often contact us with general goals and desired outcomes of a monitoring study. Without specific goals, however, it is difficult to determine what variables to measure, how to design the inventory, what products will be produced, and how results will be used. Above all, planning and budget formation cannot proceed without these critical first steps. Once the project goals are established, the planning phase can begin. However, without a consistent, documented procedure to design the study and estimate costs given a desired level of precision of results, it is difficult to plan efficiently. Finally, once results are collected, tools are needed to store, process, and report estimates and their precision derived from the monitoring study. 

Our Research

Often forest inventory planners start by determining what is to be measured without specifying what the information needs are or the results that must be produced.  Instead NIMAC has developed a series of 15 inventory and monitoring steps to help ensure that the monitoring is effective and efficient.  A set of tools has been developed (and is being enhanced) to assist with these steps. NIMAC created various procedures, tools and utilities to design, establish and conduct the survey, including GIS tools, data recorder programs, and data transfer methodology. Finally, NIMAC has worked to create new and adapt existing database, processing and reporting systems to incorporate clients’ data.  

Design Tool:

The Design Tool for Inventory and Monitoring (DTIM) implements a software-driven process whereby National Forests and other clients are guided through the monitoring program planning process.  It helps clients start by determining their true monitoring objectives and questions. Once these monitoring questions have been established, the Design Tool presents attributes to measure that will answer those questions.  The tool then helps them estimate the sample size and resulting inventory costs based on user-specified precision and design constraints. It can be adapted to different clients’ specific monitoring needs. NIMAC scientists previously developed a tool that helps create efficient plot designs, including the one currently used by the FIA program.

Survey Establishment Tools:

NIMAC scientists have developed an innovative procedure for establishing a monitoring plot network. This method forces sample plots to be distributed evenly across a study area without violating the major assumptions of classical statistical estimation procedures. It has been used to establish sample networks in various NIMAC projects. 

Processing, Analysis and Reporting Tools:

FIA has an existing processing and reporting tool called  FIDO. NIMAC has developed the ability to adapt this tool to incorporate clients’ data. In addition to FIDO, NIMAC scientists have created other PC-based processing tools (e.g., TABGEN), that use the same extensively peer reviewed analysis methodology used by the FIA program. NIMAC is currently developing an analysis tool that will allow clients to interactively query and report on their inventory findings using a GIS-based interface.

Expected Outcomes

NIMAC hopes to create a suite of integrated tools in the form of a toolkit that can be readily adapted to new clients’ needs and serve as a model for other agencies around the country and world that want to establish monitoring programs. As the toolkit matures, more and more clients will begin to use it and its quality and usefulness will continue to improve.

Research Results

Lister, A.J. and C.T. Scott. 2008.  Use of space-filling curves to select sample locations in natural resource monitoring studies.  Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 

Scott, Charles T.  2000.  Estimating two-way tables based on forest surveys  In: Hansen, Mark; Burk, Tom, eds. Integrated tools for natural resources inventories in the 21st century. Gen. Tech. Rep. NC-212. St. Paul, MN: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station. 234-238.

Scott, C.T., E.S. Guiang, C. Seubert, and T. Stewart 1996. Proposed forest resource survey for communities in the Philippines. P.305-317 in Multiple Resource Inventory and Monitoring of Tropical Forests. Hassan, H.A., C.Y. Mun, and N. Rahman (eds.). ASEAN Institute of Forest Management, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Research Participants 

Principal Investigators

• Charles T. Scott, US Forest Service, Northern Research Station NIMAC Program Manager
• James Westfall, US Forest Service, Northern Research Station Research Forester
• Andrew Lister, US Forest Service, Northern Research Station Research Forester
• Jay Solomakos, US Forest Service, Northern Research Station Systems Analyst
• Steve Evans, US Forest Service, Northern Research Station Forester

Research Partners

• Patrice Janiga, Forest Service Ecosystem Management Coordination
• Renate Bush, Forest Service Forest Service Region 1
• Barry “Ty” Wilson, Northern Forest Inventory and Analysis

For further details log on website :
https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/inventory_monitoring/inventory/nimac_tools/

Development and Coordination of Monitoring Programs in Foreign Countries

Research Issue

Foreign countries have inventory and monitoring needs similar to those in the United States. Due to lack of expertise, political changes that lead to a lack of continuity in forestry staff, or lack of funding, many countries do not have a national forest inventory. Sound, scientifically defensible monitoring programs that provide results that are compatible with those of other countries are needed for both national and global forest resource assessments.

Our Research

National Inventory and Monitoring Applications Center (NIMAC) is working with the Honduran Forest Service and the Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Forestales (National Forestry School) to develop a monitoring effort in Honduran forests. As part of this work, NIMAC is collaboratively developing a monitoring design tool, a data collection tool, and a database and reporting tool that not only Honduras, but also other Spanish speaking countries, will be able to use. 

NIMAC has participated in several planning meetings with Russian forestry officials in order to help establish a Russian national forest inventory. Although Russia has been inventorying their managed stands for over 75 years, they have never assessed all their forests, which comprise a quarter of the world’s forests.  The Russian Forest Service continues to seek input and review comments as they develop their national forest inventory.

Expected Outcomes 

The inventory and the tool being developed for the Honduras project will help this country address international obligations to monitor forest health and condition indicators, provide a credible, scientific foundation for making management decisions for sustainable forestry, contribute to the rural and national economy through wise use of their forests, and contribute to the body of institutional knowledge in the international forest monitoring community. This program could serve as a model for other Latin American nations interested in conducting national forest inventories. The establishment of the Russian forest inventory will be a vital first step in characterizing large areas of forest that have previously not been inventoried and aid in international reporting. NIMAC’s work with Russia and other countries not only helps the Forest Service meets its international technology transfer obligations, but allows us to accumulate knowledge that can be used to improve our own inventory and management methods.

Research Participants 

Principal Investigator

• Charles T. Scott, USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station NIMAC Program Manager

Research Partners

• Ron McRoberts, USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station Forest Inventory and Analysis Mathematical Statistician
• Lara Peterson, Forest Service International Programs
• Asdrubal Calderon, Honduran Forestry Science School

For further details log on website :
https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/inventory_monitoring/inventory/nimac_international/

National Forest System Monitoring Coordination and Techniques Development

Research Issue

The National Forest System (NFS) of the US Forest Service manages more than 192 million acres of land. In the past, forest monitoring was conducted with less emphasis on standardized procedures and measuring accountability for meeting national management goals. In recent years, however, efforts have been made to measure the effects of management policies in a standardized way. As the Forest Service begins to implement these policies, new techniques and tools are needed to meet agency requirements. 

Our Research

National Inventory and Monitoring Applications Center (NIMAC) staff is on several teams that advise NFS managers on how to implement scientifically defensible forest-level monitoring plans. For example, in the Allegheny National Forest, NIMAC and NFS monitoring personnel are working on developing comprehensive reports of various forest health metrics. On the Mark Twain National Forest, NIMAC helped plan a pilot study of a comprehensive monitoring protocol that addresses local monitoring needs and meets national standards.  As a result, the Mark Twain now funds FIA to intensify its sample on the Forest.  A design tool was developed as part of the pilot and applied to several forests in Forest Service Regions 8 and 9.  NIMAC has also helped the Spring Mountain National Recreation Area (Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest) in Nevada design an eightfold intensification that focuses on plant and animal species of concern.  NIMAC has guided them through a decision process that has led to the establishment of monitoring priorities and an assessment of existing data, data gaps, and need for intensification.

Expected Outcomes 

As the NFS begins to adopt standardized, science-based monitoring procedures, its managers will be able to apply adaptive management to the forest resource on NFS lands. Furthermore, adopting the decision process and the monitoring framework that NIMAC has helped develop will help them use the existing data and collect more data in a more efficient and effective way.

Morin, R.S., Westfall, J., White, R. and others. In preparation. Forest Health Conditions on the Allegheny National Forest. 

Research Participants 

Principal Investigators

• Charles T. Scott, US Forest Service, Northern Research Station NIMAC Program Manager
• Randall S. Morin, US Forest Servic Research, Northern Research Station Research Forester
• James Westfall, US Forest Service Research, Northern Research Station Research Forester

Research Partners

• David Meriwether, Forest Service Region 8
• David Shadis, Forest Service Region 9
• Robert White, Allegheny National Forest
• Michael Schanta, Mark Twain National Forest

For further details log on website :
https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/inventory_monitoring/techniques/nimac_national/

Monitoring Studies Conducted with State Clients

Research Issue

State forestry agencies often have non-traditional monitoring needs that FIA does not address. For example, National Inventory and Monitoring Applications Center (NIMAC) clients might be interested in having precise estimates of forest attributes on the forestland that they manage, like State forests, or having detailed information on trees outside of forests (FIA only collects tree information on forested plots). 

Our Research

In order to address these needs, NIMAC works with state agencies in Wisconsin, Indiana, Maryland, and four Great Plains States (North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas). 

In Wisconsin, NIMAC teamed with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) to develop a forest inventory program that is allowing them to ensure the sustainability of their forests, focusing on forest certification and invasive plants.  They now collect, analyze and publish data on an annual basis for each Wisconsin state forest individually and as a group (total of approximately 500,000 acres).  One sample plot is measured for every 160 ac.  The information is being used to track the status of and trends in forest extent, tree growth, mortality, harvest, invasive plants, wildlife habitat, and overall health. 

In Indiana, NIMAC and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (INDNR) conducted a needs assessment and designed a sampling methodology to characterize and monitor forests on state-owned land. Results will be produced annually and new plots will be established as new land is acquired by the State.  One sample plot is measured for every 40 ac across the 150,000 ac of State Forest land.  Whole compartments are sampled within a year and all compartments will be measured within 5 years, at which time remeasurement will begin.

In Maryland, NIMAC works with the Maryland Forest Service on a joint research project that involves investigating ways to summarize inventory plot data and attach the information to maps of stands derived from image segmentation. The utility of stand maps is being assessed, and the method might be expanded to all of the MD Forest Service land holdings. 

State forestry agencies in the Plains States (ND, SD, NE, and KS) are concerned about the spread of an exotic pest, the Emerald Ash Borer, and its potential effects on the ash resource. In addition, they have little information on the tree resource in nonforest areas that contain trees. In order to address these needs, NIMAC has worked with state partners to plan, design, construct, and implement an inventory of these areas. At least 300 plots will be measured in each state using a 3 phase design involving satellite imagery, aerial photography, and ground sampling.

Expected Outcomes 

The common thread that unites these state-level efforts is the desire of resource managers to better understand the forests on state-owned properties, and to be able to monitor changes in order to make better management decisions. By supplementing the information provided by Forest Inventory and Analysis, NIMAC will provide more precise estimates of forest attributes in these areas, and be able to provide additional information that FIA can’t provide. By doing so, we not only provide valuable information to the state, but we add value to the FIA analytical products.

Research Results

Lister, A.J. and C.T. Scott. 2008. Planning, Designing and Conducting an Inventory of the Tree Resource in Nonforest Areas in Four Great Plains States. In preparation.

Lister, A.J., Kahler, H., Clark, A., Zumbrun, F., and J. Perdue. 2008 (In press). Imputing forest inventory data to stands formed by image segmentation in Maryland's Green Ridge State Forest. Proceedings of the 6th Southern Forestry and Natural Resources GIS Conference, March 24-26, 2008, Orlando, Florida.

Research Participants 

Principal Investigators

Work in WI and IN:

• James Westfall, US Forest Service Research, Northern Research Station Research Forester

Work in MD:

• Andrew Lister, US Forest Service, Northern Research Station Research Forester

Work in ND, SD, NE and KS:

• Charles T. Scott US Forest Service, Northern Research Station NIMAC Program Manager
• Andrew Lister, US Forest Service, Northern Research Station Research Forester

Research Partners

• Work in ND, SD, NE and KS: David Nowak, US Forest Service- Northern Research Station Project Leader
• Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry
• Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry
• Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Forest Service
• North Dakota Forest Service
• South Dakota Department of Agriculture Resource Conservation and Forestry
• Nebraska Forest Service
• Kansas Forest Service

For further details log on website :
https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/inventory_monitoring/inventory/nimac_state/

Experimental Forests

Experimental Forests

Research Issue

The complexity of forest ecosystems and their interactions requires reference sites for understanding systems and how they change.  

Our Research

The number of stressors that impact today’s forests is ever-increasing and the resilience of forest ecosystems is untested.  Without sound research to evaluate the silvicultural, hydrologic, and ecological responses; forest management will be uninformed.  Experimental Forests provide the opportunity to study these relationships and many other aspects, such as wildlife, natural system development, and restoration.  The station currently houses 20 Experimental Forests across the region. More on Northern Reserach Station Experimental Forests. 

Expected Outcomes

The research results from Experimental Forests typically provide critical information that is relevant for large forest biomes, such as the Allegheny Plateau of Pennsylvania.  The long-term nature of Experimental Forest studies are invaluable because they are part of a larger network of Forests that meshes to offer region-wide coverage.  Forest management is kept up to date as findings and issues continue to evolve.

Research Results

Lugo, A. E., F.J. Swanson, O.R. González, M.B. Adams, B. Palik, R.E. Thill, D.G. Brockway, C. Kern, R. Woodsmith, R. Musselman.  2006.  Long Term Research at the USDA Forest Service's Experimental Forests and Ranges.  BioScience 56(1):39-48 

  

Research Participants

Principal Investigator

Mary Beth Adams, USDA-Forest Service-NRS Research Forester

Research Partners

Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Forest Service
Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Forestry
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry
West Virginia Division of Forestry

For further details log on website :
https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/inventory_monitoring/monitoring_assessment/experimental_forests/