Search

Copyright of Arboriculture & Urban Forestry is the property of International Society of Arboriculture and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A growing proportion of forested landscapes are interspersed with human infrastructure, such as utility lines and roads, increasing the potential for tree-failure consequences due to storms and other causes. Utilities and other institutions have strong incentives to reduce such interactions and allocate substantial resources to risk reduction, but trees and forests in densely populated landscapes also provide significant amenities to society. We present a generalized framework for "Stormwise" forest management, focused on resistance of roadside forests to storms, based on elements of arboricultural and silvicultural practice and tree biomechanics and architecture. We detail results of a multidisciplinary research program focused on management outcomes, opportunities and barriers to implementation, and allocation of investment based on physical and social landscape characteristics. We discuss initial findings, the potential for widespread adoption of resilience-focused management in roadside and infrastructure-adjacent forests, and the importance of such work, considering a changing climate. Study Implications: The research and implementation program we detail here illustrates the potential for "Stormwise" forest management to reduce storm-damage recovery costs, result in fewer and shorter-duration power and transportation interruptions, and allow for low-investment ground-based management in future forest entries. We illustrate a multifaceted, interdisciplinary research program that links the geospatial, social, and biophysical components of understanding forest infrastructure systems. We illustrate how implementation of Stormwise management has the potential to benefit stakeholders such as residents and utilities, offset the substantial economic costs of tree-related power outages, and reduce societal disruptions associated with interactions between trees and infrastructure during storms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The iconic southern New England landscape is a densely populated region in which historic villages and growing cities are set within an expansive forest. While oaks are dominant or significant species in 60% of these forests, they face pressures that compromise their health and ability to regenerate. Threats include deer herbivory and insect defoliation, while drought and climate-change stresses compound other disturbance factors. With traditional silviculture methods no longer working reliably and landowner motivations changing, new management options are needed. A 2019-22 initiative led by the Forest Stewards Guild and state agencies has engaged partners in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island to collaborate in promoting stewardship that will support and improve the resiliency of the region's oak forests. One promising output of this collaboration is a web-based Oak Resiliency Assessment Tool that professionals and landowners can use. Looking forward, researchers at the University of Connecticut and University of Rhode Island are leading a study designed to test different management approaches to help regional oak forests adapt to changing climate conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Arboriculture & Urban Forestry is the property of International Society of Arboriculture and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Smoky winged beetle bandits, Cerceris fumipennis Say, digger wasps in the family Hymenoptera: Crabronidae: Cercerini, provision their underground nests with adult metallic wood-boring beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae). Researchers, as well as engaged community volunteers, in several states have monitored female wasps returning to their nests as a means to detect invasive buprestid species. In this paper, we report the first detection of emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairemore), an invasive beetle responsible for killing millions of ash trees in North America, in Connecticut by C. fumipennis and discuss its relationship to A. planipennis survey efforts by other modalities in the state. We also report detections of A. planipennis by C. fumipennis in Illinois, New York and Ontario; all of which were made after it was known the beetle was in the area. These findings support the use of C. fumipennis as a biomonitoring tool and bolster the use of engaged volunteers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many Connecticut forests with an overabundance of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmermann), Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii DC) has become the dominant understory shrub, which may provide a habitat favorable to blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis Say) and white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus Rafinesque) survival. To determine mouse and larval tick abundances at three replicate sites over 2 yr, mice were trapped in unmanipulated dense barberry infestations, areas where barberry was controlled, and areas where barberry was absent. The number of feeding larval ticks/mouse was recorded. Adult and nymphal ticks were sampled along 200-m draglines in each treatment, retained, and were tested for Borrelia burgdorferi (Johnson, Schmid, Hyde, Steigerwalt, and Brenner) presence. Total first-captured mouse counts did not differ between treatments. Mean number of feeding larval ticks per mouse was highest on mice captured in dense barberry. Adult tick densities in dense barberry were higher than in both controlled barberry and no barberry areas. Ticks sampled from full barberry infestations and controlled barberry areas had similar infection prevalence with B. burgdorferi the first year. In areas where barberry was controlled, infection prevalence was reduced to equal that of no barberry areas the second year of the study. Results indicate that managing Japanese barberry will have a positive effect on public health by reducing the number of B. burgdorferi-infected blacklegged ticks that can develop into motile life stages that commonly feed on humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the popularity of "buy local" agricultural campaigns, there might be opportunities for Extension to promote the local attribute of wood products. Unfortunately, there is little available literature exploring wood-products manufacturers' attitudes and opinions regarding local wood. In fall 2012, 38 in-depth interviews were conducted with individuals representing a range of firm sizes and final products. Participants provided a definition for what they considered to be local wood and identified four major barriers to the inclusion of Connecticut-grown and -processed wood in their manufacturing: high expense, low visibility, limited demand, and limited availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community priorities are shifting in response to the scientific reality and socioeconomic threats of climate change. Improving sustainable resilience in the ways we supply food, water, and energy are creating new ways of thinking about these critical resources. Cooperative Extension is in a prime position to teach individuals and communities how to live and work sustainably. The National Network for Sustainable Living Education has identified six essential steps for creating a national approach to Extension programming on this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four years after its inception an outreach campaign promoting foreststewardship in south-central Connecticut was carefully evaluated. Results emphasize that efforts may be directed to promoting a simpler and more autonomous form of resource inventory and forest stewardship planning than many forestry specialists might originally envision. Evaluation methods used to measure the success of outreach efforts should recognize a continuum of possible outcomes, not simply the ideal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]