Nancy Herbert, Assistant Director| Southern Research Station | 200 W.T. Weaver Blvd | Asheville, NC 28804

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New and improved tools and technology are needed to successfully restore and manage ecosystems in the South, where population growth and demographic shifts are accelerating changes to forest ecosystems. Forest Ecosystem Restoration and Management will provide landowners with the awareness and ability to produce a wider array of economic, ecologic, and social benefits.

Genetics of Loblolly Pine Reference karyotype and cytomolecular maps are pre-requisite tools for extensive genome research. ...more...	Predicting Acorn Production Acorn crop sizes vary considerably among oak species, years, and places. This affects oak regeneration and wildlife species that depend on acorns for food. ...more...	Using Fire to Prevent Fire As climate changes and forest fuels accumulate to unprecedented levels, large highly-destructive wildfires have become disturbance events of increasing frequency and severity in the South. ...more...
Effects of Climate on Frog Breeding Activity Global climate change and amphibian decline are two major phenomena that have received considerable media and research attention in recent years, and both could profoundly affect biodiversity within aquatic ecosystems. ...more..	Figured Wood and the Practice of Sustainable Forestry The birdseye grain pattern in sugar maple is a rare yet valuable variation of this important timber species. ...more...	New products in 2007 for forest management and restoration ...more...

 

Genetics of Loblolly Pine

Reference karyotype and cytomolecular maps are pre-requisite tools for extensive genome research.  The karyotype describes the general features and landmarks of a species’ complement of chromosomes, while the cytomolecular map locates the landmarks to specific positions on each chromosome.  SRS scientists have developed and published the first karyotype and cytomolecular map for loblolly pine using data from multiple cells of multiple families of loblolly pine. Comprehensive genetic and physical maps along with a complete DNA sequence of loblolly pine are currently the highest priority needs within the conifer genome community.  Maps and sequences will allow genome researchers to discover at the gene level what makes a conifer different from a hardwood and to develop advanced technologies for improving the quality and quantity of wood-based products. Nurul Faridi (nfaridi@fs.fed.us) and Dana Nelson (dananelson@fs.fed.us)
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Predicting Acorn Production

Acorn crop sizes vary considerably among oak species, years, and places. This affects oak regeneration and wildlife species that depend on acorns for food.  However, use of different methods to index acorn crop size makes comparisons among States difficult.  Bent Creek scientists partnered with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) to share expertise and data.  They used 21 years of acorn data from visual surveys conducted by the NCWRC in western North Carolina, to develop predictive equations for hard mast indices based on the proportion of trees bearing acorns.  The proportion of trees bearing acorns can be used as a stand-alone index of acorn production, as well.  By substituting this faster and simpler survey method over the labor-intensive counting of twigs and acorns used in some other visual survey methods, land managers can use the time savings to sample more trees to improve hard mast index accuracy. Katie Greenberg (kgreenberg@fs.fed.us)
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Using Fire to Prevent Fire

As climate changes and forest fuels accumulate to unprecedented levels, large highly-destructive wildfires have become disturbance events of increasing frequency and severity in the South. Their increasing prevalence not only poses a direct risk to life, property and natural resources, but the increasing expenditures required for their suppression indirectly undermines resource stewardship efforts by diverting a significant proportion of agency budgets to large-scale emergency activities. By evaluating the pre-emptive use of fire (i.e., prescribed burning) and mechanical and chemical alternatives (i.e., fire surrogates), it is anticipated that more effective prevention strategies utilizing these treatments can be developed and applied to diminish the multiple threats posed by wildfire.Station researchers have tested mechanical and fire treatments in a variety of southern ecosystems in the South. Studies in the Florida flatwoods suggest that saw-palmetto, the main understory and midstory fuel in this ecosystem, cannot be effectively reduced by fire-only treatments; prescribed burning must be followed by mechanical treatment to reduce palmetto dominance and abate fire risk. Findings on in Alabama indicate that hardwood trees and shrubs are best controlled by mechanical treatment followed by repeated prescribed fires. Mechanical treatment alone is insufficient because of rapid regrowth, and using fire alone would require several decades to achieve fire hazard abatement goals. Dale Brockway (dbrockway@fs.fed.us) and Ken Outcalt (koutcalt@fs.fed.us)
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Effects of Climate on Frog Breeding Activity

Global climate change and amphibian decline are two major phenomena that have received considerable media and research attention in recent years, and both could profoundly affect biodiversity within aquatic ecosystems.  Amphibian breeding activity is closely tied to weather.  However, the specifics of these relationships are largely unknown.  Southern Research Station scientists are currently studying the effects of rainfall and temperature on the breeding activity of 13 species of frogs in eastern Texas.  This information is critically important to predict the potential effects of a changing climate on frog populations. Given the high level of frog diversity in eastern Texas and the high seasonal variation in temperature and rainfall there, it was hypothesized that weather would be a major factor influencing frog behavior.  Indeed, weather played a critical role in frog breeding activity, with species responding in unique ways to changes in rainfall and temperature.  Based on season, weather, and frog calling activity, these 13 species were grouped into five breeding strategies: (1) summer breeders that appear to breed independent of local weather patterns; (2) summer breeders that are dependent on local rainfall to initiate breeding; (3) winter breeders that are dependent on warmer periods for breeding; (4) year-round breeders that rely on rainfall events in the summer and warm periods in the winter; and (5) species that are dependent on flood events (rainfall greater than 4 inches) to stimulate breeding. Daniel Saenz (dsaenz@fs.fed.us)
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Figured Wood and the Practice of Sustainable Forestry

The birdseye grain pattern in sugar maple is a rare yet valuable variation of this important timber species.  A recent Station publication reviewed birdseye grain in sugar maple and suggested how this highly prized commodity can increase options for sustainable forestry and made a number of management recommendations.  First, land managers should be able to recognize birdseye maples in the field, either as standing timber or before the logs are fully processed. This will help ensure that economic losses do not result from mistakenly discarded or underutilized timber. Second, residual timber containing figured wood should be carefully protected to avoid loss of tree quality following logging. Third, management of the residual timber may need to be modified to help ensure continued production of birdseye, which in turn may prove more compatible with certain silvicultural strategies such as managing for old-growth-like conditions.Many of the lessons learned on birdseye maple also apply to other figured grains, such as curly grains or burlwood. Don Bragg (dbragg@fs.fed.us)
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