Master's Projects, Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation

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Characterization of the Vegetation and Soil of the Forest Communities at Camp Brookside in Summers County, West Virginia
Mitchem, David O. (Virginia Tech, 2004-12-07)
Camp Brookside, a seasonal island, is located on the floodplain of the New River in Summers County, West Virginia. This island hosts several rare plant species and a rare plant community known as a riverside flat rock plant community (FRPC). The FRPC is characterized by flat resistant sandstone shelves above water that are generally associated with rapids. Flooding has historically maintained the FRPC by scouring any soil off of the bedrock and leaving sand deposits in cracks or depressions. However, since the Bluestone Dam was built in 1950, organic material accumulation and soil development has gone unabated. Measurements were taken of the overstory, lower canopy, regeneration layers, and soils found at Camp Brookside. Our overstory data indicated that there are five distinct plant communities on the island. The FRPC has an overstory of eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana), Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana), and white ash (Fraxinus americana). The FRPC has an average soil depth of 1.8 cm, a loamy sand soil texture, and a soil pH of 3.9. A xeric pine community dominated by Virginia pine and eastern redcedar was found along the riverside portion of the island. Historically, this community was part of the FRPC. The xeric pine community has an average soil depth of 17.6 cm, a loamy sand soil texture, and a soil pH of 4.6. Our results indicate that soil and organic material is accumulating in the FRPC, and that some type of disturbance will be needed to maintain this community.
Culture and Propagation of Japanese Maple
Phillips, Guy (Virginia Tech, 2003-12-12)
Japanese maples have maintained a steady presence in nurseries and across the suburban landscape of America for many years now. Their fineness of texture, relatively small stature, and colorful displays are attributes that have earned them the admiration of studied horticulturalists and casual observers alike. This document attempts to compile the published accounts of several decades of observations and experiments pertaining to the general culture and propagation of Japanese maples, most specifically, information pertaining to Acer palmatum. In addition to aesthetic beauty, several factors combine to make Japanese maple a valuable horticultural species. These factors are: seedling variability, wide-ranging environmental adaptability, moderate ease of asexual propagation, limited problems with pest and pathogens in both nursery and landscape settings, and consistent commercial value and appeal. Despite the popularity and overall viability of Japanese maple cultivation, information concerning the species, particularly research information, is somewhat lacking.
A description of floral diversity in the southern Appalachians with forest management considerations for conservation
Brown, Maryfrances McGrath (Virginia Tech, 1994-05-04)
Biological diversity is the variety of plant and animal life, habitats and ecosystems, and the biological processes and functions within them. It is this simple yet profoundly important concept in biology which in recent years has become an issue of great concern to the lay public and scientific community alike. The cause for this concern lies in the current rapid destruction and transformation of many ecosystems worldwide. From temperate and tropical rain forests to coral reefs, the loss of habitat due to the pressures of an expanding human population threatens the existence of numerous species of plants and animals. It is suspected that thousands of species of plants and animals are being lost before ever being described, let alone tested for their usefulness as medicines or crops (Wilson 1988). Over 25% of prescription drugs available today contain active compounds that are extracted directly from plants (Ledig 1988). In addition, the cross breeding of domesticated crop species with wild relatives has resulted in improved disease resistance in crops such as barley, rice, cassava, sugarcane, and com (Plotkin 1986). Thus, the loss of habitat and the possible extirpation or extinction of plant and animal species may mean the loss of potential life-saving drugs and crop-enhancing wild relatives.
Developing a Natural Resource Database for Geographic Information System
Hassouna, Khaled M. (Virginia Tech, 1997-03-13)
Geographic information systems ( GIS ) are an effective tool for land management. By studying the land formations and land cover of a site, much information about the tree and animal species inhabiting a site can be estimated. The managers of public or private lands may find the concept of a multi-layer analysis of their land useful in discriminating locations based on their many characteristics. I created a database of a small area with no previously specified objective. I produced a group of map layers emphasizing the methodology and the ability of making any number of overlays or combinations of layers. I estimated the time and cost involved in producing these layers. I produced layers of: elevation, slope, aspect, watershed-depression, watershed-flow direction, watershed-streams, and roads. I created a group of categorized data layers: elevation, slope, aspect, erosive slope, watershed-flow accumulation, buffered roads, and buffered streams. I made some combinations of different layers explaining the potential uses of such combination. I used the work of my graduate colleagues to illustrate the importance of such work when combined in natural resources management. Combinations were made of: forest cover, average temperature, solar radiation, and slope position.
An evaluation of potential planning processes for national parks in Malaysia
Yusof, Ebil bin (Virginia Tech, 1990)
Fertilization and Woody Plant Nutrition in the Context of the Urban Forest
Watkins, James R. (Virginia Tech, 1998-10-05)
Fertilization of urban trees is often based on traditional forestry objectives. These objectives and resultant attributes may not be desired in urban trees. The majority of research and the ensuing recommendations regarding fertilizer amounts and formulations comes from agricultural models, pomology, and industrial forestry - very little from arboriculture. Lack of water and inadequate soil volumes are responsible for many of the problems that beset urban trees. More research is needed in water deficit mitigation, establishing nutrient sufficiency and deficiency levels in urban trees, the role of fertilization in disease remediation and increased pathogenesis, and the effects of long term fertilization on trees in the urban landscape.
Function, Design, and Establishment of Riparian Forest Buffers: A Review
Klapproth, Julia Caldwell (Virginia Tech, 1999-02-08)
Through the interaction of their soils, hydrology, and biotic communities, riparian forests protect and improve water quality, provide habitat for plants and animals, support aquatic communities, and provide many benefits to humans. Virginia, along with other states in the Chesapeake Bay region, has recognized the importance of riparian forests by implementing a plan to restore forested buffers along streams, rivers, and lakes. This project reviews selected literature on riparian forest buffers, including water quality functions, benefits to fish and wildlife, and human benefits. The review also discusses riparian buffer restoration and some of the costs and barriers associated with riparian forest buffer establishment. Information on financial and technical assistance programs available to Virginia landowners is included.
GIS Applications in Urban Tree Inventory
Otey, Jennifer K. (Virginia Tech, 2007-08-09)
This project evaluates and demonstrates some applications of a GIS-based urban tree inventory. This was done by (1) collecting and analyzing data for Tinker Air Force Base (AFB), and (2) collecting and evaluating data for the Virginia Tech campus tree inventory. The urban tree inventory at Tinker AFB was estimated using remote sensing techniques that included the use of the eCognition 3.0 software. Inventory data was collected using a handheld computer and transferred to a desktop for data backup and analysis. Data was evaluated for urban forest structure and composition. The data collected for Tinker AFB was additionally analyzed for potential runway obstacles. CITYgreen software was used to determine tree canopy coverage and i-Tree STRATUM was used to compare against CITYgreen. Both CITYgreen and i-Tree are very useful tools for urban foresters, the purpose of the inventory should direct which software is utilized. An urban tree inventory provides a baseline to work from, facilitates management decisions, and provides a basis for future evaluation.
Japanese Garden Inventory and Management Plan for Maymont Park - Richmond, VA
Jones, Christopher Egan (Virginia Tech, 2009-02-03)
A woody plant inventory was conducted at Maymont Park in Richmond, VA to assess species composition and plant condition of its Japanese garden. This garden has changed significantly over the years, thus requiring a plant inventory. A global positioning system (GPS) unit and data logger were used to locate plants and document their characteristics. Management needs, plant condition, geographic coordinates, accession dates, and trunk diameter were recorded for each of the 333 specimens inventoried in the garden. The projectâ s overall goal was to provide recommendations to help Maymont staff make sound arboricultural decisions. The project was also a pilot to develop a plant inventory protocol for the other 106 acres of the Park. The majority of inventoried trees had 0.5â 10 inch trunk diameter at breast height with a few trees measuring over 40 inches. These data revealed that the plant collection consists of mostly smaller, immature trees and that most will need a high level of care to maintain the gardenâ s longevity. The five most abundant species were bald cypress (Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich.; 18.6%); â Yoshinoâ Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica (L.f.) D. Don; 10.8%); Japanese maple (Acer palmatum Thunb.; 9.9%); loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.; 8.1%); and sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.; 4.5%). The inventory revealed that mulching, pruning, and tree removal were the most common management needs. Although the garden needs attention in some areas, it is in good condition overall.
Landscape Tree Inventory and Management Plan for the United Company Corporate Campus, Bristol, Virginia
Worrell, William (Virginia Tech, 2010-04-27)
The United Company’s corporate headquarters resides on 65 acres in a residential area just east of downtown Bristol, Virginia. The main office complex on the south side of campus is accented by a mixed landscape of trees, shrubs, and lawns. In 2008, foresters with Virginia Cooperative Extension and Virginia Tech were contracted to develop a landscape tree management plan for the corporate campus. A complete tree inventory was conducted in summer 2008 to assess campus tree composition and maintenance needs. The inventory provided the basis for developing the management plan, which describes the priorities, goals, and objectives that should guide landscape tree management on the United Company corporate campus over the next decade and beyond. The inventory enumerated 630 landscape trees consisting of 67 different species. Flowering dogwood, yellow-poplar, and eastern white pine were the three most abundant species, each accounting for about 15% of the total population. The campus landscape is dominated by mature and geriatric trees. Despite the “graying” of the tree population, it is in fair to good condition overall. Structural defects that may threaten tree stability were commonly observed in the inventoried trees. Fortunately, most of these defects were mild to moderate and do not pose a significant threat to the landscape. However, critical defects were observed in several trees and should be attended to immediately. An assortment of disorders that may threaten tree health were also observed in campus trees. Prevalent disorders included trunk wounds, soil compaction, buried root collars, and inadequate mulching. These disorders can threaten tree health and should be addressed through a systematic tree maintenance program. In this paper, general recommendations for tree planting, maintenance, and removal are provided based on the primary goal of attaining a safe, attractive, and sustainable campus forest. In addition, specific management recommendations are provided for 11 critical-priority trees, 8 notable trees, and 3 prevalent species groups. Finally, an appendix has been assembled at the end of this report to provide definitions on common tree care terms and guidance on common tree care practices.
A Methodology for Inventorying Stored Carbon in An Urban Forest
Gann, Sara Beth (Virginia Tech, 2003-06-13)
Trees in urban areas store carbon directly through photosynthesis, but they also provide the added benefit of reducing carbon emissions produced by fossil-fuel burning power plants, by means of energy conservation from strategically-planted trees near buildings, as well as by area-wide reductions in the urban heat island effect. Quantifying the role of urban forests is an important prerequisite to managing the vegetation to optimize benefits, and also serves to assign value to the important ecosystem services provided by urban trees. Decisions by policy-makers regarding the management and use of urban trees requires accurate and precise information about the state of the resource. This paper creates a methodology for conducting a carbon inventory in an urban forest in the Washington, DC area, one that requires a minimum of data gathering. The methodology could serve as a tool for other similar high-density urban areas to measure carbon resources in urban forests and to serve as the basis for further research. Carbon trading systems may provide opportunities for forest owners to sell carbon credits to entities that produce CO2 in excess of national or international limits; quantifying urban forest carbon would be necessary as a baseline for future carbon offset projects.
Potential for identifying changes in land cover in Nepal using satellite imagery
Pradhan, Hrishi Bahadur (Virginia Tech, 1993)
The Role of Outreach Education in Achieving Environmental Literacy
Wood-Arendt, Ann Elizabeth (Virginia Tech, 2000-04-18)
Teachers of all disciplines are instrumental in shaping the characters and behaviors of future citizens. One of the greatest challenges facing environmental educators is relating to a population that is increasingly insulated from the natural world. An environmental education needs assessment of schools located in an urban watershed found that inadequate educator knowledge of environmental issues, lack of state proficiency standards for environmental education, and lack of funding for environmental projects are barriers hampering the achievement of environmental education objectives. Respondents to the Hunting Creek Watershed Environmental Education Needs Questionnaire desire greater knowledge of and access to non-biased, science-based resources for teaching environmental education. Outreach environmental education can fill the gap created by lack of teacher certification, lack of curriculum standards, and diminishing education budgets. Environmental literacy can be achieved through use of the tools provided by outreach environmental educators.
Strategies for Sustainable Development of Non-Timber Forest Products in Senegal
Sene, Abdou (Virginia Tech, 2001-10-22)
In recent years, forests have been increasingly recognized as rich reservoirs for many valuable biological resources. As a result of the devastation caused by drought, clearing land for agriculture, and overexploitation of timber, there has been a growing interest in non-timber forest products (NTFPs). The Senegal Forestry Action Plan, designed to ensure sustainable forest management, stresses the importance of identifying the constraints to and opportunities for sustainable development of non-timber forest products. This paper seeks to accomplish this and to suggest sustainable new NTFP development initiatives. First, data on products and prices from Senegal's Forestry Service and reports and other documents were examined to identify constraints to NTFP management and opportunities for NTFP development. Then, a thorough literature review of topics related to NTFPs was completed. Informal interviews with NTFP specialists were also conducted. Finally, a case study analysis examined NTFP management and utilization in conditions similar to Senegal. Management and utilization constraints can be removed when policies involve local populations. While some policy opportunities facilitate sustainable management, further efforts must be made to involve all NTFP stakeholders. Successful programs will organize stakeholder groups or enterprises, inventory all forest resources, develop NTFP focused pilot projects including the cultivation of native NTFP species, and give gender considerations high priority.
Tree Inventories and GIS in Urban Forestry
Wood, James Phillip (Virginia Tech, 1999-07-26)
Planning and managing vegetation in urban areas is complex and can benefit from using computerized tree inventories and Geographic Information Systems. This paper outlines how tree inventories can be use to effectively manage trees in urban areas, to avoid project budget cutbacks, improve the efficiency of an existing program, and to educate and provide information to the public. Urban foresters need to work with other disciplines within a municipality to effectively manage our urban resource. Urban planners, engineers, landscape architects and urban foresters should combine their efforts to maintain, protect, and regenerate the urban forests.
Tree Selection Guide for Mid-Atlantic Silvopastures
Beegle, Dana Kirley (Virginia Tech, 2019-02-01)
Silvopasture is a farming practice that intentionally combines trees, forages, and livestock grazing for the purpose of increasing overall productivity. Although silvopasture in the United States has historically been concentrated in the southeast, it holds great promise in the Mid-Atlantic region as well. However, lack of research specific to silvopasture in this region, has kept adoption rates low. Landowners interested in silvopasture need information to encourage adoption and make sound establishment and management decisions. An important management decision for silvopasture establishment is tree selection. First-time adopters (and technical service providers) need resources and information to help them choose the most suitable and most productive species for their site and operation goals. Plant and tree selection tools are widely available for horticulture applications. However, few exist for agroforestry-based systems, and no comprehensive list or selection guide has been developed for silvopasture establishment in the Mid-Atlantic region specifically. This project seeks to fill that void. To begin this project, I used a variety of horticulture- and forestry-based information sources to research trees native to the Mid-Atlantic region. For each tree, I collected information that we identified as having the greatest relevance to silvopasture establishment including site preferences (pH, soil moisture, and hardiness zone), ability to tolerate site and weather extremes (heat/drought, flood, shade, and wind/ice), physical characteristics (crown features, root structure, growth rate, and mature height), potential utility (markets, fodder and coppice potential, rate of CO2 sequestration, and other benefits), and maintenance needs (pest/disease issues). From this body of information, we selected a diverse group of 20 trees that are highly suitable and productive for silvopasture in this region based on crown characteristics, rooting patters, and growth rate; while offering Mid-Atlantic producers a range of choices for various site conditions and operation goals. This information is presented in a quick-reference chart that can be used in the field or office by landowners and technical service professionals. It includes a brief description of how to use this chart as well as guidance on source and availability of plant material. This is our Tree Selection Guide for Mid-Atlantic Silvopastures. Our hope is that this list of 20 trees will be expanded over time to include more species and perhaps become available as an online or phone-based selection tool.

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