scholarly journals A New Method for Evaluating the Visual Quality of Loblolly Pine (Pinus Taeda L.) Forest

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Murat Atasoy ◽  
John S. Kush
Keyword(s):  
Loblolly Pine ◽  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Fire Management ◽  
Visual Quality ◽  
Grass Cover ◽  
Fire Return Interval ◽  
Return Interval ◽  
One Year

<p>Most of the forested lands in the south-eastern United States were largely the result of the frequent, low intensity, non-lethal fires that swept through the pre-settlement forests. In the absence of fire, forested stands develop a thick undergrowth of broad-leaved species and herbaceous vegetation. In this study, we compared the influence of prescribed fire on the understory vegetative cover of loblolly pine stands in relation to visual quality assessment. To examine the visual quality of prescribed fire management, a box-counting method was used to analyze photographs of prescribed fire management. The photographs were taken from: a) one-year fire return interval, b) two-year fire return interval, c) three-year fire return interval, and d) no-burn. The objectives of this study were: 1) develop a comparison of aesthetic value of the different fire return intervals of fire management with areas not experiencing prescribed fire; and 2) provide an estimate of enhancing visual quality of forest stands with prescribed fire management. The results showed that one-year interval prescribed fire application stands had more abundant grass cover (Andropogon sp.) than two- and three-year interval treatments. There was a significant decrease in grass cover between one-year and two-year prescribed burning. A positive relationship was also found between frequency of fire treatment and abundance of grass. No burn areas were covered by woody vegetation which may have a negative impact on scenic beauty and visual quality.</p>

Annual Fire Return Interval Influences Nutritional Carrying Capacity of White-Tailed Deer in Pine–Hardwood Forests

2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 483-491
Author(s):  
Michael P Glow ◽  
Stephen S Ditchkoff ◽  
Mark D Smith
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Carrying Capacity ◽  
Habitat Management ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Forage Production ◽  
Fire Return Interval ◽  
Return Interval

AbstractPrescribed fire is a cost-effective habitat management tool in pine stands to enhance the quantity and quality of forage available for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Management recommendations typically suggest a 3- to 5-year burn rotation in mixed pine–hardwood stands to increase quality forage production, but as fire frequency increases, forb and legume biomass increases, and woody browse decreases. A more frequent burn rotation may be a viable management option for deer managers, but there is still a lack of information regarding preferred forage and nutritional carrying capacity response to prescribed fire at these intervals. We measured the production and nutritional quality of forage within mature pine–hardwood stands after a 1- or 2-year fire-return interval during three nutritionally stressful periods for deer on a 640-acre (259-hectare) enclosure located in east-central Alabama during 2014 and 2015. These stands had previously been burned annually for over 15 years, resulting in an abundance of herbaceous vegetation. We then compared forage class biomass, nutritional carrying capacity estimates, and digestible protein between burn treatments. A 1-year fire return interval improved habitat quality to a greater degree than a 2-year fire return interval by increasing the production of forage able to support greater nutritional planes. An annual burn rotation is an effective option for managers to increase protein availability in pine–hardwood stands, but other factors such as decreased cover availability and soft mast production should also be considered.

Prescribed Burning and Nutrient Cycling Relationships in Young Loblolly Pine Plantations

1980 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 118-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. E. Kodama ◽  
D. H. Van Lear
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Pinus Taeda ◽  
Loblolly Pine ◽  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Nutrient Transfer ◽  
Nutrient Losses ◽  
Moving Strip ◽  
Pinus Taeda L

Abstract Prescribed burning of young unthinned plantations of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) in the South Carolina Piedmont significantly reduced the quantity of individual nutrients in the L layer, but not the F + H layers of the forest floor. Burning reduced the weight of the L layer by 60 percent but the weight of the combined F + H layers was unaffected by the relatively fast-moving strip-head fires. Nutrient losses by ash convection from the L layer during the prescribed fire ranged from 3.6 lbs/ac for P to 23.1 lbs/ac for N. Some impaction of nutrients released in burning on pine canopies was detected by analysis of throughfall and stemflow. However, quantities of nutrients intercepted and released by the canopy are small when compared to nutrient transfer by leaf fall and precipitation. The canopy and stems markedly altered the nutrient concentrations of intercepted precipitation.

scholarly journals One-year effect of wearing orthokeratology lenses on the visual quality of juvenile myopia: a retrospective study

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e6998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yewei Yin ◽  
Yang Zhao ◽  
Xiaoying Wu ◽  
Mengyang Jiang ◽  
Xiaobo Xia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Quality ◽  
Wavefront Aberration ◽  
Corneal Curvature ◽  
Modulation Transfer ◽  
Year Effect ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After ◽  
One Year ◽  
The One

Objective To study the one-year effect of wearing orthokeratology (OK) lenses on the visual quality of juvenile myopia. Methods The right eyes of 36 juvenile myopias were retrospectively studied in this work. Q-value, e-value, corneal curvature, strehl ratio (SR), modulation transfer function (MTF) and wavefront aberration (WA) were compared before and at 1, 3 and 12 months after wearing OK lenses. The SR, MTF and WA of cornea, internal optic and ocular were analyzed separately. The spherical and cylinder diopter, vision acuity, compensating factor (CF) and compensative rate (CF%) were compared before and at 12 months after wearing OK lenses. Results (1) The vision of LogMAR increased and the corneal curvature decreased significantly after wearing OK lenses. There was no significant difference for the e-value before and after wearing OK lenses. The Q-value increased at 1 month but decreased at 3 and 12 months remarkably. (2) The ocular and internal optic SR and MTF increased significantly at 1 month and then remained stable. The MTF in different spacial frequencies increased after wearing OK lenses. There was no significant difference for the corneal SR before and after wearing OK lenses, and the corneal MTF decreased significantly after wearing OK lenses. (3) For the ocular, the total higher order aberration (HOA), spherical, coma and trefoil aberrations increased, and the total aberration, total lower order aberration (LOA) and defocus aberration decreased obviously except astigmatism. The corneal aberrations increased significantly after wearing OK lenses except astigmatism. For the internal optic, the total aberration, total LOA and defocus aberration decreased, and the total HOA, coma and trefoil aberration increased significantly except the astigmatism and spherical aberrations. (4) The CF and CF% of total aberration, total LOA, total HOA and coma aberrations increased, and those of astigmatism and spherical decreased at 12 months. Conclusions Orthokeratology is effective in correcting the refractive error and improving the vision quality of juvenile myopia over the one-year follow-up period.

Challenges for prescribed fire management in Australia’s fire-prone rangelands – the example of the Northern Territory

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Russell-Smith ◽  
Andrew C. Edwards ◽  
Kamaljit K. Sangha ◽  
Cameron P. Yates ◽  
Mark R. Gardener
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Fire Management ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Fire Spread ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Remote Communities ◽  
Management Planning ◽  
The Status ◽  
Planning Processes

Northern Australia comprises by far the most fire-prone-half of a fiery continent, where fire frequencies range from annual in the tropical savannas to periodic very-extensive fire events following above-rainfall conditions in the central Australian rangelands. As illustration of the challenges facing effective fire management in Australia’s 5.7×106km2 rangelands, we examine the status of contemporary prescribed burning activities in the Northern Territory, a 1.4×106km2, very sparsely settled (0.18 persons km−2) jurisdiction characterised by vast flammable landscapes, few barriers to fire-spread, predominantly anthropogenic ignitions, and limited institutional resources and capacity. Unsurprisingly, prescribed-fire management is shown to be restricted to specific locales. For more effective, landscape-scale fire management, potential solutions include engagement with dispersed remote communities and incorporation of Indigenous Ranger Groups into the fire-management network, and building on the success of savanna-burning greenhouse gas emission projects as an example for incentivising landscape fire and emergency management services generally. Recently, significant steps have been taken towards implementing formal regional fire-management planning processes involving inclusive community-stakeholder engagement, and the setting of clearly defined time-constrained objectives and targets.

Effects of prescribed fire on soil quality in Mediterranean grassland (Prades Mountains, north-east Spain)

2005 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xavier Úbeda ◽  
Marc Lorca ◽  
Luís R. Outeiro ◽  
Sara Bernia ◽  
Marc Castellnou
Keyword(s):  
Soil Quality ◽  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Mediterranean Climate ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Fire Intensity ◽  
North East ◽  
Soil Temperatures ◽  
Phosphorous Content ◽  
One Year

This study examines the effects of a prescribed fire, conducted in grassland in order to maintain a fire break, on soil quality (pH and nutrients) in the Prades Mountains in the Mediterranean climate of north-east Spain. Soil at a 4 × 18 m study plot, located in an abandoned agricultural terrace on calcareous bedrock at 760 m above sea level, was sampled at 0–5 cm depth at 42 sampling points before, immediately after and one year after the burn and analysed for pH and carbon, nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous content. Fire intensity was low and surface soil temperatures did not exceed 200°C. All parameters examined showed a significant increase immediately after the fire. One year later, pH and total carbon had returned to pre-fire levels, and nitrogen and phosphorous were above, whereas potassium levels had decreased to below pre-fire levels. Overall, the prescribed fire did not appear to adversely affect soil. However, using prescribed burning on an annual basis as a tool to maintain an effective fire break may not allow enough time for the soils to fully recover.

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