Research Highlights

Invasive earthworms have unexpected effects on other soil organisms

Invasive earthworms alter the structure and function of soil. Forest Service scientists show that these earthworms decrease the abundance of springtails, but act as a food source for centipedes. These changes are likely to alter the communities of other soil-dwelling organisms, with potential rippling effects on the forest soil food web. Station: SRS

Preventing human-based transmission of white-nose syndrome of bats.

Over six million bats have died in eastern North America from white-nose syndrome since the disease was first observed in 2006. Forest Service scientists are looking for ways to slow the spread of the disease by finding better ways to clean the clothing and equipment that people bring into the caves. Station: NRS

Water yield following forest to grass to forest transitions

Forested watersheds are important sources of drinking water. However, species identity affects water yield from deciduous forests. Through old-field succession, changes in species composition over time determine how much precipitation leaves the watershed as evapotranspiration versus water yield. Station: SRS

Study reveals how to minimize overstory mortality when using shelterwood-burn techniques to restore oak forests

Hardwood forests, and especially oak forests, in the eastern U.S. often require fire to create forest conditions suitable for successful stand regeneration from seeds. Today these conditions are most often achieved through use of prescribed fire; however, these fires put mature trees at risk. Forest Service scientists are studying how different stand treatments combined with prescribed fire can achieve desired regeneration results while minimizing tree mortality. Station: NRS

Collaboration makes fire science available and useful to land managers

Forest Service researchers and foresters are partnering to document the effects of landscape-scale prescribed fire on the George Washington and Jefferson national forests. Station: NRS

Black cherry regeneration difficulties: Are They Related to Stand Age or Something Else?

Forest managers report that black cherry regeneration is impeded by poor and erratic seed production. Tree stand age has been suggested as one of the causal factors affecting seed production. Forest Service scientists monitored black cherry seed production over seven years to see whether stand age affects seed production. Station: NRS

Land use conversion to and from forest land has important implications on the National Greenhouse Gas Budget

Land use and land use change data from the Forest Inventory and Analysis Program makes possible a first-of-its-kind analysis of carbon dynamics associated with forest land conversion in the National Inventory Report of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks in the U.S. Station: NRS