FPC Updates

Southeast United States

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field work, and more.

Latin America

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field work, and more.

Technology Updates

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Grad Student Highlights

Meet our students and learn about all the work
they are doing.

New Publication Highlights

  • Accurate quantification and mapping of forest productivity are critical to understanding and managing forest ecosystems. Local LiDAR or photogrammetric surveys have been used to obtain reliable estimates of canopy heights, yet these acquisitions can entail substantial expenses. Therefore, we developed models using freely available US Geological survey (USGS) LiDAR data for prediction of dominant height to map site index across loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations in the southeastern US. We used 2017–2020 national USGS 3D Elevation Program LiDAR acquisitions and explored how different height percentiles, grid output resolutions, time difference between LiDAR and ground acquisitions, tree height, and dominant height definition affected the proposed model. We built the dominant height models using 1301 ground plots. The final regression model was constructed with the 95th percentile of the height distribution of the first returns above-ground and had values of R2 = 0.89, RMSE = 1.55 m, and RRMSE = 7.66 per cent at a 20-m pixel grid, yet all the examined percentile-resolution combinations were acceptable. No effect evidence was found for time difference when the flight was less than 4 months in advance or after the ground measurement, and it was also found independent of pulse density when this variable was lower than 9.5 pulses m−2. Using the recorded age of the plantations, we assessed the error propagation when translating dominant height to site index in two site index models, obtaining an RRMSE lower than 10 per cent in both. We found that USGS LiDAR acquisitions can be reliably used to map dominant height at a large scale, and consequently used to map forest productivity when age is known. This ability adds more value to a tool proven widely applicable in time and space and offers a great opportunity for stakeholders in different fields of use.

  • Vicent Ribas-Costa

    va.ribas@upm.es

    vribasc@ncsu.edu

    vicentribas11@gmail.com

  • Vicent A Ribas-Costa, Aitor Gastón, Rachel L Cook, Modeling dominant height with USGS 3DEP LiDAR to determine site index in even-aged loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations in the southeastern US, Forestry: An International Journal of Forest Research, 2024;, cpae034, https://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/cpae034

  • Over the last decades, Chile has experienced a long-term drought with significant consequences for water availability, forest productivity, and soil degradation, ultimately dramatically increasing the surface of burned area. Here, we quantify the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) to ascertain the extent of “moisture deficiency” across the central-southern region of Chile from 2000 to 2023 to assess the drought’s relationship with the frequency of wildfires focusing on the impact of native forests. Our methodology quantifies the PDSI from the burned area data using MODIS MCD64A1 satellite imagery, validated by in situ wildfire occurrence records. The findings indicate that 85.2% of fires occurred under moderate to severe drought conditions. We identified 407,561 ha showing varying degrees of degradation due to wildfires, highlighting the critical areas for targeted conservation efforts. A significant increase in both the frequency of wildfires and the extent of the affected area in native forests was observed with the intensification of drought conditions in the 21st century within mesic to humid Mediterranean climatic zones where drought explains up to 41% of the variability in the burned area (r2 = 0.41; p < 0.05). This study highlights the relationship between drought conditions and wildfire frequency, showing the paramount need to adopt comprehensive wildfire mitigation management in native forests.

  • Efrain Duarte

    efrainduarte@udec.cl

  • Duarte, E.; Rubilar, R.; Matus, F.; Garrido-Ruiz, C.; Merino, C.; Smith-Ramirez, C.; Aburto, F.; Rojas, C.; Stehr, A.; Dörner, J.; et al. Published a manuscript analyzing the relationships between climate change, droughts and wildfires.  Drought and Wildfire Trends in Native Forests of South-Central Chile in the 21st Century. Fire 2024, 7, 230.

    See: https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7070230

2023 Research Summaries are now available for FPC Members
(FPC Team Collaborative Effort)

  • New Research Summaries are published each spring to update FPC members on research progress from the previous year. Each volume contains numerous two-page long reports summarizing the findings from various regionwide trials as well as findings from special studies.

  • FPC Members have exclusive access to the Research Summaries. They are available here (Member Dashboard \\ Publications \\ FPC Research Summaries).

    • Mid-Rotation Effects of Site Preparation, Weed Control, and Fertilization on Growth of Pinus taeda in Brazil (p.23)

    • Mid-Rotation Effects of Site Preparation, Weed Control, and Fertilization on Growth of Pinus maximinoi in Brazil (p.25)

    • Radiata Pine Rotation Age Responses to Site Preparation, Weed Control and Fertilization (p.27)

    • Evaluating site preparation intensity and weed control impacts on early and long-term growth in Radiata pine forest (p.31)

    • Pinus tecunumanii and maximinoi Site Preparation x Weed Control & Fertilization (p.35)

    • Using Spectral Vegetation Indices to Estimate Mid-term Responses to Soil Preparation Intensity and Weed Control timing for Pinus radiata (p.37)

    • Loblolly pine response to thinning & fertilization in Argentina (p.77)

    • Effects of Silviculture and Spacing on Pinus taeda Varieties over 10 years in Brazil (p.95)

    • Impact of Intensity and Duration of Competing Vegetation Control on Pine Productivity in Brazil (p.145)

    • Pinus tecunumanii and Pinus maximinoi response to weed control intensity & duration (p.147)

    • Using Microdialysis to Assess Soil Diffusive P and Translocated Sap Flow P Concentrations in Southern Pinus taeda Plantations (p.153)

    • Pinus taeda Carryover Phosphorus Availability in the Lower Atlantic Coastal Plain (p.155)

    • Fungal Biomass and Ectomycorrhizal Community Assessment of Phosphorus-Responsive Pinus taeda Plantations (p.157)

    • Influence of Site Characteristics and Phosphorus Fertilization on Root-Associated Fungal Communities in Pinus taeda (p.159)

    • Loblolly Pine Plantation Design to Optimize Value & Productivity of Site Specific Species/Genotypes (p.163)

    • Radiata pine plantation design to optimize value & productivity of site specific species/genotypes on sandy soils (p.165)

    • Radiata pine plantation design to optimize value & productivity of site specific species/genotypes on metamorphic soils (p.167)

    • Biomass partitioning and growth in the US and BR (p.284)

    • High and low solubility Calcium potential to correct stem deformation in fast growing Pinus radiata (p.298)

    • Soil and site productivity effects on above and belowground radiata pine carbon pools at harvesting age (p.302)

    • Growth Trends of Loblolly Pine Ages One to Five in Relation to Soil Type and Management Intensity (p.310)

    • Synergistic Effect of Two Ectomycorrhizal Fungi on Phosphorus Uptake by Pinus taeda Seedlings (p.312)

    • Harvesting Age Pinus radiata Carbon Sequestration Potential in Granitic and Metamorphic Soils of South-Central Chile (p.314)

    • A Decision Support Tool for Optimizing Forest Yield and Carbon in Private Loblolly Pine Plantations (p.316)

    • Dynamic Greenhouse Gas Accounting to Understand Climate Effects of Silvicultural Management in Loblolly Plantations (p.318)

    • Tropical Eucalyptus Sustainability Study (p.7)

    • Eucalyptus grandis Site Preparation x Weed Control & Fertilization (p.19)

    • Effect of water availability on growth efficiency in Eucalyptus genotypes (p.157)

    • Fertilizer Survey Summary of Operational Forest Fertilization for Forest Productivity Cooperative Members- 2022 Update (p.7)

    • Early stand measurements using a drone (p.153)

    • Nature vs. Nurture: Drivers of Site Productivity for Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda L.) Forests in the Southeastern US (p.155)

    • Modeling Wood Product Carbon Flows in Southern US Pine Plantations: Implications for Carbon Storage (p.139)

    • Airborne laser scanning derived estimates of individual tree stem diameter as inputs in a conventional growth and yield model (p.157)

    • Demonstrating the transferability of airborne laser scanning derived models for Pinus taeda L. stem size estimation to different locations and acquisition specifications (p.159)