Theses and Dissertations - Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship
Recent Submissions
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Interaction between light, nitrogen and mycorrhizal fungi on photosynthesis of ectomycorrhizal pine
The importance of mycorrhizae to the physiological functions of plants is relatively well documented. Despite the obvious benefits of mycorrhizae for the enhancement of seedling growth, study of the relationship between ... -
How do ecological restoration treatments affect understory plant communities in dry conifer forests of the Colorado Front Range?
Ecological restoration efforts are progressing in dry conifer forests across the western United States to increase resilience to fire and other disturbances. While such treatments primarily aim to create overstory change, ... -
Advancing prescribed fire science through numerical simulation and improved reporting practices
Planning a prescribed burn that is safe and effective relies on land managers understanding how a complex suite of interactions between the burning environment (e.g., fuels, fire weather, and topography) and ignition factors ... -
Initial and future stand development following mountain pine beetle in harvested and uncut lodgepole pine forests
The extent and severity of over tory lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl.) mortality from mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) has created management concerns associated with forest regeneration, wildfire ... -
Causes, consequences, and management of tree spatial patterns in fire-frequent forests
Increasingly, restoration treatments are being implemented to dually meet wildland fire hazard reduction alongside ecological objectives. Restoration treatments however deviate from conventional fuels treatments by emphasizing ... -
Western spruce budworm outbreak associated with wet periods in the Colorado Front Range: a multicentury reconstruction
Western spruce budworms (WSB) are one of the most important native defoliators of coniferous forests in North America, causing widespread reductions in tree growth and elevated levels of tree mortality during outbreak. ... -
Potential for unmanned aerial systems to inform ponderosa pine restoration: evaluation of horizontal and vertical complexity monitoring
Over the last two decades, the restoration of dry conifer forests has increasingly prioritized the reintroduction of horizontal and vertical complexity. This emphasis has come from research showing that increased spatial ... -
Policies and other institutions to support cross-boundary forest management: lessons from four "shared stewardship" projects in the western United States
Land managers are increasingly seeking to increase the pace and scale of management actions by working across boundaries, but a key question is whether new approaches can be undertaken within the confines of existing ... -
Turning the tide on the sagebrush sea: long-term invasive annual grass control and rangeland restoration with indaziflam
The invasive winter annual grass downy brome (Bromus tectorum L.) has invaded vast expanses of sagebrush-grassland in western North America, and the fine fuel associated with invasion increases the frequency of burning ... -
Horizontal and vertical forest complexity interact to influence potential fire behavior
Wildland fire behavior is a dynamic process controlled by complex interactions among fuels, weather, and topography. There is significant need to better understand the role of fuels and, particularly, complex arrangements ... -
Interactions and impacts of multiple bark beetle outbreaks in the southern Rocky Mountains
In conifer forests of western North America, outbreaks of native bark beetles are important biotic disturbances that influence forest structure and function. Subalpine forests in the southern Rocky Mountains (SRM) are home ... -
Post-fire vegetation and bird habitat use in piñon-juniper woodlands
Global climate change has caused fire activity and behavior to shift from historical norms due to hotter and drier conditions. Although the ecological effects of changing fire regimes have been explored in many systems, ... -
Increased aridity is associated with stronger tradeoffs in ponderosa pine vital functions
Trees must allocate resources to core functions, like growth, defense, and reproduction, for populations to persist in the future. A changing climate is leading to more extreme droughts and hotter temperatures, and it is ... -
Drivers and phenology of native bee-flower interactions in restored ponderosa pine forests
Many ecosystems, globally, are degraded or transformed as a result of anthropomorphic activities. Ecological restoration can manage ecosystem processes by reintroducing disturbance and returning systems to historical ... -
Forest recovery trends following an unprecedented mountain pine beetle outbreak in the southern Rocky Mountains
Following the mountain pine beetle (MPB) outbreak in the early 2000s in the southern Rocky Mountains, questions remain about what the structure and composition of lodgepole pine forests will look like as they recover. I ... -
Alkaline/peracetic acid as a pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass for ethanol fuel production
Peracetic add is a lignin oxidation pretreatment with low energy input by which biomass can be treated in a silo type system for improving enzymatic digestibility of lignocellulosic materials for ethanol production. ... -
Plant species effects on soil organic matter turnover and nutrient release in forests and grasslands
Although feedbacks between plant species and ecosystem dynamics have been demonstrated in a variety of terrestrial ecosystems, little research has examined the mechanistic relationship between plant species characteristics, ... -
Wild horses in northwestern Colorado: cultural values of wild horses and attitudes towards wild horse management methods
Since its creation, the Wild and Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971 has been a source of conflict and controversy on American rangelands. Studies in other regions and countries have found that divergent values about ... -
Pastoral development in the Sahel
Ecological, geographic, economic and anthropological literature pertaining to the Sahel is reviewed in order to provide a basis for pastoral development policy. Great variability in annual primary production is the principal ... -
Disturbance promotes native bee biodiversity in a southwestern ponderosa pine forest
Native bees are critical components of ecosystems where they provide an estimated 85% of pollination services. In recent decades, reports of global decline in bee populations have drawn concern from conservationists, ...
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