SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry: Digital Commons @ ESF (State University of New York)Not a member yet
1478 research outputs found
Sort by
Tree Variability Limits the Detection of Nutrient Treatment Effects on Sap Flow in a Northern Hardwood Forest
Get PDFTranspiration plays a large role in determining forest water budgets. However, the role of nutrient availability in transpiration rates is not well understood. The objective of this study was to determine whether nutrient fertilization influences sap flow rates in northern hardwood forests. We were unable to detect an effect on sap flow from additions of nitrogen, phosphorus, a combination of nitrogen and phosphorus, or calcium silicate in American beech (Fagus grandifolia, Ehr.), red maple (Acer rubrum L.), sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.), white birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.), or yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britton.). Tree-to-tree variability was high, with coefficients of variation averaging 39% within treatment plots. A better study design would include pretreatment data as a covariate. Our data could be used in a power analysis to determine the minimum difference in sap flow rates detectable with our observed variability and study design
A Visual Impact Assessment Methodology for the National Park Service
Get PDFAs the National Park Service (NPS) set out to create a visual resource management program, the first major component was the development of a robust visual resource inventory (VRI) process to identify, locate, and assess high value views, both within and near NPS units, based on both scenic quality and the importance of the view to the visitor experience. The next component in the program has been the development of a visual impact assessment (VIA) process to understand how changes in the landscape— whether inside the park or beyond its boundaries—could impact the scenic quality of valued views and visitor experience of those views. This presentation will discuss the NPS VIA process and highlight results of field-testing.
Units of the National Park System encompass a wide variety of landscape types and visual settings. Particular views are enjoyed not only for scenic qualities but also appreciated for their historic and cultural values. NPS incorporates visible elements of views into their interpretive and educational activities. As a result, the NPS VRI was designed to identify not only the visual qualities of views but also the other values that make views important to NPS and park visitors.
The NPS VRI was also built to support VIAs, both for NPS projects and actions within NPS unit boundaries, and projects and activities beyond NPS unit boundaries, where NPS is a stakeholder rather than a permitting agency. The detailed information from the VRI provides a sound basis for articulating the full effects of a proposed project or activity, which may go far beyond measuring visual contrast and other more purely scenic aspects of visual impact.
Building on the inventory process the NPS visual impact assessment (VIA) methodology identifies the expected level of visual change from a proposed project or activity, and assesses the likely effects of the change on scenic quality as determined in the VRI. The NPS VIA approach provides parks with information to pursue better planning and design for park projects and credible support for understanding and communicating the potential impacts of changes beyond park boundaries
Representing the Intertwined Visual And Heritage Implications of Sea-level Rise
Get PDFVisualizing the impacts of urban development, energy infrastructure and forest harvest practices has become a key element in the discussion and approval or rejection of development plans. Great efforts are expended to achieve accuracy and repeatability in representation to ensure that decision-making is well-informed. Professional ethics on the part of those creating the visualizations generally require fact-based representations that minimize appeal to the emotions. “Sense of place”, an aesthetic or culturally-driven response, is implicitly active in determining the appropriateness, or not, of a landscape intervention but has not lent itself to systematic scientific study. Perceived sense of place may, however, be disproportionately active in determining people’s reactions to the incremental impacts of climate change. There is substantial evidence that, despite science-based projections of future flood and damage-prone areas, people will choose to stay in place—for many reasons but importantly because of attachment to place, an emotional response. Addressing the effects of climate change might then require directly representing altered sense of place in order to motivate people to act wisely in the face of unavoidable and unwanted change. We have developed a prototype immersive visualization and verbal elicitation tool to deliberately engage citizens and elicit their responses to projective representations of the future with supporting cultural narratives, for a threatened community with deep cultural roots, and have developed some guidance and prototypes for achieving appropriate citizen engagement. We report here on a pilot study to investigate the linked impacts of landscape visual change and change narratives on place attachment and on anticipated actions in the face of climate-related changes
MODEL OF MOTIVATION FOR JOB SATISFACTION IN EMPLOYEES GODREJ AGROVET PRIVATE LIMITED COMPANY.
Get PDFThe topic of the Master thesis is to the model of motivation for employee job satisfaction in Godrej Agrovet Pvt, limited Khanna, Punjab (India). Godrej Agrovet limited currently running in India and author carried research on it while doing an internship in the Netherlands and had job experience as a trainee in Godrej Agrovet.
Aim
Aim of the research paper is to understand employee motivational models for job satisfaction and the research takes a deeper dive to suggest Motivation strategies for implementation in the company to achieve employee job satisfaction.
Tasks
In order to achieve the aim of the research, following tasks were set up:
1. To analyze the theoretical background for job satisfaction and motivation among employee
2. To analyze leadership and human resource management
3. To analyze the Agrovet industry environment
4. Motivation strategies for job satisfaction (Includes Research methodology, employee survey, interview section, communication strategy and other beneficial strategy)
The primary data in this study paper has been collected from potential workers by using survey and scale questions. Furthermore, the author sent a survey to 113 potential workers, but able to get up to 60. After the collection of data, the author carried out the process of data analysis. The author used qualitative research methodology, in which the author conducted structured questions with experts an try to get solution to problem.
The material used consist of theoretical information from books, library data, online books, company financial information’s, online survey, articles on model of motivation for job satisfaction and expert interviews.
Author used quantitative method (survey) and qualitative method (expert interview).
Main result of the study based on the fact that the Godrej Agrovet Limited Company did not have innovative technology solution, they had absence of communication and online employee feedback system. There was no connection between management and the ground level worker. During the research part, the author found various models of motivation for job satisfaction. The master thesis research paper consists of pages80, including tables 5, figures 32, appendices and list of reference3
Legacy of Robinia pseudoacacia invasion and use of ectomycorrhizal fungi to restore Pinus rigida in the Albany Pine Bush Preserve, NY.
Get PDFInvasive plants can leave lasting legacies on ecosystems, including changes to ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF). Such legacies can impair restoration even after invaders are removed. A review of information on mycorrhiza fungi and the Albany Pine Bush Preserve (APBP) relevant to restoration of Pinus rigida is presented. The results of research investigating the impact of invasion by Robinia pseudoacacia and the efficacy of using local spore inoculum on P. rigida seedling survival follow. Bioassay seedlings grown in invaded soils had fewer (3) EMF species than non-invaded sites (5). One species was present in both. Invasion history had no effect on field seedling survival after 8 months. However, 72% of seedlings inoculated with live inoculum survived, compared to 31% inoculated with autoclaved spores. These results suggest the legacy of R. pseudoacacia does not limit restoration of P. rigida at the APBP, but that establishment improves when pines are inoculated with locally adapted fungi
Changes in bark chemistry across beech bark disease development
Get PDFBeech Bark Disease (BBD) is a serious invasive complex composed of native and introduced organisms affecting American beech in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada. BBD develops first with the invasion of the scale insect Cryptococcus fagisuga (Advance Front), then with attack by ascomycetous fungi in the genus Neonectria (Killing Front), and finally with chronic infection and excessive production of beech root sprouts (Aftermath Forest). Recent evidence suggests that disease development in the Aftermath Forest is influenced by host bark chemistry including phosphorous, nitrogen, and the flavanols catechin and isorhamnetin. This study examined the concentrations of these four compounds in the bark of American beech along five transects in New York and Pennsylvania. These transects extended from the Pre-BBD Forest to the Aftermath Forest, passing through the Advance Front and Killing Front. Nitrogen and phosphorous did not vary with disease initiation or progression, but catechin was elevated significantly on Killing Front trees with active Neonectria infection. Isorhamnetin was not detected in any of the study trees. This study is the first comparison of tree chemistry across all phases of BBD and is the first to highlight an induced defense response of the host to challenge by the pathogen
AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECT OF TOTAL DOSE AND DOSE RATE OF ELECTRON BEAM & GAMMA IRRADIATION AS A PRETREATMENT ON WILLOW FOR USE AS A BIOFUEL
Get PDFIrradiation of shrub willow (Salix spp.) has been studied for the production of ethanol. This study investigated the effects of total radiation dose and dose rate (50 kGy/second, 0.1 kGy/second, or 0.695 kGy/hour) on the degradation of a willow clone mixture containing bark. Thermogravimetric analysis suggested a decrease in polymerization and crystallization of cellulose with increasing dose for all three dose rates, but glucose production during enzymatic hydrolysis remained fairly constant with dose because of lignin and polyphenolics, two known cellulase enzyme inhibitors, in bark. Hemicellulase enzymes were unaffected by bark, and increasing amounts of xylose were produced with increasing dose. Ethanol production by yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) in a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation study were constant with dose except for higher doses available for the lowest dose rate. Overall, dose rate appears to have some effect on willow degradation, but the differences observed were minor
Fine-scale microclimatic controls on soil carbon dioxide fluxes in a northern hardwood forest
Get PDFCarbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from soil are typically the largest carbon flux from forest ecosystems to the atmosphere, representing a significant biogenic source of greenhouse gases. Although the temperature and moisture sensitivities of the respiration processes underlying soil CO2 fluxes are well studied, the impacts of a changing climate on these abiotic controls and the resulting soil flux responses are unresolved. Using in-situ continuous measurements of soil microclimate at sites with contrasting hydrology, this study assessed the temperature and moisture dependence of soil CO2 fluxes within hardwood forests of the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York State (USA). During the 2018 growing season, soil CO2 fluxes were very strongly coupled with soil temperature and only weakly coupled with soil moisture. Statistical modeling indicated that the relationship between soil moisture and the CO2 flux was driven by their covariation with soil temperature. Moderate drought conditions during the 2018 growing season affirmed the importance of soil moisture regimes in mediating weather variability, yet there was limited evidence to indicate that respiration was significantly moisture-limited
TEMPERATURE OPTIMIZATION OF LACTIC ACID BATCH FERMENTATION BY LACTOBACILLUS PENTOSUS AND ITS KINETIC MODEL
Get PDFCurrently, lactic acid (LA) is being widely utilized in food industry, chemical industry and poly (lactic acid) synthesis. However, the search for the most favorable fermentation conditions is still desired for the successful commercial development of cost competitive processes. In this work, the effects of temperature on LA batch fermentation from glucose by Lactobacillus pentosus (L. pentosus) were studied. In batch fermentation of pH 6.0, the optimal temperature is 35 °C (agitation speed at 150 rpm, and air flow rate at 25 mL/min), and lower temperature leads to better cell growth while higher temperature results in more efficient glucose utilization and more productive LA generation. A kinetic model was developed to properly simulate batch LA production at 35 °C and pH 6.0 from glucose by L. pentosus
HOST-ODOR ATTRACTANTS OF PHILORNIS DOWNSI [DIPTERA: MUSCIDAE], AN INVASIVE BIRD PARASITE IN THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS
Get PDFSince its discovery in 1997, Philornis downsi has been shown to reduce fledgling success and fitness in many bird species within the Galapagos, including the endemic and critically endangered Darwin’s finches. Despite its impact, there are currently no practical methods to control the nest parasite. This study investigated potential kairomones that adult P. downsi use to locate bird nests, with the goal of developing an efficient olfaction-based method to monitor and control the insect. Volatile organic compounds were collected from the feces, uropygial glands, and eggs of laboratory- reared zebra finches, as well as whole-nest headspace from zebra finches, central New York birds, and finches in the Galapagos. Selected compounds were then tested for electrophysiological and behavioral response using GC-EAD/EAG and laboratory/field bioassays with adult P. downsi. Acetone, collected from eggs, and uropygial gland extracts was shown to illicit electrophysiological responses in the adult fly, but no compounds tested demonstrated attractiveness