Research Plots | Spring 2022

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Southern Research Station Science

We welcome the new Southern Research Station Director, Dr. Toral Patel-Weynand.

Patel-Weynand was recently the Acting Associate Deputy Chief for R&D and Director of Sustainable Forest Management Research in Washington, DC. She brings a broad range of experience to the position, having worked across academia, the private sector, and federal government.

"The Station has played a seminal role in forestry and natural resources management, and I am looking forward to continuing that legacy," says Patel-Weynand.

Oaks are not as drought tolerant as you may think. A new study shows climate and fire frequency were strongly correlated with declines in oak dominance.

FIA survey data for the period 2010-2014 (with additional data up to 2016) have been published for Kentucky and Tennessee forests (SRS Resource Bulletins 232 & 233).

Prescribed fire and thinning have successfully restored open, species-diverse shortleaf pine woodlands in Arkansas. Watch how this work has brought the red-cockaded woodpecker back from the brink of local extinction.

An updated Forests to Faucets report (WO-GTR-99) and Story Map identify potential threats to surface drinking water - from climate change, insects and diseases, wildfire, and land development.

About 83 million people receive more than half of their surface drinking water supply from forested lands, reports a new study.

Researchers tested a model, MSME, that predicts storm runoff in poorly drained forested watersheds. Results could serve as a reference for coastal landscapes facing climate change and urbanization.

Research ecologist Joseph O'Brien discusses fire as a creative force for maintaining biodiversity, plus new models for safer prescribed fires.

See how the Ouachita National Forest, Arkansas Division of Forestry, and SRS are restoring ecosystems and reducing hazardous fuels in this video.

An unexpectedly severe prescribed burn in the southern Appalachians led to an explosion in bird diversity. Silviculture could mimic this effect, explains research ecologist Katie Greenberg in this podcast.

When Chinese tallow leaves drop and decay in the water, they lower dissolved oxygen levels and pH. These conditions make it difficult for tadpoles to breathe and lowers their survival rates.

Impoundments lower crayfish diversity and abundance. Populations may recover with increasing distance downstream from dams.

Different snake species prefer different fire regimes. Frequent fire and thinning increase snake functional diversity and may also increase stability and resilience in pine forest ecosystems.

FIA data are useful for assessing timber damage after natural disasters, such as Hurricane Michael (SRS-RP-65).

Strong storms can take down more wood in a couple of days than would otherwise be harvested in a year. SRS researchers are testing timber storage methods to extend opportunities for salvaging storm-damaged wood.

Hurricanes affect forest product markets. With Hurricane Michael as a case study, a new paper identifies data gaps and develops methods for understanding impacts.

Why are lumber prices so high? Prices soared during the pandemic, in part due to a worker shortage in the wood products industry.

Technological advancement is keeping the logging industry productive despite declining employment over the last two decades.

Poplars, a tree grown for bioenergy production, need more water in the summer to produce biomass than during other seasons. Poplar trees use water more efficiently as they age.

Invasive insects, especially the emerald ash borer, are predicted to kill more than one million street trees in the U.S. by 2050.

Two factors help predict forest tree migration: The number of seeds (fecundity) and the portion of seedlings that survive (recruitment). New research shows how these factors affect trees migrating due to climate change.

Thanks to forestry technician and science writer Virginia McDaniel for a poetic video preview of this issue!