@article{slye_lang_gerow_2020, title={A Limited Rapid Assessment of Forest Regeneration in 24 Cypress and Tupelo Bottomland Swamps Following Clearcutting and Shovel Logging in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina}, volume={11}, ISSN={1999-4907}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/f11080854}, DOI={10.3390/f11080854}, abstractNote={A rapid regeneration survey within twenty-four deepwater swamps between stand ages 2 and 14 years in the North Carolina coastal plain was conducted by using a narrow rectangular inventory technique (“strip cruise”). Inventoried tracts predominantly contained cypress (Taxodium distichum) and tupelo (Nyssa species) before being harvested via clearcutting methods. Single transects on each tract began at coordinates located in the interior of the harvest areas in locations representing general tract conditions. Each transect was perpendicular to the flow of the major stream drainage associated with the harvest area. Counts and measures of dead and live stumps and seed-sourced regeneration were recorded. About 52 percent of desirable timber species stumps tallied had coppice growth. However, coppice alone was not sufficient on any tract to exceed 1112 trees ha−1. Seventy-one percent of tracts had stocking levels (coppice and seed source) at least 1112 trees ha−1 of desirable timber species or black willow (Salix nigra). Across 24 tracts, 42 percent regenerated cypress and/or tupelo to levels exceeding 1112, trees ha−1. This assessment revealed that forest regeneration success was limited on sites with altered hydrology, rampant invasive species, and/or lack of seed source. In some cases, active forest management may improve the regeneration cohort. Overall, shovel logging methods that were used on evaluated sites appear to be compatible with adequate regeneration of desirable timber species if the proper conditions exist. Additionally, we assessed species’ composition within a harvested stand measured at age eight years (a previous study) and age 68 years (measured for this study), for a comparison perspective. Results revealed a species composition change from willow at age eight years to a mixed stand of desirable timber species at age 68 years. This finding supports other studies that have recorded the successional pattern of pioneering willow shifting to desirable timber species as willow stagnates and diminishes in abundance due to natural mortality.}, number={8}, journal={Forests}, publisher={MDPI AG}, author={Slye, James N. and Lang, Albert J. and Gerow, Tom A., Jr.}, year={2020}, month={Aug}, pages={854} }
 @article{schilling_lang_nicholson_nettles_gerow_mcinnis_2019, title={Evolving Silvicultural Practices to Meet Sustainability Objectives in Forested Wetlands of the Southeastern United States}, volume={40}, ISSN={0277-5212 1943-6246}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13157-019-01152-z}, DOI={10.1007/s13157-019-01152-z}, abstractNote={Development and implementation of forestry best management practices (BMPs) to minimize effects on wetland soils and hydrology represents a great success of the Clean Water Act (CWA). The “silvicultural exemption” as specified in Section 404(f) of the CWA allows management activities within jurisdictional forested wetlands so long as practices meet specified criteria and wetlands are not converted to uplands. This is particularly important for establishing and maintaining forest roads and site preparation of harvested stands in jurisdictional wetlands. The presence of poorly drained soils and seasonally high-water tables in the Coastal Plain led to the development of site preparation practices that enhance seedling survival, vigor, and growth. Collaboration among universities, governmental agencies, and the forest products industry has resulted in numerous applied research projects assessing environmental responses to management in forested wetlands. Today, all southeastern Coastal Plain states recommend the use of site preparation BMPs that reduce soil and hydrology disturbances, while facilitating stand regeneration. State forestry agencies routinely monitor BMP implementation to assess application and functionality of BMPs. Additionally, forest landowners and wood procurement entities who participate in voluntary third-party forest certification programs have increased BMP implementation on a scale that contributes to watershed-level benefits.}, number={1}, journal={Wetlands}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Schilling, Erik B. and Lang, A. J. and Nicholson, Herbert and Nettles, Jami and Gerow, Tom A., Jr and McInnis, Daniel}, year={2019}, month={May}, pages={37–46} }
 @article{lang_aust_bolding_mcguire_schilling_2018, title={Best Management Practices Influence Sediment Delivery from Road Stream Crossings to Mountain and Piedmont Streams}, volume={64}, ISSN={0015-749X 1938-3738}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/forsci/fxy019}, DOI={10.1093/forsci/fxy019}, abstractNote={Forest road attributes and best management practices (BMPs) influence sediment delivery at stream crossings. We quantified sediment delivered from 37 stream crossings on truck roads representing a spectrum of road quality and BMPs. Approaches were categorized into road/BMP quality ranks based on slope, template, distance to nearest water control structure, and level of surface armoring (BMP-low, BMP-standard, and BMP-high). Sediment traps installed at stream crossings were monitored bimonthly for one year. Mean sediment mass losses were low; 76 percent of approaches lost ≤ 0.1 Mg yr1, and 94 percent of approaches lost ≤ 1 Mg yr−1. Piedmont approaches provided greater (α ≤ 0.10) median sediment masses (0.04 Mg yr−1) and rates (4.8 Mg ha−1 yr−1) than ridge and valley approaches (0.01 Mg yr−1, 0.5 Mg ha−1 yr−1). Median sediment masses differed among road quality rankings (P ≤ 0.0011). Approaches of BMP-low, BMP-standard, and BMP-high produced median values of 0.45 Mg yr−1, 0.02 Mg yr−1, and 0.001 Mg yr−1. Two BMP-low steam crossing approaches produced sediment masses >1 Mg yr−1, and these sedimentation issues could have been mitigated by additional water control and additional cover of road templates. This research substantiates that appropriate BMP implementation at stream crossings can minimize stream sedimentation.}, number={6}, journal={Forest Science}, publisher={Oxford University Press (OUP)}, author={Lang, A J and Aust, W Michael and Bolding, M Chad and McGuire, Kevin J and Schilling, Erik B}, year={2018}, month={Jun}, pages={682–695} }
 @article{lang_aust_bolding_mcguire_schilling_2017, title={Comparing Sediment Trap Data with Erosion Models for Evaluation of Forest Haul Road Stream Crossing Approaches}, volume={60}, ISSN={2151-0032 2151-0040}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.13031/trans.11859}, DOI={10.13031/trans.11859}, abstractNote={Abstract. Soil erosion and sediment delivery models have been developed to estimate the inherent complexities of soil erosion, but most models are not specifically modified for forest operation applications. Three erosion models, the Universal Soil Loss Equation for forestry (USLE-Forest), Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation Version 2 (RUSLE2), and Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP), were compared to one year of trapped sediment data for 37 forest haul road stream crossings. We assessed model performance from five variations of the three erosion models: USLE-Roadway, USLE-Soil Survey, RUSLE2, WEPP-Default, and WEPP-Modified. Each road approach was categorized into one of four levels of erosion (very low, low, moderate, and high) based on trapped erosion rate data and erosion rates reported in recent peer-reviewed literature. Model performance metrics included: (1) summary statistics and nonparametric analysis, (2) linear relationships, (3) percent agreement within erosion categories and tolerable error ranges, and (4) contingency table metrics. Sediment trap data varied from negligible ( -1 year -1 . The soil erosion models evaluated could estimate erosion within 5 Mg ha -1 year -1 for most approaches having erosion rates less than 11.2 Mg ha -1 year -1 , while models estimates varied widely for approaches that eroded at rates above 11.2 Mg ha -1 year -1 . Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric analyses revealed that only WEPP-Modified estimates were not significantly different from trapped sediment data (p ≥ 0.107). While WEPP-Modified ranked best for most model performance metrics, the time, effort, modeling expertise, and uncertainty associated with model results may discourage the use of WEPP as a forest management tool. WEPP is better suited for researchers and government agencies that have the capability to measure extensive parameter data. Additional sensitivity analysis is needed to expand default parameters for forest roads within the WEPP and USLE models.}, number={2}, journal={Transactions of the ASABE}, publisher={American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE)}, author={Lang, AJ and Aust, WM and Bolding, MC and McGuire, KJ and Schilling, EB}, year={2017}, month={Apr}, pages={393–408} }
 @article{lang_aust_bolding_mcguire_schilling_2017, title={Forestry best management practices for erosion control in haul road ditches near stream crossings}, volume={72}, ISSN={0022-4561 1941-3300}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.2489/jswc.72.6.607}, DOI={10.2489/jswc.72.6.607}, abstractNote={Poorly designed and maintained forest road stream crossings can directly link erosion sources to streams. Forestry best management practices (BMPs) provide techniques that are useful for preventing sedimentation associated with ditch erosion. However, few studies have quantified ditch BMP sediment reductions. Thus, our primary objective was to evaluate erosion control effectiveness due to ditch BMPs and secondarily to quantify ditch BMP implementation costs. Sixty ditch segments near stream crossings were reconstructed, and five ditch BMP treatments were applied using a completely randomized design resulting in 11 to 13 replications per treatment. Ditch BMP treatments were (1) bare ditch (Bare), (2) grass seed with lime fertilizer (Seed), (3) grass seed with lime fertilizer and erosion control mat (Mat), (4) rock check dams (Dam), and (5) completely rocked (Rock). Silt fence sediment traps and sediment pins were measured over one year to determine treatment effectiveness. Trapped sediment deposits indicated that median erosion rates were greatest for Dam (6.14 Mg ha−1 y−1 [2.74 tn ac−1 yr−1]), followed by Bare (4.92 Mg ha−1 y−1 [2.19 tn ac−1 yr−1]), Rock (1.73 Mg ha−1 y−1 [0.77 tn ac−1 yr−1]), Seed (1.04 Mg ha−1 y−1 [0.46 tn ac−1 y−1]), and Mat (0.82 Mg ha−1 y−1 [0.37 tn ac−1 yr−1]). Results suggested that Mat treatments had significantly lower erosion rates than Bare and Dam, while Rock and Seed provided intermediate levels. Costs of BMP treatments were least expensive for Seed (US$6.10 approach−1), followed by Mat (US$21.33 approach−1), Dam (US$71.43 approach−1), and Rock (US$141.08 approach−1). Results suggest that erosion began to accelerate disproportionately when bare soil levels were between 30% and 50%; therefore, minimum soil cover of 50% is recommended for ditches.}, number={6}, journal={Journal of Soil and Water Conservation}, publisher={Soil and Water Conservation Society}, author={Lang, A.J. and Aust, W.M. and Bolding, M.C. and McGuire, K.J. and Schilling, E.B.}, year={2017}, pages={607–618} }
 @article{lang_cristan_aust_bolding_strahm_vance_roberts_2016, title={Long-term effects of wet and dry site harvesting on soil physical properties mitigated by mechanical site preparation in coastal plain loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantations}, volume={359}, ISSN={0378-1127}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2015.09.034}, DOI={10.1016/j.foreco.2015.09.034}, abstractNote={Wet site forest harvesting may damage soil physical properties, altering long-term site productivity. In 1993, a study was installed to evaluate effects of machine trafficking with site preparation during wet and dry harvest conditions on a poorly drained, wet pine flat in the Coastal Plain of South Carolina, USA. Five soil disturbance classes (Minimum Traffic, Compacted, Shallow Ruts, Ruts, and Churned) were documented following harvest (prior to site preparation). Three site preparation treatments and two harvest conditions (Wet Mole-Plowed, Wet-Flat, Wet-Bedded, Dry-Flat, and Dry-Bedded) were operationally replicated three times. Soil physical properties and carbon were measured 17 years after stand re-establishment to document long-term changes associated with traffic disturbance and site preparation. Results show that all measured soil physical properties at surface and subsurface horizons (except macroporosity in surface horizons) were similar among site preparation treatments and soil disturbance classes. Previous research showed that Mole-Plowed treatment proved beneficial for tree growth parameters at stand age 16 years, which corresponded to macroporosity levels within soil surface horizons at stand age 17 years. Statistical analyses indicated greater (p = 0.04) macroporosity of surface horizons in the intensive Mole-Plowed treatment (14.7%, ±1.6%). Wet-Flat (9.1%, ±0.9%), Wet-Bedded (9.1%, ±0.8%), Dry-Bedded (9.5%, ±1.0%), and Dry-Flat (9.8%, ±1.0%) had significantly less macroporosity, but were not significantly different from each other. Macroporosity of surface horizons was also significantly different among soil disturbance classes (p = 0.08). However, macroporosity had not recovered to pre-harvest levels for any site preparation treatments except Mole-Plowed. Bulk density and total porosity recovered to near pre-harvest levels for all treatment combinations, but saturated hydraulic conductivity rates remained lower than pre-harvest values. Mole plowing with bedding improved microsite drainage, which likely reduced areas of locally high water tables and somewhat reduced areas with root restriction due to poor aeration. Based on tree productivity, treatment drainage appeared to be the most limiting growth factor for this site. Recovery of soil properties on non-bedded treatments indicate site amelioration through natural mechanisms which may include shrinking and swelling of clays, activities of soil macrobiota, and root dynamics. On these sites, natural processes ameliorated almost all post harvesting soil differences by age 17 (before the end of the rotation). The benefits of both minimizing soil disturbance and/or employing ameliorative site preparation treatments were largely restricted to early in the rotation where they could contribute to initial survival and early growth increases. As the cost of ameliorative site preparation is high, minimizing soil disturbance is recommended.}, journal={Forest Ecology and Management}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Lang, A.J. and Cristan, R. and Aust, W.M. and Bolding, M.C. and Strahm, B.D. and Vance, E.D. and Roberts, E.T., Jr.}, year={2016}, month={Jan}, pages={162–173} }
 @article{lang_aust_bolding_barrett_mcguire_lakel_2015, title={Streamside Management Zones Compromised by Stream Crossings, Legacy Gullies, and Over-Harvest in the Piedmont}, volume={51}, ISSN={1093-474X}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jawr.12292}, DOI={10.1111/jawr.12292}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={4}, journal={JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Lang, A.J. and Aust, W.M. and Bolding, M.C. and Barrett, S.M. and McGuire, K.J. and Lakel, W.A., III}, year={2015}, month={Mar}, pages={1153–1164} }