Wildlife, Fisheries, & Conservation Biology_Draft Recommendations for Field Work During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Draft copy of recommendations for field work during the COVID-19 pandemic, authored by Brian J. Olsen, Chair, Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Conservation Biology, Interim Director of the Ecology and Environmental Sciences Program, and Associate Professor of Ornithology. In developing the recommendations Professor Olsen queried 100 University of Maine faculty members who conduct field research and collected comments from over two dozen. The guidelines were sent for review to Frederick Servello, Dean of the University of Maine College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture, and Director of the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station, Christopher Gerbi, Associate Dean for Research in the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture, and Associate Director of the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station, and Mark Hutton, Associate Dean for Research in the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture, and Associate Director of the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station

Biotechnology and Planted Forests: Assessment of Potential and Possibilities

This paper addresses the potential impact of the introduction and development of biotechnology on planted forests. It includes a description of some recent innovations in forestry including the use of traditional breeding, and also more recent innovations involving biotechnology, including the development of clonal propagation and the use of modern molecular biology techniques. In addition to describing these innovations, the paper undertakes an assessment of their probable impact on future production of the forest industry, on the global timber supply, and on future markets for timber and wood products. The paper offers a description of recent innovations in tree breeding and biotechnology, including a discussion of innovations in agriculture that have promise for forestry. This is followed by a discussion of the current role of biotechnology in forestry and an assessment of the various types of biotechnological innovations that could be forthcoming in the next decade and beyond. Additionally, the paper examines the likely effects of biotechnology on the economics of forestry. An estimate is provided for the potential cost savings and/or value increases expected from the various innovations. Using these estimates, a quantitative assessment is made of global potential economic returns to the most immediate and major innovation, the herbicide tolerant trait. Additionally, estimates are made of the potential impact of cost savings realized from this type of biotechnology on future timber supplies in the global timber market.

Hunting as land use: Understanding the spatial associations among hunting, agriculture, and forestry

Hunting is a widespread but often overlooked land-use activity, providing major benefits to society. Hunting takes place in most landscapes, yet it remains unclear which types of landscapes foster or dampen hunting-related services, and how hunting relates to other land uses. A better understanding of these relationships is key for sustainable land-use planning that integrates wildlife management. This is particularly urgent for Europe, where wildlife populations are increasing. Focusing on Sweden, we explored the spatial associations among hunting, agriculture, and forestry to identify archetypical combinations of these land uses. Specifically, we combined indicators on the extent and intensity of agriculture and forestry, with data on hunting bags for 63 game species using self-organizing maps, a non-parametric clustering approach. We identified 15 typical bundles of co-occurring land uses at the municipality level across Sweden. The harvest of forest grouse, bears, and moose co-occurred with forestry in northern Sweden, whereas the harvest of small game, different deer species, and wild boar co-occurred with agriculture across southern Sweden, reflecting species’ biology, environmental factors, and management. Our findings also highlight the strength of associations among hunting and other land uses. Importantly, we identified large areas in central Sweden where harvest of game was below average, possibly indicating that intensity of hunting is out of balance with that of agriculture or forestry, potentially fostering conflict between wildlife and land use. Collectively, our results suggest that (1) hunting should be considered a major land use that, in Sweden, is more widespread than agriculture and forestry; (2) land-use planning must therefore integrate wildlife management; and (3) such an integration should occur in a regionalized manner that considers social-ecological context. Our approach identifies a first spatial template within which such context-specific land-use planning, aiming at aligning wildlife and diverse land uses, can take place

The Honor Society of Agriculture Gamma Sigma Delta, Nebraska Chapter, History, May 25, 1918-2018

First paragraph: GAMMA SIGMA DELTA is a faculty governed society that selects its members from junior and senior students, graduate students, faculty, and alumni for the promotion and recognition of high achievement. While Gamma Sigma Delta is an honor society of agriculture, it may elect members from related fields such as biology, botany, chemistry, economics, entomology, family and consumer sciences, forestry, natural resources, plant pathology, sociology, statistics, veterinary medicine, or zoology when the work of the individual is related to agriculture. Officers, committee chairpersons, and others leading the chapter are faculty or alumni

Browntail Moth Research at the University of Maine: A Report of Activities and Findings 2016-2020

The browntail moth has become a very serious problem for many communities in southern, midcoast and central Maine over the past several years as this insect has reached populations levels that we have not seen in 80 to 100 years. Researchers at the University of Maine have teamed up with entomologists in the Maine State Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Maine Forest Service (MDACF) to track the spread and investigate the causes of the outbreak and evaluate management strategies for this daunting pest. The report was prepared by Prepared by: Dr. Eleanor Groden, Professor of Entomology, Emerita, School of Biology and Ecology and the Maine Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Station, University of Maine Karla Boyd, M.S. Entomology, Dr. Hye Weon Hwang, PhD Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Maine, Dr. Barbra Cole, Professor of Chemistry, and Dr. Angela Mech, Assistant Professor of Forest Entomolog