Gathering Perceptions to Strengthen Program Planning: A Citizen Science Project Highlighting Deer Impacts on Vegetation

White-tailed deer can significantly influence the composition and health of forests. University of Minnesota Extension implemented a citizen science project to help monitor the impact of deer populations on forests. Prior to design of the program, we administered a survey to potential volunteers to understand their perceptions of and knowledge about deer and their willingness to participate in our citizen science project. The survey responses helped us make informed decisions when developing our program, including decisions regarding not having a negative deer message, teaching more information about the impact of deer on vegetation, and providing both in-person and web-based resources for volunteers

Directional responses of trees in the eastern U.S.

Climate change can result in shifts in species distribution ranges. However, the interactions between rising temperatures, shifting in precipitation patterns, and forest disturbances make understanding species distribution shifts a challenge, raising the need for an abundance-based, omnidirectional approach, because shifts might not be simply to higher latitudes and elevations. In this study, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data was used to examine the species range shift of 98 tree species, based on number of stems and basal area during the last 30 years. It was tested if the shifts were life stage sensitive (sapling vs. trees) and trait specific. The data suggested that the majority (70%) of species have shifted abundances westward. Saplings were found to have shifted more than adult trees, as indicated both in total number of species (75 sapling species vs. 57-69 adult tree species shifting west) and median distance shifted (87 vs. 56 km, respectively). Further, it was found that species with significant westward shift have significantly higher maximum precipitation tolerance and wood density than other species. These findings suggest that precipitation plays a significant role in species range shift. Managers and policy makers should consider the omnidirectionality of abundance changes and the interaction between climate change and current forest disturbances when creating mitigation plans for tree species

Assessing White-Tailed Deer Impacts to Tree Seedling Growth Using Citizen Science Data in Minnesota, USA

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmerman) present numerous challenges for maintaining the health of forests in the US Lake States. Although many sources of data exist that provide coarse estimates of deer-browse impacts on plant survival and abundance (e.g., national forest inventories) or examine areas where deer are excluded (e.g., exclosures), few studies exist that use detailed tree seedling measurements across diverse stand conditions and forest types. This study evaluated four years of citizen science data collected in the Assessing Vegetation Impacts from Deer (AVID) program in Minnesota, USA. Results showed that average annual height growth of seedlings for nine browse-palatable species was 1.9 cm. For four of these tree species, annual height growth was not significantly different from zero. These results point to the challenges for the growth and survival of browse-palatable tree species in Minnesota under current deer population levels. Engaging the public through a citizen science project such as AVID showcases the importance of evaluating browse impacts on trees from white-tailed deer while simultaneously providing information to managers and decision makers about this important conservation concern. Study Implications: Citizen scientists can collect data on important conservation issues with ecological implications. This study showcases data provided by volunteers in Minnesota\u27s Assessing Vegetation Impacts from Deer (AVID) program. These results showed that the growth of nine browse-palatable species grew minimally over a four-year span. Citizen science data like these can be used by state wildlife agencies to better understand forest-wildlife interactions and establish wildlife population harvest goals. Measurements of deer browse can also assist researchers by reducing the costs of data collection and providing a geographically diverse data set with detailed measurements of deer impacts to forest vegetation

Invasive forest pathogens in Europe: Cross-country variation in public awareness but consistency in policy acceptability

Political action can reduce introductions of diseases caused by invasive forest pathogens (IPs) and public support is important for effective prevention. The public’s awareness of IP problems and the acceptability of policies aiming to combat these pathogens were surveyed in nine European countries (N = 3469). Although awareness of specific diseases (e.g., ash dieback) varied, problem awareness and policy acceptability were similar across countries. The public was positive towards policies for informational measures and stricter standards for plant production, but less positive towards restricting public access to protected areas. Multilevel models, including individual and country level variables, revealed that media exposure was positively associated with awareness of IP problems, and strengthened the link between problem awareness and policy acceptability. Results suggest that learning about IPs through the media and recognizing the associated problems increase policy acceptability. Overall, the study elaborates on the anthropogenic dimension of diseases caused by IPs

From leaf to continent: The multi-scale distribution of an invasive cryptic pathogen complex on oak

The spatial distribution and niche differentiation of three closely related species (Erysiphe alphitoides, Erysiphe quercicola and Erysiphe hypophylla) causing oak powdery mildew was studied at scales ranging from the European continent, where they are invasive, to a single leaf. While E. alphitoides was dominant at all scales, E. quercicola and E. hypophylla had restricted geographic, stand and leaf distributions. The large-scale distributions were likely explained by climatic factors and species environmental tolerances, with E. quercicola being more frequent in warmer climates and E. hypophylla in colder climates. The extensive sampling and molecular analyses revealed the cryptic invasion of E. quercicola in nine countries from which it had not previously been recorded. The presence of the three species was also strongly affected by host factors, such as oak species and developmental stage. Segregation patterns between Erysiphe species were observed at the leaf scale, between and within leaf surfaces, suggesting competitive effects

Emerging Diseases in European Forest Ecosystems and Responses in Society

New diseases in forest ecosystems have been reported at an increasing rate over the last century. Some reasons for this include the increased disturbance by humans to forest ecosystems, changed climatic conditions and intensified international trade. Although many of the contributing factors to the changed disease scenarios are anthropogenic, there has been a reluctance to control them by legislation, other forms of government authority or through public involvement. Some of the primary obstacles relate to problems in communicating biological understanding of concepts to the political sphere of society. Relevant response to new disease scenarios is very often associated with a proper understanding of intraspecific variation in the challenging pathogen. Other factors could be technical, based on a lack of understanding of possible countermeasures. There are also philosophical reasons, such as the view that forests are part of the natural ecosystems and should not be managed for natural disturbances such as disease outbreaks. Finally, some of the reasons are economic or political, such as a belief in free trade or reluctance to acknowledge supranational intervention control. Our possibilities to act in response to new disease threats are critically dependent on the timing of efforts. A common recognition of the nature of the problem and adapting vocabulary that describe relevant biological entities would help to facilitate timely and adequate responses in society to emerging diseases in forests