Economic Assessment of Urban Ash Tree Management Options in New Jersey

A cost–benefit analysis (CBA) is an economic approach to estimate the value of alternative programs, policies or management options. Net present value in CBA is one of the standard approaches to value the future benefits of investments. Due to the complexity of urban tree benefits, little is known about how to estimate the monetary value of the ecosystem services that urban trees provide as future benefits. We modeled the economic analyses of emerald ash borer (EAB) (Agrilus planipennis) management scenarios for urban ash trees (Fraxinus spp.) in New Jersey. These scenarios include: (1) no infestation or baseline scenario, (2) infestation with no action, (3) immediate removal and replacement and (4) the treatment of ash trees. The net present value for each management option is calculated using discount rates of 0%, 2% and 5%. The National Tree Benefit Calculator (NTBC) tool is used to quantify the economic value of the ecosystem services provided by the ash trees based on their diameter at breast height (DBH) values. The horizon over which benefits and costs are calculated was set at up to 20 years to estimate the net present value of ash trees that have DBH values of 4 inches. Results from the NPV outputs conclude that across most discount rates, the treatment of ash trees provided greater dollar (USD) values of ecosystem services over time when compared to inaction or the removal and replacement of ash trees. The present research suggests that removing and replacing ash trees is not cost effective at any discount rate due to the high future costs associated with retaining the newly planted trees over a twenty-year time horizon

Population Structure Within the Hard Maple Species Complex

Sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh) is the most economically important member of the Hard Maple species complex, a group of related species that occupy a range between Canada and Mexico and adapted to distinct ecological niches. Sugar maple has been identified as vulnerable to rapid climate change, and sustainable solutions are needed to support its role in the production of maple sugar, as well as timber and nursery production in the northeastern US. Genetic relationships between sugar maple and its allies are largely unknown. In the current study, genetic relationships of 278 individuals from six hard maple species were assessed using 17multi-allelic microsatellite (SSR) loci. Genetic variance was partitioned into separate components for variation within and among populations, within and among species. Most of the divergence among populations (FPT = 0.263) reflected inter-specific divergence (FST = 0.169), but provenances within species also differed at non-trivial scales (FPS = 0.113). Estimation and testing of paired inter-provenance divergence showed that all population pairs were statistically divergent. Principal Coordinates Analysis (PCoA) indicated that the pattern of radiation observed among these taxa is broadly compatible with geography.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Codice diplomatico padovano dell'Ab. Giovanni Brunacci

Tomo second