Relationship Between Fire and Bark Beetles Attack in Western North American Forests

The nature of western North American forests is the result of the interactions between fire, insects and logging. The interrelationships between forest fires and phytophagous insects is of considerable importance in determining the composition and structure of stands of forest trees. This paper examines the interactions between bark beetles and forest tree species by presenting three specific case studies. The case studies are the red turpentine beetle and ponderosa pine, the Douglas-fir beetle and Douglas-fir and the mountain pine beetle and lodgepole pine in northeastern Wyoming, western Wyoming and northern Utah respectively. A brief review of some to the literature examining the mechanisms of host selection by bark beetles is presented

Chiral Perturbation Theory Analysis of the Baryon Magnetic Moments

Nonanalytic $m_q^{1/2}$ and $m_q\ln m_q$ chiral corrections to the baryon magnetic moments are computed. The calculation includes contributions from both intermediate octet and decuplet baryon states. Unlike the one-loop contributions to the baryon axial currents and masses, the contribution from decuplet intermediate states does not partially cancel that from octet intermediate states. The fit to the observed magnetic moments including $m_q^{1/2}$ corrections is found to be much worse than the tree level SU(3) fit if values for the baryon-pion axial coupling constants obtained from a tree level extraction are used. Using the axial coupling constant values extracted at one loop results in a better fit to the magnetic moments than the tree level SU(3) fit. There are three linear relations amongst the magnetic moments when $m_q^{1/2}$ corrections are included, and one relation including $m_q^{1/2}$, $m_q\ln m_q$ and $m_q$ corrections. These relations are independent of the axial coupling constants of the baryons and agree well with experiment.Comment: (16 pages, 2 figures; uses harvmac and uufiles), CERN-TH.6735/92, UCSD/PTH 92-3

Fire Frequency and the Vegetative Mosaic of a Spruce-Fir Forest in Northern Utah

Fire scar and vegetative analysis were used to construct a fire history for the Engelmann spruce/subalpine fir (Picea engelmannii/Abies lasiocarpa) vegetation type of the Utah State University (USU) T. W Daniel Experimental Forest. Three distinct periods of fire frequency were established-presettlement (1700-1855), settlement (1856-1909), and suppression (1910-1990). Mean fire interval (MFI) decreased during the settlement period and greatly increased during the suppression era. The difference was attributed to the influx of ignition sources during the settlement of nearby Cache Valley, located 40 km to the west. Logging and livestock grazing appear to have led to the reduced MFI, which in turn worked as a factor to create the vegetative mosaic now observed on the study area. The increase in MFI during the suppression era permitted the advancement of shade-tolerant species in the understory of the shade-intolerant lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) and quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides). Continued suppression of disturbance from wildfire will allow the lodgepole pine cover type, which experienced the lowest MFI during the settlement period, to be further invaded by shade-tolerant species, decreasing spatial stand diversity and increasing the risk of more intense fires

Potential Fire Behavior in Spruce Beetle-Induced Tree Mortality in Intermountain Spruce-Fir Forests

Spruce beetle- (Dendroctonus rufipennis Kirby [Coleoptera: Curculionidae]) induced tree mortality can increase fire intensity and severity resulting from changes to surface and aerial fuels. From inventoried fuel complexes, custom fuel models were developed. The endemic bark beetle condition class had greater amounts of live, available canopy fuel and canopy bulk density than either the epidemic and post epidemic condition classes. Epidemic bark beetle condition classes had the highest amounts of needle litter and1-hr time lag (0-0.64 cm diameter) fuel while the post-epidemic condition class had the highest amount live shrubs and non-woody plants. Fire behavior calculated with BehavePlus from the custom fuel models resulted in substantial differences in fire rates of spread and intensity for each spruce beetle condition class based on identical moisture scenarios and wind speeds. Rates of spread for epidemic and post-epidemic condition classes ranged between 2.0 – 2.9 and 3.0 – 4.5 times faster than the endemic condition class. Fireline intensities ranged from 4.1 – 5.0 times higher in the epidemic condition class and 6.6 – 8.8 times higher in the post-epidemic condition class compared to endemic condition class. An observed lack of overstory sheltering is attributed to increased fire behavior in epidemic and post epidemic condition classes and has a dominating affect on fire behavior. Post-epidemic condition class rates of spread and fireline intensities at identical midflame wind speeds were 1.7 and 3.3 times higher, respectively, than endemic parameters. Relatively, higher rates of spread (4.4 times) and fireline intensities (8.5 times), were observed between endemic and post-epidemic condition classes when calculated with 6.1 m wind speed adjusted for canopy sheltering. Custom fuel models developed for epidemic and post-epidemic classes showed similar results to selected established fuel models; however, no single fuel model exactly predicted fireline intensity and rate of spread for each of the custom fuel models developed

Influence of Fallen Tree Timing on Spruce Beetle Brood Production

This study compared brood production of the spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis Kirby [Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae]) in downed host material felled during summer and spring seasons on the Wasatch Plateau in south central Utah. Thirty-three matched pairs of Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm.) trees were selected for study in spring 1996. One tree of each pair was cut during August 1996 (summer-felled), and the other tree was cut in early April 1997 (spring-felled), so that trees would be colonized by spruce beetles of the same flight period. Brood adults were collected and counted from bark samples, which were removed from the top, bottom, and sides of all sample trees in October 1998. The number of emergent adults produced in June 1999 was determined from exit holes counted in bark samples removed from these same locations. Mixed-model procedures were used to compare differences in the mean number of adults produced in summer-felled versus spring-felled trees in each year. The results indicated that significantly fewer spruce beetles were produced in summer-felled trees than in spring-felled trees. More brood adults were also present in, or emerged from, unexposed bole aspects (bottom, north, and east) of sample trees than exposed aspects (top, south, and west). These findings suggest that disturbances providing spruce beetles with an abundance of fresh host material in the spring result in the greatest potential for spruce beetle production, particularly beneath unexposed bark aspects. Examples of such disturbances include snow avalanches, blowdown, and snow and ice damage

A homoleptic phosphine adduct of Tl(I)

A homoleptic phosphine adduct of thallium(I) supported by a tris(phosphino)borate ligand has been isolated and structurally characterized

Semileptonic BcB_c Decay and Heavy Quark Spin Symmetry

Semileptonic decay of the $B_c$ meson is studied in the heavy quark limit. The six possible form factors for $B_c \rightarrow B_s (B^0),B_s^* (B^{*0})$ semileptonic decay are determined by two invariant functions. Only one of these functions contributes at zero recoil, where it is calculable to lowest order in an operator product expansion in terms of the meson decay constant $f_B$ and the $B_c$ wavefunction. A similar result is found for $B_c \rightarrow D^0,D^{*0}$ and for $B_c\rightarrow\eta_c,J/\psi$ semileptonic decay for a restricted kinematic region. Semileptonic $B_c$ decay provides a means for determining the KM mixing angle $|V_{ub}|$.Comment: (12 Pages, no figures

Genetic diversity at the FMR1 locus in the Indonesian population

We report an analysis of allelic diversity at short tandem repeat polymorphisms within the fragile XA locus in 1069 male volunteers from twelve Indonesian sub-populations. An odd numbered allele of DXS548 was found at high frequency in all Indonesian populations. Greater allelic diversity was identified at the loci under study than has been previously reported for an Asian population. These differences distinguish the Indonesian population from all previously reported Asian, European and African populations. A high frequency of small premutation alleles, 4/120 (3.3%, 95% CI 0.9–8.3%), was identified in the Moluccan population of Hiri Island

Coherent Mixing of Singlet and Triplet States in Acrolein and Ketene: A Computational Strategy for Simulating the Electron–Nuclear Dynamics of Intersystem Crossing

We present a theoretical study of intersystem crossing (ISC) in acrolein and ketene with the Ehrenfest method that can describe a superposition of singlet and triplet states. Our simulations illustrate a new mechanistic effect of ISC, namely, that a superposition of singlets and triplets yields nonadiabatic dynamics characteristic of that superposition rather than the constituent state potential energy surfaces. This effect is particularly significant in ketene, where mixing of singlet and triplet states along the approach to a singlet/singlet conical intersection occurs, with the spin–orbit coupling (SOC) remaining small throughout. In both cases, the effects require many recrossings of the singlet/triplet state crossing seam, consistent with the textbook treatment of ISC