A Note on Prediction of Wood Properties in Yellow-Poplar

Increment core samples were taken from fifteen yellow-poplar trees at breast height and determinations of specific gravity and fiber length were made on selected individual growth rings. Juvenile wood and mature wood of different growth rates were compared. The results show mature wood specific gravity uncorrelated with growth rate and mature wood fiber length increasing with increasing growth rate. The extremely low correlation obtained between juvenile wood and mature wood properties within the same tree indicates that no predictive relationship exists for use in selection at a very early age

An intermediate level of disturbance with customary agricultural practices increases species diversity in Maya community forests in Belize

Abstract Across the planet, Indigenous societies control, use, and manage large tracts of tropical forest that are crucial for combating climate change. Here we investigate whether customary Indigenous agricultural practices can increase forest species diversity using swidden (aka, slash-and-burn) agriculture. We examine the community lands surrounding two Q’eqchi’ Maya villages in southern Belize using high-resolution multispectral imagery that we collected with drones, ground truth data related to land use and history, and a plant and tree biodiversity survey. We use computational methods including simulation and Bayesian modeling to analyze the relationship between spectral diversity, forest diversity, and landscape disturbance. Our key result, replicated in both villages, is that the highest level of spectral diversity (a proxy for forest diversity) is associated with an intermediate level of forest disturbance. In conclusion, we suggest that concepts from complex adaptive systems can provide an important conceptual framework for understanding how ecosystem enhancement can emerge from customary Indigenous land use practices