Effects of Stock Type and Planter Experience on the Time Required to Plant Loblolly Pine Seddlings

Inexperienced workers planted container-grown and bare-root seedlings of loblolly (Pinus taeda L.) on a rocky, upland site near Batesville, AR in a comparison of planting speed and survivability. Planting speed depended on the type of seedling planted and the amount of planting experience. Significantly less time was required to plant an acre with container-grown than bare-root seedlings. Experience increased the consistency and speed of planting for both seedling types

Breast Health and Access to Care in the Kentucky Women\u27s Health Registry

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death (14%) among all cancers in women in Kentucky.1 In 2010 the United States incident rates of breast cancer in white women were 122.6 per 100,000, and 118 per 100,000 in black women.2 Although breast cancer is diagnosed more in white women, black women are more likely to die from breast cancer and usually have more advanced stages of breast cancer upon diagnosis.2 In Kentucky from 2003-2007 the age-adjusted breast cancer mortality rate was 23.6 per 100,00 in white women and 32.8 per 100,000 black women. Black women die from breast cancer at a higher rate than any other group in Kentucky.1 Healthy People 2020 named “Access to Health Services” and “Social Determinants of Health” on their “Leading Health Indicators” list as high priority health issues. Health insurance and health care access are two integral parts of social determinants of health.3 Racial and ethnic minorities, comprising one-third of the US population, are less likely to have insurance than the rest of the population.4 The Department of Health and Human Services reported that this disparity, more than any other barrier, negatively affects the quality of care received by minority populations.4 In 2010, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 25% of women over 40 in the US were not compliant with mammography screening recommendations, with mammography use lower in women without health insurance or a primary source of health care.2 Research using data from the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program registries revealed that black women with breast cancer had lower five-year survival rates, regardless of stage and age, and were more likely to be 3 diagnosed with tumors with worse prognosis.5 A recent study using SEER Medicare data found that black women with breast cancer had less evidence of at least one primary care visit, lower rates of breast cancer screenings, and longer delays in treatment.6 There were differences in survival and were primarily related to presentation at diagnosis more than treatment differences between white and black women.6 Multiple studies have examined the correlation between health insurance and breast cancer, including evidence of association between individuals without insurance or with Medicaid and more advanced stages of breast cancer at diagnosis and poorer outcomes.6-11 A cohort study among black women revealed that regular use and adherence to mammography screening were most associated with having health insurance, more than any other socioeconomic factor.12 Little research has been performed specific to the Kentucky population in relationship to health insurance status and breast cancer. One study focused on cancer survival and health insurance by examining the Kentucky Cancer Registry. Women with breast cancer who had private insurance, Medicare, or other federally funded healthcare had better survival rates then women with Medicaid.13 After controlling for length of follow-up, age, stage, health insurance, and treatment, black women with breast cancer still had a higher risk of death than white women (39%).13 The increased detrimental effect of breast cancer on black populations, and especially low-income individuals, has also been attributed to other factors including individual’s diet, differences in the biology of tumors in black women, cultural and psychosocial factors, breast feeding practices, multiple parity at younger ages and other socioeconomic factors.14-17,5,11 Certain health care system factors like access to care and quality of care have been associated with breast cancer disparities.18 Social factors like racism, low socioeconomic 4 status, lack of transportation and not having a primary care physician have also been documented as contributing to this disparity in survival rates, stage at diagnosis, and difference in treatment and mortality rates in black women.18-27 Understanding disparities experienced by this population will help improve outcomes through targeting the identified roots of this issue.18 There are still many complex questions as to why black women are disproportionately affected by breast cancer.28 The primary purpose of this study is to assess how race, health insurance coverage, income and education correlate with access to health care in women diagnosed with breast cancer in Kentucky. Is access to health care different among black women and women without private insurance with breast cancer? We anticipate that among these women, those who are black and those without private health insurance will report more barriers to services and differences in access to care than non-black women and privately insured women in Kentucky with breast cancer. Secondly, we will assess the relationship among these variables in women 40 or older that report not receiving guidelinerecommended yearly mammogram screenings. We anticipate that black women and women without private health insurance outside mammography guidelines will report more barriers to service and difference in access to care than non-black women and privately insured women in Kentucky outside mammography guidelines. Lastly, we anticipate women that report lower yearly income and education level will have differences in access to health care

Herbicide and Fertilizer Combinations for Newly Planted Loblolly Pine Seedlings on a Flatwoods Site in Southeastern Arkansas: Year Three Results

Herbicide and fertilizer combinations were tested for enhanced loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) seedling performance on a chemically prepared, flatwoods site in southeastern AR. Fertilizer treatments were selected combinations of 40,50, and 50 pounds per acre of elemental N, P, or K, respectively. Arsenal+Oust (4 ounces+2 ounces per treated acre) was applied for herbaceous weed control (HWC). One treatment of herbicide or herbicide+ fertilizer was applied per year; the same rate was used for years one (1996) and two (1997). After three growing seasons, the greatest seedling volume resulted from two treatments of HWC+NPK fertilizer. Two treatments of HWC alone provided 80 percent and one treatment of HWC achieved 67 percent of the best volume. Of plots receiving year one treatments only, HWC produced the greatest year-three seedling volume. Post-treatment herbaceous biomass was greatest on untreated checks and plots receiving NPK fertilizer

Irrigated and unirrigated eastern cottonwood and water oak in a short rotation fiber system on a former agricultural site

Abstract-Seedlings from an open-pollinated family of water oak (Quercus L) and cuttings from clones of eastern cottonwood (Populus Bartr. ex Marsh) and hybrid poplar (P. Torr. and Gray X P. Bartr. ex Marsh.) were tested on a Perry clay soil in east central Arkansas (St Francis County). The test site received a preplant application of 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre and weed control for two growing seasons. Unirrigated and irrigated test families were monitored for survival and growth through age two. Some Populus clones survived best when irrigated and other clones when unirrigated. All test material exhibited significantly more volume per planted tree when irrigated. After two growing seasons, irrigated exceeded unirrigated saplings with enhanced mean performance for height, diameter, and volume per planted tree of 3.1 feet, 0.6 inches and 19.9 respectively. Hybrid poplars exhibited more uniform early growth

Weed Control and Seedling Performance Using OUST, Velpar, and Velpar+OUST Impregnated Diammonium Phosphate

Technology that combines herbicide and fertilizer into one treatment thereby reducing application costs while enhancing growth is needed. Four clean and well-prepared sites in TX, MS, and AL were tested. Study objectives were to evaluate the effectiveness of diammonium phosphate (DAP) impregnated with Oust, Velpar, or Velpar+Oust for herbaceous weed control and newly planted loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) seedling growth. In 1999, treatments were applied early post weed-emergence to 60percent bare ground in East TX. Impregnated DAP provided about 38percent less competitor control than separate liquid and fertilizer applications at similar rates. Best seedling survival and growth resulted from liquid sprays of Oust and Velpar+Oust. Treatments in 2000 were applied to bare ground in TX, MS, and AL. Weed control for Oust-impregnated DAP, Velpar+Oust-impregnated DAP, Velpar impregnated on 250 pounds of DAP and liquid herbicide treatments was similar 120 days after treatment. Seedling survival and growth for impregnated DAP treatments was similar to that for conventional herbicide and DAP treatments. Growth trends are preliminary and will be followed. Drought probably influenced study results

Habitat Associations Of Stream-Dwelling Salamanders At Multiple Spatial Scales In Central Kentucky Headwaters.

Headwater stream systems are productive habitats that are often at risk of human perturbation, and it is crucial that ecologists understand natural patterns and processes within these ecosystems. Using a multi-scale approach, I investigated factors influencing habitat associations of Ambystoma barbouri (streamside salamander) and Eurycea cirrigera (southern two-lined salamander) in a relatively undisturbed stream network in central Kentucky. I used likelihood ratio G-tests to identify associations between species and mesohabitat types (i.e., runs, riffles, and pools). I used second order Akaike\u27s Information Criterion (AICc) model selection to predict patterns of presence and abundance throughout headwater reaches. Fine-scale abiotic habitat conditions influenced habitat associations and distribution patterns at larger spatial scales. Individual A. barbouri displayed strong negative associations to riffle habitat at both micro- and stream-reach scales shortly after hatching, likely as a result of passive in-stream dispersal in response to increased water velocity and turbulence. Ambystoma barbouri, in later stages of development, displayed evidence of active dispersal, resulting in stronger positive associations to run habitat and stronger negative associations to riffles. Habitat associations in late spring suggested interspecific interactions between A. barbouri and E. cirrigera, and further research is needed on the potential reversal of predatory roles between the two species as A. barbouri larvae develop. My results demonstrated the effectiveness of a multi-scale approach to investigating complex ecological processes of aquatic organisms and the utility of AICc in selecting biologically relevant predictive models of salamander presence and abundance in aquatic habitats

Seedling Response in a Greenhouse to Four Rates of Old and New Paper Mill Sludge

Four rates (0, 36, 75, and 11 2 DT/A)of both old and new pulp-mill sludges were tested in a greenhouse for impact on survival and growth of seedlings of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L). After one growing season no meaningful differences were detected for seedling survival and growth, number off lushes, and decomposition rate for old and new sludges regardless of rate. Seedling foliage showed increases in Mg and Ca and sludges exhibited high pH and increased salinity

Computer-aided instruction in dendrology: Preparation for distance learning

Many state legislatures are increasing public access to higher education by establishing more two-year institutions with lower tuition and fees than four-year institutions. This will likely increase the number of students enrolling in two-year institutions and later transferring to a four-year institutions. Transfer students presently comprise more than 30% of the University of Arkansas at Monticello\u27s (UAM) undergraduate forestry majors. These students arrive commonly deficient in six required freshman and sophomore forestry courses and facing four years at UAM to complete their baccalaureate degree. Prospective transfer students need access to freshman- and sophomore-level forestry courses. Forestry majors need tutorials aiding the development of skills and knowledge in plant morphology, identification, nomenclature and silvics. At UAM, experiences to a broader range of learning styles than traditional instruction alone. When combined with distance learning technologies, this approach can potentially reach prospective transfer students. Resolution of course deficiencies reduces problems for transfer students and academic advisors, and homogenizes levels of preparedness leading to higher quality instruction, student understanding and academic success. This paper introduces a series of PC-based tutorials and a format for electronic discussion groups in dendrology intended as part of a package for both resident and distant students. The user friendly tutorials provide easy access to approximately 120 species of native and exotic woody trees, shrubs and vines of the upper Coastal Plain of the Western Gulf Region. The self examination segment of the software allows students to pretest their skill and knowledge in the morphology, identification, and nomenclature of forest species as part of their preparation for actual examinations. The electronic discussion groups helps students learn from each other while catering to diverse learning styles and study schedules. This approach to dendrology is nontraditional and appeals to students either literate or illiterate in computer usage without reduced participation in traditional classroom experiences

Genetic Family and Stock Type Influence Simulated Loblolly Pine Yields from Wet Sites

Planting adapted families or a bulked seedlot of bare-root and container-grown-seedlings of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L) were contrasted as cost effective alternatives for regenerating Arkansas\u27 wet sites. Survival data from two wet sites were used to simulate 15 years of growth. Containerized seedlings provided 17% greater survival than bare-root seedlings, but yielded a lower present net worth than bare-root seedlings. Planting families adapted to excessive moisture provided 7% greater survival and yielded a greater present net worth than planting a bulked seedlot consisting of adapted and poorly adapted families