Funding: USDA CSREES 2008-34628-19532

This project aims to decipher the spatial and temporal distribution, particularly dispersal corridors and hotspots, of invasive species.  We propose to conduct a study based on a 22-year-long record of invasive species from all 120 counties in Kentucky and two herbarium collections dating back to 1870s with a total of over 90,000 specimens.  The specific objectives of this project are: 1) create a digital database of invasive species, 2) understand the association between landcover type and invasive species, and 3) identify key areas of invasive species hotspots and dispersal corridors. 

Collaborators: S. Fei, J.D. Green, and R.D. Paratley

Funding: USDA CSREES

The hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA, Adelges tsugae) is an exotic invasive insect that is rapidly establishing itself in the eastern US, and is the single greatest threat to eastern hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis).  In 2005, HWA was established in portions of 16 states from Maine to Georgia, covering about half of the natural range of hemlock.  Kentucky’s neighboring states of West Virginia, Virginia, and Tennessee are heavily or partially HWA-infested, which puts Kentucky on the frontier of the HWA invasion process.  If no action is taken, the invasion will inevitably encompass Kentucky, and the resulting ecological and economic losses will be catastrophic.

We propose to establish a state wide HWA monitoring system.  The specific objectives of this project are 1) to determine the spatial distribution of hemlock forests in Kentucky, and 2) to detect incipient HWA infestations, and 3) predict HWA spread based upon the distribution of the hemlock forest type in Kentucky.

Collaborators: S. Fei, L. Rieske-Kinney, and J. Obrycki

Funding: USDA For. Serv. 06-DG-11244225-246

Invasion of exotic species constitutes one of the most serious forms of ecological degradation in urban forests, affecting millions of metropolitan residents across the country.  We propose to study the association between the occurrence of invasive exotic plants and the characteristics of urban forest remnants and their surrounding landscapes (size, structure, usage, and management).  The resulting model will assist urban foresters and park managers to prevent and/or mitigate biological invasion for existing and future parks and remnants via better design and management.  This research will help to raise public awareness by disseminating research findings through brochures, workshops, and on-line publications.

Collaborators: S. Fei, T. Barnes, J.Stringer, B. Lee, and W. Thomas

Funding: USDA CSREES

Many of our forests are virtually tree islands surrounded by highly disturbed areas harboring numerous invasive species.  As reported by the Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council, there were 95 invasive exotic plant species in Kentucky in 2000, and 26 were listed as severe threats.  Our ability to prevent and/or mitigate the invasion of exotic plants is in part hindered by insufficient quantitative and precise spatial pattern of invasion in the forest ecosystems challenged by invasive species. 

We propose to study the invasion pattern of exotic plants associated with timber harvest using GPS and GIS technologies.  The objectives of this project are 1) to quantify spatial distribution and abundance of invasive plants relative to distance of invasive source, harvest disturbance, landform, and success of post-harvest rehabilitation, and 2) to develop recommendations for inhibiting invasive plant recruitment. 

Collaborators: S. Fei, J. Stringer, and N. Kong

Funding: USDA CSREES

Wildlife researchers are increasingly expected to use advanced technology for determining the ecological, spatial, and behavioral characteristics of imperiled and otherwise important wildlife species.  The dynamic interactions among individuals influence resource selection patterns of populations and are an important consideration for natural resource managers. We propose to develop geospatial models to understand the distribution and dispersal of large mammal, particularly, black bear and Florida panther..

Collaborators: S. Fei and J. Cox

The American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was one of the most important trees in Appalachian forests, then reigning over 200 million acres of eastern woodlands.  It was eliminated from the overstory by chestnut blight (Cryphonectria parasitica) during the early 20th century.  Interest in restoring the species has renewed as the The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) has progressed with its program of breeding a blight-resistant replacement.  This research is to develop the historical distribution and abundance of American chestnut and discover the survival chestnut using GIS and spatial analysis.

Collaborators: TACF

Throughout eastern America, natural regeneration of oaks (Quercus spp.) is often difficult to obtain even where oaks are dominant components in the overstory before harvest. Our understanding of oak declining is in part hindered by a lack of quantitative, descriptive information about stands undergoing this process. The objectives of this study are to explore the forest composition, to understand regeneration potentials and limitations, and to project and evaluate regeneration in the early stage of stand development of mixed-oak stands in the central Appalachians.