The Effects of Riparian Management Zone Delineation on Timber Value and Ecosystem Services in Diverse Forest Biomes Across the United States
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SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Digital Commons @ ESF Dissertations and Theses Summer 8-12-2020 The Effects of Riparian Management Zone Delineation on Timber Value and Ecosystem Services in Diverse Forest Biomes Across the United States. Maneesha Jayasuriya SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.esf.edu/etds Part of the Forest Management Commons Recommended Citation Jayasuriya, Maneesha, "The Effects of Riparian Management Zone Delineation on Timber Value and Ecosystem Services in Diverse Forest Biomes Across the United States." (2020). Dissertations and Theses. 190. https://digitalcommons.esf.edu/etds/190 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ ESF. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ ESF. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. THE EFFECTS OF RIPRIAN MANAGEMENT ZONE DELINEATION ON TIMBER VALUE AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN DIVERSE FOREST BIOMES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES by Maneesha Thirasara Jayasuriya A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse, New York August 2020 Department of Sustainable Resources Management Approved by: René Germain, Major Professor Neil Ringler, Chair, Examining Committee Christopher Nowak, Department Chair S. Scott Shannon, Dean, The Graduate School Acknowledgements I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. René Germain for being a great mentor and good friend. I truly value his expert knowledge, support, encouragement, and guidance given to me throughout the past years. I couldn't have asked for a better major professor to work with on both my graduate degrees at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF). I would like to thank my steering committee, Dr. John Stella and Dr. Colin Beier for their knowledge, direction and insight given to me throughout this research. I would also like to thank Dr. Eddie Bevilacqua for serving as my examiner and Dr. John Wagner for his expert knowledge and contributions to my research in addition to serving as my second examiner. My work in carbon markets would not have been possible without the help and guidance I received from Tim McAbee and Matt Smith of Finite Carbon. I thank them for assisting me in the carbon accounting process and helping me navigate through the intricate details of the California Compliance Offset Protocol. I would also like to thank Dr. Virginia Matzek of Santa Clara University for her initial ideas and inspiration for this project. I would like to extend my gratitude to Dr. Lianjun Zhang (SUNY ESF) for assistance provided with statistics, Dr. Greg McGee (SUNY ESF) and Dr. Ben Ballard (SUNY Morrisville) for assistance in plant ID. I appreciate the staff at Huntington Wildlife Forest, Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, and Heiberg Memorial Forest for accommodation and assistance provided in the field, and Dan Little and John Clancy at NYS Department of Environmental Conservation for assistance in obtaining permits for research in the New York State Forests. My field days were made possible with the assistance of Emily Paye (former Masters graduate student) and undergraduate assistant Madeleine Cohen. I thank them both for their friendship and support. This work was financially supported by a grant from the McIntire-Stennis program of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). I would also like to thank the C. Eugene Farnsworth Fellowship, and the Department of Sustainable Resources Management at SUNY ESF for the graduate scholarships offered to me throughout my years of study at ESF. I must express my profound gratitude to my parents for providing me with unfailing support and continuous encouragement throughout my studies in the United States. Finally, I sincerely thank my husband for standing by me, supporting me and encouraging me to fulfill my dreams and goals in life. ii Table of Contents List of Tables ............................................................................................................................................................................ vii List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................................................. x List of Appendices ................................................................................................................................................................ xiv Abstract ..................................................................................................................................................................................... xv Chapter 1 : Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................... 1 Background ........................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Rational ................................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Research Objectives ........................................................................................................................................................... 8 Organization ......................................................................................................................................................................... 8 References ........................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Chapter 2 : Detecting riparian zones using understory plant diversity and composition patterns in mesic headwater forests of the Northeastern U.S. ................................................................................................... 18 Abstract ................................................................................................................................................................................. 18 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................ 18 Methods ................................................................................................................................................................................ 22 Study area ....................................................................................................................................................................... 22 Field data collection .................................................................................................................................................... 25 Data Analysis ................................................................................................................................................................. 29 Results ................................................................................................................................................................................... 31 Species composition ................................................................................................................................................... 31 Generalized Linear Mixed Models ......................................................................................................................... 34 Canonical Discriminant Analysis ........................................................................................................................... 36 Indicator Species Analysis ........................................................................................................................................ 36 Discussion ............................................................................................................................................................................ 37 Observing Lateral Distance Thresholds ............................................................................................................. 37 iii Riparian Understory Species Composition ....................................................................................................... 39 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................................................... 41 References ........................................................................................................................................................................... 42 Appendix 2A ........................................................................................................................................................................ 49 Appendix 2B ........................................................................................................................................................................ 55 Appendix 2C .......................................................................................................................................................................