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Restoration Techniques (restoration + techniques)
Selected AbstractsBiology and establishment of mountain shrubs on mining disturbances in the Rocky Mountains, USALAND DEGRADATION AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2003M. W. Paschke Abstract The Rocky Mountains of the western United States contain many economically important natural resources. Increasing development of these resources has lead to land degradation, which often requires restoration efforts. A common type of disturbance in this region is mineral extraction and these activities often occur in zones of vegetation dominated by shrubs. These mined lands have proven to be particularly challenging to restore to native shrub cover. Mountain shrubland species such as big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata), Saskatoon serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia), black chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus), and snowberry (Symphoricarpos sp.) are crucial species for wildlife in this region due to the seasonal dependence of many wildlife species on the mountain shrubland zones. The development of successful restoration techniques for these key shrub species is therefore important for the continued and sustainable utilization of natural resources in the Rocky Mountains. The purpose of this literature review is to provide a reference to land managers working on woody plant establishment on mining disturbances in mountain shrublands in the Rocky Mountains. This review covers the biology, ecology, and propagation of six shrub species that are of primary importance for meeting regulatory compliance in this region. Based upon this survey of the published literature, we conclude that successful establishment of these species has most often involved: (1) utilization of local shrub ecotypes, varieties or subspecies in reclamation efforts, (2) protection from browsing during the establishment phase, (3) strategies for avoiding herbaceous competition, and (4) providing a source of mutualistic soil organisms. Additional specific recommendations for each of these species are discussed. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Image adaptive point-spread function estimation and deconvolution for in vivo confocal microscopyMICROSCOPY RESEARCH AND TECHNIQUE, Issue 1 2006M. Von Tiedemann Abstract Visualizing deep inside the tissue of a thick biological sample often poses severe constraints on image conditions. Standard restoration techniques (denoising and deconvolution) can then be very useful, allowing one to increase the signal-to-noise ratio and the resolution of the images. In this paper, we consider the problem of obtaining a good determination of the point-spread function (PSF) of a confocal microscope, a prerequisite for applying deconvolution to three-dimensional image stacks acquired with this system. Because of scattering and optical distortion induced by the sample, the PSF has to be acquired anew for each experiment. To tackle this problem, we used a screening approach to estimate the PSF adaptively and automatically from the images. Small PSF-like structures were detected in the images, and a theoretical PSF model reshaped to match the geometric characteristics of these structures. We used numerical experiments to quantify the sensitivity of our detection method, and we demonstrated its usefulness by deconvolving images of the hearing organ acquired in vitro and in vivo. Microsc. Res. Tech. 69:10,20, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Seedling Establishment and Survival on Restored Campsites in Subalpine ForestRESTORATION ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2007David N. Cole Abstract This study experimented with common restoration techniques (scarification, soil amendments, mulch, and seeding) on six closed wilderness campsites in subalpine forests in Oregon. Effectiveness in encouraging seedling establishment, growth, and survival was assessed every year for the first 7 years following treatment. Closure and restoration of the campsites increased the density of plants established from seed. Despite an original density of virtually zero, mean density of perennial plants was 55 plants/m2 7 years after closure. All the treatments, with the exception of the biodegradable mulch mat, increased plant density. Seven years after treatment, seeding had increased plant density 5-fold, whereas scarification and soil amendments (organic matter, compost, and soil inoculum) had each increased density 3-fold. The organic and compost amendments also had the positive benefit of increasing growth rates and shortening the time-to-reproductive maturity. Results suggest that restoration of the herbaceous cover on these campsites can occur rapidly using the techniques employed. All but one of the species we seeded established in substantial quantities and survived at densities exceeding their density in the naturally sparse herbaceous cover on these sites. Thirty-six perennial species volunteered on these sites. The remaining challenge is reestablishment of the shrub species that comprise much of the ground cover in these forests. These species seldom establish from seed. [source] The effect of restoration techniques on non-target species: case studies in moorland ecosystemsAPPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE, Issue 1 2009R.J. Mitchell Abstract Questions: What is the impact on non-target species of restoration methods to establish Calluna vulgaris on grass-dominated moorlands? Location: A Nardus stricta -dominated moorland in Wales and a Molinia caerulea -dominated moorland in Northern England, UK. Methods: Two replicated experiments were established on grass-dominated moorlands. The treatments comprised disturbance (rotavation and trampling by animals), addition of Calluna seed, and three different grazing regimes, together with a no grazing control. Results: The creation of bare ground and addition of seed increased the establishment of the desired dominant shrub, Calluna vulgaris. In the Nardus sward, rotavation and trampling were equally successful in establishing Calluna, but rotavation was more successful in the Molinia sward. Rotavation inhibited the growth of competitive grass species better than trampling. However, the disturbance techniques were detrimental to other components of the plant community, causing a decline in the cover of desirable species such as Vaccinium myrtillus and other dwarf shrub species and a small increase in the occurrence of undesirable species such as Juncus effusus. Grazing also controlled competitive grass species: Festuca ovina decreased in cover at a grazing intensity of 1.5 ewes/ha; Molinia caerulea and Agrostis spp. declined when cattle were included in the grazing regime, but increased in cover when ungrazed or when grazed at 1.5 ewes/ha. Conclusions: When restoration concentrates on the establishment of one or a few species, it is important to monitor how the techniques used affect the rest of the plant community , particularly with regard to losses of desirable species or increases in undesirable species. [source] Instrument and data analysis challenges for imaging spectropolarimetryASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 6 2010C. Denker Abstract The next generation of solar telescopes will enable us to resolve the fundamental scales of the solar atmosphere, i.e., the pressure scale height and the photon mean free path. High-resolution observations of small-scale structures with sizes down to 50 km require complex post-focus instruments, which employ adaptive optics (AO) and benefit from advanced image restoration techniques. The GREGOR Fabry-Pérot Interferometer (GFPI) will serve as an example of such an instrument to illustrate the challenges that are to be expected in instrumentation and data analysis with the next generation of solar telescopes (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] | ||||||||||