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USFS Provides Funds to Print CFEOR Handbook-Groundcover Restoration in

Forests of the Southeastern United States

Author: Melissa Kreye, CFEOR Coordinator

CFEOR Requests Research Proposals in Two Areas

Author: Melissa Kreye, CFEOR Coordinator

I n 2009 CFEOR announced the completion of

their first short-term Signature Project: a

handbook/guide on the state of the

science and art of understory

vegetation restoration techniques

within forests of the Southeastern

U.S. Interest in restoring the

composition, structure, and ecological

functioning of the understory

component of forest ecosystems has

grown in recent years. Descriptions of

effective restoration methods and

results can be difficult to find, as they

are published within a diverse array of

scientific journals and agency project

reports. CFEOR scientists recognized that a compilation

of the lessons learned, and a catalogue of existing

restoration project sites would provide current land

managers a needed reference and guide as they plan

for future restoration activities.

Except for a small initial printing

the handbook was only available as a

PDF and can be downloaded for free at

the CFEOR website at http://sfrc.ufl.edu/

CFEOR/Short Term 2008.htm. In October

2010 the United States Forests Service,

National Forests in Florida provided

$2000 to print the handbook and make

it available to CFEOR members and the

public. The printed handbook will only

be available to those attending CFEOR

workshops. To learn more about

upcoming CFEOR workshops please visit http://

sfrc.ufl.edu/CFEOR/Upcoming Events.html.

www.sfrc.ufl.edu/CFEOR

CFEOR is offering a one time $20,000 grant to

fund innovative research in two areas.

1.) Groundcover restoration in hydric flatwoods

habitat.

While there has been considerable research into the

establishment of native groundcover on upland sites,

there has been little work to determine the best

methods of restoring ground cover on fire suppressed

hydric flatwood habitat sites. An adaptive management

study could be used to assess the effects of a

combination of management actions such as roller

chopping, disking, prescribed fire, herbicide application,

mulching and supplemental planting.

2.) Predict visibility impacts of smoke associated with

prescribed fire or wildfire on roadways.

Evaluate current atmospheric measurements to

determine which one or combination will best predict

or determine potential visibility impacts on Florida

roadways from sunset to sunrise. Or- Determining the

applicability of existing smoke prediction models to

Florida, and increasing access to existing models

through user-friendly web interfaces.

This grant opportunity is open to any UF faculty

member and their collaborators. The one time grant can

be used to initiate, leverage or expand a current

research project. To read the full RFP and submit a

proposal go to http://sfrc.ufl.edu/CFEOR/Proposal

Submissions.html or contact Melissa Kreye at

mkreye@ufl.edu .

.

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Older can be better: physiological costs of paternal investment in the Florida scrub-jay

Wilcoxen, TE; RK Boughten and SJ Schoech. 2010. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 64(10) 1527-1535. DOI:

10.1007/s00265-010-0966-4

In species that undergo actuarial senescence, the value of current reproduction is predicted to increase relative to

the value of future reproduction with age, as the probability of survival to another reproductive event is reduced.

Therefore, life history theory predicts that aging animals should increase their investment in reproduction. However,

an increase in reproductive investment may carry significant costs to the breeding individuals. We recorded

provisioning rates of Florida scrub-jay male breeders, followed by their immediate capture to assess body condition

and collect blood for an in vitro test of immunocompetence and an assay of baseline corticosterone for a measure

of stress. Older males provisioned offspring and brooding mates at the highest rates. There was no evidence of any

physiological deficits in males with high provisioning rates, independent of age. It appears that birds that survive to

old age are high quality birds that maintain good physiological condition, which complements the value of

experience and permits maximal investment in offspring.

© Springerlink. To read the full article members click here.

Groundcover Restoration in Forests of the Southeastern US

When: November 18, 2010 from 10am to 3pm

Where: Sandhill Lake Mitigation Bank Tract in Greenhead, FL.

Interest in restoring the composition, structure, and ecological functioning of the

understory component of forest ecosystems has grown in recent years. This

workshop will distribute and review the CFEOR handbook “Groundcover

Restoration in Forests of the Southeastern United States” and conduct a field

tour of the Sandhill Lakes Mitigation Bank restoration sites.

Earn CFE credit hours and receive a printed copy of

the CFEOR groundcover restoration handbook!

Members have priority registration and the registration fee is waived

Registration for non-members is $30.

BBQ lunch sponsored by the International Forest Company, RSC Equipment

Rental, Sandy Ford Restorations, LLC and Northwest Florida Water

Management District.

To learn more and to register for this workshop go to http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/CFEOR/Upcoming events.html#groundcover

To learn more about the free CFEOR groundcover restoration handbook go to http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/CFEOR/

ShortTerm2008.html

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CFEOR Mission:

To develop and disseminate knowledge needed to conserve and

manage Florida’s forest as a healthy, working ecosystem that

provides social, ecological and economic benefits on a

sustainable basis.

CFEOR Administration

Bill Cleckley, Northwest Florida Water Management District, Steering Committee Chair

Tim Breault, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Steering Committee Vice-Chair

Newsletter Contacts

Melissa Kreye, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, CFEOR Coordinator,

mkreye@ufl.edu Nancy Peterson, School of Forest Resources and

Conservation, CFEOR Executive Director, njp@ufl.edu

Phone 352.846.0848 ∙Fax 352.846.1277∙ PO Box 110410∙ Gainesville, FL

GIS Workshop in Advanced Geospatial Tools and

Techniques in Natural Resources: Scripting and

Model Building, October 25-27, 2010 at the Tall

Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy,

Tallahassee, Fl. To learn more and to register go to

http://nbci.ttrs.org/GISWorkshop/index.html.

2010 Tree ID Lab, Tuesday October 26, 2010 – 9:00

AM to 12:30 PM Free, annual public education

program of University of Florida/IFAS – Leon County

Extension for professionals, volunteers, landowners,

students and citizen-naturalists. To learn more go to

h t t p : / / w w w . s f r c . u f l . e d u / E x t e n s i o n /

florida_forestry_information/events_calendar/files/

Tree_ID_Lab_Leon_Extension_flyer102610.pdf

Natural Areas Training Academy: Managing for

Diversity Across Florida's Diverse landscapes,

November 16-18, 2010. This course is designed to

introduce students to the rich biological diversity of

Florida and to ensure that students have an

understanding of the strategies used to protect

biodiversity in Florida. This workshop is part of the

series that leads to the Certificate in Natural Areas

Management. To learn more go to http://

nata.snre.ufl.edu/diverse.htm