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Michigan State University

Forestry Research Guide: Websites and Repositories

This is a guide to resources in the study of Forestry.

Dendrology: the scientific study of trees

Silviculture: the growing and cultivation of trees. from The New Oxford American Dictionary, 2nd. Erin McKean. Oxford University Press, 2005

Forestry in the USA

Access to Extension and Experiment Station Publications
A compilation of search engines and databases to extension and other agriculture, forestry and horticulture information.

Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health at the University of Georgia
The mission of the Center for Invasive Species & Ecosystem Health is to serve a lead role in development, consolidation and dissemination of information and programs focused on invasive species, forest health, natural resource and agricultural management through technology development, program implementation, training, applied research and public awareness at the state, regional, national and international level

Cooperative Forestry Research Unit Publications Database
This database focuses on ecology, economics, and growth and management of Maine forests. Contains the full-text of University of Maine's Cooperative Forestry Research Unit's (CFRU) reports as well as other publications resulting from research by CFRU staff and associates. Searchable by subject category such as hardwood management, harvesting, and thinning. The database can be browsed by author, subject, and title.

Current Research Information System
CRIS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's documentation and reporting system for ongoing and recently completed research and education projects in agriculture, food and nutrition, and forestry. Projects are conducted or sponsored by USDA research agencies, state agricultural experiment stations, land-grant universities, other cooperating state institutions, and participants in CSREES-administered grant programs, including Small Business Innovation Research and National Research Initiative, and the programs administered by the CSREES Science and Education Resources Development unit.

Forest History Society (FHS)
The Forest History Society (FHS) is a nonprofit educational institution that links the past to the future by identifying, collecting, preserving, interpreting, and disseminating information on the history of interactions between people, forests, and their related resources -- timber, water, soil, forage, fish and wildlife, recreation, and scenic or spiritual values. Through programs in research, publication, and education, the Society promotes and rewards scholarship in the fields of forest, conservation, and environmental history while reminding all of us about our important forest heritage.

Forest History Society - Environmental History Bibliography
Containing over 40,000 records with approximately 1,500 added per year, this searchable bibliography contains books, articles, and dissertations on a variety of subjects related to forestry. It is maintained by the Forest History Society. Duke University

Forest History Society - Guide to environmental history archival collections.
Describes more than 7,000 collections in 450 repositories in North America.

Forest History Society Photograph Collections
Photographs from the first half of the Twentieth Century on a wide range of subjects including Forestry Practices, the "Real" Smokey Bear, Bridges and Trestles, Christmas Trees, the San Francisco Earthquake, the Boy Scouts, Farming, and Forestry School pictures, 17 of which are from the Michigan Agricultural College, submitted by Professor A. K. Chittenden in September of 1923.

Forest Landowner Factsheets
Features include clicking on an individual State or Canadian Province to see trees that naturally grow there, and the tree species factsheets and images.

Forestry Technical Bulletins, Journal Articles 
From the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc. (NCASI), a research institute that focuses on environmental topics of interest to the forest products industry.

Ohio Trees Index
Fact sheets on the trees of Ohio, generated by the Ohio DNR Division of Forestry. Addtional downloads of Forest maps, guide, disease leaflets, etc. available at the link Educational Downloads.

PlantFacts
Horticulture and crop science information from 46 different colleges, universities, and government institutions across the United States and Canada. This searchable site run by the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, The Ohio State University provides access to over 260,000 pages of Extension fact sheets and bulletins from every land-grant university in the U.S. and several government institutions across Canada. Try this resource even for non-plant research queries as their "plant" filter is porous.

Resources on Forest Fires:

Fire Effects Information System (FEIS)
FEIS summarizes and synthesizes research about living organisms in the United States —their biology, ecology, and relationship to fire. It contains literature reviews, taken from current English-language literature of about 900 plant species, 7 lichen species, about 100 wildlife species, 17 Research Project Summaries, and 16 Kuchler plant communities of North America. The emphasis of each review and summary is fire and how it affects species. Background information on taxonomy, distribution, basic biology, and ecology of each species is also included.

U.S. Fire Statistics (US Fire Administration)

Fire Program Statistics (USFWS, Branch of Fire Management)
Fire statistics (1995 -) in table format from the US Fish & Wildlife Service, Branch of Fire Management

RNGR - Reforestation, Nurseries and Genetic Resources program
This web site was developed by the technical specialists of the Reforestation, Nurseries and Genetic Resources (RNGR) program whose mission is to supply people who grow forest and conservation seedlings with the very latest technical information, and to provide links to other organizations and individuals with similar interests. Full-text Publications and resources include amongst others:

Tree Planters' Notes - publication dedicated to technology transfer and publication of research information relating to nursery production and outplanting of trees, shrubs, and native plants for reforestation, conservation, and restoration

Nursery Manuals, Seed Manuals

Tree Planting in the US (1951- ) - Create a custom report or generate annual reports for selected years summarizing tree planting, timber stand improvement, and nursery production activities across all ownerships of forest land in the United States.

Seeing the Forest and the Trees: Ecological Classification for Conservation
1999. Describes the National Vegetation Classification System and identifies major opportunities for applying and using it to meet conservation needs. 38 pages, PDF file (2.62M).

Trees and Transportation / Human Dimensions of Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, University of Washington
"Transportation systems have traditionally been designed for traffic mobility and driver safety. Road systems and roadsides are now being designed to address a variety of other functions, including aesthetic, environmental, and community interests. Context Sensitive Design is a new approach in transportation planning that recognizes community values. Roadside vegetation and green spaces are often valued features of transportation corridors. The studies below are investigations of public values regarding trees and vegetation in urban vehicular use areas."

Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources - Outreach and Publications

General and Global Forestry

Digital Repositories