GEOSPATIAL CHARACTERIZATION AND ASSESSMENT OF FOREST RECREATION PARTICIPATION AND EMERALD ASH BORER IMPACT IN KENTUCKY.

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: MCINTIRE-STENNIS
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1017975
• Project Start Date: Oct 30, 2018
• Project End Date: Sep 30, 2022
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
FRANKFORT,KY 40601

Performing Department
Agriculture & Environmental Science

Non Technical Summary
Human societies have a tendency of placing increasing value on leisure time, resulting in increased demand for recreational access to public lands. Human perceptions of the tangible and intangible benefits that forest landscapes provide have not been studied exclusively in Kentucky public lands. In general, public lands, such as national forests, provide important ecological, cultural, and economic services that include biodiversity, timber production, and recreational opportunities. Forest recreational opportunities can consist of hunting, fishing, hiking, walking, camping, cycling, horseback riding, sightseeing, etc. Growing demands for forest recreational activities have resulted in the need to understand demographic and spatial dimensions of visitors' attitudes and perceptions towards valuing recreational resources and ecological services of public lands. High levels of forest recreational use can endanger the ecological status of forests. A recent meeting between Kentucky State University and personnel from the Daniel Boone National Forest, state foresters, and other state agencies showed increased interest in the importance of understanding public perceptions and use of public lands in Kentucky. Geospatial characterization of recreation areas along with surveys and assessments of management practices can help provide the needed information on trends, demands, and importance of forest recreation in Kentucky.The emerald ash borer (EAB; Agrilus planipennis) has devastated the ash (Fraxinus spp.) population throughout Kentucky and across the country. EAB results in dead standing ash snag trees that may hinder forest recreation opportunities due to their potential for falling. The overall impact of EAB on forests is still unknown as is the future of the ash tree. Studies need to be conducted to assess the overall impact of EAB on forest ecosystems and to determine which species are regenerating in impacted areas, especially in northcentral Kentucky where bush honeysuckle, multiflora rose, garlic mustard, autumn olive, and other invasive species thrive in disturbed areas.Growing ginseng may provide opportunities for small-scale forest owners and farmers including socially disadvantaged farmers/forest owners in Kentucky to generate income while improving and maintaining the health of their forests. Forest-farming, an agroforestry practice, has shown promise to optimize ginseng production, however, no research exists to assess its potential in Kentucky. Ginseng isgrown for its health benefits, and markets exist for this species; however, farmers and producers in Kentuckylack knowledge about ginseng production under various growing conditions. This project will assess gensing performance and production using forest farming and other production methods. Best management practices of growing ginseng will be developed utilizing the results of the study and Extension activities will be offered. The BMPs will be designed in such a way that Kentucky farmers can use them to improve their land economic production using ginseng production practices while employing sustainable forest management.This project will evaluate participation, trends, and demands for forest recreation based on geospatial characterization and surveys and trail management practices in Kentucky. The project will also assess the impact EAB has had on Kentucky forests.

Animal Health Component

85%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

85%

Developmental

15%

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
134	6010	3070	34%
134	0199	3100	33%
123	0699	1070	33%

Knowledge Area
134 - Outdoor Recreation; 123 - Management and Sustainability of Forest Resources;

Subject Of Investigation
6010 - Individuals; 0199 - Soil and land, general; 0699 - Trees, forests, and forest products, general;

Field Of Science
3070 - Psychology; 1070 - Ecology; 3100 - Management;

Keywords

forest recreation

emerald ash borer

drone-based remote sensing

trail management

ginseng production

Goals / Objectives
The objectives for this grant are:Assess forest recreation preferences including geospatial characteristics to determine current demands and trends in Kentucky;Evaluate and compare forest recreational trail (hiking, biking, and horse trails) design, impact, and management on erosion and sediment delivery;Assess forest health-related canopy gaps, specifically EAB-related canopy gaps in Kentucky, using drone-based remote sensing and field measurements.Evaluate the growth, production, and performance of American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) grown under forest farming agroforestry practice.

Project Methods
Objective 1: Assess forest recreation preferences including geospatial characteristics to determine current demands and trends in Kentucky.Forest recreation surveys will be conducted in the field at popular hiking, biking, and horse trails, as well as at canoeing, kayaking, and camping sites (trailheads for backcountry camping) throughout Kentucky. Survey focus areas will consist of the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest (Bullitt County), Daniel Boone National Forest (Eastern Kentucky-Appalachian Region), Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area (Eastern Kentucky), state parks and forests, and city and county parks in larger cities such as Louisville, Frankfort, and Lexington. Survey questions will be related to current recreational use (hiking, watching birds and wildlife, kayaking, canoeing, hunting, etc.), preferred recreational use, forest management in recreation areas (prescribed burning, timber harvesting, invasive species removal, etc.), aesthetics, sustainability, non-timber forest products, how often individuals use recreational areas, distance traveled, distance willing to travel, youth participation, improvements, and future planned use. The number of survey questions will be kept to a minimum and questions will be specific to the recreational areas. Recreation opportunities on or near reclaimed mine sites will also be of interest. GIS characterization will be conducted for all recreation areas to determine whether correlations exist between use and recreation area characteristics (slope, aspect, acres, vegetation, water features, access, distance from cities, etc.). There will also be questions related to emerald ash borer (EAB) on the survey and the geospatial analysis will assess the impact of EAB on those areas. This will relate to Objective 3 below.Wildlife management areas (WMAs) will also be targeted to assess forest use preferences and trends associated with recreational hunting. Hunting surveys will be conducted at WMA deer and other wildlife quota check stations as well as at local deer processing facilities to account for hunters who primarily hunt on private lands. Lease hunting is becoming more popular in Kentucky and will be assessed in these surveys.All surveys will be approved by Kentucky State University prior to distribution. Surveys will be conducted on tablets (iPads) at the designated locations using a software program such as SurveyMonkey or similar program that allows offline access on tablets. The majority of the surveys will be conducted by students. Survey data will be downloaded into a database, such as Microsoft Access and Excel, and will be analyzed using SAS, SPSS, or R.Objective 2: Evaluate and compare forest recreational trail (hiking, biking, and horse trails) design, impact, and management on erosion and sediment delivery.In addition to the forest recreation surveys, we will assess trail design, impact, and management on water quality at stream crossings. Erosion, sediment delivery, and water quality will be the main variables assessed. Wildlife and plant species may also be of interest. Trails will be divided into three categories: hiking, biking, and horse trails. Additionally, each trail will be subdivided by width, traffic, management practices, and location. Stream crossing approaches will be of interest and erosion and sediment delivery will be estimated (tons/acre/year) using the Universal Soil Loss Equation, Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation, and Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP). Erosion and sediment delivery will be measured using sediment trap and pins and a total station to measure sediment loss if vandalism will not be a concern. Vandalism of erosion collection and sampling areas will be a concern on public trails so preliminary measurements will be conducted to determine methods to reduce vandalism such as posting signs about the study.Site locations will be similar to the areas selected in Objective 1. GIS characterization of the site locations will be conducted and a correlation will be completed between erosion rates and site characteristics. Statistical analysis will be conducted in SAS, R, or SAS-JMP.Objective 3: Assess forest health-related canopy gaps, specifically EAB-related canopy gaps in Kentucky, using drone- based remote sensing and field measurements.Study areas will include the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, Kentucky State University's Environmental Education and Research Center (EERC) located in Henry County, and possibly the Daniel Boone National Forest (although this location has limited access with appropriate launch sites for drones). Drones will be used to collect high-resolution imagery to identify trees, canopy gaps, and stands affected by EAB. Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and normalized difference red edge (NDRE) sensors will be used to determine canopy gaps. Correlations will be made to determine accuracy of NDVI for identifying areas affected by EAB. A red-green-blue (RBG) camera will be used for aerial imagery.After collection of aerial imagery, EAB-impacted areas will be documented by canopy gap size (acres); surrounding stand composition: single ash tree, mixed, or ash-dominated (ash density); and GPS coordinates. The GPS coordinates will be used to locate EAB-impacted areas to conduct field assessments. Field assessments will consist of the collection of plot-level data. Field data will include: species growing in EAB canopy gaps (including regeneration), size of species found (height, diameter, crown width), presence/absence of invasive species, leaf area index (LAI), etc. Statistical analysis will compare canopy gap size, surrounding stand composition, species regenerating, invasive species, and LAI using statistical software such as SAS, R, or SAS-JMP. NDVI, NDRE, and RBG imagery will also be compared with the field assessments to determine how values from the drone sensors compare to vegetation growing in these impacted areas. The use of drones for detecting canopy gaps related to forest health concerns will be addressed. The Kentucky Division of Forestry currently monitors the spread and statewide mortality of EAB and this information will be incorporated into this study.Objective 4: Evaluate the growth, production, and performance of American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) grown under forest farming agroforestry practice. A factorial experiment will be set-up at the EERCto address objective #4 using three production methods of ginseng (i.e., wild-simulated, woods cultivated, and field cultivated), planting density (i.e., low and high density), and aspect (north-facing, and south-facing slopes). The wild-simulated method will involve simulating the growth of ginseng growing in the wild by planting the seeds manually after raking the soil. Under this method, the soil will be minimally disturbed. The wood cultivated method will involve growing ginseng in forested environment in tilled beds under natural shade, and the field-cultivated method will involve growing of ginseng in raised beds in field under artificial shade using polypropylene shade clothes. Prior to planting, light availability in the wild-simulated and wood-cultivated plots will be measured. The amount of light measured will be applied to ginseng growing in field-cultivated method to create uniformity of light transmission among treatments. Polypropylene shade cloth will be used in field-cultivated method. A total 40 random plots will be set-up for the study. Each plot will measure 5 ft x 25 ft. A low (25 lbs/acre) and high (50lbs/acre) planting density will be employed in the study and plots will be set-up in north-facing slope (16 plots), and south-facing slope (16 plots). Soil analysis will be assessed prior to planting, and baseline data on tree growth will be established. Parameters to measure will include survival rate, phenotypic characteristics, root production and quality.

Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience includes state, federal, municipal, non-profit, and private entities who manage forestland, as well public consumers of the services. Changes/Problems:Impacts of COVID-19 and graduate students suffering from terminal illness. We have experienced delays in implementing some components of the project due to COVID (e.g., data collection in the field, and survey delivery). One of the students had to pause hisdue to a terminal illness he is suffering from. We are requesting a modification of the scope of the project to include the assessment of production of ginseng using different methods including forest farming. Growing ginseng may provide opportunities for small-scale forest owners and farmers including socially disadvantage farmers/forest owners in Kentucky to generate income while improving and maintaining the health of their forests. Forest-farming, an agroforestry practice, has shown promise as a viable production of ginseng, but no research has been done for such potential in Kentucky. Ginseng are grown for its health benefits, and markets exist for this species; however, farmers and producers in Kentucky do lack knowledge about ginseng production under various growing conditions. This project will generate best management practices of growing ginseng in Kentucky that farmers can use to improve their economic bottom line while employing sustainable forest management. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has resulted in onegraduate student thesiswith additional two student theses underway or planned. Faculty and graduate students have attended state and regional virtual meetings (e.g., Kentucky Academy of Sciences, Society of American Foresters Conference) that have been beneficial in professional development.Faculty and graduate students have and will continue to work with forestry and natural resource professionals at research sites (Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Wildlife Management Area, and the Daniel Boone National Forest) to share project results. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Due to COVID, we are unable to do any extension activities of the project. Nevertheless, we have strived to share project results one-on-one with other researchers and natural resource professionals wanting to learn more about forestry initiatives at KSU. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?All objectives will be continued through the next reporting period. We will bring in additional three graduate students to continue work on the project objectives. At least two peer-reviewed manuscripts will be submitted emanating from the graduate students theses on 1) Assessment of ash and invasive species regeneration in EAB related canopy gaps, and 2) Assessment of recreation hiking trail impacts on soil erosion, water quality, and salamander populations. Water quality and soil erosion impacts of hiking recreation will be assessed at Daniel Boone Forest using the same research protocols employed at the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest to understand in more details the environmental impacts of recreation on erosion and water quality, so a solid recommendations to policy makers are made. A set of survey questionnaires will be developed to achieve objective 1, that is to understand users' preferences on performing forest recreation activities and their impacts on forest sustainability. A replicated trial to assess the production and performance of ginseng in forest farming will also be set-up at the Kentucky State University Environment and Education Research Center. This ginseng research is an added component of the project as earlier requested. One of the three students we will bring in will work on added component of the project.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objectives one through three are currently ongoing. Objective 1 still has to be implemented in 2021 and 2022 due to COVID. Objective 1 will involve the use the of surveys to assess forest recreation preferences in Kentucky. A survey questionnaireis being develop to understand forest recreation preferences and activities in Kentucky parks and forests and on private lands. Survey mechanisms are finalized. Research on objective 2 is underway and data are being analyzed as part of a graduate student thesis project titled "Assessment of forest recreation hiking trail impacts on erosion, water quality, and Salamander populations in Kentucky". We selected the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest based on its forest cover size (over 16,000 acres), number of hiking trails, stream crossings on trails, and overall recreation use of the forest. Three hiking trails were selected and mapped for stream crossings, and coordinates were recorded, and three crossings were randomly selected in each trail. A nearby control watershed that had no recreation trails was also selected. Water quality collection began March 2019 and continued in April 2020. Water quality measured monthly including temperature, pH, EC, DO, turbidity, TSS/VSS, and is measured at 6 locations per hiking trail stream crossing: 30m and 1m below the crossing (downstream) and 1m, 15m and 30m above the crossing. Soil core (3) taken randomly on each of 3 trails and adjacent forest floor to determine bulk density. Trail erosion variables including slope and number of steps of each approach was documented including percent soil cover. Salamander sampling began in March 2019 and continued until April 2020. eDNA water samples are taken at 30m below the trail crossing with physical sampling directly following water collection. eDNA water sampling are vacuum filtered through 0.45 µm pore size cellulose nitrate filters. Filters are dried, cut in half and stored in ETOH. Objective three resulted in a graduate student thesis titled: Assessment of ash and invasive species regeneration in emerald ash borer related canopy gaps. Data for this thesis came from KSU-EERC and Kentucky Wildlife Management Area. In 2019-2020, we expanded the area coverage of this project objective to include four more additional sites including two privately owned lands. The total area coverage of the project is now 1225 acres. Drones were used to collect high-resolution imagery over the 1225 acres to identify EAB impacted trees. Orthomosaic maps were created for all sites and individual impacted trees were identified. A random sample of impacted trees were determined and field assessments were conducted to sample species regeneration in the canopy surrounding the impacted trees in 118 plots installed or the study. Geospatial analysis is also being conducted to assess the extent of forest gaps caused by EAB. Geospatial analysis showed a significant relationship among geospatial variables with ash regeneration. Our results indicate that ash seedlings are regenerating in greater number in canopy gaps resulting from EAB than invasive plants and hardwood seedlings as observed in one of the private land site (45 acres) for the study. In the other private land site (150 acres), native shrub species are regenerating with a greater presence than all other species. Results are finalized and a manuscript is being written for submission to peer-reviewed journal.

Publications

• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Brandon Preece-Assessment of ash and invasive species regeneration in Emerald Ash Borer related canopy gaps.

Progress 10/30/18 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience includes state, federal, municipal, non-profit, and private entities who manage forestland, as well as public consumers of the services. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has resulted in one graduate student thesis with additional graduate student theses underway or planned for the future. Faculty and graduate students have attended national, state, and regional professional meetings that have been beneficial in professional development (see dissemination of results). Faculty and graduate students have and will continue to work with forestry and natural resource professionals at research sites (Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Wildlife Management Areas, and additional sites in north-central KY). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Project results have been disseminated at the 2018 Society of American Foresters (SAF) National Convention, Association of 1890s Research Directors 19th Research Symposium, and Kentucky Academy of Science via invited presentations (below in products). A graduate student thesis was completed in December 2018. An invited seminar on using drones for EAB and forest health assessments was given at the University of Kentucky's Department of Forestry and Natural Resources Seminar Series. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?All objectives will be continued through the next reporting period. The goal is to bring in additional graduate students to continue work on the project objectives. A peer-reviewed journal manuscript will be submitted with the results of the graduate student thesis evaluating regeneration in EAB related canopy gaps and the 2019 sampling that continued with this project. Objective two results will include a manuscript, but journal submission timing will be dependent on completion of graduate student fieldwork and analysis within the next reporting period. Forest health assessments via drones will be continued to include invasive plant species and recreation areas. Computer-based algorithms to detect forest health concerns via drone imagery will be developed and evaluated to determine their accuracy in detection. Two abstracts were accepted for presentations at the Society of American Foresters National Convention in November 2019.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objectives one through three are currently ongoing. Objective three resulted in a graduate student thesis titled: Assessment of Ash and Invasive Species Regeneration in Emerald Ash Borer Related Canopy Gaps in December 2018. Objective three was continued in 2019 with additional study sites being evaluated for Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) impact and data are currently being analyzed. The graduate student thesis included two study sites totaling approximately 450 acres of forest land. There were 4 additional sites in 2019 bringing the total area included in this objective to approximately 1225 acres. Sites included the Kentucky State University Environmental Education and Research Center (KSU EERC), three tracts within a Kentucky Wildlife Management Area (WMA), and two privately owned properties. We used drones to collect high-resolution imagery over the 1225 acres to identify EAB impacted trees. Orthomosaic maps were created for all sites and individual impacted trees were identified. A random sample of impacted trees were determined and field assessments were conducted to sample species regeneration in the canopy surrounding the impacted trees. Geospatial analysis is also being conducted. Results from the graduate thesis (KSU EERC and one WMA tract) indicated that the WMA, which has higher traffic and disturbance (bush hogging to maintain roads and fields), resulted in a greater presence of invasive plant species regeneration when compared to ash, timber hardwoods, and other hardwood regeneration. Preliminary analysis of the two additional WMA sites indicate that invasive plant species are in higher numbers, which is similar to the site assessed in the graduate thesis. Preliminary results of the one private land site (45 acres) indicates that ash seedlings are regenerating in greater numbers in canopy gaps resulting from EAB than invasive plants and hardwood seedlings. In the other private land site (150 acres), native shrub species are regenerating with a greater presence than all other species. Results will be finalized and a manuscript will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. Research on objective two is currently underway as part of a graduate student thesis project titled: Assessment of Forest Recreation Hiking Trail Impacts on Erosion, Water Quality, and Salamander Populations in Kentucky. The Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest was selected for this objective based on the size of the forest (over 16,000 acres), number of hiking trails, stream crossings on trails, and overall recreation use of the forest. Three hiking trails were selected and mapped for stream crossings. Coordinates of all hiking trail stream crossings were recorded and three crossings were randomly selected from each trail. A nearby control watershed that had no recreation trails was also selected. Data collection started in March 2019 and will continue until early spring of 2020. Soil bulk density was sampled at three locations within each trail and adjacent to each trail within the forest. Soil bulk density will also be sampled after one year. Monthly sampling of water quality above and below stream crossings and control includes stream temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and total suspended solids. Soil erosion on the stream crossing approaches will be assessed using the Universal Soil Loss Equation-Forest each month to determine a yearly erosion loss at each stream crossing. Monthly physical salamander sampling is being conducted above and below each stream crossing along with the control site. Environmental DNA water samples that will be analyzed to determine salamander species via qPCR analysis to compare to physical sampling results are also being collected monthly at each stream crossing.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Fisk, J., Cristan, R. Preliminary Assessment of Forest Recreation Impacts on Salamander Populations in Kentucky Natural Areas. Association of 1890s Research Directors (ARD) 19th Research Symposium. April 2019.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Preece, B. Assessment of Ash and Invasive Species Regeneration in Emerald Ash Borer Related Canopy Gaps. Kentucky State University. Master thesis. December 2018.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2019 Citation: Cristan, R. Drones in Forestry. Invited presentation given at the University of Kentuckys Department of Forestry and Natural Resources Spring 2019 Seminar Series. February 2019.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Preece, B., Cristan, R., Gyawali, B. Assessment of Drone-Based Remote Sensing to Identify Emerald Ash Borer Impact in Kentucky Forests. Society of American Foresters 2018 Convention. October 2018.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Preece, B., Cristan, R. Assessment of Emerald Ash Borer Related Canopy Gaps in Kentucky Using Drone-Based Remote Sensing and Plot-Level Data. Kentucky Academy of Science Annual Meeting. November 2018.