Jenna Zukswert

Monday, August 8, 2022

View of a river surrounded by vegetation on both sides

More Accessible Monitoring: Using Freely-Available Aerial Photos and Software to Map Changes in River Migration and Vegetation

March 4, 2022March 7, 2022 Jenna Zukswert 0 Comments environmental science, remote sensing, river, rivers

Riverside vegetation, or “riparian buffers”, provides wildlife habitat, maintains water quality, and reduces flood damage. Human activity can negatively affect these services, and monitoring this vegetation over time can be costly and resource-intensive. Researchers at SUNY ESF have developed a new way of mapping river channels and vegetation that uses open-source remote-sensing software, using the Genesee River in New York to develop this method. Their method greatly improves our ability to monitor this important resource over time with over 90% accuracy.

Close-up image of a honey bee sitting on a green leaf

Animal behavior Cities Ecosystems Environmental Science

Decoding the Waggle Dance: The Importance of Flowers in Urban Landscapes for Honey Bees

February 4, 2022February 17, 2022 Jenna Zukswert 0 Comments

Bee populations are threatened due to habitat loss and fragmentation, partly due to the expansion and intensification of agriculture worldwide. By videotaping and analyzing the “waggle dances” of honey bees near London, scientists compared the distance that bees need to travel to reach nectar in urban and agricultural landscapes. Bees needed to travel less far to reach nectar and pollen in urban areas vs. agricultural areas, underscoring the importance of urban planted areas, like gardens, in supporting honey bee populations. Establishing flowering plants in agricultural landscapes could help support honey bee populations.

Aerial view of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.

Cities Environmental Science

Tackling Tradeoffs: Tree Functional Groups and Ecosystem Services in Tree Planting

February 3, 2021February 3, 2021 Jenna Zukswert 0 Comments Climate Change, Function, management, Trees, Urban street trees

Deciding which trees to replant in cities stressed by climate change and pests can be daunting, but considering the traits of trees and the “functional groups” they belong to can help. In Québec City, computer simulations showed that a “stratified” approach to replanting that aims to evenly represent species of different functional groups did not increase ecosystem services as much as a “conifer-focused” strategy, suggesting a tradeoff between representation of functional groups and ecosystem services provided. Even so, the stratified strategy increased ecosystem services more than “business as usual” and produced the canopy least vulnerable to pests and disease.

Environmental Science

What All the Buzz is About: Comparing Citizen Scientist and Professional Data Quality in Mosquito Monitoring

December 10, 2020December 28, 2020 Jenna Zukswert 0 Comments

Executive summary: Citizen science efforts are on the rise for monitoring mosquitoes, but are these methods as good as professional data collection by scientists? Nadja Pernat and her colleagues evaluate data collected by scientists and citizens in Germany and find that both types of data collection have their strengths and weaknesses, but they complement each other well. Together, data collected by scientists and citizens create a strong mosquito monitoring program.

Cities Ecosystems Environmental Science Remediation

From Food Waste to Roadways: Using Compost to Improve Soil Conditions and Tree Success Along Highways

October 5, 2020December 28, 2020 Jenna Zukswert 0 Comments cities, Compost, food waste, Soil, tree planting

Planting trees along highway roadsides is a good way to increase tree coverage in cities, but getting trees to grow here and maintaining these plantings over time can be difficult. Reducing soil compaction and adding organic material, such as compost, can improve roadside soils and support tree growth in these areas. A 5-year study in Ontario recently found that loosening up the soil and mixing in 10-25% food waste compost relative to soil can help improve tree growth along roadsides, possibly reducing the need to follow up and maintain these trees over time.

Paved path in a city surrounded by green lawn, trees, and a row of park benches

Cities Environmental Science

Unequal Access to Urban Tree Benefits in the Bronx

August 3, 2020December 28, 2020 Jenna Zukswert 0 Comments ecosystem services, environmental justice, Trees, urban ecology

Urban trees provide many ecosystem services to residents, but tree cover can be unequally distributed, resulting in fewer benefits for disadvantaged neighborhoods. This is true in the Bronx, where a recent study demonstrates that the distribution of services provided by trees is related to median income as well as population density. Analyzing the inequity of ecosystem services in our cities is the first step towards developing solutions to improve access to ecosystem services and make the distribution of these resources more just.

Two plots in a burned pine forest; the plot on the left did not receive mulch and has few pine seedlings, and the plot on the right that did receive mulch has more, taller pine seedlings

Environmental Science

A Matter of Mulch: Restoring Post-Fire Pine Forests in the Western United States

June 1, 2020May 30, 2020 Jenna Zukswert 0 Comments erosion, forest managment, mulch, pine, Restoration, Soil, Wildfire

Following severe fires, forest soils can erode, depositing sediment into nearby waterways after it rains and threatening local water quality as a result. Mulch is often used to reduce soil erosion in forests following wildfire. Following the High Park Fire in Colorado, scientists tested several types of mulch to determine which was most effective. Thanks to this study, we now know that wood mulch is better than wheat-straw mulch at promoting the return of pine trees and excluding non-native species from taking over, while also stabilizing the soil, probably because wood mulch persists longer and holds more moisture.