Julia Burton
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juliaofthewoods.bsky.social
Julia Burton
@juliaofthewoods.bsky.social

🌿Forest Ecology 🌳 Silviculture
Traits 🌱 Forest Dynamics 🌳Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation

Environmental science 62%
Geography 16%

Reposted by Julia I. Burton

How cool is this? "Khipus are a unique form of writing based on coloured and knotted cords. Andean people of the past used them as a record of the climate, and studied them to understand the patterns of what was going on. Efforts are now underway to get accurate radiocarbon dates." Read more ...
The Inca string code that reveals Peru’s climate history
Andean people of the past looked at these strings as a record of the climate, and they studied them to understand patterns.
theconversation.com

Plants CRAVE electrolytes!

Can you please add me?

I enjoy the lush herbaceous plants of nutrient rich mesic temperate deciduous forests. These species with more boreal distributions are more diminutive, but also showy, exciting to see, and among my first (botanical) loves from my undergraduate research in the Boundary Waters. #forestecol #Ecology
📢 The @paqlab.bsky.social is recruiting a PhD (or MSc), and you don't want to miss that - best place ever to do you PhD! 😉 To work in IDENT, a network of experiments of the effects of diversity on forest functioning. Foreign student? It's gotten harder 😞 but we can help.
paqlab.uqam.ca

Done!
URGENT! Contact your senators today to advocate to fund science agencies and programs!

The Senate Appropriations Committee & its subcommittees are writing appropriation bills for the federal FY26 budget now.

Here's how you can help: esa.org/esablog/2025...
URGENT! Contact your senators today to advocate to fund science agencies and programs!

The Senate Appropriations Committee & its subcommittees are writing appropriation bills for the federal FY26 budget now.

Here's how you can help: esa.org/esablog/2025...

In temperate forests, harvests are often conducted in the winter over deep snow and froze soils. This has likely contributed to past resilience. Climate change is reducing the window for these winter harvests and will probably result in more disturbance to the forest floor and ground layer.

However, it remains unclear whether they can remain resilient under intensive silvicultural regimes, in the face of increased pressure from climate change, increased deer herbivory, invasive earthworms, and introduced plant species.

Our research, and that of others, suggests that diversity and composition has generally been resilient to past disturbance (clearcutting and heavy partial cuts).

Ground layer plant communities are 2-10+ times more diverse than the overstory in temperate forests. They are sensitive indicators of environmental conditions. Our research has shown respond to a complex hierarchy of controls and can be severely limited by dispersal.

I the long term we will examine growth and survival, and physiology, of these seedlings, as well as species composition and structure at the community level, and how these relate to a broad range of values, ecosystem functions and services.

The climate is changing faster than trees can migrate to new suitable habitat. Transitioning composition to species that are better adapted to future climate conditions is one silvicultural adaptation strategy we are testing.

We planted all species within 1-acre patch openings and shelterwoods. It will be interesting to contrast species and see if the shelterwoods facilitate better survival for the more southern species by mitigating harsh environmental conditions (frost).

We are taking our first measurements of tree seedlings planted in assisted migration plantings. We are looking at whether we can convert a northern hardwood stand into an oak-hickory stand with some white pine and tulip poplar. #forestecology #climatesciences
#silviculture
#ecophysiolgy
#forestry
200+ scientists are in the middle of a marathon livestream to show why weather and climate science is so important and needs all our help to continue.

It is here: wclivestream.com/watch
Redirecting to: https://www.youtube.com/@wclivestream/live
wclivestream.com

I had similar problems recently with those and returned them and went with HOBO sensors and data loggers. HOBOs are more expensive. However, you can replace batteries with HOBOs. The process is not straightforward with ibuttons which are made to be disposable. You basically have to break them open.

Reposted by Julia I. Burton

MLive, a local Michigan News site, today wrote a little article promoting my ongoing interest in "lake-effect sun".

Cloud cover data indicate that the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula is the sunniest location in Eastern North America this time of year.

www.mlive.com/life/2025/05...
Lake effect sun: Michigan has the sunniest summer spot east of the Mississippi River
Find the most sunshine in this unexpected place.
www.mlive.com

Sorry, that is up to 3.82 billion years!

We went to see this rock that was estimated to be 3.6 billion years old, and "America's Oldest Rock", it was gneiss 😄. www.sciencenews.org/article/unit...

Serviceberry/saskatoon trees are in full bloom in the UP. These gorgeous flowers will soon turn into delicious sweet fruits that will feed birds and numerous other wildlife species. I love how the dainty and delicate flowers seem to just float in the modstory and contrast with the rugged landscape.

Reposted by Julia I. Burton

House Democrats plan to introduce legislation overnight that would prevent further Trump administration cuts to NOAA funding or staffing after severe storms across the country drew attention to staffing cuts in National Weather Service field offices.
House Democrats will introduce legislation to 'save NOAA'
The amendment to the Republican budget reconciliation bill would prevent further Trump administration cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
nbcnews.to

We kicked off our first year of post-treatment sampling on our Adaptive Capacity Through Silviculture experiment with spring ephemeral surveys. We are comparing alternative climate change adaptation strategies, including resilience and transition, to business as usual and no action.

Our graduate students presented their research at the Ecosystem Science Center at Michigan Tech's annual Student Research Forum last week, a great chance to showcase and celebrate their amazing work! Here is a sample from the students I am honored to work with.

Good question, it may slow things down a bit! Burns and Honkala forever, or for now anyway.

These states, specifically? New Mexico, Arizona, Michigan, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Vermont.

Yes, it was a very warm and long autumn here in Michigan's UP, increasing Lake Superior's water temperature and preventing ice despite the cold snaps. Last year, snowfall was at a record low due to the warm winter. Climate change effects on snow can be complex and multifaceted.

Reposted by Julia I. Burton

If you know someone that is looking for a grad student opportunity in 2025 in fire ecology / dendroecology / spatial analyses -- please pass on this announcement. Julia Burton, Jed Meunier, Eric Rebitzke and myself are looking for a student to join our team and be based here at Michigan Tech.