Natural Resources Management

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Research from the Department of Natural Resources Management. The department is part of the School of Natural Resources, and their website may be found at https://www.ndsu.edu/snrs/

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The Application of Active and Passive Optical Sensors in Natural Resource Decision Making
(North Dakota State University, 2020) Veverka, Donald Vincent
Remote sensing is becoming a significant tool utilized to study vegetation health and abundance. Vegetation indices (VIs) generated by active and passive remote optical sensors can be implemented in natural resource and agricultural decision-making processes. One such use of vegetation indices is to predict yield and protein contents for various crops. However, the application of VIs is limited due to land use differences and the time period when remote sensing information is most accurate. A literature search was conducted on VIs paying attention to how those are used with sensors mounted on small unmanned aerial vehicles (sUAV). The search found that there was a limited amount of literature being catered towards management decisions compared to scientific studies and systematic reviews. This makes it difficult for decision makers to review and stay updated on remote sensing practices and to incorporate remote sensing into field based management and policy making.
Assessment of Prairie Pothole Conditions and Plant Community Composition on FWS Fee-Title Lands
(North Dakota State University, 2021) Jones, Seth
Conditions of wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region have been severely degraded due to anthropogenic disturbances, such as cultivation and climate change. To maintain or restore the diversity and integrity of these ecosystems we must first understand what condition they are in and what current factors are driving wetland conditions on a region-wide scale. This study aimed to assess wetland conditions and determine what the major plant community drivers were on FWS fee-title lands. Assessments showed wetlands in native grassland are in better condition than those in reseeded grasslands and seasonal wetlands are in better condition than temporary wetlands. It was clear plant communities are being largely driven by the cover of invasive species within each given wetland zone. Differences in wetland conditions and invasive versus native species cover are likely the result of past and present disturbance on FWS fee-title lands.
Augmenting Tree Species in North Dakota: Evaluating a 'Natural Experiment'
(North Dakota State University, 2020) Alexander, Mackenzie Kathryn
A limited number of woody species are approved by the Natural Resources Conservation Service for conservation plantings. Unapproved tree and shrub species are sometimes planted if privately funded. This study located such plantings and inventoried them. Thirty-one (31) unapproved species were inventoried on 185 sites in 27 North Dakota counties. Landowner care seemed to play a large role in success (high survival) of such plantings. Sites that were routinely maintained tended to have a higher survival than those without. Study results were shared with local Soil Conservation District personnel. Two surveys were sent out to final presentation audience members. These surveys were used to determine to evaluate how the results from this study affect planting planning strategies. Only 8 out of 27 participants the completed survey one fully completed the second survey. Five of those eight participants (63%) said that they have changed the way they plan conservation plantings.
Corn Yield Frontier and Technical Efficiency Measures in the Northern United States Corn Belt: Application of Stochastic Frontier Analysis and Data Envelopment Analysis
(North Dakota State University, 2020) Badarch, Bayarbat
About 75% of human food in the 21st century consists of just 12 crops, though specific crops vary among nations. Modern technology has allowed development of innovative food and non-food uses for these commodities. For instance, corn (maize (Zea mays L.)) is produced for many purposes, including food, livestock feed, biofuels, fiber for clothing, etcetera. Scientists project the human population will reach 9.2 billion in next 20 years—an 18% increase from the 2020 population of 7.8 billion—resulting in increased demand for corn and other crops. Hence, farmers must increase total crop production to meet demand; however, local agricultural resource endowments such as climate, land and water availability, and soil attributes constrain production. Perhaps the quickest yield and efficiency improvements will result from farm management practices that tailor input applications to match accurate seasonal weather forecasts. Regional seasonal weather forecasts would enable farmers to optimize yields by reducing yield risk from extreme weather events, as well as from less extreme inter-annual weather variability. Improved productive efficiency is also critical to reducing environmental harms, e.g. contaminated runoff from excessive agricultural input use. The objective of this dissertation is to estimate the corn yield frontier and efficiency measures based on agricultural input management and weather. This research contributes to an enhanced understanding of how the corn yield frontier responds to inter-annual weather variations, and how it may shift with climate change. The first chapter summarizes three main topics—farm technology, climate change and weather variability, and methods for evaluating production efficiency. The second presents estimated corn yield frontiers and efficiency measures based on stochastic frontier and data envelopment analyses for nine North Dakota Agricultural Statistics Districts from 1994 to 2018. The third presents corn yield efficiency measures for five states: Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin from 1994 to 2018. The results reveal the major causes of inter-annual yield variation are variability of rainfall and temperature. Development of accurate growing-season weather forecasts is likely to result in high value-added for farmers and downstream agribusinesses. Federal, state, and private research funding in seasonal weather forecasting would probably be well invested.
Developing Machine Learning and Deep Learning Soil Moisture Models for Precision Agricultural Applications
(North Dakota State University, 2023) Zhang, Xiaomo
Monitoring soil moisture is increasingly becoming a research focus in the fields of agriculture, hydrology, meteorology, and ecology. While soil moisture measurements at points (<1 m²) and their estimation at larger scales (100-25,000 km²) have improved considerably, soil moisture modeling at the intermediate scales (10 to 100 m²) needs more attention. In this study, machine learning and deep learning models including multi-linear regression (MLR), support vector machine (SVM), Gaussian process regression (GPR), and convolutional neural networks (CNN) were built and compared for soil moisture predictions at different depths at the weather stations in the Red River Valley using locations, meteorological data, and soil physical properties. The results showed that the GPR (R²=0.80-0.90) outperformed other models including MLR (R²=68-0.82), SVM (R²=0.44-0.60), and CNN (R²=0.66-0.84) for soil moisture prediction. The prediction performance in the topsoil was better than in the subsoils. The GPR outperformed SVM when both models used the same kernel functions and kernel parameters.
The Effect of Climate Change on the Predatory Success of Sharks
(North Dakota State University, 2021) Kuerschner, Melina
This literature overview focuses on how shark species, are faring with the anthropogenically induced climatic changes. The ocean is drastically affected by this, which has major implications on the aquatic life. Some effects include increasing temperature, carbon dioxide and acidity levels. This has led to shifts in the predatory success in sharks, which will only increase in severity as climate change intensifies, because changes in climate induce other changes in most aspects of the shark’s life. These can be grouped into three categories: shifts in body functions, behaviors and habitat. Some changes in body function include difficulty integrating sensory cues through reduced neuron receptor function, decreased brain/muscle aerobic potential and changes in growth/development. Behavioral changes include shifted swimming patterns, interacting with different species assemblages and prey behaviors. Lastly, habitat changes affect the shark's ability to capture prey through increases in salinity, degradation of critical habitat and reduction in dissolved oxygen.
Groundwater Table Effects on Yield, Growth and Water Use of Canola (Brassica napus L.) Plant
(North Dakota State University, 2019) Kadioglu, Hakan
Lysimeter experimental studies were conducted in a greenhouse to investigate canola (Brassica Napus) plant water use, growth and yield parameters under three different water table depths of 30, 60, and 90 cm. Additionally, control experiments were conducted and only irrigation was applied to these lysimeters without water table limitation. Canola plant’s tolerance level to shallow groundwater was determined. Results showed that groundwater contributions to canola plant were 97, 71, and 68%, while the average grain yields of canola were 4.5, 5.3, and 6.3 gr for the treatments of 30, 60, and 90 cm water table depths, respectively. These results demonstrated that 90 cm water table depth is the optimum depth for canola plant to produce high yield with the least amount of water utilization.
The Impacts of Exotic Species on Native Bee Communities and Interactions in Novel Northern Great Plains Grasslands
(North Dakota State University, 2022) Pei, C. K.
Human alterations to landscapes impose novel conditions on native plant and animal species. Exotic plants are among these changes and are presently common and prevalent across Northern Great Plains (NGP) grasslands. Their introductions alter plant communities and influence the wildlife species that rely on the resources provided by plant communities. Exotic plants displace native plant species, but we do not understand how or if some exotic plants can provide resources to pollinating insects requiring floral resources. Considering the spread of exotic plants and the important ecological services bees provide, it is important to understand how native bees value and interact with exotic plants, and how exotic plants may shape bee communities in the NGP. To address this, we employ a unique dataset built from a statewide survey of bees and associated plant species across North Dakota grasslands to investigate the broad questions of how bees select between native and exotic floral resources, how exotic grasses may indirectly affect bee diversity through the plant community, and how exotic species dominance changes the interaction structure between bees and plants. From our selection analyses, we found native bumble bees selected for native plants and plant diversity over exotic plants whenever significant selection occurred, while European honey bees selected for exotic plants and floral resource density. However, both benefited from floral resource diversity, indicating that common management may exist for both groups. Invasive grasses did not affect bee richness at a broad scale but negatively influenced particular bees, such as ground-nesting species. We found litter accumulation to be influential over plant communities and particular types of bees based on their life history traits, indicating the need for grassland management practices that prevent homogenous plant structure. Finally, we found that exotic bees and plants influenced bee-plant interaction network properties through their dominance over contemporary pollination networks. This implicates that managing exotic species may be needed to reduce effects on the complex bee-plant interactions and consequent pollination services. Broadly, this work provides further evidence of exotic species effects on ecological communities and the first large-scale assessment of their impacts on bee communities in NGP grasslands.
Improving Data and Understanding of Public Water Supply in North Dakota Through Municipal and Industrial Water-Use Information Specifically Focusing on the Bakken Region 2000-2018
(North Dakota State University, 2021) Cleys, Joseph Connor
The Bakken oil boom 2005–2015 has dominated conversations on North Dakota’s water use in the past two decades. This study focused on municipal and industrial water use across 83 different use categories for the Bakken and non-Bakken areas of the state. A phone survey was conducted to determine how industrial permit holders use their water. Additionally, water use databases from the North Dakota State Water Commission and Southwest Water Authority were analyzed to determine correlations between the oil boom and water use in municipal and industrial categories, and determine differences and similarities between water use in the Bakken and the rest of the state. Results show many industrial permit holders use their water for its intended purpose and sell the remaining water to other industries, such as oil, which made commercial water sales increase drastically. Information from this project is useful for future water projections and planning.
Improving North Dakota's Arboreta: Utilizing Living Museums to Their Greatest Capacity
(North Dakota State University, 2022) Ahrenholz, Stephen Lee
North Dakota has roughly 20 arboreta, though many of them are in decline. NDSU Extension developed an arboretum improvement project that included field visits, site inventories, and educational programming. North Dakota’s arboreta are a diverse group with over 70 genera and more than 500 tree and shrub species represented. Soil Conservation District (SCD) arboreta have an average of 31 species per arboretum while non-SCD arboreta average about 70. Labeling methods and accuracy, condition, and maintenance varied greatly. We conducted four educational workshops for arboretum managers, but attendance was relatively low: only 21 individuals attended. Attendees include SCD employees, Extension agents, and arboretum managers. A follow-up evaluation indicated that all respondents found the labeling infographic or the arboreta locations map helpful. Roughly 62% of arboretum managers gained knowledge and skills that align with the project’s objectives. However, a change in behavior amongst many arboretum managers is yet to be seen.
Invasions in the Prairie Pothole Region: Addressing the Effects of Exotic Plants on Wetland and Grassland Ecosystems and Restoration Efforts
(North Dakota State University, 2020) Durant, Cheyenne Elizabeth
Three wetland restoration methods: seeding, seeding + hay mulch, and seeding + hay mulch + vegetation plugs were compared via the plant community within a formerly cropped wetland in southeastern North Dakota. Arrangement of plugs were also compared to assess the success of native species establishment. Mean relative cover for native species and introduced species were recorded and analyzed to compare the restoration methods and plug arrangement. Three herbicide treatments were studied on upland prairie sites with and without prescribed burning to test effects on leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula) control and seeded native establishment. There is no difference native species richness between the restoration methods six years post restoration, and no difference in plant cover in the different arrangement of plugs. Quinclorac significantly reduced leafy spurge cover; however, glyphosate treatments had higher cover of seeded native species.
The Investigation of Restoration Techniques for Two Degraded Rangeland Sites in North Dakota
(North Dakota State University, 2020) Stallman, Jace William
Vast areas of rangeland have been degraded or lost to row crop agriculture and urban development in the United States since European colonization. Two projects were undertaken to investigate strategies to improve diversity and forage production, while reducing invasive species on degraded prairie and also the revegetation of prairie susceptible to erosion. The projects sought to determine the effects of several pre-seeding burn and herbicide treatments paired with the interseeding of native species and to develop a seed mixture that is effective for restoring highly erodible areas devoid of vegetation. Results indicate that treatments pre-treated with herbicide have significantly higher biomass production and diversity along with a lower abundance of introduced species than the control. A seed mix selected for sites subject to high erosion paired with a topsoil layer addition resulted in higher native species richness, native species percent cover, and lower introduced species percent cover than the control.
Oil-Field Brine Impacts on Seed Germination and a Contemporary Remediation Technique for Contaminated Soils
(North Dakota State University, 2019) Green, Aaron Wesley
The growth of fossil fuel production in North Dakota has resulted in numerous releases of brine. Brine releases cause vegetation mortality as well as the deterioration of soil structural and edaphic properties. Little research to date has been dedicated to the germination response of plant species grown in North Dakota to brine-induced salinity. Through the exposure of plant seeds to increasing levels of brine and NaCl-induced salinity, it was determined that the graminoid species Elymus hoffmannii (AC Saltlander) and Pascopyrum smithii (Western Wheatgrass) exhibited the greatest germination at high salinities. Current remediation technologies for brine-impacted lands often produce mixed results, requiring further research and testing. In two laboratory experiments, the ability of materials to wick salts from brine-contaminated soils was tested. The results of these studies show that some materials reduced Na concentrations in sandy loam, loam, and silty clay soils by upwards of 88, 89.5, 38.4% respectively.
Patch-Burn Grazing in Southwestern North Dakota: Assessing Above- and Belowground Rangeland Ecosystem Responses
(North Dakota State University, 2021) Spiess, Jonathan Wesley
Rangelands are heterogeneous working landscapes capable of supporting livestock production and biodiversity conservation, and heterogeneity-based rangeland management balances the potentially opposing production and conservation goals in these working landscapes. Within fire-dependent ecosystems, patch-burn grazing aims to create landscape patterns analogous to pre-European rangelands. Little work has tested the efficacy of patch-burn grazing in northern US Great Plains. We investigated patch contrast in above and belowground ecosystem properties and processes during the summer grazing seasons from 2017 – 2020 on three patch-burn pastures stocked with cow-calf pairs and three patch-burn pastures stocked with sheep. We focused on vegetation structure, plant community composition, forage nutritive value, grazer selection, livestock weight gain, soil nutrient pools, soil microbial community composition, and decomposition activity. We used mixed-effect models and ordinations to determine whether differences: along the time since fire intensity gradient, between ecological sites, and between grazer types existed. Despite no significant shifts in the plant community, structural heterogeneity increased over time as the number of time since fire patches increased and was higher than homogeneously managed grasslands. Grazing livestock preferred recently burned patches where the available forage had a higher nutritive value and lower available biomass than surrounding patches at a given point in time. With the exception of 2018, livestock weight gains were consistent. Soil nutrient pools and microbial abundances differed more by ecological site than by the time since fire intensity gradient, and ecological sites exhibited similar nutrient and microbial responses to the time since fire intensity gradient. That belowground response variables were mostly resistant to patch-burn grazing is supportive of further use of this management, especially given the desirable results with aboveground response variables.
Riparian Graminoid Species Responses and Productivity in Compromised Environmental and Soil Conditions
(North Dakota State University, 2019) Wallace, Casey Ruth
Riparian buffers have been created as a sustainable and effective way to combat the harmful effects of excess nitrogen and soil salinity in riparian settings. The goal of this research was to determine what species will I) germinate in saline environments and II) establish and produce sufficient biomass while being exposed to increased nitrogen. Incubation of eight native riparian graminoid species were evaluated for their ability to germinate in MgSO4-induced salinity. In a greenhouse study, seven riparian graminoid species were evaluated to quantify their ability to survive and take up nitrogen, mimicking buffer strips exposed to high inputs of runoff nitrogen. Slender wheatgrass and green needlegrass were able to germinate successfully when exposed to MgSO4 with EC levels up to 16 dS m-1 and 8 dS m-1, respectively. Of the graminoid species tested, smooth brome yielded sufficient biomass and nitrogen uptake percentages in a controlled setting.
The Role of Eutrophication and Sediment Phosphorus Saturation in the Formation of Harmful Cyanobacterial Blooms
(North Dakota State University, 2020) Young, Taylor
Harmful cyanobacterial blooms have been a growing concern as global climate change and eutrophication of lakes, rivers, and oceans continually push conditions to favor cyanobacteria over other phytoplankton. Two studies were conducted assessing the impacts of hyper-eutrophication on phytoplankton communities, and phosphorous saturation in the sediments. Excess nutrients available to phytoplankton resulted in dominant cyanobacteria, and predictability of growth, by nutrient limitation, becoming drastically diminished. Sediments were observed to be fully phosphorus saturated, preventing the sequestration of excess phosphorus, and providing a consistent source of phosphorus throughout each season. Extreme saturation of nutrients reduces the predictability of systems and perpetuates the cycles of nutrient release, fueled by the growth and decay of harmful cyanobacterial blooms.
Scenario Development for Niger Environment Based on Risk and Effect Analysis With Drought, Drought Response, and Population Growth as Drivers
(North Dakota State University, 2021) Mounkaila Siddo, Soumaila
Niger is a landlock country located within the Sahara Desert and Sahel region. The region is subject to extreme climate conditions including heat waves, droughts and floods. Rapid population growth together with institutional incapacity and poor adaptive capacity can exacerbate the consequences of extreme climate. This paper develops four scenarios for the Niger environment based on risk and effect analysis with drought, drought response, and population growth as drivers. Scenario 1 (long-term drought, ineffective institution, rising population) would result in high risks of socioeconomic and environmental consequences as compared to scenarios 2 (long-term drought, effective institution, controlled population growth), 3 (highly variable climate, ineffective institution, rising population), and 4 (highly variable climate, effective institution, controlled population growth). However, with effective social and economic policies, these climatic and environmental conditions could be an opportunity for the country to develop and improve the living conditions of communities.
A Study of Prairie Reconstructions in the Eastern Dakotas
(North Dakota State University, 2019) Mortenson, Adam Jacob
Two studies of reconstruction processes in the Northern Great Plains (NGP) are presented. The first study is a retrospective study on United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) managed lands seeded with a high diversity (>15 species) seed mix. Sites were grouped by available management history to find management tactics which may trend sites towards a more successful state. A large amount of variation was captured. Results showed uncontrollable factors may be driving the outcomes of these reconstructions. Attention should be paid to uncontrolled and landscape factors to drive management of each site. A second study investigates a possible method to establish specialized seed mixes. Precision Prairie Restoration (PPR) was used to establish five repetitions of six treatments. Early results are optimistic with several target species becoming established. Future sampling will be needed to determine success of this method.
A Study of the Relationship Between Plains Sharp-Tailed Grouse Nest Site Selection and Survival and Ecological Site Descriptions in the Northern Plains
(North Dakota State University, 2019) Klostermeier, Derek Wade
Nest site selection and nesting success of plains sharp-tailed grouse were examined on the Grand River National Grassland in South Dakota during the nesting season from 2009-2012. We used conditional logistic regression to assess vegetation production, ecological site description, and landscape position on nest site selection. Two competing models regarding nest site selection: top model consisted of non-native forbs and native cool-season grasses, second best model included all grass and forb. Nine ESDs were used for nesting; loamy and clayey ecological sites most frequently used and produced the highest standing crop. Most frequent observed nest site State were Annual/Pioneer Perennial and Introduced and Invaded Grass. Top model for nest daily survival rates included litter, second-best model included ESD; second-best model showed negative effect for nests initiated in thin claypan, limy backslope, and sandy ecological sites. Based on daily survival estimate and 23-day incubation period, nests were 59% successful.
Understanding Escherichia coli and Water Quality in Stormwater Retention Ponds and Detention Basins in Fargo as Part of the Red River Watershed
(North Dakota State University, 2020) Olson, Erika Leigh
Little is known about the spatial and temporal changes in water quality and E. coli throughout stormwater systems. The objectives of this study are to: 1) assess surface water within detention basins and retention ponds and adjacent groundwater to determine E. coli movement within the system; 2) determine how precipitation events impact water quality and E. coli; and 3) genetically source track E. coli and pathogens to better understand the impact on humans. Methods of this study include sampling surface water during major storm events, followed by sampling of groundwater and surface water one week later. Additional samples were taken to assess E. coli. We concluded that E. coli quantities are high during storm events, often higher in detention basins compared to retention ponds, and E. coli is present but not consistent in groundwater.

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Browsing Natural Resources Management by browse.metadata.department "Natural Resource Sciences"