User:SheepNotGoats/Sandbox

Other Stuff in the Works:

• Improving National Agricultural Library
• Started Ardisia crenata
• Started Asian citrus psyllid
• Starting Salvation on Sand Mountain at some point, if I can establish notability
• Starting Mexican fruit fly

Ralph Robert Shaw

Ralph Robert Shaw (May 18, 1907–October 14, 1972) was an American librarian, educator, and inventor. He was the first recipient of the Melvil Dewey Medal, awarded in 1953.

Early life

Shaw was born in Detroit, Michigan on May 18, 1907, and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. where he held his first library job at the Cleveland Public Library. He obtained a B.A. from Case Western Reserve University in 1928, a B.S. from Columbia University in 1929, and an M.S. from Columbia University in 1931.

Library career

From 1940-1954, Shaw served as the director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Library, during which time he produced the Bibliography of Agriculture, an index of scientific articles that later became the AGRICOLA database.

From 1954-1959, he taught at Rutgers Graduate School of Library Services

• 1959-1964 (61? per [1]): Dean of Rutgers Graduate School of Library Services, where he implemented the first class on scientific management in a library graduate program in the United States.

In 1964, Shaw was appointed as the founding dean for the University of Hawaii's Graduate School of Library Studies.

In 1950, Shaw founded Scarecrow Press, a publisher of scholarly materials related to library science, and from 1956-1957, Shaw served as president of the American Library Association.

Inventions and patents

In 1948, the USDA Library implemented a photocopying device invented by Shaw to assist with repetitive library tasks. The device, known as the Photoclerk, was adopted by thirteen major libraries through a grant from the Carnegie Corporation. Shaw also designed and patented the Rapid Selector, a device that scanned microfilm at a rate of 10,000 frames per minute, allowing librarians to find a piece of information on microfilm in a more efficient manner than scanning manually.

Publications

The Use of Photography for Clerical Routines (1953)

References

Article

Burke's Garden

Refers to entire valley, not just community

Named as Rural Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places

Geography

9 miles long, 5 miles wide

Appalachian Trail follows the ridge of Garden Mountain

Surrounded by Jefferson National Forest

External Links

http://www.virginia.org/site/description.asp?attrID=15134

Spruce-Fir forests

Spruce-fir forests are ecosystems dominated by species of the genera Picea and Abies. These forests are typically found at high elevations, and they are usually one of the highest tree communities in their respective regions.

Threats

Climate Change

Temperature is the primary determinate for spatial patterns of fir and spruce[1]. Most spruce and fir species require cool, moist conditions, which restricts them to high elevations and northern latitudes.

Pollution

Frequent fogs at higher elevations result in increased exposure of these forests to air pollutants, including acid rain, nitrogen, and sulfur compounds. (NY NHP)

Insect Pests

These forests are susceptible to several insect pests, including the balsam woolly adelgid, the spruce budworm, the native spruce bark beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis), and the European spruce bark beetle, The most common problems in spruce and fir forests are bark beetles, budworms, and gall-forming insects, to which spruce is extremely susceptible[28]. Several gall-forming insects are present in spruce forests, including the Eastern Spruce gall adelgid and the Cooley's Spruce gall adelgid, which normally would not harm forests, unless the trees are unusually vulnerable to them, as they are after a fire[29]. Budworm larvae feed on the leaves of spruce and fir trees, and can become present in large amounts, which is when they become detrimental to a forest. Bark beetles are the most common insect killer of spruce and fir forests because they can spread quickly, breed rapidly, and can easily devour thousands of acres before actions can be taken against them.

Fire

although many spruce-fir forests are protected from fire disturbances due to heavy snowfall at high elevations. (Battaglia) Although thick-barked trees, such as the Pinus resinosa, frequently survive fire, the thin bark of spruce make them more vulnerable[3]. Trees such as the Douglas fir withstand much of the fire due to the thicker bark they have[4].

Types of Forests

Engelmann Spruce and Subalpine Fir

Forests of Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) and subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) are found in the higher elevations of the Rocky Mountains, particularly in Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. These forests are typically found from 9,000 feet to the treeline, where most precipitation is received as snow. As with most species of spruce and fir, these trees are restricted to moist, cool environments due to having low water-use efficiencies. Engelmann spruce are the largest and longest lived trees in these ecosystems, being able to live for more than 500 years. Subalpine fir are smaller and do not live as long (typically less than 250 years), but compensate for the short life span by establishing seedlings more readily than spruce. However, both species can undergo a vegetative reproduction process known as layering, where low braches can develop roots while buried under snow; these roots grow into saplings that result in small communities of clones.

Red Spruce and Fraser Fir

Forests of red spruce (Picea rubens) and Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) are found at high elevations (5,000-6,000 feet) in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern Tennessee, western North Carolina, and southwestern Virginia. (http://www.dlia.org/atbi/grsmnp_habitats/forest/evergreen/CEGL007131.shtml) Hardwood species that appear in these forests include American beech and yellow birch, which requires full sunlight and thus is more common on the edges of these forests and in disturbed areas. Spruce-fir forests at lower elevations are dominated by red spruce; as the elevation increases, however, Fraser firs become the dominant species and are capable of forming pure stands on the highest peaks.

Red spruce-Fraser fir forests support several rare species of flora and fauna, including the Carolina northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus coloratus) and the spruce-fir moss spider (Microhexura montivaga), both of which are considered endangered in the United States.

Although these forests had been threatened by logging and slash fires in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, by the 1950s nearly all red spruce-Fraser fir forests occurred on public lands, allowing them to be managed more effectively. However, these forests have suffered recent declines due to infestations by the balsam woolly adelgid (Adelges piceae), a non-native insect that originated in Europe. It was first discovered on Mount Mitchell in 1957, and the entire U.S. population of Fraser firs suffered a 67% mortality rate during the subsequent years. Some researchers have proposed that air pollution in the form of nitrogen and sulfur compounds originating from power plants has been a source of stress to the Fraser firs, resulting in an increased susceptibility to the balsam woolly adelgid, but this relationship has not been confirmed. The most common disturbance of red spruce-Fraser fir forests is windthrows, which create small gaps conducive to the establishment of Fraser fir seedlings. Fire is not a common disturbance, due in part to the moist, humid conditions of the region.

Red Spruce and Balsam Fir

Forests of red spruce and balsam fir (Abies balsamea) occur in the Northern Appalachians, usually in the higher elevations (above 3,000 feet) of New York and New England. These forests are particularly susceptible to the eastern spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana), and insect that defoliates conifers, particularly balsam firs. While spruce are not affected as severely by these insects, they are more susceptible when in communities mixed with fir rather than pure stands.