Pete Bettinger

University of Georgia | UGA · Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources

When small private forest landowners have a need to address jointly economic and sustainability objectives, efficiency in both respects becomes important given limitations on the land, budget, time, and other resources that are available. The suite of forest management options available to a landowner may be vast and complex, therefore a tool to as...

Online learning has become an important advance in education in the last decade. We developed an online learning system related to land and tree measurements. University students were given pre- and post-exposure surveys for two courses offered within the online system. Surveys were designed to assess whether the knowledge level and confidence of s...

Accurately assessing forest structure and maintaining up-to-date information about forest structure is crucial for various forest planning efforts, including the development of reliable forest plans and assessments of the sustainable management of natural resources. Field measurements traditionally applied to acquire forest inventory information (e...

Surveys of forestry professionals who actively manage, or advise upon the management of, forest lands were conducted to determine their opinions of the usefulness of a forest management decision support model. The surveys were aimed at evaluating attitudes and concerns about the eYield model, which was developed to assist in the examination of mana...

Background Implementing large-scale carbon sink afforestation may contribute to carbon neutrality targets and increase the economic benefits of forests in rural areas. However, how to manage planted forests in China to maximize the joint benefits of timber production and carbon sequestration is still unclear. Therefore, the present study quantified...

Numerous studies related to the diversity-productivity relationships have mainly focused on the effects of species diversity, function diversity, and nonspatial structural diversity (e.g., variations of diameter), but have overlooked the significant roles of spatial structural diversity. Therefore, the motivation of the present study was to develop...

Over the last fifty years, management plans have become more descriptive with regard to potential sustainability of forest systems, raising questions about the feasibility of implementing management activities and ensuring sustainability of a wide variety of ecosystem services. To assess this issue, we conducted a survey among forest planning and o...

Canopy cover (i.e., crown closure) is defined as the area of tree crowns, projected vertically from a horizontal plane, as a fraction of the total ground area of a forest stand. It is a valuable forest attribute used in forest management planning, especially for estimating growing stock, stratifying large forest expanses into homogeneous stands, an...

Remote sensing products are increasingly used to characterize forest ecosystems, which would be challenging by other means, such as traditional field measurements. Although dozens of models utilizing LiDAR metrics, multispectral imagery, and vegetation indices exist to estimate forest inventory variables, their reliability as spatially explicit end...

In a perfect world, the ability to consider socio-economic and environmental conditions through operations research methods employed to develop forest plans can help society assess the potential outcomes of the forests we manage. The language employed in forest plans today often suggests sustainability will be achieved by following certain courses...

Accurately assessing forest structure and maintaining up-to-date information about forest structure is crucial for various forest planning efforts, including the development of reliable forest plans and assessments of the sustainable management of natural resources. Field measurements traditionally applied to acquire forest inventory information (e...

On Monday, April 15, 2024, at about 14:00 eastern daylight time (United States), three questions were posed of several large language artificial intelligence (AI) models. This is not a peer-reviewed scientific work. It is simply a report of observations collected on April 15, 2024 from questions posed to large language models.

On Friday, April 5, 2024, at about 06:30 eastern daylight time (United States), a single question (What is a board foot?) was posed of several large language artificial intelligence (AI) models. This is not a peer-reviewed scientific work. It is simply a report of observations collected on April 5, 2024 from the question posed to large language mod...

As the potential of LiDAR technology has been proven in many studies, it is becoming widely applied to estimate forest inventory information. The most common method for estimating forest inventory information is developing a model based on field measurements and LiDAR-derived metrics. Therefore, field measurements to collect ground truth informatio...

Planted forests play a crucial role in addressing global climate change and are also valued globally for their numerous ecosystem services. Therefore, it is essential to understand how biotic and abiotic factors affect the carbon sequestration potential. This study focuses on quantifying the effects of 26 different variables on the carbon sequestra...

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems and remote sensing have the potential to impact forest management decision making through improvements in accuracy and consistency of data products and associated relationships with real-world forest measurements. However, one can get lost quickly in the opaque and convoluted ways in which scientists describe ar...

Attempts to estimate forest variables using LiDAR data have already been conducted many times. Given these studies proved the potential of LiDAR technology for estimating forest variables and reducing the time and cost of field measurements but the R-squared values indicating the accuracy of the developed model are still moderate to low. Therefore,...

The Online Learning in Applied Forestry (OLAF) system has been developed to provide students, professionals, landowners, and the general public with a freely available platform to learn about land and tree measurements through an Internet-based, self-paced service. This presentation will describe the development of OLAF, the content available, and...

In 2020, a survey was conducted of timberland investment professionals. The focus of the survey was collecting and examining transaction cost data within the timberland investment space. The data collected were generally lacking in the public domain, as well as academic literature, yet it provides insight into the significant costs that are involve...

In 2020, a survey was conducted of timberland investment professionals. The focus of the survey was collecting and examining transaction cost data within the timberland investment space. The data collected were generally lacking in the public domain, as well as academic literature, yet it provides insight into the significant costs that are involve...

We are developing a new set of courses covering the newest technology for forestry (https://olaf.uga.edu). Courses on Artificial Intelligence (AI), Remote Sensing, Precision Forestry, and Data Management. Successful completion of the courses will provide learners with CFE credits from SAF.

n the US South, private forest landowners own the majority of timberland; therefore, understanding the timber supply behavior of these landowners is a fundamental forest economic question. This study estimates the pine stumpage supply equations and elasticities of private landowners in TimberMart-South (TMS) regions. It uses individual landowner pi...

Accurate knowledge of ecological condition (EC) is crucial to evaluate the deviation of a given ecosystem from a reference condition, and is of interest to forest managers as it helps them prioritize management activities. The present study aimed to estimate EC classes of the Talladega National Forest (NF) using NAIP images, and airborne laser scan...

Global Navigational Satellite System (GNSS) technologies are actively being developed to address the demand for enhanced positional accuracy. Smartphones are the most prevalent GNSS receiver today and have garnered attention thanks to improved positional accuracy and usability that can be accessed at an affordable price. In a forested environment,...

The purpose of this study was to develop new methods to describe outdoor recreation potential based on landscape indicators and systemic multi-criteria evolution in the Tamarix forest re-serves of Varamin city, a part of Iranian - Turanian forests of the Tehran province in Iran. First, in conducting a multi-criteria evaluation, ecological factors t...

Forest management plans often suggest that economic, ecological, and/or social sustainability will be achieved if the proposed management actions are followed. Using forest plans developed by the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service and the Republic of Turkey, the purposes of this study were to (i) extract those statements that suggest susta...

The maintenance of connectivity is critical to the proper functioning of an ecosystem. The present study was conducted with the aim of comparing graph theory connectivity indices and landscape connectivity metrics for the purpose of modeling river water quality. To conduct this study, a forest layer was extracted from land cover map and 25 large wa...

Keywords acquisitions, appraisal, capitalization, forest economics, real assets, REIT, TIMO Citation Hiegel A., Siry J., Bettinger P., Mei B. 2022. Timberland transaction costs: survey results and insights. Timberland is a real asset that has been gaining significant attention and capital from investors over the last four decades. This paper descri...

Keywords acquisitions, appraisal, capitalization, forest economics, real assets, REIT, TIMO Citation Hiegel A., Siry J., Bettinger P., Mei B. 2022. Timberland transaction costs: survey results and insights. Timberland is a real asset that has been gaining significant attention and capital from investors over the last four decades. This paper descri...

Accelerating the recovery and successional processes of secondary forests is an important task for sustainable forest management around the world. However, previous studies have mainly focused on the establishment and survival of seedlings, whereas the differences of light requirements in different growth stages of understory seedlings have been ov...

Key components of a digital forestry program (digital tools, databases, and decision-support systems) can be of great importance in the management of forests today. A general lack of knowledge of the needs of forest managers and landowners for components of digital forestry has been hypothesized. A survey regarding digital forestry tools was conduc...

The Southern Forestry and Natural Resource Management GIS Conference is generally held once every two years and provides attendees with the latest knowledge and advances in the use of geographic information systems (GIS) and other technology to support forestry and natural resource management. In December 2021, the 13 th conference was held in Athe...

Field measurement methods for an undergraduate course taught at the University of Georgia and elsewhere.

Forestry activities are important to the economies of West African nations. This paper aims to assess the current state of forest business in the sub-region, identify factors that may limit the development of the sector and suggest possible solutions. To achieve these objectives, we examined relevant literature and forest statistics from peer-revie...

This work describes the development and analysis of a spatially explicit environmental model to estimate the current, ecological, condition class of a managed forest landscape in the southern United States. The model could be extendable to other similar temperate forest landscapes, yet is characterized as a problem-specific, hierarchical, binary pr...

Global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) can provide valuable spatial information for effectively mapping and navigating through complex terrain and forest conditions. Relatively accurate positional information is essential for certain algorithms and models that base analyses on the spatial arrangement of trees, and for management of forestry ope...

This study focused on the rare and threatened plant species eastern turkeybeard (Xerophyllum asphodeloides (L.) Nutt.) and its presence or absence in the Talladega National Forest in Alabama, USA. An ensemble suitable habitat map was developed using four different modeling methods (MaxEnt, Generalized Linear Model, Generalized Additive Model, and R...

Using imagery available through Google Earth Pro and a point sampling methodology, changes in land cover for three U.S. cities were assessed, beginning during the Great Recession (2007) and extending through to 2018. The cities were Buffalo (New York), Denver (Colorado), and San Diego (California), and 11 land cover classes were used to characteriz...

Heuristic methods are widely used to address the spatial optimization of timber harvests at the forest level. These methods have been shown to solve the timber harvest problem in a timely and computationally efficient manner. However, solutions provided by any heuristic are often suboptimal, and inquiries often arise regarding the quality of those...

Agricultural months are the critical period for the allocation of surface water and groundwater resources due to the increased demands on water supplies and decreased recharge rate. This situation urges the necessity of using conjunctive water management to fulfill the entire water demand. Here, we proposed an approach for aquifer stabilization and...

Achieving the carbon neutral targets before year 2060 is one of the important commitments for mitigating global climate change by Chinese government. However, the manner in which one would maximize the carbon sequestration of the planted forests is still unclear. Estimating accurately the carbon balance in forestry depends highly on the dynamics of...

A commitment to sustainability is often demonstrated through both management plans and the implementation of practices. We applied content analysis to a sample of state forest management plans from the United States to examine the terms associated with sustainability, and to assess explicit demonstrations of a commitment to sustainable forestry. We...

An accurate tree diameter (DBH) measurement is a significant component of forest inventory. This study assessed the reliability of remote dendrometers to measure tree DBH. We compared direct caliper measurements (reference measurements) to the remote measurements collected from a laser caliper and a smartphone at 0.5 m, 1 m, and 1.5 m distances fro...

Long-term management plans have been developed for nearly all of the forests in Turkey. These plans are applied at a sub-district management unit level and may contain guidance for both intermediate yield and final yield harvests. To implement an intermediate yield plan, which involves the scheduling of forest thinnings (stand tending), considerati...

Silvics of North America (SNA) is a widely used silvicultural manual. However, the last SNA was published in 1990. Therefore, 2,589 registered foresters were surveyed across four US states to answer two broad questions: (1) Should SNA be updated? And (2) would an updated SNA still be a useful tool for forest management? Most respondents indicated t...

The manner in which forests and natural resources are managed depends on the objectives, goals, and constraints or limitations of the person or entity controlling them. Since the 1990s, a large body of research has been developed to illustrate how one can develop a forest plan for a forest landowner, but the critical first step is to understand the...

Forest policies guide the actions employed in the management of forests. Forest policies can be developed by national and local governments and by organizations or individuals. Generally speaking, policies arise from real or perceived problems. While understanding the impetus for a policy may interest many, forest and natural resource managers must...

Forested ecosystems are dynamic in the sense that growth and reproduction processes continuously progress for all kinds of plants, animals, insects, and other forms of life. Apart from intrusions on these systems by humans, natural forces also disturb the forest in numerous ways. Their impact can vary in frequency, intensity, and scale. From a huma...

Around the world, forest regions vary according to their level of plant, animal, insect, and fungal species diversity; their soil and topographic complexity; and their developmental history. The fundamental practices for managing forests and natural resources can be applied anywhere on the globe, but differences in forest character may require modi...

Forested ecosystems have always provided a large suite of services that benefit human civilizations, animals, plants, and other organisms living within the Earth's biosphere. As suggested in earlier chapters, forested ecosystems generate numerous provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural services. These services provide the basic building...

Forests are dynamic, ever-changing systems of plant communities. Ecological, economic, and social values important to humans are inherently associated with the continuous development of forests and the woody structure represented by each stage of forest development. Forest structure is especially important for meeting the habitat requirements of ce...

For thousands of years, humankind has understood the benefits and usefulness of trees within and around their settlements. As expanding human populations have transformed the Earth's surface to meet their housing, employment, transportation, and food needs, urban forests and urban forestry concepts have emerged to play an important role in the heal...

An entry-level job in the field of forestry and natural resource management can often lead to a variety of diverse and interesting opportunities for an individual as he or she progresses through his or her career and becomes a seasoned professional. Some people know precisely what they want to accomplish in life and develop their skills and knowled...

From forests, humans obtain a wide variety of products that range from traditional commodities to medicinal resources. The needs and wants of the human population on this planet influence how forests and natural resources are managed. Human society has long depended on forests as a source of materials for fuel, shelter, weaponry, tools, food, water...

No matter where we live, our everyday lives rely extensively on the products and services derived from forests. As the world's population continues to grow and its forests continue to shrink, many of our demands for forest products and services will remain unfulfilled, because, while our wants and desires are unlimited, the ability of forests to me...

For as long as humans have been on Earth, we have been dependent on the many products and materials that forests produce. We have viewed wildlife as a source of food, clothing (fur, feathers, and hides), tools (bones), and spiritual symbols, and some have been used in folk medicines where the spirt of the animal is thought to enter the human consum...

Most, if not all, of the wood products we use in our daily life are derived from trees that have been harvested and transported to a wood processing facility. These products include the paper we read from (e.g., books, magazines, and newspapers), the paper we write on (e.g., envelopes, notepads, notebooks, and test papers), and almost all of the ot...

The role that forests and natural resources play in our lives will continue to evolve with human development and our expanding use of the global landscape. Once perceived as an obstacle to development, the importance of forests to various cultures and to many of the products forests provide are now well understood. A perplexing concern that must be...

One of the most important aspects of forestry and natural resource management is the ethical behavior of the professionals who work in these fields. Although ethics is usually not considered the most interesting or intriguing topic for young professionals, it directly relates to the daily conduct of business in both the private and the public secto...

Whether used to promote the development of a healthy forest, enhance wildlife habitat, or provide the highest economic return on an investment, there exists a common set of forestry practices used throughout the world to manipulate forests. Many of these are considered silvicultural practices. Silviculture is the art and science of tending trees an...

Forests and their associated natural resources provide human society with a wide range of products and services that facilitate our survival and enhance our quality of life. As human civilizations have evolved, the general need for the provisional services of forested ecosystems has changed as well. Over the past 100 years in many developed areas o...

Natural resource professionals must have current, reliable information to make informed and competent decisions regarding the management of forests. Many decisions regarding the tending and management of forests require quantitative assessments of forests and natural resources. Foresters and natural resource managers must make daily, weekly, and mo...

Trees require sunlight, water, and nutrients to thrive, and their vertical and horizontal growth depends on their ability to use electromagnetic energy to convert carbon dioxide into other organic compounds such as sugars. We witness primary and secondary tree growth by observing how tree heights or diameters increase each year. The crown of a tree...