the Gypsy Moth, September 2000

The Gypsy moth is a serious pest of trees ans shrubs. It damages the plants when the caterpillar stage eats the leaves. When there are many caterpillars, They defoliate entire trees, which can weaken and sometimes kill the trees. The gypsy moth is a notorious hitchhiker; it has been brought into Iowa on recreations vehicles and nursery stock. Learning the recognize the gypsy moth is an important part of preventing infestations and severe damage to Iowa's forests, woodlands, and urban landscapes.

Identification of Hardwood Trees in Iowa, September 1998

This publication is designed to help identify the most common hardwood or deciduous trees found in Iowa. It is based on vegetative characteristics including leaves, fruit, and bark. It is neither complete nor without possible oversights. Separate species are grouped by similar characteristics, mainly based on type and arrangement of leaves. Remember, vegetative characteristics are quite variable; use more than one specimen for comparison.

2014 Iowa Woodland Suitability Recommendations, February 6, 2014

In 2005, the Iowa NRCS and Iowa DNR agreed to create new groupings of soils and revise the recommendations for tree and shrub species for those soil groups in Iowa. There were several reasons for this revision: there were errors in the previous recommendations; there were new soils identified and mapped; and both agencies wanted a user-friendly system for employees and the public to use.

Mulch Iowa: A Guide to the Benefits of Mulch and Why you should use mulch produced in Iowa, December 17, 2003

Mulch helps to recreate the organic layer and soil structure of a wooded environment, which benefits your trees and shrubs... • Helps maintain even soil temperature in the roots by keeping them cool in the summer and warm in the winter. • Promotes plant growth. • Controls weeds. • Conserves soil moisture, meaning you use less water. • Improves soil structure and quality over the root area. • Protects from mechanical damage (mowers, string trimmers, etc.) • Helps beautify the new planting.

Garlic Mustard: A Serious Threat to Iowa's Woodlands, October 2005

Garlic mustard is a rapidly spreading, highly invasive non-native plant. It was introduced from Europe in mid-1800 for medicinal and herbal uses. Came to the United States without predatory beetles or other natural controls. Threatens to rob us of healthy, diverse native woodlands.

Tree and Shrubs Native to Iowa, December 23, 2003

This document lists all trees and shrubs that are native to Iowa is their common name and scientific name. Along with height of maturity, growth rate uses and limitations.

20 Native Trees to Plant, January 25, 2010

If you have ever flown in an airplane over Iowa, you would see that our woodlands are scattered along the rivers and streams and areas too steep to farm. You would also see a green carpet of trees within out cities and towns. Did you know the 90% of the over 2.7 million acres of forest in Iowa is owned by over 138,000 different private owners? Or that 30% of the land cover in a typical Iowa community if covered by trees? Trees are vital for the protection of our drinking water supply, critical for wildlife habitat, and help sustain employment of over 7,000 Iowans in the wood products industry. This booklet "20 Native trees to Plant" will help you gain a greater knowledge about Iowa's trees and forests. Learn about and enjoy Iowa's trees. Consider ways that you can improve our environment by planting and caring for Iowa's trees and forests.

Plant Trees with help from CRP, February 4, 2010

It's a fact. Landowners like the five couples featured in the publication have helped replant Iowa. In fact, Iowa's forests and dwindled from an original 7 million acres to only 1.4 million acres in 1974. The state now has 2.8 million acres, surpassing the acreage of woodlands more than a century ago.

Wood Identification, November 2002

This document produced bu Iowa State University and Iowa Department of Natural Resources shows the key identification of Common Woods in Iowa.

Planning for Wooded Acreages and Woodlands,August 2005

PEOPLE OWN WOODED ACREAGES and woodlands for a variety of reasons that may include: timber production, firewood production, recreation, wildlife habitat, aesthetics, and alternative forest products. Most of Iowa’s forestland is privately held, and the majority of ownership is fragmented into an average of ten acres (Forest Reserve Survey, 2004). In fact, the average size of an individual forest or woodlot ownership has been steadily declining for several years due in part to population growth, urban sprawl, and changes in land ownership. Studies indicate that the probability of a sustainable woodlot decreases as the population increases. At the same time, most woodlot owners want to be good stewards and protect and enhance the forest that they own. To achieve this goal, careful forest planning and management is required especially when managing the land for multiple objectives.

Woodland Wildlife Habitat Improvement Guide, February 4, 2010

Most non-grazed Iowa woodlands and surrounding openings are excellent habitat for a variety of birds and animals if there is a diversity of over story tree species and understory vegetation. As vegetative structures of woodlands change over time, the diversity of the woodland will change, and some species of birds and animals will benefit more then others. To optimize habitat development for the wildest range of bird and animal species, concentrate on maintaining as much vegetative diversity in the woodland as possible. To make improvement for individual species, the special needs of those species will have to be met by targeting precise woodland activities in specific areas.

The 2005 Pakistan earthquake revisited: Methods for integrated landslide assessment

Five years after the 2005 Pakistan earthquake that triggered multiple mass movements, landslides continue to pose a threat to the population of Azad Kashmir, especially during heavy monsoon rains. The thousands of landslides that were triggered by the 7.6 magnitude earthquake in 2005 were not just due to a natural phenomenon but largely induced by human activities, namely, road building, grazing, and deforestation. The damage caused by the landslides in the study area (381 km2) is estimated at 3.6 times the annual public works budget of Azad Kashmir for 2005 of US$ 1 million. In addition to human suffering, this cost constitutes a significant economic setback to the region that could have been reduced through improved land use and risk management. This article describes interdisciplinary research conducted 18 months after the earthquake to provide a more systemic approach to understanding risks posed by landslides, including the physical, environmental, and human contexts. The goal of this research is twofold: to present empirical data on the social, geological, and environmental contexts in which widespread landslides occurred following the 2005 earthquake; and, second, to describe straightforward methods that can be used for integrated landslide risk assessments in data-poor environments. The article analyzes limitations of the methodologies and challenges for conducting interdisciplinary research that integrates both social and physical data. This research concludes that reducing landslide risk is ultimately a management issue, based in land use decisions and governance.

Surface Improvement and Dust Palliation of Unpaved Secondary Roads and Streets, HR-151, 1973

As of December 31, 1970 there were 57,270 miles of Local Secondary roads and 32,958 miles of Farm to Market roads in the Iowa secondary road system. The Local Secondary system carried a traffic load of 2,714,180 daily vehicle miles, accounting for 32% of all traffic in the secondary system. For all Local Secondary roads having some form of surfacing, 98% were surfaced with gravel or crushed stone. During the 1970 construction year 335 miles of surfaced roads were constructed in the Local Secondary system with 78% being surfaced with gravel or crushed stone. The total maintenance expenditure for all secondary roads in Iowa during 1970 amounted to $40,086,091. Of this, 42%, or $17,020,332, was spent for aggregate replacement on existing gravel or crushed stone roads with an additional 31% ($12,604,456) being spent on maintenance other than resurfacing. This amounts to 73% of the total maintenance budget and are the largest two maintenance expenditure items out of a list of 10 ranging from bridges to drainage assessments. The next largest item was 7%, for maintenance of existing flexible bases. Three concurrent phases of study were included in this project: (1) laboratory screenings studies of various additives thought to have potential for long-lasting dust palliation, soil additive strength, durability, and additive retention potential; (2) test road construction using those additives that indicated promise for performance-serviceability usage; and (3) observations and tests of constructed sections for evaluation of the additive's contribution to performance and serviceability as well as the relationship to initial costs.

The role of epilepsy in early language development in a child with a congenital lesion in the right hemisphere

Early epilepsy is known to worsen the developmental prognosis of young children with a congenital focal brain lesion, but its direct role is often very difficult to delineate from the other variables. This requires prolonged periods of follow-up with simultaneous serial electrophysiological and developmental assessments which are rarely obtained. We studied a male infant with a right prenatal infarct in the territory of the right middle cerebral artery resulting in a left spastic hemiparesis, and an epileptic disorder (infantile spasms with transient right hemihypsarrhythmia and focal seizures) from the age of 7 months until the age of 4 years. Pregnancy and delivery were normal. A dissociated delay of early language acquisition affecting mainly comprehension without any autistic features was documented. This delay was much more severe than usually expected in children with early focal lesions, and its evolution, with catch-up to normal, was correlated with the active phase of the epilepsy. We postulate that the epilepsy specifically amplified a pattern of delayed language emergence, mainly affecting lexical comprehension, reported in children with early right hemisphere damage.

The family alliance assessment scales : steps toward validity and reliability of an observational assessment tool for early family interactions

We present the first steps in the validation of an observational tool for father-mother-infant interactions: the FAAS (Family Alliance Assessment Scales). Family-level variables are acknowledged as unique contributors to the understanding of the socio-affective development of the child, yet producing reliable assessments of family-level interactions poses a methodological challenge. There is, therefore, a clear need for a validated and clinically relevant tool. This validation study has been carried out on three samples: one non-referred sample, of families taking part in a study on the transition to parenthood (normative sample; n = 30), one referred for medically assisted procreation (infertility sample; n = 30) and one referred for a psychiatric condition in one parent (clinical sample; n = 15). Results show that the FAAS scales have (1) good inter-rater reliability and (2) good validity, as assessed through known-group validity by comparing the three samples and through concurrent validity by checking family interactions against parents' self-reported marital satisfaction.