Browsing by Subject "Natural Resources"
Now showing 1 - 20 of 38
- Results Per Page
- Sort Options
Item Advancing Estimation Of Timber Products Output In The Lake States Region Of The Northern United States(2019-05) Young, JohnThe Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) – Timber Products Output (TPO) program has chosen to implement a sampling design for collecting information from primary wood-using facilities across the US. Sample-based approaches are often clear alternatives to surveys, as they offer estimates with increased precision and quantifiable error at lower costs and greater speed. Coulston et al. (2018) has selected a unique stratified random sampling design, which separates mills into a “certainty” or “uncertainty” sample based on a measure of size (MOS). However, the new design is in its early stages and needs for developing the efficiency of the design have been identified. This research assesses the advancement of two key areas: the selection of an effective MOS and the identification of a threshold for allocating mills into a “certainty” sample. When sampling highly-skewed populations, a few large units may account for large portions of the mean estimated and incorrectly accounting for these units can negatively impact the precision of estimation. Systematic identification of a certainty threshold was assessed through methods inspired by the work of Glasser (1962) and Hidiroglou (1985). Estimates produced by these methods were analyzed against historic TPO data to assess for overall impact. MOS also alter the precision, and as the correlation between the variable of interest and the MOS increases the level of uncertainty tends to decrease. Sources for gathering auxiliary mill metrics were explored and relevant attributes were combined to create MOS using three separate techniques: correlation comparison, simple linear regression, and multiple regression. The implementation of different MOS and threshold identification techniques, their impact on sampling efficiency, and potential areas of further research are assessed.Item All Things Trout Wiki Software Report(University of Minnesota. Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships., 2013) Guthrie, LindsayWiki Software ReportItem Asset Survey: Experiment in Rural Cooperation(University of Minnesota. Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships., 2003-01) Hartman, LaceyItem Biomass for Cooling System Technologies: A Feasibility Guide(2016-05) Pushpala, Roopesh; Agricultural Utilization Research InstituteItem Building Capacity in Natural Resources Across RSDP(University of Minnesota. Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships., 2016) Kingery, Linda; Clarke, Rose; Mohr, CarynThe University of Minnesota has identified five crossdisciplinary “Grand Challenges of a diverse and changing world” that the U of M is well-placed to impact. On a regional scale, the need exists to empower communities of Greater Minnesota to develop local solutions to these Grand Challenges, specifically that of Clean Water and Sustainable Ecosystems.Item Carver County Conservation Incentive Zoning Option(Minneapolis: Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, 2010) Shively, EmilyItem A Communications Plan for "Keep it Clean," Lake of the Woods(2020) Kidder, AndreaItem Community Heating Feasibility Study(2022) Ren, LifengOne hundred sixty Lower Sioux Indian Community households currently use propane as their primary fuel source to heat their homes. To help the families and households reduce the financial burden of utility bills, Lower Sioux Indian Community discussed two options for the future. The first option is adding a natural gas line to the community to which each house can connect. The second option is to upgrade the homes’ heating and cooling systems by installing cold climate air source heat pumps (ccASHPs). In this study, we hope to analyze the feasibility of each option, especially considering the uniqueness of the Lower Sioux Indian Community.Item A Concept Master Plan for Construction of A Permanent Home(University of Minnesota. Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships., 2012) Thorbeck, RoosA concept master plan for the construction of a permanent home for the National Trout CenterItem Connecting and Restoring Ramsey(Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2017) Baehm, Dani; Handmaker, Orli; Kieser, Nick; Kreiter, Emily; McNiel, Dan; Shavit-Lonstein, NoahThis project was completed as part of the 2017-2018 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with the City of Ramsey. Ramsey is fortunate to have several public parks for residents to use, but not all residents have the same level of access to these parks. Students in Dr. Mae Davenport’s Sustainable Land Use Planning and Policy course identified key principles to guide sustainable land use planning (community connectivity, ecological connectivity, and equity and accessibility), and reported results from a pilot survey administered to Ramsey residents regarding their perceptions of natural areas in Ramsey, and their access to and use of parks and open space in the community. Based on these preliminary results, students made recommendations and an action plan for how to best move forward with park and trail planning. A final report and presentation are available.Item Dedicated volunteers become Master Naturalists(University of Minnesota Extension, 2005) University of Minnesota ExtensionItem Essays on structural transformation in international economics(2009-07) Stefanski, Radoslaw L.This thesis investigates the impact of structural transformation in large, newly industrializing countries on the international price of oil and on carbon emissions. The first essay measures the impact of industrialization in China and India on the oil price in the OECD. I identify an inverted-U shaped relationship in the data between aggregate oil intensity and the extent of structural transformation. I construct and calibrate a multi-sector, multi-country, general equilibrium growth model that accounts for this fact and use it to show that structural transformation in China and India explains up to a quarter of the oil price increase in the OECD between 1970 and 2007. Continued structural transformation however, results in a falling oil price. A standard one-sector growth model misses this non-linearity. To understand the impact of growth on the oil price, it is necessary to take a more disaggregated view than is standard in macroeconomics. The second essay empirically analyzes the source of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) - an inverted-U shaped relationship between emissions and income per capita. Recent theory claims that the EKC relationship is driven by falling growth rates associated with convergence to a balanced growth path. A decomposition of emissions however, shows that falling emission intensity growth rates dominate growth effects by an order of magnitude. Structural transformation is one mechanism capable of generating the observed patterns in emission intensity growth rates. The third essay investigates the extent to which a country's structural transformation influences its emission profile. I document how CO2 emission intensity follows an inverted-U with income, despite falling energy intensities. This pattern is driven by changing fuel mix and improvements in energy efficiency associated with structural transformation. I construct and calibrate a two-sector, general equilibrium model that accounts for the emission, emission intensity and energy intensity profiles of the UK for 150 years. I show that a one sector framework is incapable of matching both a hump-shape emission and a falling energy intensity; that timing of structural transformation matters for emission profiles and that improvements in energy efficiency may be insufficient to explain observed falling emissions in rich countries.Item Fertile Sand Hills Master Plan: A Planning Framework for the Fertile Sand Hills(College of Design, 2019-10) Mans, JacobThe design of the phyiscal Master Plan for the Fertile Sand Hills focuses on increasing access to this unique ecological resource and providing improvements that connect all users to this environment. The design sets out to develop a vision that will help transform the Fertile Sand Hills strategically into a world-class park system. The plan carefully balances the Agassiz Environmental Learning Center’s mission to foster a greater awareness of the interrelationships between humans and nature with the City of Fertile’s continued commitment to conserve this landscape for long-time use by local, regional, and global communities.Item Gary Pines Master Plan(2017) Dickson, MaxwellItem Groundwater Management: Capacity Assessment at the Local Level, A survey of Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts(2015-12-04) Pradhananga, Amit Ph.D.; Davenport, Mae A. Ph.D.; Perry, Vanessa M.S.This report describes a capacity assessment of Minnesota Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) staff to engage in groundwater protection. The study was conducted by the Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) and Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (MASWCD). The overarching goal of the study was to examine local capacity and capacity building programs for groundwater management.Item Hybrid Hazelnut Handbook(University of Minnesota. Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships., 2002) Rutter, Philip; Shepard, MarkItem Integrating Resources into Our Future(Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2017) Dickson, Max; Dorow Hovland, Olivia; Jerome, Nellie; Neill, Sam; Scherber, Liz; Pansch, JoshThis project was completed as part of the 2017-2018 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with the City of Ramsey. The City was beginning the process of updating its Comprehensive Plan, including the natural resources component, and wanted to develop innovative strategies to communicate the value of natural resources to residents. Students in Dr. Dan Milz’s Planning and Participation Processes class identified opportunities to expand public outreach at community events, to community stakeholders, and to established institutions/groups through three key strategies: expanding the scope of the City's existing Environmental Policy Board, using strategic education tools, and creating a frequently asked questions (FAQ) page for developers on the City’s website. A final report and poster are available.Item Invasive species education moves to the forefront(University of Minnesota Extension, 1980) University of Minnesota ExtensionItem Lake of the Woods Solid Waste Policy Report(2020-08) Krause, LindseyResearch was conducted for Lake of the Woods County to find policy solutions for the budgetary deficits the county solid waste system and emergency services received in winter of 2020. The deficits were due to the record high solid waste collected and emergency service calls received during the season. Lake of the Woods, a popular ice fishing destination in the county, received record-high traffic due to more favorable ice conditions compared to other lakes further south. A literature search, meetings, a survey, and interviews were all used to gather data on the issue. Three policy options were created from findings: including sleeper houses in unit counts and prorating for winter, requiring all resorts and ice road operators to have dumpsters for customers, and issuing permits for wheelhouses on Lake of the Woods. Policy options were qualitatively analyzed with SWOT analyses and compared to one another. These options were presented to the county board who discussed them briefly after the presentation. It was recommended that the county waits at least one more season before beginning any new policy implementation.Item Lake of the Woods Sustainability Assessment(The Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, 2019-05-19) Dix, Alec; Freesmeier, Claire; Helgeson, Erik; Pattsner, Max