We published! I am very excited to share this story. Our study shows that Taxus mortality is not caused by competition. Many deaths began with mechanical damage from fallen trees more than a decade ago, starting a long decline that led to recent mortality. Ku and Lutz (2025) doi.org/10.1186/s137...

Always a pleasure to see others recognize the value of our network. "[The LTER Network] has enabled scientists to get answers that have led to key policy decisions, from amending the Clean Air Act to prevent acid rain to preserving old-growth forests." Lynda Mapes for the @seattletimes.com

The big western hemlock at Cedar flat, WA, USA

India said early Wednesday that it had conducted several airstrikes on Pakistan after 26 civilians were killed in a terrorist attack in Kashmir. But evidence is growing that the Indian forces may have taken heavy losses during the operation. nyti.ms/4dbIwei

TERN X LTSER 2025 A tree height research presentation @ TERN

New #lidar images of the #Enchantments for the Washington Geological Survey. #PNW #Maps #CascadeRange

No forest, no map but Happy Lunar New Year today!

Doing the mortality survey in tropical monsoon forest at Nanjenshan, Taiwan.

See you next year! I am going back to my warm country.

#30DayMapChallenge #Day12_Time_and_Space Taiwan's 30-Year Average Temperature and Precipitation Pattern This map, inspired by @tterence.bsky.social, uses climate data from Climate AP to illustrate Taiwan's 30-year distribution of temperature and precipitation. Inspired by: @tterence.bsky.social

#30DayMapChallenge #Day11_Arctic Arctic I used Arctic ocean DEM data to sneak in some marine DEM, mapping out the land areas. By stacking the same dataset three times, I was able to highlight the ocean, flat area, and mountainous regions. #rstats

Oh gosh man! How did you do that?

#30DayMapChallenge #Day10_Pen_and_Paper Mudouyu Lighthouse Having not sketched in years, I simply created a basic map of Mudou Island in Penghu, Taiwan. Inspired by: my photo

#30DayMapChallenge #Day9_AI_only AI generate a vintage map of Taiwan-Not Always Right. A dumpster AI! I'd rather write the code myself. If any information is incorrect, that's not on me! Inspired by: Me no code today

#30DayMapChallenge #Day8_Data_HDX Earthquake in Taiwan I used earthquake data from 1990 to 2024, combined with land and ocean DEM, to illustrate how these mountains were uplifted by thousands times of plates collisions. Inspired by: @tterence.bsky.social

#30DayMapChallenge #Day7_VintageStyle HET EYLAND FORMOSA Today, I used a digital elevation model (DEM) to create a 2024 rendition inspired by Francois Valentijn's 1726 map of Formosa. Using modern data and techniques, I aimed to reimagine the map, not replicate it exactly. #rstats

#30DayMapChallenge #Day6_Raster Forest Coverage in Taiwan Taiwan is an island with 60.7% of its land covered by forests. I used forest coverage data, island DEM, and ocean DEM to create a map showcasing Taiwan as a lush and beautiful 'Formosa' island. Inspired by @shinagawajp.bsky.social

#30DayMapChallenge #Day5_A_Journey My Summer Road Trip in USA I mapped my summer road trip across the United States this year, which included a field survey and travel. The breathtaking landscapes are now unforgettable memories. I will treasure it. Inspired by @andrew.heiss.phd

#30DayMapChallenge #Day4_Hexagons Rain Today, I indirectly used a 30 m x 30 m DEM and input it into Climate AP to obtain the average rainfall for each grid over 30 years, from 1991 to 2020. I then created a hexbin map to show the rainfall density. Inspired by @kennethkhw.bsky.social

Does anyone know how to remove Copilot from Microsoft Word? It's so annoying when I'm starting a new paragraph in my manuscript, and I can't find a way to disable it. What a disappointing apps. #Microsoft365

Great snow in Logan last night!

I’d love to try it!

#30DayMapChallenge #Day3_Polygons Yushan National Park, Taiwan Yushan (Mt. Jade) National Park is the highest national park in Taiwan. I mapped the contour plot and clipped it to the park boundaries to showcase the beautiful elevation gradient of Yushan National Park, the Jade.

#30DayMapChallenge #Day2_Lines Mt. Jade, Taiwan Mt. Jade, or Yushan, is the highest mountain in Taiwan. The lines on the map represent longitude, not contour lines. This truly captures the shape of Mt. Jade, the highest peak in Taiwan. Inspired by @dickie_roper (Xwitter) #rstats

#30DayMapChallenge #Day1_Point Taiwan's Light House Taiwan is a country made up of multiple islands located at the west of the Pacific Ocean. A lighthouse directs people on the ocean, telling them, 'Hey, this is the way home.' Inspired by @tterence.bsky.social #rstats

Here are all the maps I created last year—all based on Taiwan. This year, I’ll explore even more creative possibilities, showcasing different aspects of Taiwan! Here’s the source code from last year’s challenge: github.com/jjakon11/30D... #30DayMapChallenge #rstats

Yeah, it is the time! #30DayMapChallenge This year, I'll still create all the maps by using R. #rstats But I won't map every day like last year—doing a daily output was intense!😵‍💫

Okay...so how do I assign a specific number to each author for their contribution in the paper...? I hate this!

I use ChatGPT-4 a lot, and it's pretty helpful for checking my writing (better than Grammarly) and debugging code. But you still can’t fully rely on it—sometimes it outputs junk, so you need to review it carefully. Still, it’s been a good companion during my writing and coding.

> Introduction I am a post-doctoral scholar in Utah State University, focusing on the mortality process in temperate forests. And also doing some interesting biomass research in tropical forest at Taiwan. New here, just need a feed on #forestecology #carbon #rstat #bigtree