Treesearch

Riparian plant communities are extremely diverse. Their structure and composition can affect fish and wildlife habitat, while trees and associated vegetation can provide sustainable sources of forest products. Management of riparian vegetation can greatly affect these values. Little information exists however, about the consequences of actively managing riparians to develop desirable habitat characteristics and enhance function versus setting aside areas as passively managed reserves. Management options are limited in riparian areas because of concerns for the protection of values provided...

Forestry has a long history in the Caribbean lslands, in particular, in Puerto Rico. This experience, implemented in recent years through numerous partnerships, involves research, inventory and monitoring, and resource management, and has been communicated through demonstration and educational activities. Much of this history is documented in the 24 volumes of the Caribbean Forester, in 58 years of Annual Reports or Annual Letters written by the U.S. Forest Service's lnternational lnstitute of Tropical Forestry (IITF), in forestry bibliographies, and numerous publications in scientific...

A cooperative project, developed by Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Pacific Northwest Research Station (PNW), provides a framework for managers and scientists to (1) obtain experience with a range of silvicultural options; (2) develop information about public response to visual appearance, economic performance, and biological aspects associated with each option; and (3) demonstrate and communicate the consequences of applying the options (singly or mixes thereof) over the landscape to lay and technical audiences. The project is being installed as part of...

Opening comments to this session share observations on the current management climate within the USDA Forest Service. Partnerships and collaborative stewardship as agency philosophy are discussed. Silviculturists roles, as scientists and managers are compared, and the need for internal and external cooperation stressed as we strive to meet forest stewardship goals.

When people view forest management activities there is usually nobody present to explain or interpret what is actually taking place. They judge what has happened by what they can see. In the short term, many long-term, beneficial activities such as clearcuts or herbicide applications appear to the average person as destruction, and they often only view an activity at one point in time.

Bent Creek Research and Demonstration Forest scientists have transferred the results of research on the ecology and management of Southern Appalachian hardwoods since 1925. Since 1989, a full-time technology transfer specialist has led demonstration efforts. The demonstration program was designed to quickly transfer research results to interested users, and free-up scientists to conduct research. Tours of the experimental forest, a large photo point program, customized demonstration publications, short course offerings, and publications are the focal points of the Bent Creek program.

The National Long-term Soil Productivity research program was chartered to address National Forest Management Act concerns over possible losses in soil productivity on National Forest lands. The program supports validation of soil quality monitoring standards and process-level productivity research. Summarized results are supplied to Forests as collected. National Forest managers use them in developing forest plans and modifying management practices. Results are treated as the best available evidence and are used within the adaptive management process.

This report describes the development of two-age silviculture on the Monongahela National Forest and provides an assessment of the practice as it is applied today. Silviculturists at each ranger district provided a chronology of the communication process between managers and scientists that led to current stand treatment prescriptions. In addition, data were collected from a total of 20 recently treated stands on four ranger districts. This information was used to assess two-age systems in terms of current stand conditions and the implications for future species composition and stand...

To communicate the story of silviculture on the Allegheny National Forest, we need to distinguish silviculture-the art and science of manipulating forest vegetation to achieve management objectives-from forest management. During the field trip for the National Silviculture Workshop we visited five sites that demonstrate how inventory and monitoring, resource management, research, education, demonstration, and partnerships help communicate the role of silviculture. They also demonstrate communication to practitioners, policy makers, and members of the public who participate in setting...

Monitoring environmental change through documentation of species composition becomes problematic when compositional changes take several years to occur or simply do not occur following silvicultural treatment. Morphological characteristics (e.g., leaf area, node density, bud number) change in many plant species in response to factors such as light availability, soil compaction, and organic matter removal. As a monitoring tool, morphological characteristics: 1) detect plant responses soon after treatment, 2) reveal underlying factors that produce changes in plant condition and composition,...