Rosland site in the Experimental Network for Assisted Migration and Establishment Silviculture (ENAMES)

Rosland site 3D map showing experimental plots color-coded by the climate scenario each seed source is adapted to. Map by Laura Gonzalez Mantecon.

Land manager: USDA Forest Service.

Location: Deschutes National Forest, Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District.

Nearest town: La Pine, OR.

Species: Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa).

Site history: The site was a predominantly black bark ponderosa pine stand that was part of a stand improvement cut during the 1999 Prairie timber sale. The Rosland Fire burned the site with high severity in July of 2020, killing most trees and all understory vegetation, but leaving the soil relatively intact.

Site characteristics: The site is almost flat, and at 4,300 ft of elevation. The soils are excessively drained loamy sands formed from a moderately thick layer of pumice and volcanic ash over residual soil on basaltic lavas and outwashed sands. The mean annual temperature is 44 °F (coldest month: 28 °F; warmest month: 61°F,) and the mean annual precipitation is 510 mm (121 mm of which is snow).

Planting date: Spring 2025.  

Contact person:

Marissa Kuntz, Silviculture Forester; USDA Forest Service, Deschutes National Forest, Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District.

Robert Slesak, Research Forester; USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 

Pre-planting site conditions at the Rosland site. Photo by Marissa Kuntz.

Management objectives and other considerations: TBA.

Site preparation: Contractors will salvage harvest the site for dead or dying trees between 9 and 15 inches diameter at breast height (dbh). To ensure seedling survival, fuel will be reduced by removing trees <9 inches dbh either mechanically or by hand piling. The slash will be machine piled using an excavator-mounted grapple and then burned.  

Pre-planting site conditions: After the salvage harvest and fuels reduction, the site will have virtually no remaining canopy and the soil will be cleared of large woody debris. Some understory regeneration is expected.

Experimental design: A randomized complete block with four replications per treatment applied to 0.5-ac plots.

Assisted migration treatments: The team used the Seedlot Selection Tool to choose four planted seed sources (see table below.) 

Seed source locations matching historical and predicted future climates for the Rosland site. Map by Laura Gonzalez Mantecon.

Silvicultural treatments: Four vegetation control treatments: Two radiuses of treatment around seedlings, one vs. two entry times.

Planting density: Operational contract crews will plant 165 trees per ac.

Seedling stock type: Containerized (Q-plugs+1.5).

Monitoring: The site will be monitored to track and compare seedling survival among seed sources and silvicultural treatments. Measurements are planned for 1, 5, 10, and 15 years after planting.

The site may also serve as a demonstration plot for managers to visit and visually compare seed source performance.

To be available.