Treesearch

As wildfire regimes shift, resource managers are concerned about potential threats to aquatic ecosystems and the species they support, especially fishes. However, predicting fish responses can be challenging because wildfires affect aquatic ecosystems via multiple pathways. Application of whole-ecosystem approaches, such as food web modeling, can act as heuristic tools that offer valuable insights that account for these different mechanisms. We applied a dynamic food web simulation model that mechanistically linked stream trophic dynamics to the myriad effects that wildfires can have on...

Rangelands around the globe are experiencing management challenges associated with existing and emerging stressors, including more frequent and severe fires, woody species expansion, annual grass invasion, heavy, repeated growing season grazing, and climate change. Disturbance is an essential part of rangeland systems. Yet climate change is likely to affect rangelands most directly by increasing the likelihood, severity, and extent of long term, negative impacts from disturbance. We conducted a synthesis of key vulnerabilities to climate change for Northwest US rangelands. These rangelands...

Accurate positioning in the forest (e.g., less than 1–2 m horizontal error) is needed to leverage the potential of high-resolution auxiliary data sources such as airborne or satellite imagery, lidar, and photogrammetric heights used in forest monitoring. Unfortunately, typical short duration occupations in the forest with budget Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS; GPS is the American constellation) receivers are generally inaccurate (horizontal errors >5–20 m). This study demonstrates that accurate GNSS positioning is feasible beneath 40 to 60 m-tall closed-canopy conifer forests of...

The complex social-ecological dynamics of homelessness in natural resource management have become increasingly apparent in recent years. Systematically understanding and engaging with these dynamics across sectors, disciplines, and landscapes has presented a conceptual and methodological challenge for both practitioners and researchers. Though some interdisciplinary research has expanded in recent years, the understanding it has fostered largely remains fragmented across disciplines, and its implications for practice are poorly understood. To help create connections across this fragmented...

Since the reintroduction of gray wolves (Canis lupus) in the Northern Rocky Mountain region of the Western United States in the mid-1990s, wolves have spread to occupy suitable habitat in several Western states, most notably Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, and recently California. Much of this suitable habitat is on federal lands, including those managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. The Forest Service manages lands for multiple uses, including grazing, and many national forests in these states now harbor both wolf and livestock populations for at...

Storing carbon in forests is one approach often proposed to help reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide, one of the greenhouse gases contributing to climate change. Land managers can use models to better understand how much carbon is stored in forests, and how forest carbon changes in response to forest growth, mortality, management, and disturbance. Knowing which model to choose based on land management goals can be a challenge. This report describes 15 forest carbon models that are applicable to Washington, Oregon, and California, with a focus on how each model incorporates disturbance and...

The Tongass National Forest has a rich history of serving its inhabitants for thousands of years, providing a variety of ecosystem services. Often, there are competing interests for the limited forest resources that provide the ecosystem services most in demand. In this study, we laid the groundwork for assessing three leading ecosystem services—timber, carbon sequestration, and wildlife habitat (specifically deer habitat). We examined in detail the tradeoffs among these ecosystem services and how stakeholders will use them. We projected the future needs and ecosystem services likely to be...

We examined the relation of an Olympic Mountain (Washington, U.S.A.) whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) population to its physical and biological environments. We analyzed temperature, light, soil moisture, foliar nutrients, tree size and age, white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola), plant species canopy cover, slope stability, and snow cover data to assess the dynamic nature of the whitebark pine population and plant communities since the end of the Little Ice Age around 1850 Common Era. We found that high summer temperatures, drought, and slope stability were important in controlling...

Exhaust from diesel combustion engines is an important contributor to urban air pollution and poses significant risk to human health. Diesel exhaust contains a chemical class known as nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nitro-PAHs) and is enriched in 1-nitropyrene (1-NP), which has the potential to serve as a marker of diesel exhaust. The isomeric nitro-PAHs 2-nitropyrene (2-NP) and 2-nitrofluoranthene (2-NFL) are secondary pollutants arising from photochemical oxidation of pyrene and fluoranthene, respectively. Like other important air toxics, there is not extensive monitoring of...

The forests and associated wood products of the Pacific coast region (PCR)—British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California—play an important role in mitigating climate change by storing carbon long term in durable wood products and providing a significant share of non-fossil fuel-based building materials and other renewable products. Understanding the supply chains and flows of these wood products into and out of the PCR is essential for supporting this goal. The objective of this research paper is to quantify the trade flows in the four PCR jurisdictions. This analysis focuses on the...