Treesearch

A conservation goal of the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) is to stabilize and increase marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) populations by maintaining and increasing nesting habitat. We monitored murrelet populations offshore of the NWFP area from 2000 to 2013 to estimate population size and trend at several spatial scales. At the conservationzone scale, 2013 population estimates ranged from 71 birds in Conservation Zone 5 (San Francisco Bay north to Shelter Cove, California) to 7,880 in Conservation Zone 3 (Coos Bay, Oregon north to the Columbia River). The 2013 estimate for the...

Communicating emissions impacts to the public can sometimes be difficult because quantitatively conveying smoke concentrations is complicated. Regulators and land managers often refer to particulate-matter concentrations in micrograms per cubic meter, but this may not be intuitive or meaningful to everyone. The primary purpose of this guide is to serve as a tool for communicating potential particulate matter (PM2.5) levels during wildfire events using visual representation. Examples of visibility impairment under various levels of smoke concentration and humidity have been modeled using...

This report highlights significant research findings and accomplishments of the Pacific Northwest Research Station during fiscal year 2015.

A wood-based energy project in Craig, Alaska, to heat the community's aquatic center and two of its schools was the first such installation in Alaska to convert from fossil fuels to a renewable energy source. Initial interest in the project started in 2004. The system came online in April 2008. This report provides an overview of the new heating system's history, including a review of fuel costs during the study period; background information about the climate and wood resources in the region; initial conception, design, tendering, and construction; and a 5-year summary of operating...

This special issue of Fire Ecology is focused on the fire ecology of eastern USA oak (Quercus L.) forests, woodlands, and savannas. The papers were presented as part of the Fifth Fire in Eastern Oak Forests Conference in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA, in 2015. The topic of fire in eastern oak ecosystems is one that has received insufficient interest from the broader fire ecology com- munity. Specific papers in this issue address the historical role of fire in the region, the response and adaptations of plant and animal species to fire and fuels treatments, and the future of these important...

We investigated the influence of landscape factors on the distribution and life stage stability of coastal tree species near the northern limit of their ranges. Using data from 1465 forest inventory plots, we estimated probability of occurrence and basal area of six common conifer species across three broad latitudinal regions of coastal Alaska. By also comparing models across life stages of each species (seedlings, saplings, mature trees, and dead trees), we explored trends in population stability at this leading edge of climate change. Elevation had a stronger influence on the probability...

Projections of Alaska timber products output; the derived demand for logs, lumber, residues, and niche products; and timber harvest by owner were developed using a trend-based analysis. This is the fifth such analysis performed since 1990 to assist planners in meeting statutory requirements for estimating planning-cycle demand for timber from the Tongass National Forest. Results reflect the consequences of recent changes in Tongass forest policy, the Alaska forest sector, and trends in markets for Alaska products. Demand for Alaska national forest timber currently depends on markets for...

Native Americans who wish to harvest forest plants for traditional uses report difficulties gaining access to federal lands in the northwestern United States. To learn more about this issue, we reviewed the published literature on site access and resource harvests by tribal members and discussed it with Native American traditional users of plant resources. Specifically, 29 members of the Northwest Native American Basketweavers Association shared their experiences with gathering plants on federal land. The study found that barriers to harvest (e.g., gates, closed roads, and requirements for...

Sustainable working landscapes are critical to the conservation of biodiversity in the American West and its cultures of rural ranching and forestry. Given the West's patchwork of public, private, and tribal lands, perhaps the best way to conserve biodiversity and ecosystem function on a large scale is through a process of collaborative conservation. These are the two central arguments of the 2014 book Stitching the West Back Together, co-edited by Susan Charnley, an environmental anthropologist with the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station. The book is written by...