Treesearch

Increasingly large and severe wildfires threaten millions of forested acres throughout the West. Under certain conditions, mechanical thinning can address these hazardous conditions while providing opportunitiesto create renewable energy and reduce our carbon footprint but how do land managers decide whether thinning is a good idea? How do they decide where to begin, and what to do with the removed trees? Prioritizing treatment areas and determining the most effective techniques for fuel hazard reduction depends on various factors such as owner objectives, forest types, and the availability...

In this study, glulam beam manufacturers in the United States and Canada were surveyed regarding their lamstock usage and glulam beam distribution channels. The respondents were divided into three subsets to measure regional comparisons: U.S. West, U.S. Central and South, and Canada. They were further divided into subsets based on annual sales figures. The research showed that the three main species used for lamstock lumber were Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) in the U.S. West, southern yellow pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) in the U.S. Central and South, and spruce-pine-fir...

This report chronicles a large-scale effort to map place values across the Pacific Northwest Region (Washington and Oregon) of the U.S. Forest Service. Through workshops held with Forest Service staff, 485 socioculturally meaningful places were identified. Staff also generated corresponding descriptions of the places’ unique social and biophysical elements—in other words, “niche” qualities and “niche” statements that reflected people’s values. These places and their niches were then mapped using geographic information systems technology. Niche information was supplemented with additional...

This report documents the history and results of the Iron Creek installation of the cooperative Levels-of-Growing-Stock (LOGS) study in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco), over the period 1966–2006 (ages 19 to 59). This is a 1949 plantation on an excellent site, and is one of nine installations in the study. Results are generally consistent with those from other LOGS installations. Volume production of thinned stands increased with increased growing stock. Current volume growth shows no sign of decreasing, and is still about twice mean annual increment. On similar public...

Canopy structure is an important attribute affecting economic and ecological values of forests in the Pacific Northwest. However, canopy cover and vertical layering are rarely measured directly; they are usually inferred from other forest measurements. In this study, we quantified and compared vertical and horizontal patterns of tree canopy structure and understory cover along a successional gradient of forests and among stands with different thinning histories on nonfederal lands in western Oregon. Analyses focused on three dominant forest type groups: wet conifer, wet hardwood, and dry...

The purpose of the international conference from which these proceedings are drawn was to explore relationships between forest management activities and timber quality. Sessions were organized to explore models and simulation methodologies that contribute to an understanding of tree development over time and the ways that management and harvesting activities can influence the quality of timber products recovered from those trees. Five keynote addresses, 29 plenary presentations, and 16 poster presentations covered the full breadth of forest growth and timber quality issues related to...

Over the past 30 years, the Pacific Northwest Interagency Natural Areas Committee has promoted the establishment and management of natural areas in Oregon and Washington—protected areas devoted to research, education, and conservation of biodiversity. This growing collection of sites is now unmatched in its diversity and representation of both common and unique natural ecosystems found throughout this region. This strategy identifies visions, goals, and actions that can help transform this regional collection of natural areas into a network that has the resiliency to meet a growing number...

Over the last 20 years, changing public values and increased ecological understanding have led to a paradigm shift in forestry from timber management to sustainable ecosystem management on U.S. federal lands. Forest managers are now seeking alternative management approaches that simultaneously meet socio-cultural, ecological and economic goals. Consequently, many field experiments have become increasingly interdisciplinary and larger in scale or scope. Individually and collectively, these studies in western Washington and Oregon represent major investments by research and land management...

Western red-backed voles are endemic to western Oregon and northern California and represent a large proportion of the rodent community in mature Douglas-fir forests. Despite their dominance in these forests, little is known about their selection of home ranges. We radiotracked 23 western red-backed voles in 3 mature, coniferous forest stands in the southern Oregon Cascades during 1994 and 1995 and estimated home range size, movements, and habitat associations. Males had larger home ranges than females and males moved farther each evening than females. Females were most active during 2...

In the Pacific Northwest (PNW) region of the contiguous United States, retention of live (green) trees in harvest units is an integral part of forest management practices on federal lands, yet the ecological benefits that result from various levels or patterns of retained trees remain speculative. The Demonstration of Ecosystem Management Options (DEMO) study was established to address these informational gaps. The experimental design consists of six treatments, each 13 ha, replicated at six locations (blocks) in western Washington and Oregon. Treatments represent strong contrasts in...