Treesearch

A general systems analysis of current approaches to payments for ecosystem services reveals a weakness, a missing feedback that ought to be in place pushing the system toward its goal of balancing human needs with the adaptive capacity of ecosystems. In situations of rising demand for ecosystem services among limited means for producing them, the likelihood that payment systems effectively shift, but do not preclude ecosystem service losses is high. We propose that explicit price or information signals to ecosystem services consumers would create the necessary feedback, thereby "closing...

Wildfires, hazardous fuel buildups, small-diameter timber, wildland-urban interface zones, biomass. These are some of the terms becoming familiar to communities throughout the Western United States after the record-breaking fire seasons of the past decade. Although small-diameter stems are generally expensive to remove and often have limited utilization options, the need to reduce wildfire hazard has become increasingly important with the expansion of the wildland-urban interface across the Western United States. An estimated 73 million acres of national forest land in Western States (397...

We describe sampling methods and provide software to accurately and efficiently estimate snag and tree densities at desired scales to meet a variety of research and management objectives. The methods optimize sampling effort by choosing a plot size appropriate for the specified forest conditions and sampling goals. Plot selection and data analyses are supported by SnagPRO, a software program designed specifically to serve our sampling methods. We present two sampling methods to estimate density and associated characteristics of snags and trees. The first method requires sampling until a...

Provides historical information on log harvest; employment in the forest industries; international trade in logs, lumber, and chips; and volume and average prices of sawtimber stumpage sold by national forests.

This report examines socioeconomic changes that took place between 1990 and 2003 on and around lands managed by the Klamath National Forest in California to assess the effects of the Northwest Forest Plan (the Plan) on rural economies and communities there. Three case communities were studied: Scott Valley, Butte Valley, and Mid-Klamath. The report characterizes the region and its history, discusses management changes on the forest under the Plan and how they were perceived, describes socioeconomic change in the communities and how they were linked to the Plan, and evaluates how well Plan...

The Malheur model for fire-caused delayed mortality is presented as an easily interpreted graph (mortality-probability calculator) as part of a one-page field guide that allows the user to determine postfire probability of mortality for ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws.). Following both prescribed burns and wildfires, managers need the ability to predict the mortality of individual ponderosa pine trees based on burn damage. The model was developed from fire-caused delayed mortality observed for 4 years postburn in a replicated study of 12 burn units and 6 nonburned units near...

This guidebook describes Powell Butte Research Natural Area, a 210-ha (520-ac) tract established to represent examples of the western juniper/big sagebrush/Idaho fescue (Juniperus occidentalis/Artemisia tridentata/Festuca idahoensis) plant association, the western juniper/big sagebrush/bluebunch wheatgrass (Juniperus occidentalis/Artemisia tridentata/Pseudoroegneria spicata) plant association, and the western juniper/bluebunch wheatgrass (Juniperus occidentalis/Pseudoroegneria spicata) plant association.

This guidebook describes Horse Ridge Research Natural Area, a 243-ha (600-ac) tract established to represent an example of the western juniper/big sagebrush/threadleaf sedge (Juniperus occidentalis/Artemisia tridentata/Carex filifolia) plant association.

Updated projections of demand for Alaska timber were published July 2006. Their application in land management planning for the Tongass National Forest has resulted in numerous questions and requests for clarification. This note discusses a broad range of these questions from the context of why we do projections, the model we used, the assumptions that determine the levels of timber harvest, our use of scenario planning, comments about how producers in Alaska compete with other North American producers, and the potential that some significant changes in southeast Alaska markets have...

This guidebook describes The Island Research Natural Area, an 84-ha (208-ac) tract established to represent examples of the western juniper/big sagebrush/bluebunch wheatgrass (Juniperus occidentalis/Artemisia tridentata/Pseudoroegneria spicata), and the western juniper/big sagebrush-antelope bitterbrush/bluebunch wheatgrass (Juniperus occidentalis/Artemisia tridentata-Purshia tridentata/Pseudoroegneria spicata) plant associations.