Treesearch

Many of the stand structural characteristics of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) forests that existed prior to European colonization have been altered or lost from past disturbance histories (Frost this volume). For example, often missing are the widely spaced, large-diameter trees, the all-aged stand structure that included a vigorous cohort of grass-stage longleaf pine seedlings, and the understory community composed of numerous woody and herbaceous species of short stature embedded within the flashy fuels of a wiregrass (Aristida beyrichiana Trin. & Rupr.) or bluestem (Andropogon...

Phellinus weirii causes laminated root rot (LRR), a major disease affecting growth and survival of Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas-fir) and other commercially important conifer species throughout the Pacific Northwest. Increasing tree vigor and resistance to pathogens through application of K fertilizer is a suggested disease management strategy and one we wished to test. Plots were established with Douglas-fir seedlings planted densely (12,000 seedlings ha-1) around stumps of LRR-killed trees on a harvested site west of the Cascade Range crest near Morton, Washington. Treatments, randomly...

The Northwest Forest Plan (the Plan) is a large-scale ecosystem management plan for federal land in the Pacific Northwest. Marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) populations and habitat were monitored to evaluate effectiveness of the Plan. The chapters in this volume summarize information on marbled murrelet ecology and present the monitoring results for marbled murrelets over the first 10 years of the Plan, 1994 to 2003. The marbled murrelet was federally listed in 1992 as threatened in Washington, Oregon, and California. The Plan identified the marbled murrelet as a major objective...

This project involved the development of an information tool that gives Incident Commanders the critical information they need to make informed decisions regarding the consequences of threats to public water supply intakes.

The socioeconomic monitoring report addresses two evaluation questions posed in the Northwest Forest Plan (the Plan) Record of Decision and assesses progress in meeting five Plan socioeconomic goals. Volume I of the report contains key findings. Volume II addresses the question, Are predictable levels of timber and nontimber resources available and being produced? It also evaluates progress in meeting the goal of producing a predictable level of timber sales, special forest products, livestock grazing, minerals, and recreation opportunities. The focus of volume III is the evaluation...

We assess locomotor performance by northern flying squirrels Glartcontys sabrinus Shaw, 1801 and test the hypothesis that gliding locomotion is energetically cheaper than quadrupedal locomotion. We measured 168 glides by 82 northern flying squirrels in Alaska. Mean glide distances varied from 12.46 m to 14.39 m, with a maximum observed glide distance of 65 m. Mean glide angles varied from 41.31° to 36.31°, and mean air speed ranged from 6.26 m/s to 8.11 m/s. There were no differences in the performance of male and female flying squirrels. We used models of transport cost to provide an...

The Northwest Forest Plan (the Plan) identifies adaptive management as a central strategy for effective implementation. Despite this, there has been a lack of any systematic evaluation of its performance. This study is based on an extensive literature review, 50 interviews with resource managers and scientists involved with the Plan’s implementation, and a survey of over 400 citizens in Oregon and Washington who participated in public involvement programs related to the adaptive management elements of the Plan. The study documents experiences with adaptive approaches, identifies key...

Several major classes of software technologies have been used in decisionmaking for forest management applications over the past few decades. These computer-based technologies include mathematical programming, expert systems, network models, multi-criteria decisionmaking, and integrated systems. Each technology possesses unique advantages and disadvantages, and has been applied differentially to decisionmaking in forestry. Several example decision-support systems highlight the incorportation of these various technologies for vastly different management problems. Likely future development...

Stem sinuosity is a highly visible stem-form trait in the leaders of fast-growing Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) trees, yet its cause is unknown. We tested the hypotheses that sinuous stems have longer expanses of primary growth than nonsinuous stems (putting the leader at higher risk for curvature, induction of compression wood formation. and possibly overcorrection) and higher leader angle using 4- to 5-year-old saplings in raised beds. As hypothesized, sinuous stems had longer expanses of primary growth than did nonsinuous stems (13.5 vs. 12.3 cm,...

Widespread degradation of the sagebrush ecosystem in the western United States, including the invasion of cheatgrass, has prompted resource managers to consider a variety of approaches to restore and conserve habitats for sagebrush-associated species. One such approach involves the use of greater sage-grouse, a species of prominent conservation interest, as an umbrella species. This shortcut approach assumes that managing habitats to conserve sage-grouse will simultaneously benefit other species of conservation concern. The efficacy of using sage-grouse as an umbrella species for conservati...