Treesearch

In this paper, we quantify the contributions of intermittent streams to coho salmon production in an Oregon coastal watershed. We provide estimates of (1) proportion of spawning that occurred in intermittent streams, (2) movement of juveniles into intermittent streams, (3) juvenile survival in intermittent and perennial streams during winter, and (4) relative size of smolts produced from intermittent and perennial streams. This effort is part of a larger study that is examining how coho use habitat in the whole stream network of an Oregon coastal watershed during their freshwater life cycle.

This problem analysis describes a variety of human-resource interaction issues and identifies related social science research and development needs that serve as the foundation for the Alaska Communities and Forest Environments Team within the Pacific Northwest Research Station. The document lays out a research agenda that focuses on understanding relations between human communities and natural resources. The agenda is divided into four subtopics: (1) communities in transition; (2) collaborative planning and stewardship; (3) sustainable tourism and outdoor recreation; and (4) cultural...

Currently, all treated lumber used in Alaska is imported from the 48 contiguous states and Canada because there are no wood-treating facilities in Alaska. This report explores conventional and alternative wood-treating methods and reviews previous studies and laboratory tests on treated wood. In investigating wood treatment as a possible processing option for Alaska forest products manufacturers, the double-diffusion method of using sodium fluoride followed by a copper sulfate appeared to be the most advantageous approach. This method of treating wood was identified because it can be used...

Red alder is the most common hardwood in the Pacific Northwest with a range stretching from coastal southeast Alaska to southern California and east to isolated populations in Idaho. Soil moisture during the growing season influences where it grows and its growth rates; it can tolerate poor drainage but not droughty, hot sites. Due to its tolerance of wet soil conditions, alder is common in riparian areas. Alder can be injured by spring and fall frosts and is not found at elevations above 11O0 m anywhere in its range. The species produces small, very light seeds that disperse over long...

Researchers, land managers, and the public currently often are unable to obtain useful biodiversity information because the subject represents such a large component of biology and ecology, and systems to compile and organize this information do not exist. Information on vascular plant taxonomy, as addressed by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and key partners, serves as an example of current efforts to integrate information. Current areas of informatics research related to online systems are focused on improving searches and intelligent systems, but are limited by available...

The Society for Ecological Restoration Primer on Ecological Restoration (SERPER) states, "Ecological restoration is an intentional activity that initiates or accelerates the recovery of an ecosystem with respect to its health, integrity, and sustainability" and attempts to return an ecosystem to its historic condition. There are questions, however, about whether changing environmental conditions such as global climate change, invasive species (including pests and diseases), human-altered disturbance regimes, and widespread land-use changes will allow return to historic conditions, what...

Biodiversity conservation in the US Pacific Northwest is gaining new attention as large reserves are recognized as not being a panacea for protection of all rare species. In February 2005, a workshop at Oregon State University, held in conjunction with the joint annual meetings of the Society for Northwestern Vertebrate Biology and the Oregon Chapter of the Wildlife Society, focused on key topics of concern relative to the advancement of biodiversity conservation in the region. Articles in this issue of Northwestern Naturalist provide overviews of these topics. As an introduction, I...

Age distributions of sulfur cinquefoil populations were determined on sites that were historically grazed, cultivated, and mechanically disturbed. From 12 sites, a total of 279 reproductively active plants were collected and aged by using herbchronology (counting rings in the secondary root xylem of the root crown) to (1) estimate the age structure of the populations, (2) relate plant size and flower production to plant age, and (3) examine the relation of population age structure to environmental variables and disturbance history. Results indicated that the mean age for all sampled plants...

Although partial harvests are common in many forest types globally, there has been little assessment of the potential to map the intensity of these harvests using Landsat data. We modeled basal area removal and percentage cover change in a study area in central Washington (northwestern USA) using biennial Landsat imagery and reference data from historical aerial photos and a system of inventory plots. First, we assessed the correlation of Landsat spectral bands and associated indices with measured levels of forest removal. The variables most closely associated with forest removal were the...

Nine measures of atmospheric surface moisture are tested for statistical relationships with fire size and number of fires using data from the Great Lakes region of the United States. The measures include relative humidity, water vapor mixing ratio, mixing ratio deficit, vapor pressure, vapor pressure deficit, dew point temperature, dew point depression, wet bulb temperature and wet bulb depression. Two moisture-related measures of the vertical stability of the atmosphere (Convective available potential energy and a modified version of the same quantity) are also tested for the same fire...