Treesearch

Significant changes over the past 150 years in aquatic, terrestrial, landscape, and socioeconomic systems have altered biophysical systems in the interior Columbia basin. Changes and conflict in public policy concerns, such as resource use vs. restoration vs. conservation are especially evident in more than 34% of total forest and rangeland in the United States that are federally administered. In the last decade, design and implementation of complex land management strategies has become an issue for public land managers. In turn, the scientific community is often challenged to develop...

Knowledge of the survival of the Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) is essential in managing viable populations of the species. In eight study areas in northeastern Oregon, survivorship of adult Pileated Woodpeckers was 0.60 after 6 mo, 0.47 after 12 me, and 0.35 after 18 mo. Of three juveniles radio-tagged in late summer or fall, two survived to breed the next year. Of 13 juveniles radio-tagged as nestlings, 23-54% survived 3.5 mo. In these populations adult mortality exceeded recruitment of young into the breeding population. Survival may have been influenced by transmitter...

The abundance of birds and amphibian larvae was compared between fenced and unfenced stock ponds in 1993 to determine if fencing improved the habitat for these species in northeastern Oregon. Stock ponds that were fenced had significantly higher densities of bird species, guilds, and taxonomic groups than stock ponds that were unfenced. No differences in the relative abundance of larvae of Pacific treefrogs (Pseudacris regilla) or long-toed salamanders (Ambystoma macrodactylum) were found between fenced and unfenced ponds. Fencing at least a portion of stock ponds in forested areas...

Summary estimates are presented of forest resource area, timber volume, and growth and mortality of timber on unreserved national forest land in the Chatham inventory unit of the Tongass National Forest. Pacific Northwest Research Station, Forest Inventory and Analysis crews collected inventory data from 1995 to 2000. Productive forest land area (timberland) was estimated at 1,302 thousand acres, cubic-foot volume on timberland at 7,561 million cubic feet, and net annual growth and mortality at 31,613 and 28,341 thousand cubic feet, respectively.

While many people interested in natural resources management propose science-based decisions, it is not clear what “science-based” means. Science-based decisions are those that result from the full and complete consideration of the relevant science information. We offer five guidelines to focus the scientist’s contributions to science-based decisionmaking and use the experience of using science in the development of natural resource management decisions for the Tongass National Forest and for the federal lands in the interior Columbia River basin as examples to illustrate our guidelines.

TreeVal for Windows provides financial information and analysis to support silvicultural decisions in coast Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco). It integrates the effect of growth and yield, management costs, harvesting costs, product and mill type, manufacturing costs, product prices, and product grade premiums. Output files from the ORGANON growth and yield simulator can be read directly into TreeVal. All management actions, including pruning, are supported. Results, including product recovery information, net value, and financial analysis of silvicultural regimes, are...

The effects of climate change on forests will trigger market adaptations in forest management and in wood-products industries and may well have significant effects on forest-based outdoor recreation.

An assessment was done of the lumber drying industry in Alaska. Part 1 of the assessment included an evaluation of kiln capacity, kiln type, and species dried, by geographic region of the state. Part 2 of the assessment considered the value-added potential associated with lumber drying. Various costs related to lumber drying were evaluated in an Excel spreadsheet. About 2.2 million board feet of lumber per year is currently being dried in Alaska, over 90 percent of which is softwoods. Total installed kiln capacity is about 94 thousand board feet. On a board-foot basis, lumber drying...

This atlas illustrates the spatial and temporal dimensions of social and economic changes in the social-economic assessment region in the decade since 1987/1988. Maps, interpretive text, and accompanying tables and graphs portray conditions, trends, and changes in selected social, economic, and natural resource-related indicators for the 26 counties of the diverse region during a period of particularly rapid and intense demographic, social, and economic change. This information about the people, communities, and resources of the region serves as a tool for natural resource planners and...

The concept of sustainability in the context of forest management holds a different meaning to almost every group that espouses it. Many of these differences arise because of the varying goals and objectives of those who promote the idea of sustainable forest management. When discussing this topic, the question of "sustainable of what" must be answered before reaching a common understanding of goals and objectives. In general, a sustainable approach to forest management uses innovative strategies to conserve biodiversity, improve the balance among alternative forest values, and maintain...