Treesearch

Montague Island tundra voles were first described in the early 1900s. Based on their large size and dark coloration relative to other island and mainland populations, tundra voles from Montague Island were classified as a distinct subspecies. Research conducted in the 1990s revealed significant differences in the size and shape of Montague Island voles, but not significant genetic differentiation. Montague Island voles appeared abundant in the 1990s, although there was no attempt to estimate population size. Montague Island voles may be reproductively and genetically isolated. More...

The hoary marmot, from Montague Island, south-central Alaska, was classified as a distinct subspecies based on smaller size and skull characteristics relative to other island and mainland populations. The taxonomic validity of the Montague Island marmot (Marmota caligata sheldoni) is questionable, as conclusions were based on the analysis of no more than eight specimens. With the exception of one relatively recent sight record, Montague Island marmots have not been reported or collected since the early 1900s. A conservation concern exists, particularly owing to the unknown population...

In recognition of the cultural, economic, and ecological importance of forestry in Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the United States, this paper compares forest resource data, ownership patterns, management issues, and the impact the forest sector has on the national economies of these four countries. There is particular emphasis on the analysis of policy measures that affect nonindustrial private forests (NIPFs) in Norway and the United States. This comparison of similarities and differences in the management of NIPFs serves to identify different solutions to common challenges faced by the...

To understand the combustion limit of biomass fuels in a longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) forest, an experiment was conducted to monitor the moisture content of potentially flammable forest floor materials (litter and duff) at Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle. While longleaf pine forests are fire dependent ecosystems, a long history of fire exclusion has allowed large amounts of pine litter and duff to accumulate. Reintroduction fire to remove excess fuel without killing the longleaf pine trees requires care to burn under litter and duff moisture conditions that alternately...

To resolve conflicts over water, we need an understanding of human uses and values for water. In this study, we explore how water-based recreation affects and is affected by the water regime and water management and how key social trends might influence future water-based recreation. We found that although water is a critical component of many recreational experiences, our failure to understand current and anticipated water-based recreation use trends hampers our ability to effectively manage for recreation. Furthermore, we examined certain key drivers of social change, including population...

Wood energy can be important in meeting the energy needs of Alaska communities that have access to abundant biomass resources. In the Kenai Peninsula, a continuing spruce bark beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis (Kirby)) infestation has created large volumes of standing dead spruce trees (Picea spp.). For this evaluation, a site in the Kenai-Soldotna area was chosen for a small, industrial-scale (4 million British thermal units (BTUs) per hour) wood-fired hot water heating system, which could be fueled by salvaged spruce timber and also by sawmilling residues. Thirty-six different scenarios...

DecAID is a knowledge-based advisory model that provides guidance to managers in determining the size, amount, and distribution of dead and decaying wood (dead and partially dead trees and down wood) necessary to maintain wildlife habitat and ecosystem functions. The intent of the model is to update and replace existing snag-wildlife models in Washington and Oregon. Whereas the relationship of dead and decaying wood to wildlife habitat is a major component of the model, DecAID will also provide expert advice on prescribing and interpreting conditions of dead wood for wildland and prescribed...

Red alder (Alnus rubra Bong.) seedlings were planted in northwestern Oregon, U.S.A., at five initial spacings: 0.6 × 1.2 m, 1.2 × 1.2 m, 1.2 × 1.8 m, 1.8 × 1.8 m, and 2.5 × 2.5 m. Up to about age 10, tree and stand characteristics were correlated primarily with initial planting density in the expected manner; through age 20, however, tree growth and stand development in plots planted at rectangular spacings were substantially more rapid than in the two closest square spacings. Mean stand diameter ranged from 19.2 cm in the widest spacing to 14.0 cm in the closest square (1.2 × 1.2 m)...

Stand treatments were completed as prescribed with an initial calibration cut and five thinnings resulting in eight new regimes for management of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco). Measurements were continued for an additional 14 years to observe stability and yields of stands in a postthinning holding period. Detailed descriptions of each regime based on measurements at each thinning are summarized in stand development tables. Regimes with the most growing stock after the last thinning produced 30 to 38 percent more gross-cubic-volume yield (live and cumulative thinnings...

With more than 16 million acres of commercial timberland, Oregon’s forest products industry is an important part of Oregon’s economy and a major player in the Nation’s wood products market. Despite declining production over the last decade, in 1998 Oregon was still the leading producer of softwood lumber and plywood in the United States, and the timber harvested in Oregon is the major supplier of the raw material used by Oregon’s wood-processing mills. This report traces the flow of Oregon’s 1998 timber harvest through the various primary wood-using industries and investigates the relations...