Treesearch

This paper presents long-term resource production from National Forests in the Northern and Intermountain Regions, Regions 1 and 4, respectively. A historical data series of timber harvest and grazing levels on National Forests and lumber production and prices for these regions is developed. Significant trends within the data set are examined. A simple model based on derived demand concepts is tested to identify periods of possible structural change within the stumpage markets for the Region 1 data. This information provides a baseline data set of interest to policymakers and researchers...

This report describes options for effectiveness monitoring of long-term status and trends to evaluate the success of the Northwest Forest Plan in maintaining and restoring marbled murrelet nesting habitat and populations on Federal lands. A two-phase approach is described that begins with developing reliable and repeatable processes for identifying nesting habitat and overcoming logistical and statistical problems before habitat and population trends can be accurately assessed. The second phase involves application of these processes to mapping and quantifying nesting habitat, and establish...

Of the many processes that generate gene duplications, polyploidy is unique in that entire genomes are duplicated. This process has been important in the evolution of many eukaryotic groups, and it occurs with high frequency in plants. Recent evidence suggests that polyploidization may be accompanied by rapid genomic changes, but the evolutionary fate of discrete loci recently doubled by polyploidy (homoeologues) has not been studies. Here we use locus-specific isolation techniques with comparative mapping to characterize the evolution of homoeologous loci in allopolyploid cotton (Gossypium...

We varied the number of red alder retained with 300 Douglas-fir per acre on a high-quality site in coastal Oregon. Alder densities of 0, 20, 40, and 80 per acre were tested. Our fifth treatment eliminated nitrogen-fixing alder, but substituted nitrogen fertilizer. Treatment 6 had neither thinning nor alder control. Treatments were randomly assigned within each of three blocks in a 9-year-old plantation. In pure Douglas-fir plots, gross volume growth was similar for nonfertilized plots, indicating no measurable benefits of additional nitrogen. In mixed stands, red alder reduced yield of...

Repeated thinning to five growing-stock levels resulted in widely differing tree sizes and volumes per acre after 30 years. Largest trees but the least cubic-volume yield per acre were produced in the heaviest thinning level, whereas highest board-foot yields were found in intermediate thinning levels. Partial defoliation by larch casebearer (Coleophora laricella Hübner), drought, and top damage from ice occurred, and site trees grew less in height than expected during the 30-year study. Curvilinear increases in periodic annual increments of both basal area and cubic volume generally...

The 1999 forest and rangeland condition indicator model is a set of independent econometric production functions for environmental outputs (measured with condition indicators) at the national scale. This report documents the development of the database and the statistical estimation required by this particular production structure with emphasis on two special characteristics of environmental output production processes: (1) the independence of ecological systems from human control, and (2) the broadscale spatial nature of these processes. Resolution of data deficiencies also is examined....

Monitoring is necessary for an adaptive management approach and the successful implementation of ecosystem management. In this document, we present an approach to monitoring biological diversity at different levels of ecological organization: landscape, community or ecosystem, population or species, and genetic. Our approach involves identifying monitoring questions derived from regional, provincial, or watershed assessments; identifying monitoring methods; and analyzing and interpreting data to integrate into management strategies. Examples of monitoring methods, data analysis, and...

During June and August 1992, a new technology designed to exclude cattle from specific areas such as riparian zones was tested. The technology consisted of an eartag worn by an animal that provides an audio warning and electrical impulse to the ear as the animal approaches the zone of influence of a transmitter. The transmitter emits a signal that narrowly defines the desired area of exclusion. Tests on cattle indicated that the technology is about 90 percent effective at excluding animals.

The PPHARVST computer application is Windows-based, public-domain software used to estimate harvesting costs for management planning for ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws.) plantations. The equipment production rates were developed from existing studies. Equipment cost rates were based on 1996 prices for new equipment. Harvesting systems include a cut-to-length harvester-forwarder system, a whole-tree/log-length skidder system, and a skyline cable system. Harvesting costs can be estimated for both clearcutting and partial cutting for trees ranging from 3 cubic feet to 250...

As the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management turn toward ecosystem and adaptive models of forest stewardship, they are being called on to develop meaningful and lasting relations with citizens. These new management styles require not only improved strategies for public involvement but also methods to examine the interactions between citizens and agencies in order to learn from such experiences. Using the general principles of adaptive management—which stress monitoring, evaluation, and adjustment—this report provides a comprehensive framework to help agency personnel and...