Treesearch

Public expectations for management of public resources are changing, and public agencies are moving toward sustainable ecosystem management that incorporates information on ecological, economic, and social systems. A broad assessment of these systems is being undertaken for the interior Columbia River basin. This paper describes some basic population characteristics of the area and focuses on the economic conditions there during the last several decades by using population, personal income, nonfarm labor income, and employment as primary indicators.

The Status of the Interior Columbia Basin is a summary of the scientific findings from the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project. The Interior Columbia Basin includes some 145 million acres within the northwestern United Stales. Over 75 million acres of this area are managed by the USDA Forest Service or the USDI Bureau of Land Management. A framework for ecosystem management is described that assumes the broad purpose is to maintain the integrity of ecosystems over time and space. An integrated scientific assessment links landscape, aquatic, terrestrial, social, and...

We summarized the scientific information available for the Alexander Archipelago wolf (Canis lupus ligoni) in the Tongass National Forest of southeast Alaska. Information concerning the morphology, distribution, taxonomy, genetics, and ecology of wolves are presented. Three issues for the conservation of wolves in southeast Alaska are discussed: loss of long-term carrying capacity for deer due primarily to extensive timber harvesting, increased mortality of wolves associated with improved human access from roads, and continued high levels of harvest of wolves by humans. Continued timber...

Throughout their history, conservation science and sustainable-yield management have failed to maintain the productivity of living resources. Repeated overexploitation of economic species, loss of biological diversity, and degradation of regional environments now call into question the economic ideas and values that have formed the foundation of scientific management of natural resources. In particular, management efforts intended to maximize production and ensure efficient use of economic "resources" have consistently degraded the larger support systems upon which these and all other...

Three levels of organic matter removal (bole only; bole and crowns; and bole, crowns, and forest floor) and three levels of mechanical soil compaction (no compaction, moderate compaction, and severe soil compaction) were studied as they influence Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco) and western white pine (Pinus monticola Dougl. ex D. Don) seedlings following outplanting. Moderate and severe soil compaction significantly reduced nonmycorrhizal root tip abundance on both Douglas-fir and western white pine seedlings (p ≤ 0.05). Ectomycorrhizal root tip abundance...

Tailed frogs (Ascaphus truei) were found in 42 of 80 streams surveyed in Union, Umatilla, Wallowa, and Baker Counties in 1992. At least three size classes of larvae were identified in seven of the streams, thereby suggesting that larvae transform after spending 3 or more years in the streams. The amount of cobble and fines in the streambed best predicted abundance of larvae, whereas, cobble, boulders, slope gradient, and stream buffers best predicted abundance of adults.

Abstract Throughout the Applegate watershed, dense, overstocked, immature stands of mixed conifers and hardwoods and declining stands of mature conifers present significant and complex silvicultural problems. Stand stagnation is common, as is loss of large-diameter conifers from insects and wildfire. Treatments designed to maintain or encourage development of large-diameter conifers have not been tested. In this study, we examined conditions after density management treatments in two adjacent but dissimilar stands: (1) a dense, stagnant, immature stand of 40+-year-old hard-woods and...

This report estimates old-growth forest area and summarizes stand characteristics of old growth in northwestern California National Forests by forest type. Old-growth definitions for each forest type are used.

Changes in fire regimes are expected across North America in response to anticipated global climatic changes. Potential changes in large-scale vegetation patterns are predicted as a result of altered fire frequencies. A new vegetation classification was developed by condensing Kuchler potential natural vegetation types into aggregated types that are relatively homogeneous with respect to fire regime. Transition rules were developed to predict potential changes from one vegetation type to another because of increased fire frequency. In general, vegetation currently associated with warmer or...

Results of the Francis installation of the levels-of-growing-stock study in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco), begun at stand age 15, are summarized together with results from additional first-thinning treatments started at age 25. To age 42 (5 years beyond the last planned thinning), total cubic-foot volume growth on this mid-site II Douglas-fir plantation has been strongly related to level of growing stock. Growth of lower levels of growing stock exceeded that of the control for only a brief period at age 30. Selection of a "best" treatment would depend on the unit of...