Treesearch

This chapter is a review and synthesis of research on stream nutrients from the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest (HJA) located in the western Cascade Mountains of Oregon. This research includes studies, some of which originated in the 1960s, in streams through reference forests and harvested watersheds. In addition to providing foundational information for researchers and managers, the information in this chapter serves to inform national and regional water quality regulatory agencies about results of relevant scientific studies at HJA. The chapter also identifies questions of potential...

Determining the demographic impacts of wildlife disease is complex because extrinsic and intrinsic drivers of survival, reproduction, body condition, and other factors that may interact with disease vary widely. Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae infection has been linked to persistent mortality in juvenile bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), although mortality appears to vary widely across subspecies, populations, and outbreaks. Hypotheses for that variation range from interactions with nutrition, population density, genetic variation in the pathogen, genetic variation in the host, and other factors....

Data from satellite instruments provide estimates of gas and particle levels relevant to human health, even pollutants invisible to the human eye. However, the successful interpretation of satellite data requires an understanding of how satellites relate to other data sources, as well as factors affecting their application to health challenges. Drawing from the expertise and experience of the 2016–2020 NASA HAQAST (Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team), we present a review of satellite data for air quality and health applications. We include a discussion of satellite data for...

We quantified the population dynamics and life history diversity of seven brood years of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) using a life-cycle approach. Four life history patterns, composed of fry, fry–nomad, parr, and yearling migrants indicated the importance of connectivity and access to a full range of freshwater and estuarine rearing environments through the year. Survival of each life history type varied annually with the yearling migrants contributing an average of 70% to the spawners in all but one return year. Fifty-eight percent of the spawners of the 2013 return year had an...

Long distance trails offer distinctive opportunities for people to connect with natural and cultural heritage through recreation, tourism, and stewardship. Such connections can lead to broad support for conservation goals. In the United States, National Scenic Trails (NSTs) promote community engagement in trail planning, development, maintenance, and management. Governance of these multi-jurisdictional trails occurs through a diverse array of governmental and non-governmental actors. We conducted interviews (n=17) with federal trail administrators and non-governmental trail organizations...

Natural area management and sustainability in cities is ever more reliant on civic environmental stewardship. Many conservation organizations sponsor stewardship programs that enlist volunteers to care for the land and restore urban ecosystems. Stewardship program success depends on alignment of individuals’ and sponsoring organizations’ goals. We conducted surveys with a sample of 165 volunteers across natural areas stewardship events in metropolitan King County (Washington, U.S.). An adapted Volunteer Functions Inventory framework was used to understand volunteers’ motivations, satisfacti...

Fire has been an important catalyst of change in Pacific Northwest forests throughout the Holocene. The role of fire varied across this biophysically diverse region prior to European colonization, but fire exclusion and logging drastically altered forest conditions during the 19th and 20th centuries. Despite recent increases in area burned and several large wildfires with devastating social and economic consequences, area burned in recent decades remains far less than under historical regimes across most of the region. Some dry forest landscapes have experienced profound change through...

The chapter explores a series of overlapping discussions from the 1960s to the mid-1970s concerning the need to preserve natural areas for ecological research and observation, as well as the need for ecologists to be advocates for ecological science in the light of modern environmental problems. The U.S. Forest Service was also actively promoting the creation of Research Natural Areas and making them available for ecological research. A report prepared under the auspices of The Institute of Ecology in the mid-1970s drew attention to the desirability of creating a large network of experiment...

This chapter investigates how the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Program has changed from 1980 to 2018. The LTER program is designed to balance persistence with response to change in science, society, and ecosystems through renewable 6-year grants subjected to peer review at the midterm and at renewal. The LTER program had an initial period of rapid growth with some terminations (1980s), a middle period of slower growth with no terminations (1990–2010), and a third period of no net growth, with added and terminated sites and an accelerated rate of...

A broad spectrum of arts and humanities activities has emerged organically within the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program including disciplines such as philosophy and ethics, creative writing, and the visual, multimedia, musical, and performing arts. The majority of LTER sites now hosts activities that integrate the environmental sciences with the arts and humanities (eSAH). These programs serve important functions central to the LTER mission, including, but not limited to, public engagement, outreach, and education. Some LTER eSAH programs additionally consider these activities...