Treesearch

This report traces the flow of California’s 2016 timber harvest through the primary wood products industry and characterizes the structure, condition, and economic impacts of California’s forest products sector. Historical changes in the forest products industry are presented, as well as trends in timber harvest, production, sawmill capacity, mill residuals, and sales value. Also discussed are employment and worker earnings in the state’s primary and secondary forest products industries. Periodic survey data collected from the forest products industry provides detailed information on...

The movement patterns of native migratory fishes may reflect different selection pressures in different environments that are associated with predictable patterns of temperature and discharge. Spatial and temporal variability in the movement patterns of adult Coho Salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch were explored with data that were collected from the Umpqua River basin, Oregon, focusing on two points in their return migration: (1) main-stem midriver migration timing of adult Coho Salmon as they pass Winchester Dam, Oregon, and (2) adult spawn timing in tributary streams of the Smith River....

Humans and wildlife interact in multifaceted ways on public lands with both positive and negative outcomes for each group. When managed well, wildlife-based tourism and other forms of recreation can benefit conservation goals. Public lands planners and managers often must decide how to best manage recreational activities and wildlife habitats that overlap spatially and temporally. We conducted an extensive literature review and categorized recreational activity into five types based on the use of motorized equipment, season, and location (terrestrial vs. aquatic), expanding on findings...

Temperate grasslands are one of the most altered ecosystems on Earth. Consequently, conservation of important characteristics of such ecosystems (e.g., biodiversity) is uncertain even within grasslands that have been protected. Invasion by non-native plants is considered a primary threat to intact grasslands. Here, we evaluated native and non-native vegetation composition change over seven years in the largest Pacific Northwest Bunchgrass remnant. We sampled 124 permanent plots across the Zumwalt Prairie Preserve (northeastern Oregon, USA) twice, seven years apart. With data collected from...

The degradation of dry woodlands in South America by agricultural activities affects wildlife through a decrease in available habitat and fine-scale changes in habitat structure. The impact of land use can be perceived by small, mobile organisms as preventing or facilitating their movement through and among habitats, consequently altering ecosystem functions. By tracking with radiotelemetry we describe for the first time the pattern of movement of a small mammal (Graomys griseoflavus) that inhabits dry woodland ecosystems in South America and its relationship with environmental features...

Small mammal abundances are frequently limited by resource availability, but predators can exert strong lethal (mortality) and nonlethal (e.g., nest abandonment) limitations. Artificially increasing resource availability for uncommon small mammals provides a unique opportunity to examine predator–prey interactions. We used remote cameras to monitor 168 nest platforms placed in the live tree canopy (n = 23 young forest stands), primarily for arboreal red tree voles (tree voles; Arborimus longicaudus), over 3 years (n = 15,510 monitoring-weeks). Tree voles frequently built nests and were...

Air quality impacts from wildfires have been dramatic in recent years, with millions of people exposed to elevated and sometimes hazardous fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations for extended periods. Fires emit particulate matter (PM) and gaseous compounds that can negatively impact human health and reduce visibility. While the overall trend in U.S. air quality has been improving for decades, largely due to implementation of the Clean Air Act, seasonal wildfires threaten to undo this in some regions of the United States. Our understanding of the health effects of smoke is growing...

Forests provide a suite of goods and services that are vital to human health and livelihoods. Studies of ecosystem services, which frequently attempt to place a monetary value on forest processes and organisms, can help inform management decisions by providing a baseline for discussing the costs and benefits of different management options.A recent study by Pacific Northwest Research Station researchers, Adelaide “Di” Johnson and Ryan Bellmore, along with retired Forest Service fisheries biologist Ron Medel and Alaska Department of Fish and Game fisheries biologist Stormy Haught, aimed to...

Recreation and tourism on public lands benefit visitors through improved health, enjoyable experiences, and enrichment from our natural and cultural heritage. Public land managers play a critical role by providing opportunities for high-quality outdoor experiences while protecting ecosystems, recognizing cultural and historical connections, sustaining local economies, and promoting resilient communities. The challenge of stewarding public lands and meeting increasing public demands in an era of decreasing fiscal resources, conflicting public values, and significant environmental changes...

At two affiliate sites of the North American Long-Term Soil Productivity Study (Matlock, WA and Molalla, OR, USA), soil chemical properties and stand characteristics of planted coast Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii) were compared 15 years after forest harvesting and application of three logging-debris configurations (dispersed, piled, or removed) combined with either initial vegetation control (IVC; year 0) or annual vegetation control (AVC; years 0 to 5). At Matlock, soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) concentrations each were 17% greater after IVC than after AVC; at...