Treesearch

California spotted owls (Strix occidentalis occidentalis) are habitat specialists that are strongly associated with late-successional forests. For nesting and roosting, they require large trees and snags embedded in a stand with a complex forest structure (Blakesley et al. 2005, Gutiérrez et al. 1992, Verner et al. 1992b). In mixedconifer forests of the Sierra Nevada, California spotted owls typically nest and roost in stands with high canopy closure (≥75 percent) [Note: when citing studies, we use terminology consistent with Jennings et al. (1999), however, not all studies properly...

Forest management to maintain native wildlife communities is an important, yet complex objective. The complexities stem from two primary sources: habitat requirements for native species are diverse and span multiple spatial scales and seral stages, and habitat is a species-specific concept making multispecies community response difficult to predict. Given these uncertainties, restoration objectives frequently lack target conditions for the multitude of species that comprise the various vertebrate communities, and monitoring plans fail to integrate across multiple scales and habitats.

Good forestry practices require onsite flexibility. A core concept in U.S. Forest Service General Technical Report PSW-GTR-220 "An Ecosystem Management Strategy for Sierran Mixed-Conifer Forests" (North et al. 2009) is that management treatments and thinning intensity should differ depending on local forest conditions and topographic location. In the absence of restricted forestry practices (e.g., stream exclusion zones, upper diameters for thinning, etc.), managers have to effectively communicate where and how different treatment decisions will be made. Using GTR 220 concepts requires...

Since 2008, Sierra Forest Legacy, a nonprofit conservation organization, has increased its participation in the design of projects on national forest lands in the Sierra Nevada. Our interest has been to engage scientists, managers, and other stakeholders in the design of projects that integrate the best available scientific information. Our second interest has been to explore the possibilities for "up-front" collaboration between these parties to bridge disagreements over the scope of natural resource impacts. We have observed, and, in some cases, actively participated in, the application...

Marking guidelines commonly use stocking level, crown class, and species preferences to meet management objectives. Traditionally, these guidelines were applied across the extent of the stand. Current marking guidelines are more flexible, responding to within-stand variability with different stocking level, crown class, and species preference guidelines in response to fine-scale variability in forest structure and composition. By varying marking guidelines within stands, managers can meet potentially conflicting prescription objectives such as reducing crown bulk density while maintaining...

Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis Engelm.) in subalpine zones of eastern California experienced significant mortality from 2007 to 2010. Dying stands were dense (mean basal area 47.5 m2/ha), young (mean 176 years), and even-age; mean stand mortality was 70%. Stands were at low elevations (mean 2993 m), on northerly aspects, and experienced warmer, drier climates relative to the regional species distribution. White pine blister rust was not observed; mountain pine beetle infestations were extensive. Ring widths were negatively correlated with climatic water deficit and positively correlated...

Fire will continue to be a major management challenge in mixed-conifer forests in the Sierra Nevada. Fire is a fundamental ecosystem process in these forests that was largely eliminated in the 20th century. Fire reintroduction is a critical goal but is subject to constraints such as smoke production, risk of fire moving outside designated boundaries, the expanding wildland-urban interface, and lack of experience in burning large areas of forest. Recent fire and fuels research relevant to planning and implementing forest/fuels treatments revolve around three main topics: (1) potential...

River basin sediment loads are affected by several factors, with flood magnitude and watershed erosional stability playing dominant and dynamic roles. Long-term average sediment loads for northern California river basins have been computed by several researchers by several methods. However, characterizing the dynamic nature of climate and watershed stability requires computation of annual loads. We computed annual suspended and bedload loads for the 1950s through 2009 for both Redwood Creek and the Klamath River. Results show high sediment loads coincident with a period of widespread...

In recent decades, riparian protection standards have been guided by generalized prescriptive rules. With the passage of the Anadromous Salmonid Protection rules in 2009, the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection (Board) established a regulatory pathway that provides an alternative approach for riparian protection based on site-specific criteria (14 CCR § 916.9 [936.9, 956.9](v)). This new pathway seeks to promote more immediate (short-term) responses to active riparian management practices that might not otherwise occur under the more prescriptive rule protocols. This approach requires...

Revisions to the California Forest Practice Rules since 1974 were intended to increase protection of water quality in streams draining timber harvest areas. The effects of improved timber harvesting methods and road designs on sediment loading are assessed for the Panther Creek basin, a 15.4 km2 watershed in Humboldt County, north coastal California. We compute land use statistics, analyze suspended sediment discharge rating curves, and compare sediment yields in Panther Creek to a control (unlogged) stream, Little Lost Man Creek. From 1978 to 2008, 8.2 km2 (over half the watershed) was...