Treesearch

The Forest Service conducts periodic assessments of the condition of forest and rangeland resources under the authority of the Renewable Resources Planning Act (RPA). The structure of these periodic assessments allows for the synthesis and integration of the current state of scientific knowledge (U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service 1989, 1994). As part of the RPA process, this report is a synthesis of current information that assesses the impact of climate change on U.S. forests. Policy questions critical to understanding the impact of global climate change on current and future...

The purpose of this paper is to foster discussion on the basic issue of whether it is appropriate or not to intervene in designated wilderness areas that have been “trammeled by man” and, as a result, no longer retain their “primeval character and influence.” We explore this wilderness management dilemma (whether we can or should actively manage wilderness conditions to restore and protect wilderness and other values) by asking seven questions relating to a wilderness area that is no longer “natural.” (For the purposes of this discussion, “natural” is defined by words and phrases used in...

In 1993, a management program was initiated in the Seven Lakes Basin in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness to bring high levels of campsite impact into compliance with management standards. The core of the strategy involved confining use, particularly by stock groups, and restoring certain campsites and portions of campsites. In just five years, campsite impacts were reduced substantially. Disturbed and bare area decreased on campsites, as did tree scarring and mineral soil exposure. Vegetation cover increased. The only impact parameter that continued to get worse was tree root exposure....

Wilderness campsites heavily damaged by recreational use pose a significant management challenge that threatens the integrity of the wilderness resource and the quality of the visitors’ experience. This study, conducted in the Mission Mountains Wilderness of northwestern Montana, surveyed 293 visitors to determine what influence heavily damaged campsites and site restoration activities have on the quality of the visitors’ experience, and to assess visitor opinions of the managers who implement or do not implement restoration. Visitors noticed campsite damage that reduced the quality of...

This study presents the techniques used in a restoration project in Tuolumne Meadows on the old Glen Aulin trail in Yosemite National Park from 1990 to 1994 and the results of follow-up monitoring in the summer of 1998. The project restored the natural hydrology and soils to a 4,200-foot section of abandoned trail which had two to six one-foot deep ruts. The project utilized hundreds of volunteer work hours and showed that restoration of subalpine meadows is possible.

Three survey methods were utilized to describe human impacts in one wilderness management zone of Mount Rainier National Park: wilderness impact cards, social trail and campsite surveys, and condition class surveys. Results were compared with respect to assessment of wilderness condition and ecological integrity. Qualitative wilderness impact cards provided location of point impact such as litter, human waste, and campsites. They did not provide data related to ecological integrity and were limited by their inconsistent implementation. Systematic social trail and campsite data provided...

Erosion of mountain hiking trails was investigated in Daisetsuzan National Park over a seven-year period. The amount and rate of erosion were different in the two typical landscape components. Cross-section diagrams revealed that trail depth became deeper in snowy vegetated areas than in wind-beaten bare ground areas. The existence and timing of runoff from snowmelt seemed to be important to differential erosion. Trail slope is another factor contributing to erosion. Needle ice or saturation of surface soil appeared to cause side wall erosion. Installation of ropes along the trails made...

This study identified and assessed 110 campsites in seven designated wilderness areas in the Jefferson National Forest of Virginia. The campsites were unevenly distributed within each wilderness, concentrating along trail corridors and near popular destination areas. With a few exceptions, most campsites surveyed were in good condition. The findings indicate that management actions should be directed at reducing both the number of campsites and the problems associated with campsite expansion. The Forest’s unregulated camping policy could be focused through educational programs to encourage...

The consequences of human trampling disturbance on two codominant vegetation types at the Wyoming Nature Conservancy’s Sweetwater Preserve were examined. Small trampling lanes (1.5m x 0.5m) were established in both vegetation types and trampling treatments ranging from 0 to 800 passes were applied. Artemisia (Sagebrush) vegetation type was more sensitive to initial trampling disturbance than the Equisetum (Smooth scouring rush) community. After one year, however, both communities closely resembled predisturbance conditions, in terms of relative cover, relative height and percent bare...

A campsite monitoring program was initiated in Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve/Haida Heritage Site to determine baseline levels of visitor impacts. These data were necessary to evaluate visitor management strategies and to act as reference points to measure changes in impacts over time. Using GIS, survey data were integrated with an ecological land classification, archaeological databases and a visitor use database. Analyses showed that although the campsites impacted only 0.0007% of the land base, 53 of the 75 campsites were ranked as either extremely or highly sensitive to human...