Treesearch

Fire, insects, disease, harvesting, and precommercial thinning all create mosaics on Northern Rocky Mountain landscapes. These mosaics are important for faunal habitat. Consequently, changes such as created openings or an increase in heavily stocked areas affect the water, cover, and food of forest habitats. The “no action” alternative in ecosystem management of low elevation ponderosa pine/Douglas-fir (Pinus ponderosa/Pseudotsuga menziesii) forests needs the same careful consideration as other alternatives because the consequences may be detrimental to some wildlife habitats. Suitable...

Some 100 years of fire exclusion in the Interior Northwest has resulted in riparian areas dominated by dense thickets of shade-tolerant trees. If former, more open conditions could be restored, these habitats could once more support a more diverse bird community. Efforts toward this at two study sites are described.

Developing cost effective methods for monitoring vertebrate populations is a persistent problem in wildlife biology. Population demographic data is too costly and time intensive to acquire, so researchers have begun investigating presence/absence sampling as a means for monitoring wildlife populations. We examined three important assumptions regarding the probability of detection (POD) requisite to implementing presence/ absence sampling for wildlife monitoring: constant POD within species among sampling visits, among years, and among habitats. POD was constant for all small mammals...

Small mammal literature was reviewed to assess the ecological role of small mammals on the Bitterroot National Forest of western Montana. Small mammals fulfill numerous important roles in forest ecosystems by supporting a wide range of predators, dispersing seeds and mycorrhizal spores, altering vegetation through herbivory and seed predation, and preying on insects. Coarse woody debris (CWD) is among the most important habitat components for forest small mammals. Guidelines are suggested for managing CWD for small mammal populations with an emphasis on CWD recruitment.

Can scientific information and intensive, extensive public involvement through facilitated meetings be expected to lead to agreement on natural resource issues? Communications and research in the Bitterroot Ecosystem Management Research Project indicate that, where people’s values differ greatly, consensus is not a realistic goal for short term planning processes. Public involvement is successful when agreement is reached, but it is also successful when relationships among participants are enhanced, when all stakeholders are identified and included, and when public input is used to improve...

The purpose of this paper is to extend a synthesis of knowledge about wilderness visitors and their visits developed in 1985. At that time, visitor research was in decline, and there was very little ability to understand trends. Over the last 15 years, wilderness visitor research has been initiated at many places in the U.S. where no previous studies had been completed. There have also been several studies specifically aimed at providing comparisons over time. Although review of these studies has concluded that very little has changed about how we describe visitors, their visits or their...

This paper summarizes the social impact research and information needs derived from a workshop of over 50 recreation management staff in the New Zealand Department of Conservation. The overall objective was to establish the basis for developing a research plan underpinning social impact management. After scoping the diversity of social impact issues, the workshop identified five main social impact themes that categorized social impacts as being caused by management actions, intergroup encounters and conflicts, intragroup encounters and conflicts, inappropriate uses and behaviors, and off...

This paper provides an overview of the Wilderness science in a time of change conference-Volume 4: Wilderness visitors, experiences, and visitor management. Wilderness areas are managed to protect their wilderness character, but they also provide opportunities for recreation use. Decades ago, relatively few people sought wilderness experiences, and management problems were few and far between. Today, there are many places where the demand for recreation use cannot be met without significant impact to wilderness ecosystems and experiences (Cole and others 1997). Managers must seek a balance...

Wilderness planning has evolved since the Wilderness Act of 1964 in an atmosphere of intense debate and public scrutiny. Wilderness planning and the role science has played in developing the planning process has been influenced by many complex legal mandates, by thorny social issues, and by emerging planning paradigms. Wilderness planning has at times been inspired by scientific contributions to various elements of the emerging processes. However, seldom has it benefited from a sustained focus of scientific inquiry which would lead to progress through testing or improving the planning...

Results of the first three years of revegetation research on closed wilderness campsites are described. Experimental treatments involved soil scarification, an organic soil amendment (a mix of locally collected organic materials and peat moss and an inoculation of native undisturbed soil), an organic matter and composted sewage sludge treatment and surface application of commercial mulch (Bionet). Half of the experimental plots received native seed and transplants; the other half did not. Seeding and transplanting were highly successful. The organic and compost soil amendment greatly...