Treesearch

Officials with the four wilderness managing agencies are faced with balancing wilderness preservation values and the minimum tool policies of their respective agencies. One example is the management of sanitation, particularly human waste and the often intrusive infrastructure that accompanies its treatment and disposal. Because the treatment and disposal of human waste is a potentially serious public health hazard if mismanaged, it sometimes requires an elaborate infrastructure, including buildings and use of helicopters or pack stock. A paradox exists between public health concerns and...

Nonnative invasive plants invade wilderness and other natural areas throughout North America and invasive organisms as a group are now considered the second worst threat to biodiversity, behind only habitat loss and fragmentation. In the past 10-20 years there have been upsurges in interest in the ecology of plant invasions among researchers and in concern about how to prevent and control them among land managers. Much research has focused on how to identify and predict which species are most likely to be invasive and which habitats or areas are most likely to be invaded and some progress...

Recreational use of wild lands can create areas, such as campsites, which may experience soil compaction and a decrease in vegetation cover and diversity. Plants are highly reliant on their roots’ ability to uptake nutrients and water from soil. Any factors that affect the highly specialized root hairs (“feeder cells”) compromise the overall health and survival of the plant. We report here initial data in our investigation of how of soil compaction affects plant roots, using the common bean as a dicot model. Soil compaction decreases overall plant growth and causes changes in root hair...

The varied topics presented in these symposium proceedings represent the diverse nature of the Bitterroot Ecosystem Management Research Project (BEMRP). Separated into six sections, the papers cover the different themes researched by BEMRP collaborators as well as brief overviews of five other ecosystem management projects. The sections are: Understanding the Ecosystem, Its Parts and Processes; Understanding the People and Their Relationship to the Ecosystem; Implementation for Specific Landscape Areas; Overviews of Other Ecosystem Management Research Projects in the West; Fieldtrip...

Wilderness managers have traditionally managed wilderness lands based on the ecological and social content of wilderness areas. The authors propose a framework to systematically account for the biophysical, socioeconomic, and wildness characteristics of the broader landscape context. The method was applied to the proposed wilderness lands of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah. The results illustrate patterns of interdependencies across the landscape. Spatial data demonstrate links between the integrity of proposed wilderness lands and the management of...

A multi-unit wilderness system in the Southern Appalachians was evaluated for its long-term capacity to support biodiversity and provide other forms of “ecological insurance.” Based on spatial thresholds for selected species, community and ecosystem level attributes, ecological capacity was found to be conditional, hierarchical and interactive. Existing reserves appear to have successfully maintained some ecological structure and processes for up to half-century. However, most reserves theoretically large enough to represent certain animal taxa were too small to sustain, in situ, all...

Rush skeletonweed, Chondrilla juncea L. (Asteraceae), is considered a noxious weed in many western states and is currently a target for biological control. Bradyrrhoa gilveolella (Treitschke) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is a root-feeding moth being considered for use in the biological control of rush skeletonweed. This organism will serve to complement the existing biocontrol agents that have been established on rush skeletonweed in the Pacific Northwest but have provided only limited suppression of the weed. Although root feeders have suppressed populations of several noxious weeds in the...

The Blue Mountains Natural Resources Institute approaches issues by deciding if a critical issue is one of information needs or of differing values. If a values issue, we arrange local forums for discussion; if an information issue, we disseminate available information, or undertake research projects as appropriate. One issue we have researched involving both values and information needs is fuel reduction. Through an adaptive management cycle of treatment, evaluation, and refinement, we have brought new understanding to management options for fuel treatment efforts and the ecological and...