Treesearch

The final webinar in the Future Forest Webinar Series provided an example of how managers utilized available science to address questions about post-epidemic forest conditions. Assessments of current conditions and projected trends, and how these compare with historical patterns, provide important information for land management planning. Large-scale disturbance events, such as the MPB epidemic, can change future vegetation conditions, disturbances and disturbance interactions, and habitat for wildlife species. This case study from the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest illustrates the...

We documented the effect of drought-induced mortality of pinyon pine (Pinus edulis Engelm.) on communities of ground-dwelling arthropods. Tree mortality alters microhabitats utilized by ground-dwelling arthropods by increasing solar radiation, dead woody debris, and understory vegetation. Our major objectives were to determine (1) whether there were changes in community composition, species richness, and abundance of ground-dwelling arthropods associated with pinyon mortality and (2) whether specific habitat characteristics and microhabitats accounted for these changes. We predicted shifts...

The Future Forest Webinar Series was created to facilitate dialogue between scientists and managers about the challenges and opportunities created by the mountain pine beetle1 (MPB) epidemic. A core team of scientists and managers from the USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station and the Northern and Rocky Mountain Regions worked together to develop the format and content of the series and written proceedings. The core team facilitated six webinars (from October 2011 to December 2012) covering the ecological and social dimensions of the MPB epidemic. Webinar recordings are available online...

This chapter summarizes key findings and offers take-home messages of the Future Forest Webinar Series with regard to resource management planning, analyses, and project design. In the wake of the mountain pine beetle (MPB) epidemic, resource managers are especially concerned with developing more resilient forests, providing for the sustainability of wildlife and fish habitat, public safety, and managing our water resources. We attempted to provide information to support these management goals via the series of webinars. More details on the findings of each webinar are presented in the...

Citizens, government officials, and natural resource managers are greatly concerned about potential impacts of the mountain pine beetle (MPB) epidemic on fire hazards and risk. Some mountain towns are surrounded by dead and dying trees. In the Rocky Mountain Region of the Forest Service, the MPB epidemic threatens over 250,000 acres of the wildland-urban interface (WUI; USDA Forest Service 2011). This post-epidemic landscape also poses hazards for firefighter safety due to heavy fuel loads and unpredictable fire behavior. Abundant snags are especially dangerous for firefighters working in...

More than 23 million acres of lodgepole pine forests across the western U.S. have experienced overstory mortality following the recent mountain pine beetle (MPB) epidemic (USDA Forest Service 2013). Unknowns regarding the immediate and long-term consequences of the epidemic challenge the ability of managers to make informed decisions aimed at sustaining forest health and delivery of ecosystem services. There is a large body of research regarding the recovery of lodgepole pine forest following fire and logging; however, the trajectory of stand development in beetle-killed forests is poorly...

Wildlife biologists must balance a diverse array of ecological and social considerations in managing species and habitats. The challenges of managing species and habitats in dynamic landscapes are influenced by diverse factors, including natural disturbances, vegetation development, and anthropogenic-mediated changes, such as climate change, management activities, and land use. Mountain pine beetles (MPBs) can be viewed as an ecosystem engineer - a species that both directly and indirectly shapes landscapes by altering the composition, structure, and function of ecosystems. Although native...

Healthy forest ecosystems provide many goods and services that are vital to human well-being. When forest ecosystems are impacted by disturbances, such as the widespread mountain pine beetle (MPB) epidemic, the services provided by these ecosystems are also affected. Likewise, management in response to large-scale forest disturbances impacts both the natural and human environment. These management actions are costly in terms of the amount of taxpayer dollars required to carry them out and in terms of their opportunity costs, especially in areas lacking economically-viable uses of beetle-kil...

Mountain pine beetle (MPB) outbreaks have the potential for prolonged impacts on the delivery of clean water from infested subalpine watersheds throughout the West. Sixty-five percent of the West’s water supply originates on forested land (Brown and others 2008), much of which has been affected by an unprecedented MPB epidemic over the past decade. Some lodgepole pine stands in Colorado have lost more than 70 percent of their basal area following the MPB epidemic (Collins and others 2012). The death of pine trees leads to increased availability of light, water, and nutrients for residual...

A nursery container could be anything that holds growing media, drains, allows for healthy root development, does not disintegrate before outplanting, and allows for an intact, healthy root system to be removed with a minimum of disturbance to the plant. Understanding how container properties affect plant health and growth, as well as nursery operations, will help growers choose the best containers for their needs. Container type and dimensions affect root development, amount of water and mineral nutrients available for plant growth, nursery layout, bench size, production scheduling, and...