Treesearch

The Fourmile Canyon Fire burned in the fall of 2010 in the Rocky Mountain Front Range adjacent to Boulder, Colorado. The fire occurred in steep, rugged terrain, primarily on privately owned mixed ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir forests. The fire started on September 6 when the humidity of the air was very dry (¡Ö

Severe wildfires across the western US have lead to concerns about heavy surface fuel loading and the potential for high-intensity reburning. Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests, often overly dense from a century of fire suppression, are increasingly susceptible to large and severe wildfires especially given warmer and drier climate projections for the future. However, the majority of research on fuel dynamics after wildfires has focused on high-severity burned areas in more productive forest types. We sampled fuel loadings in 2009 and 2010 across a range of tree mortality on two...

Forecasting spatial patterns of mountain pine beetle (MPB) population success requires spatially explicit information on host pine distribution. We developed a means of producing spatially explicit datasets of pine density at 30-m resolution using existing geospatial datasets of vegetation composition and structure. Because our ultimate goal is to model MPB population success, three study areas in the western United States that have experienced recent MPB outbreaks were used for evaluation. Pine density estimates for each study area were compared to measures of cumulative MPB-caused pine...

This report presents a summary of the most recent inventory information for Montana's forest lands. The report includes descriptive highlights and tables of area, number of trees, biomass, volume, growth, mortality, and removals. Most of the tables are organized by forest type group, species group, diameter class, or owner group. The report also describes inventory design, inventory terminology, and data reliability. Results show that Montana's forest land totals 25.6 million acres. Sixty percent (15.4 million acres) of this forest land is administered by the USDA Forest Service. Douglas-fi...

If wilderness experiences are distinct from general outdoor recreation experiences, then wilderness visitor research needs to reflect the distinction. If there are distinguishing characteristics, they would be linked to social and cultural meanings embedded in the Wilderness Act of 1964 and contemporary interpretations of it. Most research on wilderness visitor experience is conducted through psychological approaches that do not recognize social and cultural meanings, leaving open questions regarding the social and cultural relevance of any given wilderness area. Public memory is explored...

The future of wilderness is open for discussion and debate. In this paper we invite readers to consider four wilderness scenarios, any one of which, or combination of which, seems possible based on current demographic, social, and cultural trends. The purpose of the paper is not so much to try to predict the future as it is to prod readers into pondering the future—a future where wilderness may or may not be valued in the same fashion it is today.

One of the defining characteristics of Wilderness Experience Programs (WEPs) is the centrality of wilderness - settings, conditions, and characteristics - to the delivery of the program and the client or visitor experience. Wilderness Experience Programs have been classified into three types based on their primary program aim: education, personal growth, and therapy and healing. While WEPs are generally considered to provide many human and societal benefits, the research documentation is slowly growing to support the notion that nature and wilderness can and do provide restorative client...

While there is a long history of research on factors influencing wilderness recreation visitor experiences, there has been little focused research to understand the experiences of users visiting wilderness under legislative special provisions or the impact of these special provisions on wilderness recreation visitors. There are some exceptions. For example, contrasting motorboat user and canoeist experiences and their impacts on each other in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness were topics of research even before the Wilderness Act was passed. Livestock grazing in wilderness is a...

Planning is where science, public interests and management of wilderness areas come together. Unfortunately, science and information specifically supporting wilderness experiences, if any exists, is often perceived by managers as subjective, value laden, and hard to defend. This can sometimes lead to the tough decisions about providing high quality wilderness experiences being "kicked down the road" for another time/manager. This paper outlines the challenges and related strategies of planning for wilderness experiences from the perspective of a National Park Service planner. These...

Wilderness managers are faced with making judgments about the appropriateness of different types of recreational activities. One of the criteria they use is wilderness dependence-the notion that an activity should be allowed, or privileged if rationing is required, if it depends on a wilderness setting for much of its value. Inherent in this concept is the idea that much of the value of wilderness experience lies in an integration of humans and nature. But the very idea of a modern integrative wilderness experience has recently been attacked by critics, in part based on recent trends in...