Treesearch

This paper presents early results on the response of six non-native invasive plant species to eight wildfires on six National Forests (NFs) in the northern Rocky Mountains, USA. Stratified random sampling was used to choose 224 stands based on burn severity, habitat type series, slope steepness, stand height, and stand density. Data for this report are from 219 stands (875 plots) that have repeated measures 1 to 7 years post-fire. Six invasive plant species are abundant enough to analyze for early indications of response to burning. Spotted knapweed occurrence is highest on Douglas-fir and...

Anthropogenic disturbance may lead to the spread of vector-borne diseases through effects on pathogens, vectors, and hosts. Identifying the type and extent of vector response to habitat change will enable better and more accurate management strategies for anthropogenic disease spread. We compiled and analyzed data from published empirical studies to test for patterns among flea and small mammal diversity, abundance, several measures of flea infestation, and host specificity in 70 small mammal communities of five biomes and three levels of human disturbance: remote/wild areas, agricultural...

Regression equations were developed to predict heights of 10 conifer species inregenerating stands in central and northern Idaho, western Montana, and eastern Washington. Most sample trees were natural regeneration that became established after conventional harvest and site preparation methods. Heights are predicted as a function of tree age, residual overstory density, elevation, site preparation, habitat type series, and closest National Forest location. Equations are presented that can be used to predict heights at a given age or to predict the number of years required to reach a...

This visual training aid is designed to provide Photoload users a tool to increase the accuracy of fuel loading estimations when using the Photoload technique. The Photoload Sampling Technique (RMRS-GTR-190) provides fire managers a sampling method for obtaining consistent, accurate, inexpensive, and quick estimates of fuel loading. It is designed to require only one hour of training, but the accuracy of the estimates can be increased with additional training and visual calibration. This training tool is designed to help users estimate loadings of the six common surface fuel components...

Monitoring of contaminants in the environment is an important part of understanding the fate of ecosystems after a chemical insult. Frequently, such monitoring efforts result in datasets with observations below the detection limit (DL) that are reported as 'non-detect' or '< DL' and no value is provided. This study explored the effects of non-detect data and their treatment on summary statistics. The data analyzed in this paper are real-world data. They consist of both large (N = 234) and moderate (n = 12-64) sample sizes with both good and marginal fit to an assumed distribution with a...

"Fire in the woods!" The words are a real heart stopper. Yet in spite of its capacity to destroy, fire plays an essential role in shaping plant communities. Knowledge of the patterns of fire over long time periods is critical for understanding this role. Trees often retain evidence of nonlethal fires in the form of injuries or scars in the annual growth rings of their trunks. Careful analysis of these injuries and of tree recruitment and death dates (also determined from tree rings) can reveal a lot about the size, frequency, season, and severity of fire events over several centuries.

Western white pine (Pinus monticola) is an economically and ecologically important species in western North America that has declined in prominence over the past several decades, mainly due to the introduction of Cronartium ribicola (cause of white pine blister rust) and reduced opportunities for regeneration. Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers were used to assess the genetic diversity and structure among populations at 15 sites (e.g., provenances) across the native range of western white pine. The level of genetic diversity was different among 15 populations tested...

In 2006-2007, during Wasatch Powderbird Guides (WPG) permit renewal for heli-skiing in the Tri-Canyon Area (TCA) of the Wasatch Mountains, Utah, USA, we recorded 303 helicopter passes between 0 m and 3,000 m (horizontal distance) near >30 individual golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in 22 nesting territories, through passive observation and active experimentation with civilian and military (Apache AH-64) helicopters. Flight profiles included 800-m, 400-m, 200-m, and 100-m flybys (horizontal distance from cliff nest on parallel course), as well as approaches and popouts where helicopters...

In many boreal and temperate forests, ungulates are an important feature valued by many stakeholders. However, conflicts often arise due to the use of a forest by both domestic and wild ungulates and other uses such as timber production, recreation and conservation. In this paper, we present and synthesize several concepts and suggestions that have applicability for ameliorating these conflicts. The amount, location and juxtaposition of forage, water, minerals (e.g. salt, molasses blocks) and cover are major determinants of range quality and, in turn, influence how ungulates use forests....

Fire regimes (i.e., the pattern, frequency and intensity of fire in a region) reflect a complex interplay of bottom-up and top-down controls (Lertzman et al., 1998; Mc Kenzie et al., in press). Bottom-up controls include local variations in topographic, fuel and weather factors at the time of a burn (e.g., fuel moisture and continuity, ignition density and local wind and humidity patterns). Bottom-up regulation is manifest as fine-scale spatial and temporal heterogeneity in fire behavior and effects within landscapes subject to the same general climate. Examples include variation in fuel...