Treesearch

The nation's initial USFS research site commenced in a rustic cabin in the midst of northern Arizona's expansive ponderosa pine forest. Gustaf A. Pearson was the first in a distinguished line of USFS scientists to live and study there. A visitor to Fort Valley today often wishes he could have stood in Pearson's large boots (he was said to have enormous feet) as he and his early compatriots were true pioneers on a journey toward understanding nature's methods of ponderosa pine regeneration. Over the past century, their efforts have been honed into an extensive foundation of silviculture,...

One hundred years ago, the U.S. Forest Service launched a research program on the Fort Valley Experimental Forest to enhance the management of southwestern ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests. This research program was the first scientific venture of its kind in the United States at the time it was initiated in 1908-and it is now the oldest in the country. Much of the early research was undertaken by G. A. "Gus" Pearson, who established the experimental forest in 1908 and guided its research program until his retirement in 1945. Research conducted at Fort Valley can be grouped into...

When G. A. Pearson arrived at Fort Valley to establish the first Forest Service Experiment Station he found many open park-like stands similar to those in Figure 1. Within two years, Pearson had outlined the major factors detrimental to the establishment of ponderosa pine seedlings (Pearson 1910). During the next almost 40 years, he wrote many articles on methods of cutting, tree planting, thinning, raising seedlings, natural regeneration and other aspects of forest management. His findings are contained in his landmark treatise, "Management of Ponderosa Pine in the Southwest" (1950)....

Fire research began on the Fort Valley and Long Valley Experimental Forests in the mid 1970s. The U.S. Forest Service and other agencies in the Southwest (BIA and state) had been utilizing prescribed fire to reduce piled hazardous fuels from harvesting. Most managers had not viewed the use of prescribed fire to reduce natural fuels on a broad scale positively. The use of rotational prescribed burning has been investigated for over 30 years to determine the long-term effects of the reintroduction of this natural event. This paper summarizes the events that led up to the establishment of...

Range management research at the Fort Valley Experimental Forest during the past 100 years has provided scientific knowledge for managing ponderosa pine forests and forest-range grazing lands in the Southwest. Three research time periods are identified: 1908 to 1950, 1950 to 1978, and 1978 to 2008. Early research (1908-1950) addressed ecological effects of livestock grazing on pine regeneration and forage plant growth. In later years (1950-1978) the research scope broadened to include the multiple uses of forest resources (trees, understory vegetation, livestock, wildlife, etc.), environmen...

Watershed management and water yield augmentation have been important objectives for chaparral, ponderosa pine, and mixed conifer management in Arizona and New Mexico. The ponderosa pine forests and other vegetation types generally occur in relatively high precipitation zones where the potential for increased water yields is great. The ponderosa pine forests have been the subject of numerous research and management activities. Although the size, topography, and drainage patterns of the Fort Valley Experimental Forest are not conducive to watershed-scale hydrologic studies, results from...

Forest pathology and entomology have been researched at Fort Valley Experimental Forest throughout its history. The pathogens and insects of particular interest are mistletoes, decay and canker fungi, rusts, bark beetles, and various defoliators. Studies on life history, biotic interactions, impacts, and control have been published and incorporated into silvicultural programs. A brief review of select pathogens and insects illustrates the evolution of research problems, approaches, and applications. Southwestern dwarf mistletoe, a serious pathogen of ponderosa pine, provides a case history...

Wildlife research at the Fort Valley Experimental Forest began with studies to determine how to control damage by wildlife and livestock to ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) reproduction and tree growth. Studies on birds, small mammals, and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) browsing were initiated in the early 1930s and 1940s but these were short term efforts to develop control techniques. While researchers at Fort Valley and other study areas expressed a need for more information on forest wildlife, there was no major effort in this direction until 1962 when the Rocky Mountain Forest and...

This delightful essay records Frank Wadsworth's early forestry career at FVEF in the late 1930s. Frank married Margaret Pearson, G.A. and May Pearson's daughter, in 1941. Pearson believed Frank could not continue to work for him because of nepotism rules, so Frank and Margaret moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1942 where Frank continued his forestry career. His retirement now includes writing up research that he didn't get to while employed and tending his multi-acre orchards in Puerto Rico.

Seed availability and leaf litter limit plant establishment in some ecosystems. To evaluate the hypothesis that these factors limit understory plant recruitment in Pinus ponderosa forests, I conducted a seeding and litter removal experiment at six thinned sites in the Fort Valley Experimental Forest, northern Arizona. Experimental seeding of four native species (Penstemon virgatus, Erigeron formosissimus, Elymus elymoides, and Festuca arizonica) and raking of litter occurred in 2005. Seeding resulted in a substantial recruitment of 14 to 103 seedlings/m2 (1 to 10/ft2) one month after...