Treesearch

The PACFISH/INFISH Biological Opinion (PIBO) Effectiveness Monitoring Program was initiated in 1998 to provide a consistent framework for monitoring aquatic and riparian resources on most Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands within the Upper Columbia River Basin. This 7-year status report gives our funding sources, partners, and the public an overview of past activities, current business practices, products and publications, and future program directions. It is designed to increase accountability and summarize our accomplishments during the initial phase of the program.

Spatially explicit data on the location of species across broad geographic areas greatly facilitate effective conservation planning on lands managed for multiple uses. The importance of these data notwithstanding, our knowledge about the geography of biodiversity is remarkably incomplete. An important factor contributing to our ignorance is that much of the biodiversity data are not readily accessible because they are dispersed across many institutions and often have not been digitized. This report documents our efforts to address these conservation planning constraints. We have compiled...

A study of logging utilization in Montana during 2002 provided logging and product utilization data for sawlog and veneer log harvests in Montana. Results of the study indicate a shift toward greater utilization of smaller diameter material, as 78 percent of the harvested volume in Montana during 2002 came from trees less than 17 inches diameter at breast height. The portion of inventory volume utilized is also increasing, as indicated by decreasing removals factors for growing stock (1.081 cubic feet removed from inventory per cubic foot delivered to the mill) and sawtimber trees (0.961...

One of the central mandates of the 1964 Wilderness Act is that “each agency administering any area designated as wilderness shall be responsible for preserving the wilderness character of the area.” Although wilderness comprises about 20 percent of National Forest System lands (over 35 million acres), the agency lacks a way to evaluate progress in fulfilling this mandate. This document, developed by the Forest Service Wilderness Monitoring Committee, lays the conceptual foundation for a national assessment of how wilderness character is changing over time. The purpose of this monitoring is...

An approach for synthesizing the results of ecological research pertinent to land management is the analysis of the historic range of variability (HRV) for key ecosystem variables that are affected by management activities. This report provides an HRV analysis for the upland vegetation of the Medicine Bow National Forest in southeastern Wyoming. The variables include live tree density, dead tree (snag) density, canopy cover, abundance of coarse woody debris, species diversity, fire return intervals, the abundance of various diseases, the proportion of the landscape in different land cover...

Mountain pine beetle activity was monitored in one set of 2.5 acre plots in the southern portion of the Black Hills National Forest over a 17-year period. Beetles attacked 77 percent of the trees in the uncut control, 48 percent of the trees in the growing stock level (GSL) 100/110, 53 percent of the trees in the GSL 80/90, and 9 percent of the trees in the GSL 60/70. The percentages of MPB-attacked trees in each 1 in diameter class were lowest in the GSL 60/70, intermediate in the GSL 80/90 and GSL 100/110, and highest in the uncut control. Live basal area was significantly reduced in the...

Shielded sprayers have proven to be more effective than mechanical-type machines at controlling weeds in hardwood crops. Hand weeding times are reduced significantly, lowering costs and saving time for nursery personnel to do other jobs.Individual papers from this publication

After nearly 100 years of fire exclusion, introduced pests, and selective harvesting, a change in forest composition has occurred in many Inland West forests of North America. This change in forest structure has frequently been accompanied by increases in root diseases and/or an unprecedented buildup of fuels. Consequently, many forest managers are implementing plans for fuels treatments to lower the risk of severe wildfires. Impacts on root disease should be considered before selecting appropriate fuels treatments. Complex interactions exist among conifer root diseases, fuels treatments,...

Those who grow hardwood seedlings are familiar with fall sowing seeds and using rye, wheat, or oats to over-winter the crop. Throughout this paper, reference to rye is GRAIN, NOT GRASS (do not use rye grass). The rye stabilizes and insulates the beds while retarding predation and weeds. Normally sown at 2 bushels/ac (5 bushels/ha), the rye is killed with Roundup™ before the seeds germinate (around mid-February), allowing the seeds to germinate and emerge unimpeded. Light-seeded, fall-sown hardwoods often necessitate only 1 bushel/ac (2.5 bushels/ha).Individual papers from this publication

Supplying mineral nutrients at the proper rate and in the proper balance has a major effect on seedling growth rate but, more importantly, on seedling quality. In addition, mounting concerns about fertilizer pollution are increasing awareness of the benefits of precision fertilization. Because they reflect actual mineral nutrient uptake, plant tissue tests are the best way to monitor a fertilization program. Analytical laboratories are able to accurately and precisely measure the levels of all 13 mineral nutrients in a small sample of plant tissue, and nursery managers can obtain results...