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ECO-Report is an annual Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS) publication which contains a set of articles showcasing the Bitterroot Ecosystem Management Research Project (BEMRP) research projects and activities. The articles are concise, user-friendly, and designed to inform a broad range of audiences interested in ecosystem management. Articles featured in this issue: Fire Recovery in the Bitterroot: "It’s a Lot of Work!"; The Bitterroot National Forest - A Natural Laboratory; "Making a Difference:" A Research/Management Coordinator's Dream; Meet Stevensville's New District Ranger; A...

A serologic survey for exposure to pathogens in Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) in western North America was conducted. Samples from 215 lynx from six study areas were tested for antibodies to feline parvovirus (FPV), feline coronavirus, canine distemper virus, feline calicivirus, feline herpesvirus, Yersinia pestis, and Francisella tularensis. A subset of samples was tested for feline immunodeficiency virus; all were negative. For all other pathogens, evidence for exposure was found in at least one location. Serologic evidence for FPV was found in all six areas but was more common in...

Physical restructuring of landscapes by humans is a prominent stress on ecological systems (Rapport et al. 1985). Landscape restructuring occurs primarily through land-use conversions or alteration of native habitats through natural resource management. A common faunal response to such land-use intensification is an increased dominance of opportunistic species leading to an overall erosion of biological diversity (Urban et al. 1987). Slowing the loss of biodiversity in managed systems will require interdisciplinary planning efforts that meld analysis approaches from several fields,...

Groundwater and surface water extraction and diversion for agricultural and human use has become common practice in the arid and semi-arid western United States. Surface water and groundwater are often not effectively managed during these processes, and few laws exist to protect riparian vegetation in the case of depletion of in-stream flows. "Instream flow" is defined as waters that are "retained in their natural setting" rather than diverted for human uses (Gordon et al. 1999).

Data collection on Tenderfoot Creek Experimental Forest was initiated in 1992 and has expanded to the present time. A preliminary report was prepared to include data collection through the 1995 season (Farnes et aI, 1995). Some data was updated in Farnes et al, 1999. Since then, data has been collected but has not been edited, summarized or tabulated in electronic form. This Joint Venture Agreement OVA) was initiated to summarize all climatic and water yield data collected since 1992 and make it available electronically. The standard 30- year base period was recently updated from 1961-1990...

The line transect method, its underlying assumptions, and the spatial patterning of down and standing pieces of dead wood were examined at the Tenderfoot Creek Experimental Forest in central Montana. The accuracy of the line transect method was not determined due to conflicting results of t-tests and ordinary least squares regression. In most instances down pieces were randomly distributed along transect segments. Down pieces generally had a clumped distribution of their directional orientation. Standing pieces were usually found to be randomly distributed within belt transects. Consistent...

This study derives from and extends the discussions of a US DOE sponsored workshop held on 30 and 31 May, 2000 in Boulder, CO concerning issues and uncertainties related to long-term eddy covariance measurements of carbon and energy exchanges. The workshop was organized in response to concerns raised at the 1999 annual AmeriFlux meeting about the lack of uniformity among sites when making spectral corrections to eddy covariance flux estimates and when correcting the eddy covariance CO2 fluxes for lack of energy balance closure. Ultimately, this lack of uniformity makes cross-site comparison...

Various disturbances such as disease and management practices cause canopy gaps that change patterns of forest stand structure. This study examined the usefulness of digital image analysis using aerial photos, Fourier Tranforms, and cluster analysis to investigate how different spatial statistics are affected by spatial scale. The specific aims were to: 1) evaluate how a Fourier filter could be used to classify canopy gap sizes objectively, 2) determine which statistics might be useful for detecting and measuring disturbance impacts, and 3) examine the potential for this method to determine...

Numerous studies have documented that forest edges affect habitat use and reproductive success of forest birds, but few studies have considered edges created by narrow breaks in the forest canopy. We compared predation rates on artificial nests placed within forest habitat along edge transects, 10 m from unpaved roads, and along interior transects, 300 m from forest-road boundaries. Local factors, such as nest concealment, and landscape factors, such as the degree of forestation in surrounding areas, were accounted for when testing for edge effects on nest predation. We conducted fixed-radi...

The Global Forest Resources Assessment 2000 (FRA 2000) relied primarily on information provided by countries, but FAO also conducted a remote-sensing study of tropical forests to complement country information and to bolster understanding of land-cover change processes in the tropics, especially deforestation, forest degradation, fragmentation and shifting cultivation. Remote-sensing-based inventory can help confirm estimates obtained from other sources, and can also contribute to country capacity building through possible regional or national training centres. This article considers the...