DecAID advisor: a tool for managing snags, down wood and wood decay in PNW forests.

Abstract

Past tools for modeling and setting guidelines for snag and down wood management have been based on theory, professional judgment, models of wildlife species use as habitat and empirical data. However, recent studies reveal that guidelines for amounts of snags and down wood on national forests of Washington and Oregon may have been lower than the new field data on use by wildlife. Wildlife studies also show that decayed wood elements consist of more than just snags and down wood and that decayed wood provides habitat and resources for wider array of organisms and beneficial ecological processes than previously recognized. Thus, there is a need for a new approach to describe and advise on appropriate sizes and amounts of wood decay elements for forest ecosystem management.

Citation

Marcot, Bruce G.; Gunderson, Grant; Mellen, Kim; Ohmann, Janet L. 2004. DecAID advisor: a tool for managing snags, down wood and wood decay in PNW forests. Western Forester. July/August: 12-13