A Prospectus on Restoring Late Successional Forest Structure to Eastside Pine Ecosystems Through Large-Scale, Interdisciplinary Research

Abstract

At two different locations in northeast California, an interdisciplinary team of scientists is initiating long-term studies to quantify the effects of forest manipulations intended to accelerate andlor enhance late-successional structure of eastside pine forest ecosystems. One study, at Blacks Mountain Experimental Forest, uses a split-plot, factorial, randomized block design. Twelve 100-ha. split plots provide for three replications of two levels of each of three treatments: (1) forest structural diversity--high (emphasizing latesuccessional attributes) versus low; (2) fire-reintroduction versus continued exclusion; and (3) grazing-continuation of grazing versus exclusion of livestock. Existing Research Natural Areas act as "qualitative" controls. The other study, in the Goosenest Adaptive Management Area, uses a fully randomized design to test different approaches to accelerate the development of late-successional pine forests. Twenty a h a study plots provide for five reptications of three treatments: pine emphasis-accelerating to latesuccessional attributes, emphasizing pines, (1) with fire and, (2) without fire; (3) large tree emphasis-accelerating to late-successional attributes, emphasizing largest tree diameters regardless of species, without prescribed fire, and (4) no treatment controls. All disciplines involved (wildlife, entomoiogy, soils, fire, vegetation, etc.) are evaluating the same treatments, with all observations referenced to a 100 m grid network, allowing for detection of important interactions and processes in this large scale research.

Citation

Zack, Steve; Laudenslayer, William F.; George, Luke;Skinner, Carl; Oliver, William. 1999. A Prospectus on Restoring Late Successional Forest Structure to Eastside Pine Ecosystems Through Large-Scale, Interdisciplinary Research. Wildlife Conservation Society, and Department of Wildlife, Humboldt State University; Pacific Southwest Research Station, Fresno, CA ; Department of Wildlife, Humboldt State University; Pacific Southwest Research Station, Redding CA