Estimating historical snag density in dry forests east of the Cascade Range

Richy J. Harrod; William L. Gaines; William E. Hartl; Ann Camp

doi:10.2737/PNW-GTR-428

Treesearch

Estimating historical snag density in dry forests east of the Cascade Range

Informally Refereed

Authors:

Richy J. Harrod, William L. Gaines, William E. Hartl, Ann Camp

Year:

1998

Type:

General Technical Report

Station:

Pacific Northwest Research Station

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.2737/PNW-GTR-428

Source:

Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-428. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 16 p

Download (PDF 196 KB)

Download (PDF 196 KB): https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/3247.pdf

Abstract

Estimating snag densities in pre-European settlement landscapes (i.e., historical conditions) provides land managers with baseline information for comparing current snag densities. We propose a method for determining historical snag densities in the dry forests east of the Cascade Range. Basal area increase was calculated from tree ring measurements of old ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. Ex Laws.) trees. Historical stand structure was assumed to be open and parklike, with low densities favoring larger diameter trees, and it was considered relatively stable at the landscape level.

Keywords

Snag density, ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa, snag recruitment, historical forest structure

Citation

Harrod, Richy J.; Gaines, William L.; Hartl, William E.; Camp, Ann. 1998. Estimating historical snag density in dry forests east of the Cascade Range. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-428. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 16 p