Managing Sierra Nevada forests

Abstract

There has been widespread interest in applying new forest practices based on concepts presented in U.S. Forest Service General Technical Report PSW-GTR-220, "An Ecosystem Management Strategy for Sierran Mixed-Conifer Forests." This collection of papers (PSW-GTR-237) summarizes the state of the science in some topics relevant to this forest management approach, presents case studies of collaborative planning efforts and field implementation of these new practices, and clarifies some of the concepts presented in GTR 220. It also describes a method for assessing forest heterogeneity at the stand level using the Forest Vegetation Simulator and a new geographic information system tool for projectlevel planning that classifies a landscape into different topographic categories. While this collection of papers presents information and applications relevant to implementation, it does not offer standards and prescriptions. Forest management should be flexible to adapt to local forest conditions and stakeholder interests. This report does, however, strive to clarify concepts and present examples that may improve communication with stakeholders and help build common ground for collaborative forest management.

Titles contained within Managing Sierra Nevada forests

• Chapter 1: Fire and fuels reduction
• Forest health and bark beetles
• Chapter 3: Climate change and the relevance of historical forest conditions
• Chapter 4: Fishers and American martens
• Chapter 5: California spotted owls
• Chapter 6: Managing forests for wildlife communities
• Chapter 7: Developing collaboration and cooperation
• Chapter 8: Using GTR 220 to build stakeholder collaboration
• Chapter 9: Marking and assessing forest heterogeneity
• Chapter 10: Geographic information system landscape analysis using GTR 220 concepts
• Chapter 11: Dinkey north and south project
• Chapter 12: The variable-density thinning study at Stanislaus-Tuolumne Experimental Forest
• Chapter 13: Applying GTR 220 Concepts on the Sagehen Experimental Forest
• Chapter 14: Clarifying concepts
• Chapter 15: A desired future condition for Sierra Nevada Forests
• Appendix: Examples of Forest Structures That May Provide Wildlife Habitat

Citation

North, Malcolm, ed. 2012. Managing Sierra Nevada forests. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-237. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station. 184 p.