Abstract
Land conversion and forest fragmentation is an important issue across the country. Forest fragmentation is one of the international Montréal criteria and indicators that the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, must assess periodically (Riitters and others 2004). Characteristics of increased fragmentation include increases in the amount of forest-nonforest edge, and decreases in the size of forest patches. Edges are associated with greater drying of forest fuels and the spread of weedy species (both plants and animals). As forest patches become smaller and distances between them increase, the number of native species that can survive in them declines. Smaller forest parcels are also less likely to be managed for timber production (Kline and others 2004, Wear and others 1999).
Parent Publication
Citation
Gray, Andrew. 2013. Changes in fragmentation of western Washington forest land (Project WC-EM-08-01). In: Potter, Kevin M.; Conkling, Barbara L., eds. 2013. Forest Health Monitoring: national status, trends, and analysis 2010. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-GTR-176. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 111-115.
