Future Forests Webinar Series, Webinar Proceedings and Summary: Ongoing Research and Management Responses to the Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak

Abstract

The Future Forest Webinar Series facilitated dialogue between scientists and managers about the challenges and opportunities created by the mountain pine beetle (MPB) epidemic. The series consisted of six webinar facilitated by the USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station, the Northern and Rocky Mountain Regions, and the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute. The series ran from October 2011 to December 2012 and covered a variety of topics related to the MPB epidemic: potential fire risk and behavior, current and future vegetation conditions, wildlife habitats and populations, social and economic considerations, ecosystem- and watershed-level changes, and management responses. The purpose of these proceedings is to relate information shared during the webinar series (rather than to summarize all available research on implications of the MPB epidemic). These proceedings represent a snapshot of relevant scientific and management concerns related to this epidemic. In the coming decades, additional research and lessons learned by managers will continue to deepen and broaden our understanding of the future of post-epidemic forests.

Titles contained within Future Forests Webinar Series, Webinar Proceedings and Summary: Ongoing Research and Management Responses to the Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak

• Overview of the Future Forest Webinar Series [Chapter 1]
• Webinar summary: Important findings for managers [Chapter 2]
• Post-epidemic fire risk and behavior [Chapter 3]
• Forests in transition: Post-epidemic vegetation conditions [Chapter 4]
• Ecological consequences of the MPB epidemic for habitats and populations of wildlife [Chapter 5]
• Beetles among us: Social and economic impacts of the MPB epidemic [Chapter 6]
• Small bugs with big impacts: Ecosystem and watershed-level responses to the MPB epidemic [Chapter 7]
• Moving forward: Responding to and mitigating effects of the MPB epidemic [Chapter 8]

Citation

Matonis, M.; Hubbard, R.; Gebert, K.; Hahn, B.; Miller, S.; Regan, C. 2014. Future Forests Webinar Series, Webinar Proceedings and Summary: Ongoing Research and Management Responses to the Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak. Proceedings RMRS-P-70. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 80 p.