Mixed-conifer forests of central Oregon: Effects of logging and fire exclusion vary with environment

Andrew G. Merschel; Thomas Spies; Emily K. Heyerdahl

Treesearch

Mixed-conifer forests of central Oregon: Effects of logging and fire exclusion vary with environment

Formally Refereed

Authors:

Andrew G. Merschel, Thomas Spies, Emily K. Heyerdahl

Year:

2014

Type:

Scientific Journal

Station:

Rocky Mountain Research Station

Source:

Ecological Applications. 24(7): 1670-1688.

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Abstract

Twentieth-century land management has altered the structure and composition of mixed-conifer forests and decreased their resilience to fire, drought, and insects in many parts of the Interior West. These forests occur across a wide range of environmental settings and historical disturbance regimes, so their response to land management is likely to vary across landscapes and among ecoregions. However, this variation has not been well characterized and hampers the development of appropriate management and restoration plans. We identified mixed-conifer types in central Oregon based on historical structure and composition, and successional trajectories following recent changes in land use, and evaluated how these types were distributed across environmental gradients. We used field data from 171 sites sampled across a range of environmental settings in two subregions: the eastern Cascades and the Ochoco Mountains.

Keywords

central Oregon, USA, Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), eastern Cascade Range, Oregon, USA, fire exclusion, gradient analysis, grand fir (Abies grandis), historical density of ponderosa pine, mixed-conifer forest, mixed-severity fire regime, Ochoco Mountains, Oregon, USA, ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), white fir (Abies concolor)

Citation

Merschel, Andrew G.; Spies, Thomas A.; Heyerdahl, Emily K. 2014. Mixed-conifer forests of central Oregon: Effects of logging and fire exclusion vary with environment. Ecological Applications. 24(7): 1670-1688.