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Abstract
The Goosenest Adaptive Management Area was established in 1994 on the Klamath National Forest with the intent of evaluating late-successional forest characteristics. A large-scale experiment was established in the late 1990s to evaluate a range of management strategies. Treatments include combinations of mechanical thinning and prescribed fire. Observations 6 and 14 years after establishment were analyzed to evaluate effects on large tree component of the stand as well as species distribution and coarse woody debris. Thinning treatments accelerated growth of retained trees and modified proportion of ponderosa pine due to two factors: high levels of ponderosa pine mortality in control treatments, and the effects of group-selection plantations. Two applications of prescribed fire had little effect on stand structure and species distribution but did influence surface fuels >3 inches in size. Current rates of growth suggest that longevity of these treatments is on the order of 20 years.
Parent Publication
Citation
Ritchie, Martin W. 2020. Effects of thinning and prescribed fire in the Goosenest Adaptive Management Area in northeastern California. In: Pile, Lauren S.; Deal, Robert L.; Dey, Daniel C.; Gwaze, David; Kabrick, John M.; Palik, Brian J.; Schuler, Thomas M., comps. The 2019 National Silviculture Workshop: a focus on forest management-research partnerships. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-193. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 193-206. https://doi.org/10.2737/NRS-GTR-P-193-paper25.
