Treesearch

In their analysis of resampled and remeasured plot data from the USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program, Barrett and Pattison (2017, Can. J. For. Res. 47(1): 97–105, doi:10.1139/cjfr-2016-0335) suggest that there is neither evidence of a recent regional decrease in yellow-cedar (Callitropsis nootkatensis (D. Don) Oerst. ex D.P. Little) live tree basal area nor a decrease in the species’ extent in southeastern Alaska. Here, we identify substantial, broad-scale agreement between their estimated extent of concentrated yellow-cedar mortality and that resulting from a...

Dam removal is widely used as an approach for river restoration in the United States. The increase in dam removals—particularly large dams—and associated dam-removal studies over the last few decades motivated a working group at the USGS John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis to review and synthesize available studies of dam removals and their findings. Based on dam removals thus far, some general conclusions have emerged: (1) physical responses are typically fast, with the rate of sediment erosion largely dependent on sediment characteristics and dam-removal strategy; (2)...

With the passage of the Multiple Use Sustained Yield Act of 1960, the U.S. Forest Service has managed its 193 million acres of forest and grassland for multiple uses, including timber, watersheds, and wildlife. Using today’s terminology, some of these purposes are considered ecosystem services, which encompass a breadth of benefits provided by forests, including their ability to absorb and store atmospheric carbon, a greenhouse gas linked to climate change. National forests are now working to mitigate climate change, but the tradeoffs involved in managing for multiple ecosystem services...

In frequent-fire forests of the interior Western United States, historical (prefire suppression) conditions are often used as a reference to set management objectives, guide prescriptions, and monitor treatment effectiveness. We quantified the historical size, density, composition, and spatial patterns of dry mixed-conifer forests in the Blue Mountains of Oregon to establish reference conditions that could be used for ongoing forest-restoration efforts. In total, 14 reconstruction plots ranging from 2.3 to 5.0 ha were established, with plots located on ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa...

Understanding sex-specific differences in behavior and survival is essential for informative population modeling and evolutionary biology in animal populations. Uneven sex ratios are common in many migrant passerine species; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We used molecular sex determination, nest monitoring, and radio telemetry of fledgling Ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocapilla), to determine if sex-specific patterns of production, survival or behavior were present prior to the first migration. We tested whether: 1) sex ratios were skewed towards males at fledging; 2) postfledg...

The success of agroforestry in adapting and mitigating climate change depends on many human dimensions surrounding agroforestry. This chapter reviews research on the adoption of new practices by landowners and examines cultural perspectives on agroforestry. Diverse and complex motivators for conservation decisionmaking reflect the diversity of landowners, land management practices, and ecosystems and provide a variety of opportunities to encourage agroforestry adoption. The chapter also reviews tribal and indigenous systems as models for modern resiliency. Affirmation of time-tested...

Forage kochia (Bassia prostrata, hereafter ‘kochia’), a short-statured shrub of Eurasian origin, has been widely seeded in the Intermountain West for rangeland revegetation, post-fire rehabilitation and greenstripping. Although popular for revegetation purposes, it can be become troublesome in areas managed for biodiversity conservation. In southwestern Idaho, kochia is considered invasive in slickspot communities where it competes with sensitive endemic peppergrass species Lepidium papilliferum and L. davisii (Kinter et al. 2012, BLM 2014).

The Science Framework is intended to link the Department of the Interior’s Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy with long-term strategic conservation actions in the sagebrush biome. The Science Framework provides a multiscale approach for prioritizing areas for management and determining effective management strategies within the sagebrush biome. The emphasis is on sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems and Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). The approach provided in the Science Framework links sagebrush ecosystem resilience to disturbance and resistance to nonnative,...