Treesearch

This chapter sets the context for the following sociocultural sections of the synthesis by providing information on the broader social, cultural, and economic patterns in the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Range. Demographic influences surrounding population change, including those accounted for through amenity migration, are examined. Social and cultural concerns surrounding place meanings and place attachments are reviewed next, including potential influences on responses to natural resource management. Managing for resilience includes effectively applying a “triple bottom line...

Climatic extremes, ecological disturbance, and their interactions are expected to have major effects on ecosystems and social systems in most regions of the United States in the coming decades. In Alaska, where the largest temperature increases have occurred, permafrost is melting, carbon is being released, and fire regimes are changing, leading to a transition from conifers to hardwoods in some forests. In Hawaii and the U.S.-affiliated Pacific islands, an altered climate and sea level rise are changing hydrology and fire regimes, affecting both forest ecosystems and human communities. In...

Since its inception, the ecosystem service approach has stimulated interest from numerous planning, management, and partnership perspectives. To date, however, research that quantifies ecosystem services in the study area (in the form of explicit ecosystem service studies) has been limited. This chapter reviews and synthesizes the concept of ecosystem services, focusing on information to assist forest planners and managers in framing and describing concerns and tradeoffs in social, ecological, and economic values. It does not repeat information about specific ecosystem services that is...

Sociocultural perspectives on threats, risks, and health are explored in this chapter. The authors begin with a discussion of the linkages between well-being in the Sierra Nevada ecosystem and public health and well-being to set the context of socioecological resilience. This is followed by a summary of how trust and confidence influence the management of threats and risk. Selected ecosystem dynamics and threats of specific concern in this synthesis are discussed, and include climate change, wildland fire, and invasive species. The chapter closes with a discussion of research findings on...

Forest products harvesting and use from national forest lands remain important to local residents and communities in some parts of the Sierra Nevada science synthesis area. Managing national forests for the sustainable production of timber, biomass, nontimber forest products, and forage for livestock can help support forestbased livelihoods in parts of the region where they are socially and economically important, thereby contributing to social and economic sustainability and community resilience. This chapter provides context for understanding the social and economic dimensions of timber...

National forest management efforts have generally moved toward collaborative and participatory approaches at a variety of scales. This includes, at a larger scale, greater public participation in transparent and inclusive democratic processes and, at a smaller scale, more engagement with local communities. Participatory approaches are especially important for an all-lands approach to managing forest ecosystems across ownership boundaries.

The Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Range support thousands of montane lakes, from small, remote tarns to iconic destinations such as Lake Tahoe. Their beauty and recreational opportunities instill high social value, in particular by serving as destinations for hiking, camping, swimming, and fishing. Lakes also have high ecological value because they support a diverse aquatic fauna, including rare species such as the mountain yellow-legged frog (Rana muscosa/R. sierrae), and they provide food for terrestrial and aquatic predators. A number of stressors interact to affect lake ecosystems...

Martens and fishers, as predators, perform important functions that help sustain the integrity of ecosystems. Both species occur primarily in mature forest environments that are characterized by dense canopy, large-diameter trees, a diverse understory community, and abundant standing and downed dead trees. Martens occur in the upper montane forests, where the threat of wildfire is less, and fishers predominately occur in the lower montane forests, where the threat of severe wildfire is much greater. Both species use habitat at multiple scales: the resting/denning site, the stand, the home...

When managing for resilient forests, each soil’s inherent capacity to resist and recover from changes in soil function should be evaluated relative to the anticipated extent and duration of soil disturbance. Application of several key principles will help ensure healthy, resilient soils: (1) minimize physical disturbance using guidelines tailored to specific soil types; (2) evaluate changes in nutrient capital and turnover, perhaps using simple balance sheets; and (3) recognize effects on organic matter and soil biota. Because of fire suppression, accumulations of litter and duff in many...

Water and aquatic ecosystems in the synthesis area have high social, cultural, and ecological values. National forests in the synthesis area are a major source of water supply, hydropower, and recreational activity for much of California. Recent research has provided more information on water and nutrient budgets; these data are fundamental to understanding the interaction of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, current forest conditions, and response to stressors. Rapid changes in climate pose a threat to water resources, as warming has produced a shift toward more precipitation falling as...