Treesearch

This inventory of the Black Hills National Forest (BHNF) covers the years 2007-2011 on the South Dakota portion of the forest and 2005 on the Wyoming portion. It reports more than 1.16 million acres of forest land dominated by ponderosa pine. Forest features reported on include volume, biomass, growth, removals, mortality, carbon, snags, and down woody material, along with information on forest economics. This report provides the public with a set of forest statistics that may be used in the Black Hills' land management decisionmaking.

This synthesis provides information related to the Southern Nevada Agency Partnership (SNAP) Science and Research Strategy Goal 1 - to restore, sustain and enhance southern Nevada’s ecosystems - and Goal 2 - to provide for responsible use of southern Nevada’s lands in a manner that preserves heritage resources and promotes an understanding of human interaction with the landscape. The Science and Research Strategy has nine Sub-goals that address the topics of water and water use, fire, invasive species, biological diversity, restoration, cultural resources, historic content, recreation, and...

This synthesis provides information related to the Southern Nevada Agency Partnership (SNAP) Science and Research Strategy Goal 1 - to restore, sustain and enhance southern Nevada’s ecosystems - and Goal 2 - to provide for responsible use of southern Nevada’s lands in a manner that preserves heritage resources and promotes an understanding of human interaction with the landscape. The Science and Research Strategy has nine Sub-goals that address the topics of water and water use, fire, invasive species, biological diversity, restoration, cultural resources, historic content, recreation, and...

This study assessed long-term recovery of vegetation on six wilderness campsites in subalpine forests in Oregon that were closed to use and that received common restoration treatments (scarification, soil amendments, mulch, transplanting, and seeding). Vegetation cover was assessed every year for the first 7 years following treatment, as well as 10 and 15 years after treatment. This made it possible to compare long-term treatment effectiveness to short-term efficacy. Plots that were closed and not scarified had virtually no vegetation cover even after 15 years without use. If long-used...

In July 2012, immediately after the Pine Ridge Fire burned outside De Beque, Colorado, a team of researchers interviewed fire managers, local government officials, and residents to understand perceptions of the event itself, communication, evacuation, and pre-fire preparedness in order to identify contributors to success and areas for improvement. Although the fire had been a fast-moving event that presented significant risk to critical regional infrastructure and homes, research participants largely agreed that the fire management response prevented losses and that the actions taken...

Public health awareness has increased in the past few years regarding the disposal of chromated copper arsenate (CCA) preservative-treated wood wastes. This study demonstrates the potential for using remediated CCA lumber and alternative fiber sources, such as sugar cane bagasse, to produce medium density fiberboard (MDF). The role of both remediated CCA loaded spruce wood and substitution of a part of it with sugar-cane bagasse fibers on the performance of MDF produced were evaluated. The remediation conditions were optimized from examining the FTIR-spectra and TGA analyses of the treated...

The legacy of structural homogenization due to forest management for commercial products is a loss of biodiversity. A common policy in many European countries is to increase forest diversity by converting managed forests to more natural conditions. The aim of this study was to provide an early evaluation of the effectiveness of different restoration treatments to rehabilitate managed stands in order to increase their naturalness. Restoration treatments were imposed on 30–60 years old conifer plantations including gap creation with and without added deadwood, added deadwood without gaps,...

Forest Service, BLM, and state forest roads provide access for timber harvest and recreational use. Culverts used on these roads were historically designed to convey water under the road with little attention given to passage of aquatic organisms. In the past decade or so, driven largely by the Endangered Species Act listing of various salmonids in the Pacific Northwest, managers have designed and installed culverts to accommodate passage of aquatic species. Many existing culverts designed under the old criteria are impediments to passage and are replaced with culverts or bridges designed...

The Madrean Archipelago or Sky Islands region of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico is recognized for its unique biological diversity, natural beauty, and cultural heritage. This 2012 conference brought together scientists, managers, students, and other interested parties from the United States and Mexico to share their knowledge and passion about the region and to identify needs and creative solutions for existing and emerging problems. More than 300 people attended the conference including a large and energetic contingent from northern Mexico. The conference provided a...