Treesearch

The La Sal Mountains are an isolated sky island in southeast Utah. These high-altitude ecosystems are especially vulnerable to climate change and human-caused disturbances. In 2013 and 2014, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) introduced nonnative mountain goats to the La Sals to enhance hunting and wildlife viewing opportunities. Recreation has increased in the area since then. Mountain goats and increased recreation are affecting plant species of conservation concern, suggesting that an adaptive management approach may be needed to maintain the ecosystem and the sensitive...

Inter-rotational productivity (i.e., productivity of successive rotations) of ponderosa pine plantation was measured on experimentally treated plots with a common design at three diverse sites in northern California. The objectives were to examine the carryover effect of fertilization (F) and understory control by herbicide (H), applied in the first rotation of plantation, on growth in the second rotation and to determine the sustainability of plantation productivity between rotations. Carryover effect varied among the three sites. There was a significant and positive H and F effect (P <...

Forage quality and quantity are nutritional attributes that influence ungulate populations through bottom-up processes. In northern Idaho, harsh winters occasionally cause substantial mortality of elk (Cervus canadensis) and deer (Odocoileus hemionus) populations; however, recent studies in the Western United States show that nutritional deficiencies on summer range also affect populations by reducing reproduction and survival. In fact, in many settings, nutritional deficiencies in summer may have a more limiting effect on elk populations than deficiencies in winter. Large tracts of mid-...

Restoring current ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. Ex P. and C. Laws)-dominated forests (also known as “dry forests”) to spatially resilient stand structures requires an adequate understanding of the overstory spatial variation of forests least impacted by Euro-American settlers (also known as “reference conditions”) and how much contemporary forests (2016) deviate from reference conditions. Because of increased tree density, dry forests are more spatially homogeneous in contemporary conditions compared to reference conditions, forests minimally impacted by Euro-American settlers....

Information on spatial patterns of forest health and stand vigor in historical forests is quite limited, particularly for forests of North America, which have been subsequently harvested. We used forest inventory data from 1934, which pre-dated early 20th century timber harvest, to reconstruct patterns of vigor in overstory trees. Across 4,000 ha of ponderosa pine-dominated forests in the Blacks Mountain Experimental Forest (BMEF), we described the spatial patterns of pre-harvest (1934) forests using a stand density index (SDI) and accounting for different species and vigor classes. We...

Hardwoods resprouting after wildfire or cutting develop as multistemmed clumps that gradually self-thin over time. There is increasing interest in thinning of sprouting species to accelerate the formation of tree characteristics important to indigenous cultural practices and wildlife such as large-diameter stems, large branches, broad crowns, and acorn production. We compared responses to three thinning treatments applied to black oak (Quercus kelloggii) resprouting after high-severity wildfire throughout northern California, USA. Basal area increment of the dominant stem was greatest...

Given the high costs of constructing, maintaining, monitoring, and sampling paired watersheds, it is prudent to ask “Are paired watershed studies still worth the effort?” We present a compilation of 90 North American paired watershed studies and use examples from the Caspar Creek Experimental Watersheds to contend that paired watershed studies are still worth the effort and will continue to remain relevant in an era of big data and short funding cycles. We offer three reasons to justify this assertion. First, paired watersheds allow for watershed-scale experiments that have produced...

The 3rd North American Mass Timber Research Needs Assessment Workshop sponsored by the US Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory was held September 20-22, 2022. The purpose of the workshop was to convene experts on mass timber and cross laminated timber to develop a prioritized list of research needs for the North American mass timber industry. Invited workshop participants included design professionals, academics, industry leaders, and government employees. The workshop built upon prior mass timber research needs workshops that were conducted in 2015 and 2018.

Management of forest lands considering multi-functional approaches is the basis to sustain or enhance the provision of specific benefits, while minimizing negative impacts to the environment. Defining a desired management itinerary to a forest depends on a variety of factors, including the forest type, its ecological characteristics, and the social and economic needs of local communities. A strategic assessment of the forest use suitability (FUS) (namely productive, protective, conservation-oriented, social and multi-functional) at regional level, based on the provision of forest ecosystem...