Forest Sciences Commons^™

Habitat Type Mapping In Montana De Oro State Park Through Gis Image Classification, Evan Corrales, Sarah Fockler

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

This project involved using aerial imagery and GIS procedures to automatically map the basic vegetation communities present within Montana de Oro State Park, CA: grassland, coastal scrub, bare ground, woodland, and riparian areas. 1m resolution color imagery of the park from the NAIP 2005 (National Agriculture Inventory Program) and 1m resolution LiDAR height data were also used to determine the locations of the different vegetation types in the park. This data was then classified by color using the interactive supervised classification tool in ArcGIS. Points were taken in the park using a GPS unit, and compared with the GIS results …

Post-Fire Response Of Little Creek Watershed: Evaluation Of Change In Sediment Production And Suspended Sediment Transport, Andrew Wood Loganbill

Master's Theses

The Little Creek watershed was assessed to identify changes in event-based suspended sediment export and determine the factors contributing to sediment production the first year following the Lockheed Fire in 2009. The amount and volume of near-stream sediment sources were found to decrease, while an increase in hillslope sediment production was documented. High intensity, short duration rainfall (up to 87 mm/hr for 10 minute duration) initiated extensive rilling and minor channel-derived debris torrents originating from the upper south facing slopes. Rainfall simulations, hillslope erosion plots, and soil infiltration tests indicated that fire produced soil water repellency, the lack of ground …

Mortality Assessment Of Redwood And Mixed Conifer Forest Types In Santa Cruz County Following Wildfire, Steve R. Auten

Master's Theses

On August 12, 2009, the Lockheed Fire ignited the west slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains burning approximately 7,819 acres. Foresters and other land managers were left with challenging decisions on how to evaluate tree mortality. Big Creek Lumber Company, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly)’s Swanton Pacific Ranch (SPR), and other resource professionals familiar with this region teamed up to develop a method for evaluating damage and thereby mortality for redwood, California nutmeg, live oak, tanoak, California bay, Pacific madrone, big leaf maple, Douglas-fir, Monterey pine, and knobcone pine. Quantitative damage criteria were used to design …

Post-Fire Mortality And Response In A Redwood/ Douglas-Fir Forest, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, Garren M. Andrews

Master's Theses

We investigated how fire severity impacts the survival and response (sprouting/seeding) of multiple species in the Santa Cruz Mountains of coastal California, including coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus), and Pacific madrone(Arbutus menziesii). During August 2009 the Lockheed Fire burned nearly 3,160ha of mixed-conifer stands with variable severity. Data from 37 Continuous Forest Inventory (CFI) plots were collected immediately before and for 2 successive years following the 2009 Lockheed Fire.

This research entails three objectives. First, we quantified post-fire mortality of trees that vary in species, size, and …

Wildland Urban Interface Assessment Of San Luis Obispo, California, Brian Hanson, Stephen Kadash, Nicholi Mackewicz

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

The purpose of this report is to provide a wildland fire hazard assessment of communities in the city of San Luis Obispo, California, and to identify prescriptions designed to prevent property damage and loss of life in the event of a wildfire. These prescriptions are adopted from established Shelter-In-Place communities who practice fire wise community wildfire prevention.There are eight communities that were identified as being fire prone. Each community had its own set of fire hazard, for example, flammable vegetation against a home, tall dead grass behind structures, or overhanging trees that would prevent an engine from passing. Once the …

Simulated Effects Of Varied Landscape-Scale Fuel Treatments On Carbon Dynamics And Fire Behavior In The Klamath Mountains Of California, Kevin J. Osborne

Master's Theses

I utilized forest growth model (FVS-FFE) and fire simulation software (FlamMap, Randig), integrated through GIS software (ArcMap9.3), to quantify the impacts varied landscape-scale fuel treatments have on short-term onsite carbon loss, long-term onsite carbon storage, burn probability, conditional flame length, and mean fire size. Thirteen fuel treatment scenarios were simulated on a 42,000 hectare landscape in northern California: one untreated, three proposed by the US Forest Service, and nine that were spatially-optimized and developed with the Treatment Optimization Model in FlamMap. The nine scenarios developed in FlamMap varied by treatment intensity (10%, 20%, and 30% of the landscape treated) and …

Response To Management Strategies In Young-Growth Giant Sequoia Stands At Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest – Remeasurement Twenty Years After Treatment, Joshua Soderlund

Master's Theses

There is limited information on how young-growth giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum [Lindl.] Buchholz)/mixed conifer stands respond to forest management strategies. An applied research study was initiated in 1989 when 35 approximately 0.1 acre (0.04 hectare) plots were installed in six young-growth giant sequoia/mixed conifer stands. The objective of this study was to determine if there was a difference after 20 years between treatments (a) thin only, (b) thin and prescribe burn, and (c) control in terms of the effect on overstory growth and yield, understory plants, tree regeneration and downed woody debris. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) for cubic-foot growth …

Classifying And Mapping Diversity In A Species-Poor System: The Mangrove Meta-Community Of Laguna Chacahua National Park, Oaxaca, Mexico, Elizabeth Kay Weisgerber

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Classifying and Mapping Diversity in a Species-Poor System: the mangrove meta-community of Laguna Chacahua National Park, Oaxaca, Mexico

by

Elizabeth Kay Weisgerber

Both field transects and imagery grid plots were analyzed with the goal of creating a community classification map for the mangrove forest of Parque Nacional Lagunas de Chacahua. In total, data was collected in 49 sites throughout the park, recording measures such as DBH, basal area, estimated dominance, frequency, cover and relative dominance. Field locations were marked and georeferenced with a GPS and grid plots overlaid on satellite imagery of the park were generated via a random …

Rangeland Oak Regeneration, Rehabilitation, And Conservation In Varian Ranch, Arroyo Grande, Ca., Tiffany Lappinga, Ivy Ku

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Since the majority of oak woodlands are currently under private management, it is important to educate landowners about the importance and value of preserving this unique type of forest, especially in California. The study region takes place in Varian Ranch, Arroyo Grande, California. This project aims to promote the health of rangeland oaks with a three-pronged approach: regeneration, rehabilitation, and conservation. Common issues associated with the decline of oaks include, but are not limited to, invasive/exotic plant species, changes in land use, overgrazing, and soil compaction. This project hopes to address some of these issues, as well as revitalize previous …

A Slo Landowners Guide To Natural Resource Regulations, Rob S. Whyte

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Many land owners today are simply unaware of the fact that their private land falls under not only local laws and regulations, but also several state and federal regulations. Unfortunately, this unawareness has often resulted in complete negligence to the land, further leading to the degradation of resources such as creeks and landscapes. “A SLO Land Owners Guide to Natural Resource Regulations” was created to provide the basic knowledge of the different regulations that govern landowners of San Luis Obispo County, with the intent to increase the compliance to the different laws and regulations.

Effects Of Wildland-Urban Interface Fuel Treatments On Potential Fire Behavior And Ecosystem Services In The Central Sierra Nevada Mountains Of California, Christopher C. Hamma

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

EFFECTS OF WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE FUEL TREATMENTS ON POTENTIAL FIRE BEHAVIOR AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN THE CENTRAL SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS OF CALIFORNIA

Christopher C. Hamma

For the past several decades, the wildland-urban interface (WUI) has been expanding in the low- to mid-elevation mixed-conifer belt of California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range. Concurrently, the effects of fire exclusion and shifting climatic patterns in this region have led to increases in wildfire size and severity, posing an ever-greater risk to life and property. As a result, the need for implementation of fuel treatments to reduce fire hazard is generally recognized to be urgent. …

Utilization Of Geographic Information System For Research, Management, And Education In The Natural Resources Management Department At California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, David In Yun

Master's Theses

Geographic Information System (GIS) is “an organized collection of computer hardware, software, geographic data, and personnel designed to efficiently capture, store, update, manipulate, analyze, and display all forms of geographically referenced information” (ESRI, 1997a). The Natural Resources Management Department at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California, hereafter NRM, was one of the early users of GIS technology. Although GIS was primarily used as an educational tool, it was also used for cataloging and displaying resource information for management planning and research projects. As the computing technology advanced, GIS became more powerful and easier to use. NRM faculty and …

Evaluation And Utilization Of The Continuous Forest Inventory System At Swanton Pacific Ranch, Dominic Ali, Reid Cody

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Five Continuous Forest Inventories (CFI) and one Senior Project Inventory (Piper et al. 1989) at Swanton Pacific Ranch in Davenport, CA were compiled and standardized to be formatted for input into Forest and Stand Evaluation Environment (FORSEE) growth and yield modeling software. Data from field books and Excel spreadsheets located on the Cal Poly Natural Resources Management Department hard drive was transcribed into a Microsoft Excel database. Data sources and authenticity were verified by cross-referencing plot data from multiple sources, associated senior project reports, and location on the Swanton grid system. An additional summary spreadsheet was made to help users …

Investigating Wood Welding Parameters Using A Prototype Welding Machine, Timothy R. Melin

Master's Theses

Understanding how different processing variables influence wood welded bonds is vital if the technique will ever be used to create engineered lumber without using adhesives. A variation of vibration welding, wood welding uses pressure and friction to bond materials together. During welding, heat causes a softening in the wood, a naturally occurring composite material. This softening leads to fiber entanglement and a bond forms upon cooling.

The goal of this research was to investigate several processing aspects of the wood welding procedure. A prototype wood welding machine, designed and fabricated from the ground up, was used to investigate the effects …

Effects Of Wildland Urban Interface Fuel Treatments On Fire Behavior And Ecosystem Services In The Klamath Mountains Of California, Jonathan A. Large

Master's Theses

Greater numbers of people are moving into wildland-urban interface (WUI) areas, increasing the number of people at risk to large wildfires. To mitigate the hazard, emphasis is often placed on fuel treatments used to reduce fuel loads and subsequent fire behavior. This approach overlooks the additional benefits provided by vegetation, including carbon storage and sequestration along with air pollutant removal. This study aimed to calculate and compare differences in representative values by examining a study site in the Klamath Mountains of Northern California. Fire behavior simulations were done under various weather scenarios to illustrate both the impact of weather on …

Fire: Ecology & Prevention, Justin R. Frey

Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of Lidar Generated Channel Features With Ground-Surveyed Channel Features In The Little Creek Watershed, Ryan M. Hilburn

Master's Theses

Detecting change in stream channel features over time is important in understanding channel morphology and the effects of both natural and anthropogenic influences. Channel features historically, and now currently, are being measured using a variety of ground survey techniques. These surveys require substantial time commitments and funding to complete. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) is an airborne laser mapping technology that holds promise to provide an alternative to ground-based survey methods. For this study, ground surveys were used to verify the accuracy of data collected using airborne LiDAR. Fifty nine cross-sectional profiles were surveyed in the Little Creek watershed at …

Accuracy Of Forest Road And Stream Channel Characteristics Derived From Lidar In Forested Mountain Conditions, Russell Alan White

Master's Theses

Forest roads and stream channels are mapped using a variety of remote sensing and ground-based techniques. In densely forested areas, conventional remote sensing methods provide limited terrain information, while ground-based surveys can be time-consuming, difficult, and expensive. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) is an airborne remote sensing technology used to create high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) of the earth’s surface. This study tests the accuracy of forest road and stream channel features mapped using LiDAR in the steep, forested terrain of California’s Santa Cruz Mountains. A conventional total station survey was used to determine centerline position and elevations along a …

Mill Creek Management Plan, Joey A. Gentry

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

The goal of this study is to conduct a management plan for the Mill Creek property. This will be obtained through meeting the landowner objectives concerning: wildlife with habitat enhancements, recreation locations, and the forest growth potential pertaining to different areas of the property. This plan will also offer suggestions and guidelines to maximize the use of the property. Including a collection of flora, fauna, and health related issues in the appendices for identification. The site condition on the property is very poor, and as a result the growth rate for this area is slow. It is recommended that the …

Analysis Of A Pinus Radiata Seed Stock Field In The Native Año Nuevo Stand In California, Christina Brassey

Master's Theses

This study was a part of the international collaborative IMPACT project, which aims to address the potential threat that the pitch canker disease poses to the use of Pinus radiata D. Don in plantations in New Zealand, Australia, and Chile. A field trial of 264 seedstocks was planted adjacent to a native stand of pitch canker infected P. radiata on the central coast of California, and disease symptom development was recorded over a period of 3 years. The results did not correlate with a greenhouse study of the same seedstocks inoculated with Fusarium circinatum Nirenberg & O'Donnell, the causal agent …

Development Of A Laboratory Protocol For The Micropropagation Of Monterey Pines (Pinus Radiata), Año Nuevo Stand, Karen E. Wells

Master's Theses

Monterey pine (Pinus radiata), a native tree to California and two Mexican islands, is important both ecologically and economically. Outside native stands, Monterey pines are grown for landscaping in California and on plantations around the world. Pitch canker, a disease caused by the fungus Gibberella circinata Nirenberg & O’Donnell (Fusarium circinatum Nirenberg and O'Donnell) is threatening the survival of Monterey pines. The disease currently affects Monterey pines in many parts of the world including the native stands. No effective chemical or biological control is available but some Monterey pines show resistance to the disease. The purpose of this project was …

Structure And Development Of Pitch Canker Infected Monterey Pine Stands At Año Nuevo, California, Douglas D. Piirto, Sauli Valkonen

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

The sustainability of indigenous Monterey pine (Pinus radiata D. Don)at Ano Nuevo stands in the central coast of California was examined. The foremost management objective in these stands is to establish and maintain stand structures that ensure a sustainable presence of the species in terms of uneven-aged management. The major threats are the proliferation of shade-tolerant tree species and the pitch canker ( Fusarium circinatum) disease. The study was based on data from 17 systematically placed sample plots, measured once, in one stand with a very high degree of variation in stand structure and species composition. The results …

Fire Regimes And Resultant Forest Structure In Native Año Nuevo Monterey Pine (Pinus Radiata) Forest, California, Scott L. Stephens, Douglas D. Piirto, Domenico F. Caramagno

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Native Monterey pine (Pinus radiata) forests occur in five populations on the west coast of North America. High severity fire has been reported to be the main disturbance agent that initiates seedling establishment for this species. To investigate the impacts of fire in this ecosystem, age structure and fire history data were collected from the native Ano Nuevo Monterey pine forest near Santa Cruz California. Stump cross-sections were removed from 10 randomly placed openings, and each was dated to determine tree age and fire history. Average mean fire return intervals were 11.2-20.1 y. Fifty-one percent of the Monterey …

An Ecological Basis For Managing Giant Sequoia Ecosystems, Douglas D. Piirto, Robert R. Rogers

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

A strategy for management of giant sequoia groves is formulated using a conceptual framework for ecosystem management recently developed by Region Five of the USDA Forest Service. The framework includes physical, biological, and social dimensions. Environmental indicators and reference variability for key ecosystem elements are discussed in this paper. The selected ecosystem elements include: 1) attitudes, beliefs, and values; 2) economics and subsistence; 3) stream channel morphology; 4) sediment; 5) water; 6) fire; 7) organic debris; and 8) vegetation mosaic. Recommendations are made for the attributes of environmental indicators that characterize these elements. These elements and associated indicators will define …

Communicating The Role Of Science In Managing Giant Sequoia Groves, Douglas D. Piirto, Robert R. Rogers, Mary C. Bethke

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Management of giant sequoia groves has been and continues to be a hotly debated issue. The debate has reached Congress, with all parties seeking resolution as to what constitutes an ecologically and publicly acceptable management approach. Determining the correct management approach and communicating that approach to the general public is the crux of the problem. Emerging concepts and principles of forest ecosystem management may provide a mechanism to seek resolution of these management problems related to giant sequoia. The Memorandum of Understanding between the members of the recently formed Giant Sequoia Ecology Cooperative provided the impetus for the development of …

Efficacy Of Herbicide Application Methods Used To Control Tanoak (Lithocarpus Densiflorus) In An Uneven-Aged Coast Redwood Management Context, Douglas D. Piirto, Brenda Smith, Eric K. Huff, Scott T. Robinson

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Three methods of tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus [Hook. & Arn.] Rehd.) control involving the application of the amine or ester form of triclopyr were evaluated in this coast redwood uneven-aged forest management study of herbicides. A cut-stump application with the amine form of triclopyr (Garlon 3A), frill cut with the amine form of triclopyr, basal-bark (outer surface) with the ester form of triclopyr (Garlon 4), and an untreated control were replicated three times. The tanoak control results in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) and/ or coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens [D. Don] Endl.) predominated stands obtained in earlier studies …

Giant Sequoia Insect, Disease, And Ecosystem Interactions, Douglas D. Piirto

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Individual trees of giant sequoia (Sequoia gigantea [Lindl.] Decne.) have demonstrated a capacity to attain both a long life and very large size. It is not uncommon to find old-growth giant sequoia trees in their native range that are 1,500 years old and over 15 feet in diameter at breast height. The ability of individual giant sequoia trees to survive over such long periods of time has often been attributed to the species high resistance to disease, insect, and fire damage. Such a statement, however, is a gross oversimplification, given broader ecosystem and temporal interactions. For example, why isn't …

Cost-Effective Wilderness Fire Management: A Case Study In Southern California, Christian A. Childers, Douglas D. Piirto

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Federal wilderness fire management policies have been scrutinized since the catastrophic fires in the Greater Yellowstone Area in 1988. While wilderness tire management objectives are still aimed at recreating natural fire regimes, all USDA Forest Service fire management programs must be cost-effective. Since current Forest Service economic analyses do not fully represent the value of fire to wilderness, a cost-effectiveness analysis was developed to compare wilderness fire management options. The analytical procedure is briefly reviewed, illustrated through a southern California case study and case study results are discussed. These results suggest that containment of some tires may be more cost-effective …

Cost-Effective Fire Management For Southern California's Chaparral Wilderness: An Analytical Procedure, Chris A. Childers, Douglas D. Piirto

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Fire management has always meant fire suppression to the managers of the chaparral covered southern California National Forests. Today, Forest Service fire management programs must be cost effective, while wilderness fire management objectives are aimed at recreating natural fire regimes. A cost-effectiveness analysis has been developed to compare fire management options for meeting these objectives in California's chaparral wilderness. This paper describes the analytical procedure using examples from a study currently being conducted for the Los Padres National Forest, and discusses some preliminary results.

Wood Of Giant Sequoia: Properties And Unique Characteristics, Douglas D. Piirto

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Wood properties of giant sequoia (Sequoia gigantea [Lindl.] Decne.) were compared with those for other coniferous tree species. Wood properties such as specific gravity, various mechanical properties, extractive content, and decay resistance of young-growth giant sequoia are comparable to or more favorable than those of coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens [D. Don] Endl.). It is recommended that giant sequoia be considered for planting stock in managed production forests to increase future supplies of wood having the characteristics so highly valued in coast redwood and other decay-resistant species