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Central Washington University

Conservation

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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Monitoring Whitebark Pine Stand Health In The Central Washington Cascades, Nancy H. Parra, Teresa J. Lorenz, Taza D. Schaming, Alison Scoville Jul 2022

Monitoring Whitebark Pine Stand Health In The Central Washington Cascades, Nancy H. Parra, Teresa J. Lorenz, Taza D. Schaming, Alison Scoville

Student Published Works

Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) plays a vital role in colonizing newly disturbed areas, providing shade for other tree species to germinate, and supplying food for a variety of birds and mammals, such as Clark’s Nutcrackers (Nucifraga columbiana) and grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis). Decline of whitebark pine populations has been attributed to several factors, including white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola), mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) outbreaks, and fire exclusion. In 2009, the U.S. Forest Service began to install permanent plots in whitebark pine stands in Washington and Oregon as …

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Seasonal Soil Carbon Fluxes In Transitioning Agricultural Soils In Central Washington State: Relations To Land-Use, Environmental Factors And Soil Carbon-Nitrogen Characteristics, Brandon Kautzman Jan 2019

Seasonal Soil Carbon Fluxes In Transitioning Agricultural Soils In Central Washington State: Relations To Land-Use, Environmental Factors And Soil Carbon-Nitrogen Characteristics, Brandon Kautzman

All Master's Theses

Changing agricultural land-use practices to increase soil carbon sequestration contributes to climate change mitigation and improved food security by moving CO2 from the atmosphere into soil as soil organic carbon (SOC). In 2016, a farm in Thorp, Washington, Spoon Full Farm, began converting land historically farmed using conventional methods of tillage and synthetic fertilizers to conservation farming methods with direct seeding and organic soil amendments with a goal of sequestering carbon in the soil. This project evaluates relationships of soil CO2 respiration and net ecological exchange (NEE) with land-use types, seasonal environmental factors (air temperature, relative humidity, soil …

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The Elwha River Restoration: Landscape Change, Salmon, And Sense Of Place, Kelseyanne Johnson Jan 2013

The Elwha River Restoration: Landscape Change, Salmon, And Sense Of Place, Kelseyanne Johnson

All Master's Theses

Removal of the Elwha River dams to restore the ecosystem and salmon fisheries is the largest project of its kind in the history of the United States. Spanning decades and affecting generations, this project has changed and will continue to change the landscape. This research examined the influence of the anticipated return of salmon on 18 key stakeholders' sense of place of the Elwha River. For almost all stakeholders, changes to the Elwha landscape are welcomed as they expect that salmon will restore the ecosystem to its natural state. Narrative data revealed dominant themes in participants' sense of place expressed …

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The Dickey Bird Scientists Take Charge: Science, Policy, And The Spotted Owl, Thomas R. Wellock Jul 2010

The Dickey Bird Scientists Take Charge: Science, Policy, And The Spotted Owl, Thomas R. Wellock

History Faculty Scholarship

In 1992, the Forest Service adopted a new operating policy, Ecosystem Management, which minimized the agency's timber production goals in favor of a more ecologically balanced view of its responsibilities. In explaining this shift, scholars have dismissed the possibility of internal reform, arguing that the Service could not change without irresistible external pressure from environmental activists and new public values supporting biodiversity. Viewing the Service's shift through the lens of the spotted owl controversy, however, demonstrates the important role agency culture played in instigating bureaucratic change. The Service's evolution stemmed from the rising influence of its scientists in policy formation. …

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Conservation And Restoration Of Pine Forest Genetic Resources In México, C. Sáenz-Romero, Amy E. Snively, R. Lindig-Cisneros Jan 2003

Conservation And Restoration Of Pine Forest Genetic Resources In México, C. Sáenz-Romero, Amy E. Snively, R. Lindig-Cisneros

Student Published Works

Deforestation rates in México are about 670,000 ha/year. This threatens the richness of forest genetic resources in México, causing the disappearance of locally adapted populations and rare and endangered pine species. México is one of the six megadiverse countries in the world, with half of the world’s Pinus species. Pinus is one of the most economically and ecologically important forest genera in México. We suggest that delineation of seed zones and the establishment of a network of Forest Genetic Resource Conservation Units (FGRCUs), linked with forest management and ecological restoration programs will protect this valuable resource. We estimate that FGRCUs …

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Water Resources Of Tacoma, Washington, Richard Martin Glaser Jul 1967

Water Resources Of Tacoma, Washington, Richard Martin Glaser

Graduate Student Research Papers

This study explores the fresh water and hydroelectricity resources of the City of Tacoma, Washington. The history and development of the water supply and hydroelectric facilities is examined. One can see that the development of the water resources has been directly affected by the growth in population and industry and that the nearness to the city of development sites has been an aid in this development. With the amount of water available at present and the increase in hydro-electric facilities during this decade, the future outlook for Tacoma in the field of water resources seems bright.

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