Forest Biology Commons^™

Evaluating Bark Beetle And Wildfi Re Dynamics In The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Shari Anstedt

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

In the western United States, bark beetle outbreaks are at a record high—and of grave concern to forest managers and other stakeholders. There is a common belief that the high amounts of dead fuels produced by bark beetle infestations increase the chance of active crown fires. However, little is known about how bark beetle outbreaks and wildfire interact, and how that interaction influences the overall ecosystem structure and potential fi re behavior. To better understand bark beetle/wildfire dynamics, a study was conducted in beetle-infested areas of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) in northwestern Wyoming and adjacent portions of Montana and …

A Project In Two Parts: Developing Fire Histories For The Eastern U.S. And Creating A Climate-Based Continental Fire Frequency Model To Fill Data Gaps, Christina Frame

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

Tree-ring dated fire scars provide long-term records of fire frequency, giving land managers valuable baseline information about the fire regimes that existed prior to Euro-American settlement. However, for the East, fire history data prove diffi cult to acquire because the generally moister climate of the region causes rapid decay of wood. In an endeavor to fill data gaps, the research team collected fire scar data in the states of Alabama, Louisiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan. The second part of the project used this newly collected fi re history data combined with previously collected records to parameterize and calibrate …

Reducing Fuels Through Mulching Treatments: What Are The Ecological Effects?, Christina Frame

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

Many areas in the western U.S. are being thinned to reduce fire hazard and spread. Often the most economical solution for the disposal of the thinned biomass is to grind and leave the material onsite. These treatments are assumed to reduce the ability of the forest to carry a crown fire, but the effects of the added material on forest ecosystems are poorly known because such treatments do not have a natural analogue. Managers and the public are interested in understanding the impacts of the addition of this woody material on forest ecosystems so they can evaluate the benefi ts …

Ponderosa Pine Biomass Relationships Vary With Site Treatment And Site Productivity, Joy Drohan

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

Allometric equations, which express biomass as a function of tree size, are often used to estimate the amount of fuel in a site’s canopy. Most managers assume that one allometric equation per species is suffi cient, or that any error introduced by extrapolation is irrelevant. This work showed, however, that the allometric biomass relationship for ponderosa pine likely changes over space and time. The researchers concluded that for maximum accuracy, allometric equations for ponderosa pine should account for stand management history and site productivity. Thinned trees replaced their foliage within about 4 years, and 8–10 years post-thinning, growth had stabilized. …

Modifying The Model To Mitigate Crown Fire: Improving Estimates Of Canopy Fuels For The Black Hills (And Beyond), Christina Frame

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

Managers of most coniferous forests in the western United States aim to create and maintain forest structures that are less susceptible to the initiation and spread of crown fire. To achieve this end, they use models that predict potential fire behavior, and these models rely on accurate estimates of canopy structure, including canopy base height (CBH) and canopy bulk density (CBD). Managers predict CBD through use of the Fire and Fuels Extension to the Forest Vegetation Simulator (FFE-FVS). However, the equations used by FFE-FVS to predict crown mass are based on estimates solely from northern Montana and Idaho, and therefore …

Woodpecker Habitat After The Fire, Jake Delwiche

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

Public land managers are asked to minimize fuel levels after fires, including using techniques such as salvage logging. They are also responsible for maintaining suitable wildlife habitat, especially for species of concern to state and federal agencies. An area where these responsibilities could conflict is in the use of salvage logging in burned-over areas that also represent good habitat for certain wildlife such as woodpeckers. Controversy over this conflict has led to litigation. Public land management agencies need consistent design criteria to maintain suitable habitats for these birds. Little information has existed on how to assess potential effects of postfire …

Post-Fi Re Logging: An Effective Tool For Managing Future Fuels In Coniferous Inland Northwest Forests, Joy Drohan

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

This study involved a chronosequence of 68 stand-replacing wildfires that happened between 1970 and 2007 in dry coniferous forests of eastern Washington and Oregon. The authors compared snag decay and surface fuel accumulation with and without post-fire logging. Without logging after a fire, woody fuels accumulate for 15–30 years because the rate of fuel deposition on the ground is greater than the rate of wood decay. Stands that were more dense prefire have greater accumulations of fuel. Predominant tree species and size influenced rates of fuel deposition and snag decay. Thin trees fell before larger trees and ponderosa pines typically …

Fire Helps The Lonesome Pine, Jake Delwiche

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

Regeneration of Table Mountain pines in the Southern Appalachian has been on the decline since the 1950s. From central Pennsylvania to northeast Georgia, stands of these pines are beginning to be dominated by oaks, particularly chestnut oak, and by hickories. It has been believed that this is because the shade-intolerant pines are being replaced by more shade tolerant hardwoods and shrubs, largely a result of fire exclusion in these areas. Few studies have evaluated fire as a tool for replacement of this species. Some prescriptions have called for intense crown fi res, but these narrow the burning window and cause …

Evaluating The Effects And Effectiveness Of Post-Fire Seeding Treatments In Western Forests, Shari Anstedt

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

High-severity wildfires can profoundly affect soils and plant communities, thus requiring emergency rehabilitation treatments such as post-fire seeding. Intended to stabilize soils, reduce erosion, and combat non-native species invasions, post-fire seeding is typically one of the first treatments used by most U.S. natural resource agencies. But despite its widespread use, there is still doubt about the treatment’s actual effectiveness and ecological impacts. Therefore, researchers conducted a study to gain more definitive insight on the ecological effects and usefulness of post-fire seeding. The first part of the study involved an evidence-based review of scientifi c articles, theses, and government publications to …

Optimizing The Location Of Fuel Treatments Over Time At Landscape Scales, Shari Anstedt

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

Fuel treatments are a vital part of forest management—but when faced with limited budgets, narrow burning windows, and air quality restrictions, it can be challenging to prioritize where, when, and how fuel treatments should be applied across the landscape to achieve the most benefit. To help ease this process, land managers can turn to various standalone models, capabilities, and decision support systems. While these tools address various aspects of fuel treatments, there is no one integrated solution that can provide the combined functionality needed to handle the strategic scheduling of fuel treatments, the spatial and temporal changes of fuel treatment …

Saplings 2011, Sean M. Goins, Joseph Braner, Amy L. Myers, Charlie Jackson, Julia I. Chapman, Ryan W. Mcewan

Data Files: Drew Woods Permanent Plots

Sapling data (woody species >50 centimeters in height and <2.5 cm diameter at breast height) collected in 2011 at Drew Woods State Nature Preserve in Darke County, OH. Data key is provided in a supplemental file.

Seedlings 2011, Sean M. Goins, Joseph Braner, Amy L. Myers, Charlie Jackson, Julia I. Chapman, Ryan W. Mcewan

Data Files: Drew Woods Permanent Plots

Seedling data (woody species up to 50 centimeters in height) collected in 2011 at Drew Woods State Nature Preserve in Darke County, OH. Data key is provided in a supplemental file.

Carrying Capacity For Species Richness As A Context For Conservation: A Case Study Of North American Breeding Birds, Andrew J. Hansen, Linda Bowers Phillips, Curtis H. Flather, Jim Robinson-Cox

USDA Forest Service / UNL Faculty Publications

Aim To demonstrate that the concept of carrying capacity for species richness (S_K) is highly relevant to the conservation of biodiversity, and to estimate the spatial pattern of S_K for native landbirds as a basis for conservation planning.

Location North America.

Methods We evaluated the leading hypotheses on biophysical factors affecting species richness for Breeding Bird Survey routes from areas with little influence of human activities.We then derived a best model based on information theory, and used this model to extrapolate SK across North America based on the biophysical predictor variables. The predictor variables included the …

Wetland Features And Landscape Context Predict The Risk Of Wetland Habitat Loss, Kevin J. Gutzwiller, Curtis H. Flather

USDA Forest Service / UNL Faculty Publications

Wetlands generally provide significant ecosystem services and function as important harbors of biodiversity. To ensure that these habitats are conserved, an efficient means of identifying wetlands at risk of conversion is needed, especially in the southern United States where the rate of wetland loss has been highest in recent decades. We used multivariate adaptive regression splines to develop a model to predict the risk of wetland habitat loss as a function of wetland features and landscape context. Fates of wetland habitats from 1992 to 1997 were obtained from the National Resources Inventory for the U.S. Forest Service’s Southern Region, and …

Striving For Long-Term Forest Sustainability—Even As The Climate Changes, Shari Anstedt

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

Climate change, and its ecological impact, is right on the horizon. According to climate predictions over the next century, the southwestern United States will face higher temperatures and greater evaporative loss, which will heighten the possibility for severe drought. The stress of more frequent, intense droughts can increase tree mortality, hinder growth, and alter forest structure and composition. As a result, it’s now more important than ever for land managers to understand how today’s decisions and actions can impact future forest conditions. To develop answers, researchers conducted a study in the oldest ponderosa pine restoration project in the Southwest. Located …

Assessing Fuel Treatment Effectiveness After The Tripod Complex Fires, Shari Anstedt

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

Over the past 50 years, wildfire frequency and area burned have increased in the dry forests of western North America. To help reduce high surface fuel loads and potential wildfire severity, a variety of fuel treatments are applied. In spite of the common use of these management practices, there have been relatively few opportunities to quantitatively measure their efficacy in wildfires. That changed with the 2006 Tripod Complex fires in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in Washington—one of the largest fire events in Washington state over the past five decades. A serendipitous involvement of recent fuel treatments and the availability of …

Timber Talk, Vol. 49, No. 1, February 1, 2011

Timber Talk: Nebraska Forest Industry Newsletter

Lumber Market News; Hardwood Lumber Price Trends—Green; Hardwood Lumber Price Trends—Kiln Dried; Hardwood Lumber Market History—Green; Nebraska “Primary Processors” Directory; Long Time Nebraska Sawmiller Will Be Missed; What Is That Log Worth?; Nebraska Forestry Industry Spotlight; The Trading Post; Timber Sales;

Timber Talk, Vol. 49, No. 3, September 1, 2011

Timber Talk: Nebraska Forest Industry Newsletter

Lumber Market News; Hardwood Lumber Price Trends—Green; Hardwood Lumber Price Trends—Kiln Dried; Timber Stumpage Prices; Timber Culture Act; Powderpost Beetles; End-Coating Logs and Lumber Makes “Cents” (Or Dollars); Nebraska Forestry Industry Spotlight; Planning Tool Available to Loggers; The Trading Post; Timber Sales.

Evaluation Of The Modis Lai Product Using Independent Lidar-Derived Lai: A Case Study In Mixed Conifer Forest, Jennifer L.R. Jensen, Karen S. Humes, Andrew T. Hudak, Lee A. Vierling, Eric Delmelle

USDA Forest Service / UNL Faculty Publications

This study presents an alternative assessment of the MODIS LAI product for a 58,000 ha evergreen needleleaf forest located in the western Rocky Mountain range in northern Idaho by using lidar data to model (R²=0.86, RMSE=0.76) and map LAI at higher resolution across a large number of MODIS pixels in their entirety. Moderate resolution (30 m) lidar-based LAI estimates were aggregated to the resolution of the 1-km MODIS LAI product and compared to temporally-coincident MODIS retrievals. Differences in the MODIS and lidar-derived values of LAI were grouped and analyzed by several different factors, including MODIS retrieval algorithm, sun/sensor …

Engineering A Future For Amphibians Under Climate Change, Luke P. Shoo, Deanna H. Olson, Sarah K. Mcmenamin, Kris A. Murray, Monique Van Sluys, Maureen A. Donnelly, Danial Stratford, Juhani Terhivuo, Andres Merino-Viteri, Sarah M. Herbert, Phillip J. Bishop, Paul Stephen Corn, Liz Dovey, Richard A. Griffiths, Katrin Lowe, Michael Mahony, Hamish Mccallum, Jonathan D. Shuker, Clay Simpkins, Lee F. Skerrat, Stephen E. Williams, Jean-Marc Hero

USDA Forest Service / UNL Faculty Publications

1. Altered global climates in the 21st century pose serious threats for biological systems and practical actions are needed to mount a response for species at risk.

2. We identify management actions from across the world and from diverse disciplines that are applicable to minimizing loss of amphibian biodiversity under climate change. Actions were grouped under three thematic areas of intervention: (i) installation of microclimate and microhabitat refuges; (ii) enhancement and restoration of breeding sites; and (iii) manipulation of hydroperiod or water levels at breeding sites.

3. Synthesis and applications. There are currently few meaningful management actions that will …