Forest Sciences Commons^™

Fire And Aquatic Ecosystems In The Context Of Climate Change: A Synthesis For Improved Management, Charles Luce, Penelope Morgan, Kate Dwire, John Buffington, Bruce Rieman, Zack Holden, Matt Dare, Dan Isaak, Claire Mcgrath

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Fire will be the proverbial eye-of-the-needle through which many western U.S. mountain, forest, and stream ecosystems will pass as the climate changes. Historic observations show increased dryness and temperatures accompanying more widespread fire and forest die-off. These events may punctuate gradual changes to ecosystems, or may be a mechanism driving stepwise changes in ecosystems. Most western ecosystems are strongly tied to cycles of fire and recovery, and the changing nature of fire will have profound consequences. There is no question that vulnerability assessments of western U.S. ecosystems need to account for fire in their calculus. The biophysical template of the …

Synthesis Of Knowledge Of Extreme Fire Behavior: Volume I For Fire Managers, Paul A. Werth, Brian E. Potter, Craig B. Clements, Mark. A. Finney, Scott L. Goodrick, Martin E. Alexander, Miguel G. Cruz, Jason A. Forthofer, Sara S. Mcallister

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group definition of extreme fire behavior (EFB) indicates a level of fire behavior characteristics that ordinarily precludes methods of direct control action. One or more of the following is usually involved: high rate of spread, prolific crowning/ spotting, presence of fire whirls, and strong convection column. Predictability is difficult because such fires often exercise some degree of influence on their environment and behave erratically, sometimes dangerously. Alternate terms include “blow up” and “fire storm.” Fire managers examining fires over the last 100 years have come to understand many of the factors necessary for EFB development. This …

Fire Ecology And Management Of Non-Forested Ecosystems In Western North America. Final Report: Description Of Organizational Meetings And Development Of A Publication Plan, Matt Brooks

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

It has been almost 30 years since the last major book on the ecology and management of fire was published that contained extensive information from non-forested ecosystems across western North America (Wright and Bailey 1982). During subsequent years there have been notable books that have focused largely on forested ecosystems (e.g. Agee 1993), and there was one very recent book that addressed many important grassland, shrubland, woodland, and forest areas, but its geographic extent was confined to California (Sugihara et al. 2006). No single book has since matched the geographic scope associated with non-forested ecosystems in western North America as …

Laboratory Of Tree-Ring Research And School Of Natural Resources And The Environment, Thomas W. Swetnam, Donald Falk, Elaine K. Sutherland, Peter M. Brown, Timothy J. Brown

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Understanding the role of climate variation in governing fire regimes remains one of the central needs in contemporary fire science and management. Ideally, this understanding should encompass both historical and current fire-climatology, and inform both basic science and ecosystem management. In this project, Fire and Climate Synthesis (FACS) we undertook a detailed synthesis of both paleofire and modern fire based on compilations of existing data sets. We also analyzed three major thematic pathways by which climate has impacted fire policy, including direct and indirect climate effects on fire policy. Paleofire. We assembled the largest and most comprehensive data set of …

Fire Regimes Of Montane Grasslands Of The Valles Caldera National Preserve, New Mexico, Donald A. Falk, Craig D. Allen, Robert Parmenter, Thomas Swetnam, Clifford Dils

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Montane grasslands are an important ecosystem type in Southwestern landscapes, occurring from the forest borders of piñon-juniper woodland to high elevation subalpine and alpine ecosystems. Thus, they often represent a mosaic element embedded in the forest landscape matrix, playing key roles in processing water and nutrients, and providing habitat for unique suites of species, often at higher levels of diversity than those found in surrounding uplands. Soils, local temperature and moisture gradients, and disturbance all play roles in determining the distribution and extent of montane grasslands. Of these factors, fire plays the most dynamic role in regulating the location and …

Fuel Reduction Treatment Longevity And Crown Response In Interior Ponderosa Pine Forests Of Northern California, Martin W. Ritchie, Carl N. Skinner, Jianwei Zhang

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

With increasing interest in fuels treatments to address the high risk of severe fires in the western United States, there is an attendant need to quantify the effectiveness of such treatments. In addition to the immediate effect of reducing levels of combustible material and the attendant impact on fire intensity, resource managers also need to quantify or forecast the longevity of such treatments. Treatments that produce significant, but short-lived reductions in risk of severe wildfire may not be meeting the goals and objectives of managers. This temporal component needs further study and is the subject of this proposal. There are …

Fuel Treatments In Mixed-Pine Forests In The Great Lakes Region: A Comprehensive Guide To Planning And Implementation, Eric Toman, Stanley Gehrt, Charles Goebel, David M. Hix, Roger Williams, Robyn Wilson, Sarah Mccaffrey

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Fuel management decisions are made within a larger context of resource management characterized by multiple objectives including ecosystem restoration, wildlife management, commodity production (from timber to less traditional forest products), and provision of recreation opportunities and amenity values. Implementation of fuel treatments is strongly influenced by their perceived influence on and compatibility with overarching management objectives. In some cases these objectives may be complementary while in others they may involve difficult tradeoffs. Such tradeoffs are only further complicated by institutional mandates, limited availability of information, and complex ownership patterns. Like natural resource managers across the U.S., those in the Great …

Native Trees And Shrubs For Nebraska, Justin R. Evertson, Bob Henrickson

Nebraska Statewide Arboretum: Publications

Native plants withstand Nebraska’s tough climate extremes and serve as vital habitat for wildlife like birds, butterflies, and bees. NOTE: “Nearly native” signifies a species that is native within 100 miles of Nebraska’s border and/or now naturalized within the state.

141 species, from
Acer negundo -­‐ boxelder maple
to
woodbine -­‐ Parthenocissus vitacea

Trees For Western Nebraska, Justin R. Evertson, Bob Henrickson

Nebraska Statewide Arboretum: Publications

The following species are recommended for areas in the western half of Nebraska and/or typically receive less than 20” of moisture per year.

Trees For Eastern Nebraska, Justin R. Evertson, Bob Henrickson

Nebraska Statewide Arboretum: Publications

The following species are recommended for areas in the eastern half of Nebraska and/or typically receive more than 20” of moisture per year. The size range indicated for each plant is the expected average mature height x spread for Nebraska.

The Seed, Justin R. Evertson, Kendall Weyers, Christina Hoyt, Karma Larsen

Nebraska Statewide Arboretum: Publications

People in general seem to harbor a natural fear toward many of the creatures inhabiting our yards and the land- scapes around us. Some of this fear is certainly understand- able, after all, a bee or wasp sting hurts! Others of these creatures are just creepy—spiders, mantids, ants, snakes, bats. If we stop and think about it, however, we’ll soon realize that we really don’t have much to fear and in fact there is much to be gained if we can find a way to better appreciate these creatures. The beautiful goldenrod invites crab spiders and soldier beetles who love …

Oaks For Nebraska And The Great Plains, Justin R. Evertson, Bob Henrickson

Nebraska Statewide Arboretum: Publications

Oaks are generally long-lived, strongly branched trees that are resistant to most pests and diseases and serve as habitat for a variety of birds, mammals, and over 400 species of moths and butterflies. When selecting an oak from a nursery, it is important to choose one with a fibrous root system (many fine roots) free of circling or in-turned roots. The planting of smaller-sized stock (less than 1.5” trunk caliper) and light, frequent watering for the first few months also dramatically increase the likelihood of long-term success.

Elms For Nebraska, Justin R. Evertson, Bob Henrickson

Nebraska Statewide Arboretum: Publications

Elms are majestic trees with a tall, arching habit that makes them useful for providing shade along streets, parks, and backyards. Elms are also relatively tolerant of poor soils and extreme weather. While Dutch elm disease has eliminated much of the old elm population in Nebraska, many new hybrids and cultivars show promising resistance and are making the elm o.k. to plant again.

Aspen Crown Dieback And Mortality On The Williams Ranger District, Kaibab National Forest, Arizona, Thomas J. Zegler

Aspen Bibliography

Crown dieback and mortality of quaking or trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) were extensive within pine-oak and mixed conifer forest types of the Williams Ranger District, Kaibab National Forest in northern Arizona. I collected data from 48 aspen sites to determine if predisposing site and stand factors and contributing damaging agents were associated with aspen crown dieback and mortality. Overstory aspen mortality averaged 50% by stems per hectare and 44% by basal area. Based upon univariate relationships, elevation was the most significant site factor related to both overstory aspen crown dieback (R2 = 0.15, P = 0.0069) and overstory aspen mortality …

Potential Carbon Storage And Cost-Benefits Analysis Of A Small-Scale Community Reforestation Project, Chester County, Pennsylvania, Jason D. Ferrell

East Goshen Township Forest Restoration Project Documents

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Nitrogen On Temporal And Spatial Patterns Of Nitrate In Streams And Soil Solution Of A Central Hardwood Forest, Frank S. Gilliam, Mary Beth Adams

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

This study examined changes in stream and soil water NO3−and their relationship to temporal and spatial patterns of NO3−in soil solution of watersheds at the Fernow Experimental Forest, West Virginia. Following tenfold increases in stream NO3−concentrations over a 13-year period (1969–1981) on untreated WS4, concentrations have declined through 2006. Followingfourfold increases in stream NO3−on treatment WS3 from pretreatment levels to a 1998 maximum, concentrations have declinedthrough 2006, despite additions of N. Concentrations of soil water NO3−were consistently lower for WS4 compared to WS3.Data for soil water NO3−on WS3 versus WS4 followed patterns of net mineralization and nitrification for these watersheds.Nitrogen …

Long-Term Observations Of Plant Succession On An Abandoned Cornfield In Southern Chester County, Pennsylvania (1967-2000), William Overlease, Edith Overlease

William Overlease Plant Succession Study Documents

No abstract provided.

Propagule Pressure And Disturbance Drive The Spread Of An Invasive Grass, Brachypodium Sylvaticum, Laura Alayna Vician Taylor

Dissertations and Theses

The invasibility, or susceptibility of an ecosystem to biological invasion is influenced by changes in biotic and abiotic resistance often due to shifts in disturbance regime. The magnitude of invasive propagule pressure interacts with an ecosystem's invasibility to determine the extent of a biological invasion. I examined how propagule pressure, forest community structure and disturbance interact to influence the invasibility of temperate Pacific Northwest forests by the newly-invasive grass, Brachypodium sylvaticum. My goal was to identify which of these factors is most instrumental in enabling the shift from establishment to population growth in B. sylvaticum at the edge of …

William R. Overlease (1925 - 2007), Jack Holt

Gordon Natural Area History & Strategic Plan Documents

No abstract provided.

Survey Of Aspen Dieback In The Intermountain Region, John Guyon, James Hoffman

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.