Conference on Adaptive Ecosystem Restoration and Management
Conference on Adaptive Ecosystem Restoration and Management

Author: Wallace Covington

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published: 1998-02

Total Pages: 99

ISBN-13: 078813986X

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This conference was meant to facilitate the development of mutually beneficial human-wildland interactions by exploring ways in which to restore and sustain land health, as well as that of dependent human communities, in an adaptive ecosystem management context. General adaptive ecosystem restoration and management principles were discussed, however the conference was specifically designed to encourage cooperative North American work. The primary focus was on long-needled pine (principally ponderosa and closely related pines) and mixed-conifer landscape systems in the Western U.S.

Wildlife and Invertebrate Response to Fuel Reduction Treatments in Dry Coniferous Forests of the Western United States
Wildlife and Invertebrate Response to Fuel Reduction Treatments in Dry Coniferous Forests of the Western United States

Author: David S. Pilliod

Publisher:

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 44

ISBN-13:

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This paper synthesizes available information on the effects of hazardous fuel reduction treatments on terrestrial wildlife and invertebrates in dry coniferous forest types in the West. We focused on thinning and/or prescribed fire studies in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and dry-type Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), and mixed coniferous forests. Overall, there are tremendous gaps in information needed to evaluate the effects of fuel reduction on the majority of species found in our focal area. Differences among studies in location, fuel treatment type and size, and pre- and post-treatment habitat conditions resulted in variability in species responses. In other words, a species may respond positively to fuel reduction in one situation and negatively in another. Despite these issues, a few patterns did emerge from this synthesis. In general, fire-dependent species, species preferring open habitats, and species that are associated with early successional vegetation or that consume seeds and fruit appear to benefit from fuel reduction activities. In contrast, species that prefer closed-canopy forests or dense understory, and species that are closely associated with those habitat elements that may be removed or consumed by fuel reductions, will likely be negatively affected by fuel reductions. Some habitat loss may persist for only a few months or a few years, such as understory vegetation and litter that recover quickly. The loss of large-diameter snags and down wood, which are important habitat elements for many wildlife and invertebrate species, may take decades to recover and thus represent some of the most important habitat elements to conserve during fuel reduction treatments. Management activities that consider the retention of habitat structures (such as snags, down wood, and refugia of untreated stands) may increase habitat heterogeneity and may benefit the greatest number of species in the long run.

Managing Gambel Oak in Southwestern Ponderosa Pine Forests
Managing Gambel Oak in Southwestern Ponderosa Pine Forests

Author: Scott R. Abella

Publisher:

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 40

ISBN-13:

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Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii) is a key deciduous species in southwestern ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests and is important for wildlife habitat, soil processes, and human values. This report (1) summarizes Gambel oak's biological characteristics and importance in ponderosa pine forests, (2) synthesizes literature on changes in tree densities and fire frequencies since Euro-American settlement in pine-oak forests, (3) suggests management prescriptions for accomplishing various oak management objectives (for example, increasing diameter growth or acorn production), and (4) provides an appendix containing 203 Gambel oak literature citations organized by subject. Nine studies that reconstructed Gambel oak density changes since settlement in the late 1800s reported that densities of small oaks have escalated, with increases ranging from 4- to more than 63-fold. A possible argument for passive oak management, that overall oak abundance has decreased, is not supported by published research. Manipulating oak growth forms is one of the main means for managing oak and ecosystem components affected by oak. Published research has classified variants of three basic oak growth forms: shrubby thickets of small stems, pole-sized clumps, and large trees. Burning and cutting constitute major prescriptions for manipulating these growth forms, whereas pine thinning has most consistently increased oak diameter growth for promoting large oaks. Because of their high ecological value, large, old oaks should be retained in any management prescription. Sufficient research has been published on which to base some oak management prescriptions, but additional research on poorly understood aspects of oak's ecology is needed to refine and improve oak management.

Effects of Agricultural Conservation Practices on Fish and Wildlife
Effects of Agricultural Conservation Practices on Fish and Wildlife

Author: National Agricultural Library (U.S.)

Publisher:

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 404

ISBN-13:

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"The bibliography is a guide to recent scientific literature covering effects of agricultural conservation practices on fish and wildlife. The citations listed here provide information on how conservation programs and practices designed to improve fish and wildlife habitat, as well as those intended for other purposes (e.g., water quality improvement), affect various aquatic and terrestrial fauna"--Abstract.