Environmental Issues in Pacific Northwest Forest Management
Environmental Issues in Pacific Northwest Forest Management

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2000-08-14

Total Pages: 280

ISBN-13: 0309053285

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

People are demanding more of the goods, services, and amenities provided by the forests of the Pacific Northwest, but the finiteness of the supply has become clear. This issue involves complex questions of biology, economics, social values, community life, and federal intervention. Forests of the Pacific Northwest explains that economic and aesthetic benefits can be sustained through new approaches to management, proposes general goals for forest management, and discusses strategies for achieving them. Recommendations address restoration of damaged areas, management for multiple uses, dispute resolution, and federal authority. The volume explores the market role of Pacific Northwest wood products and looks at the implications if other regions should be expected to make up for reduced timber harvests. The book also reviews the health of the forested ecosystems of the region, evaluating the effects of past forest use patterns and management practices. It discusses the biological importance, social significance, and management of old-growth as well as late-succession forests. This volume will be of interest to public officials, policymakers, the forest products industry, environmental advocates, researchers, and concerned residents.

An Initial Evaluation of Potential Options for Managing Riparian Reserves of the Aquatic Conservation Strategy of the Northwest Forest Plan
An Initial Evaluation of Potential Options for Managing Riparian Reserves of the Aquatic Conservation Strategy of the Northwest Forest Plan

Author: Gordon H. Reeves

Publisher:

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 110

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Aquatic Conservation Strategy (ACS) of the Northwest Forest Plan guides management of riparian and aquatic ecosystems on federal lands in western Oregon, western Washington, and northern California. We applied new scientific findings and tools to evaluate two potential options, A and B, for refining interim riparian reserves to meet ACS goals and likely challenges of climate change while supporting other management goals, including timber production. Interim riparian reserves are retained in late-successional reserves and other special land designations in the options. In lands designated as matrix, the area for aquatic conservation extends upslope one site-potential tree-height along all streams, divided into an inner zone devoted solely to achieving ACS goals and an outer zone managed to achieve ACS and other goals. Option A uses a fixed-width approach and option B a context-dependent approach, with partitioning of zones based on the ecological sensitivity of stream reaches. Based on simulations of the area of interim riparian reserves in six watersheds in western Oregon with lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM): (1) about 76 percent under option A and 72 percent under option B remain solely devoted to ACS goals; (2) 15 percent under option A and 19 percent under option B should be able to meet ACS goals and also contribute toward matrix goals such as timber production; and (3) 9 percent would be returned to matrix. A large percentage of streams with high ecological sensitivity occurred on nonfederal lands, a circumstance that merits further analysis in the context of landscape-scale considerations for biodiversity and recovery of species listed under the Endangered Species Act. Information needs remain with regard to the application and effectiveness of these options, and an adaptive management context is critical for continued improvement.