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Dry-conifer Ecology and Silviculture in Western Oregon
John D. BaileyOregon State University
Two provinces but…• Rainfall• Temperature
Forest Vegetation Formula:• Geology and Soils• Climate/microclimate• Disturbances - fire• Heterotrophs - humans
Ecology 101
Autecology (e.g., silvics)Synecology (e.g., Douglas-fir infill)Ecosystems – exchanges of mass and energyDisturbance (no such thing as ‘balance’)
Douglas-fir (dominant)Ponderosa and sugar pineIncense-cedarOregon white oak
Forests and woodlandsSavannasGrasslands/meadows
Stand Dynamics
Stand InitiationStem ExclusionUnderstory ReinitiationOld Growth
Seral stages (spatial and temporal patterns)• meadows?• fire-maintained woodlands• native peoples• young forest?
Historic vs. current conditions
“Axis of Evil”• settlement and land conversion• overgrazing• fire exclusion and suppression*• dewatering of drainages• scattered (often high-grade) logging*• ungulate proliferation
Fuel accumulationDensityAge and size structure
SilvicultureMechanical Treatment (e.g., “thinning”)
vs. Prescribed Burning
Advantages Disadvantages
National Program
• 13 sites in the US• Two factors (mechanical and fire)
• Basic Design and Monitoring
Control Burn Only
Thin Only Thin &
Burn
http://www.fs.fed.us/ffs/
Standard Fuels Reduction Treatment – 2 million acres/year
FFS 80/80 Treatment
FUELS REDUCTION TREATMENTS
Silvicultural Effectivenessn. Having the intended or expected effect; serving the management purpose over time and space
• Structure• tree and stand• live and dead
• Composition• Fuels levels• Stand Dynamics – DFD’s
• restoration• ecosystem-based management• carbon
• Sustainability
FFS Treatments – Southwest Plateau (northern Arizona)
Mechanical harvest only Prescribed fire only
Harvest followed by fire Control
FFS Treatment – Future Structure and Dynamics…40 years later
Other Restoration Treatments
Silvicultural Effectivenessn. Having the intended or expected effect; serving the management purpose over time and space
• Meadow encroachment• Oak savanna infill• northern spotted owl habitat• defensible fuel breaks
MULTI-AGED MANAGEMENTSTANDS AND LANDSCAPES