scholarly journals Fire and Forest Management in Montane Forests of the Northwestern States and California, USA

Fire ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iris Allen ◽  
Sophan Chhin ◽  
Jianwei Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Fire Suppression ◽  
The United States ◽  
Dry Forests ◽  
Mountainous Regions ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Wet Forests

We reviewed forest management in the mountainous regions of several northwestern states and California in the United States and how it has impacted current issues facing these forests. We focused on the large-scale activities like fire suppression and logging which resulted in landscape level changes. We divided the region into two main forests types; wet, like the forests in the Pacific Northwest, and dry, like the forests in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges. In the wet forests, the history of intensive logging shaped the current forest structure, while fire suppression played a more major role in the dry forests. Next, we looked at how historical management has influenced new forest management challenges, like catastrophic fires, decreased heterogeneity, and climate change. We then synthesized what current management actions are performed to address these issues, like thinning to reduce fuels or improve structural heterogeneity, and restoration after large-scale disturbances. Lastly, we touch on some major policies that have influenced changes in management. We note a trend towards ecosystem management that considers a forest’s historical disturbance regime. With expected climate induced changes in fire frequency, it is suggested that fuel treatments be implemented in dry forests to ensure an understory fire regime is restored in these forest systems. With respect to wet forests in this region, it is suggested that there is still a place for stand-replacing fire regimes. However, these forests will require structural changes incorporating heterogeneity to improve their resiliency and health.

Is the END (emulation of natural disturbance) a new beginning? A critical analysis of the use of fire regimes as the basis of forest ecosystem management with examples from the Canadian western Cordillera

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Stockdale ◽  
Mike Flannigan ◽  
Ellen Macdonald
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Ecosystem Management ◽  
Forest Structure ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Disturbance Regime ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
High Severity ◽  
Management Actions

As our view of disturbances such as wildfire has shifted from prevention to recognizing their ecological necessity, so too forest management has evolved from timber-focused even-aged management to more holistic paradigms like ecosystem-based management. Emulation of natural disturbance (END) is a variant of ecosystem management that recognizes the importance of disturbance for maintaining ecological integrity. For END to be a successful model for forest management we need to describe disturbance regimes and implement management actions that emulate them, in turn achieving our objectives for forest structure and function. We review the different components of fire regimes (cause, frequency, extent, timing, and magnitude), we describe low-, mixed-, and high-severity fire regimes, and we discuss key issues related to describing these regimes. When characterizing fire regimes, different methods and spatial and temporal extents result in wide variation of estimates for different fire regime components. Comparing studies is difficult as few measure the same components; some methods are based on the assumption of a high-severity fire regime and are not suited to detecting mixed- or low-severity regimes, which are critical to END management, as this would affect retention in harvested areas. We outline some difficulties with using fire regimes as coarse filters for forest management, including (i) not fully understanding the interactions between fire and other disturbance agents, (ii) assuming that fire is strictly an exogenous disturbance agent that exerts top-down control of forest structure while ignoring numerous endogenous and bottom-up feedbacks on fire effects, and (iii) assuming by only replicating natural disturbance patterns we preserve ecological processes and vital ecosystem components. Even with a good understanding of a fire regime, we would still be challenged with choosing the temporal and spatial scope for the disturbance regime we are trying to emulate. We cannot yet define forest conditions that will arise from variations in disturbance regime; this then limits our ability to implement management actions that will achieve those conditions. We end by highlighting some important knowledge gaps about fire regimes and how the END model could be strengthened to achieve a more sustainable form of forest management.

scholarly journals Socioecological transitions trigger fire regime shifts and modulate fire–climate interactions in the Sierra Nevada, USA, 1600–2015 CE

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (48) ◽  
pp. 13684-13689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan H. Taylor ◽  
Valerie Trouet ◽  
Carl N. Skinner ◽  
Scott Stephens
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Native American ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Fire Suppression ◽  
Gold Rush ◽  
Climatic Effects ◽  
Fire Activity

Large wildfires in California cause significant socioecological impacts, and half of the federal funds for fire suppression are spent each year in California. Future fire activity is projected to increase with climate change, but predictions are uncertain because humans can modulate or even override climatic effects on fire activity. Here we test the hypothesis that changes in socioecological systems from the Native American to the current period drove shifts in fire activity and modulated fire–climate relationships in the Sierra Nevada. We developed a 415-y record (1600–2015 CE) of fire activity by merging a tree-ring–based record of Sierra Nevada fire history with a 20th-century record based on annual area burned. Large shifts in the fire record corresponded with socioecological change, and not climate change, and socioecological conditions amplified and buffered fire response to climate. Fire activity was highest and fire–climate relationships were strongest after Native American depopulation—following mission establishment (ca. 1775 CE)—reduced the self-limiting effect of Native American burns on fire spread. With the Gold Rush and Euro-American settlement (ca. 1865 CE), fire activity declined, and the strong multidecadal relationship between temperature and fire decayed and then disappeared after implementation of fire suppression (ca. 1904 CE). The amplification and buffering of fire–climate relationships by humans underscores the need for parameterizing thresholds of human- vs. climate-driven fire activity to improve the skill and value of fire–climate models for addressing the increasing fire risk in California.

scholarly journals Is “Fuel Reduction” Justified as Fire Management in Spotted Owl Habitat?

Birds ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 395-403
Author(s):  
Chad T. Hanson
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Fire Suppression ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Indirect Evidence ◽  
Fuel Reduction ◽  
Spotted Owl ◽  
California Spotted Owl

The California spotted owl is an imperiled species that selects mature conifer forests for nesting and roosting while actively foraging in the “snag forest habitat” created when fire or drought kills most of the trees in patches. Federal agencies believe there are excess surface fuels in both of these habitat conditions in many of California’s forests due to fuel accumulation from decades of fire suppression and recent drought-related tree mortality. Accordingly, agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service are implementing widespread logging in spotted owl territories. While they acknowledge habitat degradation from such logging, and risks to the conservation of declining spotted owl populations, agencies hypothesize that such active forest management equates to effective fuel reduction that is needed to curb fire severity for the overall benefit of this at-risk species. In an initial investigation, I analyzed this issue in a large 2020 fire, the Creek Fire (153,738 ha), in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains of California. I found that pre-fire snag density was not correlated with burn severity. I also found that more intensive forest management was correlated to higher fire severity. My results suggest the fuel reduction approach is not justified and provide indirect evidence that such management represents a threat to spotted owls.

scholarly journals Influence of snow water equivalent on droughts and their prediction in the USA

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Abel ◽  
Felix Pollinger ◽  
Heiko Paeth
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Snow Water Equivalent ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Original Data ◽  
The United States ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Drought Severity ◽  
Southern Us ◽  
Snow Water

Abstract. Droughts can result in enormous impacts for environment, societies, and economy. In arid or semiarid regions with bordering high mountains, snow is the major source of water supply due to its role as natural water storage. The goal of this study is to examine the influence of snow water equivalent (SWE) on droughts in the United States and find large-scale climatic predictors for SWE and drought. For this, a Maximum Covariance Analysis (MCA), also known as Singular Value Decomposition, is performed with snow data from the ERA–Interim reanalysis and the self-calibrating Palmer Drought Severity Index (sc–PDSI) as drought index. Furthermore, the relationship of resulting principal components and original data with atmospheric patterns is investigated. The leading mode shows the spatial connection between SWE and drought via downstream water/moisture transport. Especially the Rocky Mountains in Colorado (CR) play a key role for the central and western South, but the Sierra Nevada and even the Appalachian Mountains are relevant, too. The temperature and precipitation based sc–PDSI is able to capture this link because increased soil moisture results in higher evapotranspiration with lower sensible heat and vice versa. A time shifted MCA indicates a prediction skill for drought conditions in spring and early summer for the downstream regions of CR on the basis of SWE in March. Furthermore, the phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation is a good predictor for drought in the southern US and SWE around Colorado. The influence of the North Atlantic Oscillation and Pacific North American Pattern is not that clear.

Research Into Woodland Owners’ Use of Sustainable Forest Management to Inform Campaign Marketing Mix

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelley Dennings ◽  
Jennifer Tabanico
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
New England ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
The United States ◽  
Marketing Mix ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Written Form ◽  
Woodland Owners

Thirty-five percent of forestland in the United States is owned by individuals. The purpose of this research was to identify woodland owners’ barriers to harvesting trees using the advice of a forester. Harvesting trees with the advice of a forester ensures a sustainable harvest that meets the needs of the woodland owner as the forester makes recommendations depending on what the woodland owner wants to gain from their land. The research further informed the marketing mix by identifying woodland owners’ perceptions about trusted communication channels, providing a framework for segmenting the audience, and pointing to viable outreach strategies for rural interventions. Results of mail (New England) and telephone (Mississippi) surveys indicated that selling trees for income was the lowest rated land use activity reported by woodland owners. Additionally, across both regions, the surveys indicated that the primary barrier to using a forester involved some form of distrust. When comparing trusted sources of information across the two regions, forestry experts were rated similarly, but family and other woodland owners were perceived as more trustworthy in New England compared to Mississippi. Both groups preferred to receive information in written form, a preference that was almost twice as high as receiving an e-mail. This research provides the foundation for a marketing mix, improves the conservation community’s body of knowledge regarding woodland owner’s barriers to sustainable forest management actions, and provides broad recommendations for practitioners to use going forward.

scholarly journals Long-term demographic trends in a fire-suppressed mixed-conifer forest

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 745-752 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrie R. Levine ◽  
Flora Krivak-Tetley ◽  
Natalie S. van Doorn ◽  
Jolie-Anne S. Ansley ◽  
John J. Battles
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Fire Suppression ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Homogeneous State ◽  
Conifer Forest ◽  
Mixed Conifer ◽  
Mixed Conifer Forest

In the western United States, forests are experiencing novel environmental conditions related to a changing climate and a suppression of the historical fire regime. Mixed-conifer forests, considered resilient to disturbance due to their heterogeneity in structure and composition, appear to be shifting to a more homogeneous state, but the timescale of these shifts is not well understood. Our objective was to assess the effects of climate and fire suppression on stand dynamics and demographic rates of an old-growth mixed-conifer forest in the Sierra Nevada. We used a Bayesian hierarchical analysis to quantify species and community rates of recruitment, growth, and mortality. Despite a warming climate, we found that stand density, basal area, and carbon have increased over 56 years. Fir recruitment and growth significantly exceeded the community-level median rates, whereas pine recruitment and growth was significantly lower than the community-level median rates. Shifts in species composition from a well-mixed stand to a more dense fir-dominated stand appear to be driven by low growth and recruitment rates of pines relative to firs. In forests such as these with consistent and relatively low mortality rates, we recommend that restoration and management activities be focused on promoting pine recruitment and growth.

A quantitative comparison of forest fires in central and northern California under early (1911–1924) and contemporary (2002–2015) fire suppression

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon M. Collins ◽  
Jay D. Miller ◽  
Eric E. Knapp ◽  
David B. Sapsis
Keyword(s):  
Forest Fires ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Fire Suppression ◽  
Major Change ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Burned Area ◽  
Annual Number ◽  
Regime Changes ◽  
Major Shift

Most studies of fire-regime changes in western North American forests rely on a reference period that pre-dates Euro-American settlement. Less is known about fire-regime changes relative to the early onset of major change agents, i.e. fire suppression and timber harvesting. We digitised ledgers that contained over 18000 individual fire records from 1911 through 1924 (early suppression period). We performed analyses comparing a subset of these fire records, largely in mixed-conifer forests, to similar records from 2002 through 2015 (contemporary period). Mapped ignition frequencies indicated similar geographic patterns for lightning-caused fires between periods, but notable shifts in certain areas for human-caused fires. There was no statistical difference in annual number of human-caused fires between the early suppression and contemporary time periods. However, there was a major shift in the distribution of burned area across fire size classes. Fires >12145ha accounted for 0–6% of total burned area in the early suppression period, and 53–73% in the contemporary period. Also, both the total number and percentage of fires >2024ha occurred significantly earlier in the year in the contemporary period. These shifts are likely driven by large-scale changes in fuel loads and continuity, and possibly exacerbated by climatic warming.

Quality Control of Data in a Large-Scale Cancer Register Program

1966 ◽  
Vol 05 (02) ◽  
pp. 67-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. I. Lourie ◽  
W. Haenszeland
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Quality Control ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
The United States ◽  
Newly Diagnosed ◽  
Related Data ◽  
Cancer Register ◽  
Independent Review ◽  
End Results

Quality control of data collected in the United States by the Cancer End Results Program utilizing punchcards prepared by participating registries in accordance with a Uniform Punchcard Code is discussed. Existing arrangements decentralize responsibility for editing and related data processing to the local registries with centralization of tabulating and statistical services in the End Results Section, National Cancer Institute. The most recent deck of punchcards represented over 600,000 cancer patients; approximately 50,000 newly diagnosed cases are added annually.Mechanical editing and inspection of punchcards and field audits are the principal tools for quality control. Mechanical editing of the punchcards includes testing for blank entries and detection of in-admissable or inconsistent codes. Highly improbable codes are subjected to special scrutiny. Field audits include the drawing of a 1-10 percent random sample of punchcards submitted by a registry; the charts are .then reabstracted and recoded by a NCI staff member and differences between the punchcard and the results of independent review are noted.

Utopias of One

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Kotin
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Soviet Union ◽  
World War I ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Jim Crow ◽  
Personal Autonomy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Soviet Period ◽  
Original Research ◽  
The Soviet Union

This book is a new account of utopian writing. It examines how eight writers—Henry David Thoreau, W. E. B. Du Bois, Osip and Nadezhda Mandel'shtam, Anna Akhmatova, Wallace Stevens, Ezra Pound, and J. H. Prynne—construct utopias of one within and against modernity's two large-scale attempts to harmonize individual and collective interests: liberalism and communism. The book begins in the United States between the buildup to the Civil War and the end of Jim Crow; continues in the Soviet Union between Stalinism and the late Soviet period; and concludes in England and the United States between World War I and the end of the Cold War. In this way it captures how writers from disparate geopolitical contexts resist state and normative power to construct perfect worlds—for themselves alone. The book contributes to debates about literature and politics, presenting innovative arguments about aesthetic difficulty, personal autonomy, and complicity and dissent. It models a new approach to transnational and comparative scholarship, combining original research in English and Russian to illuminate more than a century and a half of literary and political history.

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