Chapter er 3 3: Old Growth, D Disturbance, e, F Forest est - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Chapter er 3 3: Old Growth, D Disturbance, e, F Forest est - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Chapter er 3 3: Old Growth, D Disturbance, e, F Forest est Succession, an and Man Manage agement in in the the Area Area of t the N Northwest est F Forest rest P Plan Lea ead A Author: Thomas S Spi pies es, E Emer meritus


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SLIDE 1

Chapter er 3 3: Old Growth, D Disturbance, e, F Forest est Succession, an and Man Manage agement in in the the Area Area

  • f t

the N Northwest est F Forest rest P Plan

Lea ead A Author: Thomas S Spi pies es, E Emer meritus S Scien entist, P PNW Res esea earch S Station Co-Authors: P. Hessburg, C. Skinner, K. Puettmann, M. Reilly, R. Davis, J. Kertis, J. Long, D. Shaw

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Northwest Forest st P Plan Science S Synthesi sis s | Portland, Oregon

Timber ber Manag agemen ement T Threat at t to Old Growth

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Northwest Forest st P Plan Science S Synthesi sis s | Portland, Oregon

Dynami mics o

  • f O

Old Growth S wth Since 1 1994

Dynamics of Old growth in Late Successional Reserves 1994-2013

  • Currently 6-12 million ac of OG on federal land

(definition dependent)

  • Gains and losses
  • Losses to fire were expected
  • Regionally variable
  • Small net overall decline (~3%)
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SLIDE 4

Northwest Forest st P Plan Science S Synthesi sis s | Portland, Oregon

Large e Reserves es A Are M e More e Stabl ble T e Than Sma mall Ones es

  • 100
  • 80
  • 60
  • 40
  • 20

20 40 60 80 100 25,000 50,000 75,000 100,000 125,000 150,000 175,000 200,000 225,000 250,000

Relative Percent Change LSR Area (Acres)

Loss Gain

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SLIDE 5

Northwest Forest st P Plan Science S Synthesi sis s | Portland, Oregon

Di Diversity o

  • f O

Old Gr Growth

Moist Forests Dry Forests No Recent Fire History of Low severity fire

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SLIDE 6

Northwest Forest st P Plan Science S Synthesi sis s | Portland, Oregon

Regi gion

  • nal Vari

riation

  • n i

in Histori

  • rical

l Fire re Regi gimes

Regime Return interval Severity Characteristics Infrequent, high severity > 200 years Very large patches of high severity, with moderate and low severity Somewhat infrequent to moderately frequent, mixed severity 50-200 years Mixed severity, including large patches of high severity Frequent, Mixed Severity 15-50 years Mixed severity, with medium-sized patches of high severity Very Frequent, low severity 5-25 years Low severity, with fine grained pattern of high severity

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SLIDE 7

Northwest Forest st P Plan Science S Synthesi sis s | Portland, Oregon

Ideal alized ed vegetat ation mosai aics o

  • f differ

eren ent disturban ance r e regimes mes

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SLIDE 8

Northwest Forest st P Plan Science S Synthesi sis s | Portland, Oregon

Biodiver ersity is M More t e than an t the e Old ld-gr growt wth S Stage ge of Succ ccession

  • n

Multiple Successional Pathways: Moist Forests

0-30 y 30-80 y 20 ~ 100 y 80 ~200 y 200~800 y

Early Successional Stages Old Growth

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SLIDE 9

Northwest Forest st P Plan Science S Synthesi sis s | Portland, Oregon

Fire re S Suppression

  • n Acr

cros

  • ss A

All ll D Disturbance R Regi gimes

Fire Regime Number of starts suppressed Starts suppressed per 25,000 acres Infrequent-high severity 4271 12.2 Moderately frequent- mixed severity 2350 13.4 Frequent-mixed severity 2511 15.2 Very frequent-low severity 4240 17.4

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SLIDE 10

Northwest Forest st P Plan Science S Synthesi sis s | Portland, Oregon

Ecol

  • log
  • gical E

Effects o

  • f F

Fire S Suppression

  • n

Dry Forests

  • More dense old growth
  • Less fire-resilient old growth
  • Larger patches of high severity fire
  • Less early seral/non-forest

Moist Forests

  • Less Early Seral
  • Reduced Landscape

Diversity

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SLIDE 11

Northwest Forest st P Plan Science S Synthesi sis s | Portland, Oregon

Role o

  • f Ecological History
  • History as a guide not a target
  • Value of history: understanding how climate

disturbance, succession, and species interact

  • Managing for “ecological resilience” to fire

and climate change more tractable framework than restoring to some past condition or process

  • But, resilience concept has limitations
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SLIDE 12

Northwest Forest st P Plan Science S Synthesi sis s | Portland, Oregon

Restor

  • ration i
  • n in Moist Forests

Plantations in a late-successional reserve Variable Density Thinning

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SLIDE 13

Northwest Forest st P Plan Science S Synthesi sis s | Portland, Oregon

Cr Crea eating E Ear arly S Ser eral on the W Wes est S Side

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SLIDE 14

Northwest Forest st P Plan Science S Synthesi sis s | Portland, Oregon

Managi ging f g for R Resili lience ce to Fire re and C Climat mate e Chan ange i e in D Dry F Fores ests

  • Thin

inning an and d pr prescribed f d fir ire

  • Promo

motin ing l large f fire-re resistant t trees

  • Reducing fu

fuel c l con

  • ntinuity
  • Pat

atchwork o

  • f ope

pen an and c d close sed f forest

  • Use

se t topo pograp aphy as as a a guid ide

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SLIDE 15

Northwest Forest st P Plan Science S Synthesi sis s | Portland, Oregon

Summar ary

  • NWFP s

stoppe pped l d logg gging of o

  • ld g

d growth—slight declines

  • Old

d growth ec ecology and and cons nservat atio ion d n dif iffer ers regi gionally ly

  • Consider using historical fire regimes for regional

stratification

  • New de

definitions o

  • f o
  • ld gr

d growth n neede ded d for dr dry forests includi ding dr g drier pa parts o

  • f the moist f

forests

  • Requires both a stand and landscape level component
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SLIDE 16

Northwest Forest st P Plan Science S Synthesi sis s | Portland, Oregon

Summar ary

  • Cons

nser ervatio ion n is more than pr protect cting o

  • ld g

d growth

  • Importance of other successional stages
  • Important role for fire in dry and some “moist” forests
  • Ecolo

logica cal h l history i impo portant but b be careful l in how hist stor

  • ry i

is s use sed

  • Activ

ive m e managem anagement ent f for bio iodiv iver ersit ity and and res esil ilienc ience e ins insid ide and e and o

  • ut

utsid ide e res eser erves

  • Approaches differ by fire regime and forest type
  • Consider creating early seral on west side --factor in wildfire
  • Fire suppression still important to protect older forests
  • Salvage logging does not typically generate ecological benefits