The Potential for Biotechnology to Address Forest Health - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
The Potential for Biotechnology to Address Forest Health Perspectives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Forest Ecology Working Group For the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Chuck Hunter U.S. Fish and
Chuck Hunter U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Atlanta, GA
Strategic Habitat Conservation Working at ecologically meaningful scales across FWS programs and with partners to maintain functional sustainable landscapes.
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.
are to provide a means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend may be conserved…
monitor and assess migratory nongame birds, determine the effects of environmental changes and human activities, identify those likely to be candidates for endangered species listing, identify appropriate actions…
The FEWG was established in 2016 to enhance FWS understanding of forest ecology and related applied sciences and habitat management principles to meet the Service mission. The purpose of the FEWG is to provide a coordinated approach to influence work processes, increase staff competency and capacity related to the above across all levels, programs, and regions of the Service. Forest Health and evaluating impacts on forest ecosystems and fish, wildlife, and plants that depend on those ecosystems is a primary issue for the FEWG to address.
Planting the Seed for Forest Ecology, Applied Science and Habitat Management within FWS
The FEWG has national FWS representation from the Southeast, Pacific Southwest, Midwest, Northeast, and Pacific Regions, as well as FWS Headquarters and the National Conservation Training Center with staff representing several Resource Programs
Planting the seed... to influence work processes, staff competency and capacity, to increase the understanding and integration of forest ecology, applied science and habitat management principles across all levels, programs, and regions of the FWS Taking Root…Establish a training program to develop educational
management Spreading our Branches...Establish a Community of Practice both within FWS and working with our conservation partners to advise and assist where needed to address forest restoration and conservation to benefit species habitats Taking Stock…Establishing expectations, metrics and benchmarks, as a means for feedback and adaptive learning that continues to enhance expertise and capacity for forest ecology and habitat management within the Service
From the FY 2018-2022 DOI Strategic Plan Framework, under “Generating Revenue and Utilizing Our Natural Resources”: Focus timber programs on “healthy forests” lifecycle The Service's Forest Ecology Working Group (Group) proposes as a starting point for discussion the following preliminary definition for “Healthy Forests”: Healthy forests for DOI managed lands represent the range of natural variation in structure and composition inherent with intact ecological processes, applying the best available scientific information, and capable
within an ecological context over time. .
Concept could under some circumstances also apply to conservation concern species
1Burger and Kotar. 2003. Forest community and habitat types of Michigan.
Major and/or frequent ecological disturbances (e.g., crown fire) push stands to earlier seral stages, minor and/or infrequent disturbances (e.g., surface fire) to later seral stages. Pinus strobus/Vaccinium angustifolium- Epigaea repens (PVE) Habitat Type1
management is needed, but within an ecological framework;
patterns and processes (constraints);
development processes;
(e.g., landscape scales, the “fourth leg”).
Seymour and Hunter. 1999. In Managing biodiversity in forest ecosystems. Franklin et al. 2007. USDA For. Serv. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-GTR-19. The “Three- legged Stool of Ecological Forestry”
Yes, at least from a National Wildlife Refuges and Partnerships (Private Lands) perspective Frequent use of seeds/saplings in afforestation efforts originating from distant locations, mostly for species with large contiguous distributions (species with more isolated populations would be a different matter) There may be occasional use of selectively bred strains (to enhance local adaptations) of plant species intended for restoration Potential for considering genetically hybridized plants for restoration (American chestnut outcrossed with Chinese chestnut is an example possibly being considered for restoration on some National Wildlife Refuges)
Yes, many within FEWG have an interest. More broadly, staff from several FWS Programs, likely would be drawn in to evaluate such movements with respect to associated Endangered Species, Migratory Birds, and Fisheries. Two topics for further discussion: (1) Types of Issues in evaluating forest health and emerging biotechnology (2) Habitat management: conservation and restoration delivery considerations, identifying forest ecosystem types, priority associated species, and present/emerging issues
Among the issues that would be subject to evaluating forest health involving, genetic modification and specifically emerging biotechnology are: (1) evaluating use of seeds/saplings from distant populations (restoration where taxon locally may have been extirpated or for use in assisted migration into new locations with respect to climate adaptation). Ex: Torreya from Florida panhandle to Appalachians (2) intentional selective breeding within taxa. Ex.: managing small populations to increase viability (climate adaptation?). (3) intentional interbreeding between taxa. Ex: original crossing of American with Chinese chestnut. (4) use of gene insertions (and other genetic engineering) to address forest pests or disease (may also involve other issues like climate adaptation). FEWG would evaluate particularly effects of all the above on forest ecosystem function (e.g., nutrient cycling, maintaining soil biology and chemistry [especially mycorrhiza], carbon sequestration).
Forests Resistant to spread of disease, insect pests outbreaks, and exotic species Forests Resilient to rapid environmental changes Forest Redundancy to ensure persistence of vital ecosystem functions as some tree species decline in favor of other species
Alaskan Forests Great Lakes and Northern Forests Central Hardwoods and Appalachian Forests Southeastern Forests West Indian Forests Great Plains Riparian, Cross Timbers, Texas Hills Forests Northern Rockies Forests Desert Riparian and Southern Rockies Forests Pacific Islands Forests Pacific Coastal, Cascades, Sierra Nevada Forests Important Forest Regions
Cane Swainson’s Warbler American Woodcock
Tall, Emergent Trees Snags-large cavities Small Cavities Den trees Coarse down-woody Material
Spanish Moss
Emphasize forest maintenance
The FEWG would engage as needed through our developing Community of Practice to provide most importantly ecological forestry perspectives and technical assistance: (1) focus more on site conditions, natural range of variation, understanding disturbance regimes, etc. (2) bring together the best available scientific information for considering alternatives
the focus on one or more species of concern). Looking to the future….if there were some tree or shrub essential as habitat for wildlife but that the tree/shrub was suffering some threat (disease, pest) and a biotech resistant tree was created….would FWS be involved in deciding whether such a tree would be a good or bad thing to introduce? If a federally listed species, or a candidate species, or the altered tree or shrub was proposed for release on federal land, FWS would review through FWS Ecological Services Program. Depending on the situation, Migratory Birds and Fisheries and Aquatic Conservation could be as well along perhaps with other programs.
How are commercial species being considered or prioritized? GE engineered plants for lumber or other forest products are currently being designed. For example there are pilot studies which use a GE created Freeze Tolerant Eucalyptus. Definitely something that needs to be discussed, especially for species that can be aggressively invasive such as some Eucalyptus Consideration of restoring native tree populations using GE methods. How would tree species be selected (traits, ecosystem services, economic contributions)? Would the application of genetic tools be done on a species by species approach or would there be a "landscape level" planning effort? One example is a project to restore the American chestnut. This is a single species approach with no discussion on how the landscape and ecosystems have changed since the chestnut declined. Discussion to follow
Former range of Am chestnut dominated forests Emerald ash borer Affected hemlocks Hemlocks important in providing thermal refugia for aquatic species; e.g., spawning brook trout Dependable mast producers. Nuts significantly higher in carbs and protein than acorns
While a return of American Chestnut, and minimizing ongoing losses of ash and hemlock, would be desirable, immediate ecological forestry concerns frequently focus
restoring overall structural forest complexity, including understory and midstory layers. Various diseases and invasive species (not eliminating but especially affecting oaks), along with widespread and on-going high-grading or other unsustainable forest management practices, present serious challenges to ensuring the range of natural variation of structure and remaining composition can be maintained. While biotech solutions are under development for tree species undergoing functional extinction, we need to understand site conditions and disturbance regimes for management plans including appropriate prescribed fire and invasive plant control. Specific to hemlocks, it remains unclear whether other species such as rhododendron
thermal refugia along Appalachian streams.
Dieback) Recovery of the least Bell’s vireo, southwestern willow flycatcher, yellow-billed cuckoo, and arroyo toad could be significantly impeded if control strategies are not implemented for this newly identified threat
Tijuana River 2015 SHB Larvae feed on fungus Tijuana River 2016 Extent of SHB by 2016
ʻApapane ʻIʻiwi
While a solution is sought to halting the spread of SHB (also impacts avocado and
consideration for riparian would be to allow stands of exotic saltcedar to persist as the Federally listed birds do successfully use this habitat under certain landscape conditions when native trees are rare today due to severe disruptions to natural hydrology
For more information contact: Chuck Hunter chuck_hunter@fws.gov