Download or read book Bark Beetle Effects on Fuel Profiles Across a Range of Stand Structures in Douglas fir Forests of Greater Yellowstone written by Daniel C. Donato and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 18 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Consequences of bark beetle outbreaks for forest wildfire potential are receiving heightened attention, but little research has considered ecosystems with mixed-severity fire regimes. Such forests are widespread, variable in stand structure, and often fuel limited, suggesting that beetle outbreaks could substantially alter fire potentials. We studied canopy and surface fuels in interior Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii v. glauca) forests in Greater Yellowstone, Wyoming, USA, to determine how fuel characteristics varied with time since outbreak of the Douglas-fir beetle (Dendroctonus pseudotsugae). We sampled five stands in each of four outbreak stages, validated for pre-outbreak similarity: green (undisturbed), red (1?3 yr), gray (4?14 yr), and silver (25?30 yr). General linear models were used to compare variation in fuel profiles associated with outbreak to variation associated with the range of stand structures (dense mesic forest to open xeric parkland) characteristic of interior Douglas-fir forest. Beetle outbreak killed 38?83% of basal area within stands, generating a mix of live trees and snags over several years. Canopy fuel load and bulk density began declining in the red stage via needle drop and decreased by 50% by the silver stage. The dead portion of available canopy fuels peaked in the red stage at 41%. After accounting for background variation, there was little effect of beetle outbreak on surface fuels, with differences mainly in herbaceous biomass (50% greater in red stands) and coarse woody fuels (doubled in silver stands). Within-stand spatial heterogeneity of fuels increased with time since outbreak, and surface-to-crown continuity decreased and remained low because of slow/sparse regeneration. Collectively, results suggest reduced fire potentials in post-outbreak stands, particularly for crown fire after the red stage, although abundant coarse fuels in silver stands may increase burn residence time and heat release. Outbreak effects on fuels were comparable to background variation in stand structure. The net effect of beetle outbreak was to shift the structure of mesic closed-canopy stands toward that of parklands, and to shift xeric parklands toward very sparse woodlands. This study highlights the importance of evaluating outbreak effects in the context of the wide structural variation inherent to many forest types in the absence of beetle disturbance.
Download or read book Evaluating Post outbreak Management Effects on Future Fuel Profiles and Stand Structure in Bark Beetle impacted Forests of Greater Yellowstone written by Daniel C. Donato and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 15 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Large-scale bark beetle (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) outbreaks across western North America have prompted widespread concerns over changes to forest wildfire potentials. Management actions following outbreaks often include the harvest of beetle-killed trees and subsequent fuel treatments to mitigate expected changes to fuel profiles, but few data exist to inform these actions. In both lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca) forests of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Wyoming, USA, we used the Forest Vegetation Simulator to evaluate how fuel profiles, stand structure, and biomass carbon storage are influenced by various post-outbreak fuel treatments (removal of beetle-killed trees ['salvage'] followed by either no treatment, prescribed burning, pile-and-burn, or whole-tree-removal). The model was initialized with field data from five unmanaged gray-stage stands in each forest type and projected over 50 years of post-treatment time. Across all treatment methods, the strongest projected effects relative to unharvested stands were reductions in coarse woody surface fuels (after 10-20 yr), fewer well-decayed standing snags (after 40 yr), and reduced biomass carbon storage (throughout all 50 years). The reduction in coarse woody surface fuels suggests reduced heat release and resistance to control in future fires. Projected effects on fine fuels, both in the canopy and surface layers, were surprisingly minor or short-lived; natural fall and decay of fine material in unharvested stands led to the convergence of most fuel variables between treated and untreated stands within about a decade, especially in Douglas-fir forests. Most follow-up treatment methods - whether unmerchantable tree parts were left in place, burned, piled, or removed entirely - had similar impacts on most aspects of fuel and stand structure in both lodgepole pine and Douglas-fir forests. However, the prescribed burning treatment was distinct and generally had the strongest effects, owing to greater consumption of forest floor mass and mortality of small trees, which had persistent influences on both the canopy and surface fuel layers. Treatment effectiveness in reducing fuels was mirrored by reductions in biomass carbon storage and recruitment of well-decayed snags, illustrating common tradeoffs involved in fuel treatments. Harvest of beetle-killed trees and subsequent treatments altered the fuel profile and structure of outbreak-impacted stands, but overall effects were similar among treatments, suggesting flexibility in management options in post-outbreak forests.
Download or read book Fire Regimes Spatial and Temporal Variability and Their Effects on Forests written by Yves Bergeron and published by MDPI. This book was released on 2018-04-13 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Fire Regimes: Spatial and Temporal Variability and Their Effects on Forests" that was published in Forests
Download or read book Science Conservation and National Parks written by Steven R. Beissinger and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2017-01-13 with total page 455 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Papers from a summit, "Science for Parks, Parks for Science: the next century," organized by University of California, Berkeley, in partnership with the National Geographic Society and the National Park Service and held 25-27 March 2015 at the University of California, Berkeley.
Download or read book Landscape Ecology in Theory and Practice written by Monica G. Turner and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-10-29 with total page 499 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work provides in-depth analysis of the origins of landscape ecology and its close alignment with the understanding of scale, the causes of landscape pattern, and the interactions of spatial pattern with a variety of ecological processes. The text covers the quantitative approaches that are applied widely in landscape studies, with emphasis on their appropriate use and interpretation. The field of landscape ecology has grown rapidly during this period, its concepts and methods have matured, and the published literature has increased exponentially. Landscape research has enhanced understanding of the causes and consequences of spatial heterogeneity and how these vary with scale, and they have influenced the management of natural and human-dominated landscapes. Landscape ecology is now considered mainstream, and the approaches are widely used in many branches of ecology and are applied not only in terrestrial settings but also in aquatic and marine systems. In response to these rapid developments, an updated edition of Landscape Ecology in Theory and Practice provides a synthetic overview of landscape ecology, including its development, the methods and techniques that are employed, the major questions addressed, and the insights that have been gained.”
Download or read book Mountains and Plains written by Dennis H. Knight and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2014-01-01 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many changessome discouraging, others hopefulhave occurred in the Rocky Mountain region since the first edition of this widely acclaimed book was published. Wildlife habitat has become more fragmented, once-abundant sage grouse are now scarce, and forest fires occur more frequently. At the same time, wolves have been successfully reintroduced, and new approaches to conservation have been adopted. For this updated and expanded Second Edition, the authors provide a highly readable synthesis of research undertaken in the past two decades and address two important questions: How can ecosystems be used so that future generations benefit from them as we have? How can we anticipate and adapt to climate changes while conserving biological diversity?
Download or read book Assessment and Response to Bark Beetle Outbreaks in the Rocky Mountain Area written by United States. Forest Health Protection and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 60 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Impacts of Douglas fir Beetle on Overstory and Understory Conditions of Douglas fir Stands written by Joel D. McMillin and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Bark Beetle and Wood Borer Infestation in the Greater Yellowstone Area During Four Postfire Years written by and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 12 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Bark Beetle fire forest Interactions in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem written by Martin Simard and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Douglas fir Beetle Mediated Changes to Fuel Complexes Foliar Moisture Content and Terpenes in Interior Douglas fir Forests of the Central Rocky Mountains written by Andrew D. Giunta and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent bark beetle outbreaks have caused extensive tree mortality in conifer forests across western Northern America, which has altered forest fuels. These changes have raised concerns about forest health and wildfire risk. Studies focused on interactions between bark beetles, forests fuels, and changes in fire behavior have been primarily led in upper elevation forests characterized by high-severity fire regimes, principally in lodgepole pine (pinus contorta Douglas ex Loudon) and Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm) forests. Few studies to date have addressed bark beetle fuel interactions in lower to middle montane forest characterized by a mixed-severity fire regime, with available research focused strictly on assessing fuel load conditions or stand structural changes. The goal of this research was to quantify and characterize surface and canopy fuel changes in middle montane interior Douglas-Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. glauca (Beissn.)) forest infested by Douglas-fir beetle (Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopkins), while also measuring physical and chemical changes to foliage in terms of moisture content and terpenes, which are known to play important roles in foliage flammability. Our results revealed few changes in surface fuels following Douglas-fir beetle infestations aside from a significant increase in litter depth and loading in red stage sample plots. Substantial changes to canopy fuels were detected in the red stage of an outbreak with a significant reduction in foliar moisture content measured as tree crowns faded from a healthy green phase to red. During this period, volatile emissions and within-needle concentrations of terpenes increased, including some terpenes previously associated with increased foliage flammability in other tree species. Furthermore, aerial fuel parameters that estimate the likelihood of crown fire initiation, including canopy bulk density and canopy base height, showed a substantial reduction in gray stage sample plots. Based on our findings we judge the influence of Douglas-fir beetle activity on altering fuels is most pronounced in the aerial fuels complex. Our results suggest bark beetle affected interior Douglas-fir stands with a high percentage of trees in yellow and red crown phases could have an increased threshold for crown fire initiation based on higher levels of flammable monoterpenes and lower foliar moisture content.
Download or read book Cutting a Course written by Jenna Elizabeth Morris and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 137 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bark beetle outbreaks are major natural disturbances in temperate forests across the northern hemisphere, contributing to extensive tree mortality and driving forest change. Recent widespread and severe outbreaks--and projected climate-driven changes to disturbance activity--have raised concerns about forest resilience and the interaction of future outbreaks with other disturbances (e.g., fire). Thinning (i.e., density reduction) treatments may promote resilience to bark beetles by fostering resistance or bolstering forest capacity to respond post outbreak, but opportunities to test treatment efficacy and longevity have been rare. Further, forest managers must consider the effects of thinning on additional objectives such as tradeoffs between fire hazard mitigation and carbon storage. Here, I used a replicated study of old-growth lodgepole pine stands thinned in 1940 and affected by a recent (early 2000s) severe mountain pine beetle outbreak to examine the effects of thinning on (1) components of resilience to outbreak, and (2) post-outbreak fire hazard and carbon storage. I measured stand structural attributes in the field ~8 years post-outbreak and compared resistance to beetle attack (tree- and stand-scale survival), successional trajectories, fuel profiles, and aboveground carbon biomass between uncut (control) and thinned treatment units. Thinning six decades prior to mountain pine beetle outbreak had limited effects on resistance, but additional effects of thinning on stand trajectories, surface and canopy fuel profiles, and aboveground carbon storage persisted following severe outbreak. This study broadens the temporal extent of our understanding of thinning effects on directing forest response to bark beetle outbreaks, with important implications for developing effective management decisions in the face of global change.
Download or read book Medicine Bow Routt National Forests N F Bark Beetle Analysis written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Bark Beetle Risk in Mature Ponderosa Pine Forests in Western Montana written by Philip Cornwell Johnson and published by . This book was released on 1972 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Structure and Toxicity of Insecticide Deposits for Control of Bark Beetles written by Robert L. Lyon and published by . This book was released on 1965 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Assessing Post fire Douglas fir Mortality and Douglas fir Beetle Attacks in the Northern Rocky Mountains written by and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 42 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Xylem Resin in the Resistance of the Pinaceae to Bark Beetles written by Richard H. Smith and published by . This book was released on 1972 with total page 8 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
