Emerging Themes in the Ecology and Management of North American Forests

Abstract

The 7th North American Forest Ecology Workshop, consisting of 149 presentations in 16 oral sessions and a poster session, reflected a broad range of topical areas currently under investigation in forest ecology and management. There was an overarching emphasis on the role of disturbance, both natural and anthropogenic, in the dynamics of forest ecosystems, and the recognition that legacies from past disturbances strongly influence future trajectories. Climate was invoked as a major driver of ecosystem change. An emphasis was placed on application of research findings for predicting system responses to changing forest management initiatives. Several “needs” emerged from the discussions regarding approaches to the study of forest ecosystems, including (1) consideration of variable spatial and temporal scales, (2) long-term monitoring, (3) development of universal databases more encompassing of time and space to facilitate meta-analyses, (4) combining field studies and modeling approaches, (5) standardizing methods of measurement and assessment, (6) guarding against oversimplification or overgeneralization from limited site-specific results, (7) greater emphasis on plant-animal interactions, and (8) better alignment of needs and communication of results between researchers and managers.

Determining the effects of wildfire on sediment sources using 137Cs and unsupported 210Pb: the role of landscape disturbances and driving forces

“…Given the anticipated increase in the number and severity of wildfires associated with future climate changes (Flannigan et al 2009), there is a requirement to investigate landscape responses to wildfire in contrasting environments, and this has been identified as an important research need (Sharik et al 2010). This study describes the use of 137 Cs and 210 Pb un to document sediment sources over a 7-year period for a forested watershed in British Columbia (BC), Canada, in response to a wildfire event in 2003.…”

Long-Term Forest Changes in Northeastern Pennsylvania

“…Such local comparisons are sound indicators of the impact of past disturbances, such as logging and fire, on forests and their subsequent recovery and in assessing the impact of herbivory and/or disease on forests. This idea of a contemporary forest community record for future studies has been the foundation of many current ecological studies into forest succession (Abrams and Ruffner 1995, Held et al 1998, Burgi et al 2000, Hall et al 2002, Held et al 2006, Sharik et al 2010. Furthermore, these types of studies can provide information on possible future changes and management of forests.…”

Surface fuel loadings within mulching treatments in Colorado coniferous forests

“…These techniques (hereafter referred to as mulching) should reduce active crown fire risk by redistributing the canopy and ladder fuels and compacting them on the forest floor. Mulching treatments are being applied in a variety of forest types across the western U.S. (Hood and Wu, 2006;Kane et al, 2009;Owen et al, 2009;Reiner et al, 2009;Wolk and Rocca, 2009;Sharik et al, 2010), however; there is limited data on how these treatments alter surface fuel characteristics and in turn potential fire behavior.…”