Proceedings of the Sierra Nevada Science Symposium

Murphy, Dennis D.; Stine, Peter

doi:10.2737/psw-gtr-193

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…One such system is the Sierra Nevada, a complex social-ecological landscape that includes ∼100 000 km 2 of primarily forested mountains in the US state of California (SNC 2019). Sierra Nevada forests are home to >600 000 people as well as thousands of species of plants and wildlife, many of which are endemic to the region (Murphy and Stine 2004). Via its snowpack, the Sierra Nevada provides water for nationally important agricultural production and tens of millions of people in California (Klausmeyer andFitzgerald 2012, SNC 2019).…”

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Framing management of social-ecological systems in terms of the cost of failure: the Sierra Nevada, USA as a case study

Wood

Jones

2019

Environ. Res. Lett.

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Managing complex social-ecological systems in an era of rapid climate change and changing human pressures represents a major challenge in sustainability science. The Sierra Nevada, USA is a large social-ecological system facing a tipping point that could result in major ecosystem changes. A century of fire suppression and climate change have set the stage for mega-disturbances that threaten biodiversity, human life and values, ecosystem services, and forest persistence. Stakeholders face multidimensional and often contentious trade-offs with costs and benefits that can be mismatched in space and time. If compromises cannot be reached, the status quo is likely to continue, resulting in the conversion of large portions of a 100 000 km 2 predominately mixed-conifer forest ecosystem to a chaparral-dominated ecosystem. We describe the outcomes of a continuation of the ecological status quo on biodiversity, cultural history, fire management, recreational value, and climate control, including indirect effects on water and food security and recreation. The social-ecological ramifications of such a future are undesirable for most stakeholders. Therefore, we contend that forest management conflicts should be framed in terms of the cost of failure of negotiations among stakeholders. Specifically, negotiations may benefit from (1) stakeholders quantifying their definitions of success and failure, (2) quantification of trade-offs and recognition of their multidimensionality, and (3) allowing for solutions that are heterogeneous in space and time. This approach may help stakeholders navigate the wicked problem of managing Sierra Nevada forests and other complex social-ecological systems.

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Framing management of social-ecological systems in terms of the cost of failure: the Sierra Nevada, USA as a case study

Wood

Jones

2019

Environ. Res. Lett.

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Fuels reduction can directly improve spotted owl foraging habitat in the Sierra Nevada

Wright,

Zachariah Peery,

Ayars

et al. 2023

Forest Ecology and Management

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An integrated science plan for the Lake Tahoe basin: conceptual framework and research strategies

Hymanson¹,

Collopy²

2010

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Forest health and biodiversity policies Fire risk and suppression policies Climate change Component 2° Driver 1° Driver Subtheme Theme Indicator Linkage Natural disturbance Vegetation composition and structure Amount and distribution of habitat Native species composition and abundance Nonnative species composition and abundance Fire regime Fuel management Human disturbance Vegetation management Ecology and Biodiversity Development and application of predictive models Old-growth and landscape management Development and application of predictive models Fire and fuels management Recreation FR13; OG8,9; UR2,12; RE9; CL4 Urbanization drivers are typically external, broad-scale forces that act on human activities, such as regulations, policies, economic forces, and climate. It is important to recognize that stressors may have initial positive consequences for some species (e.g., habituation to human settlement by bears and geese) that then lead to undesirable secondary consequences (e.g., property damage or reduced diversity of native species). The majority of uncertainties associated with terrestrial ecosystems pertain to the linkages between vegetation management and climate change (i.e., natural disturbances) and their effects on vegetation structure, composition, and associated fire hazards (fig. 6.1). A more limited set of questions pertain to the effects of forest fuels treatments on plant and animal communities, populations, and habitats. The FM6

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Proceedings of the Sierra Nevada Science Symposium

Cited by 5 publications

References 50 publications

Framing management of social-ecological systems in terms of the cost of failure: the Sierra Nevada, USA as a case study

Framing management of social-ecological systems in terms of the cost of failure: the Sierra Nevada, USA as a case study

Fuels reduction can directly improve spotted owl foraging habitat in the Sierra Nevada

An integrated science plan for the Lake Tahoe basin: conceptual framework and research strategies

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