Using Ecological Forestry to Reconcile Spotted Owl Conservation and Forest Management

Henson, Paul; Thrailkill, Jim; Glenn, Betsy; Woodbridge, Brian; White, Brendan

doi:10.5849/jof.13-072

Cited by 8 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Some of the characteristic bird species of these ecosystems have declined by ∼3% per year in the NWFP region (14). “Ecological forestry” has been proposed as a way to balance both timber production and conservation, using forest management to create diverse early-seral ecosystems (15, 16). Indeed, one federal agency, the Bureau of Land Management, is already undertaking efforts to create complex early-seral ecosystems (17).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of the Northwest Forest Plan on forest composition and bird populations

Phalan

Northrup

Yang

et al. 2019

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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The Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) initiated one of the most sweeping changes to forest management in the world, affecting 10 million hectares of federal land. The NWFP is a science-based plan incorporating monitoring and adaptive management and provides a unique opportunity to evaluate the influence of policy. We used >25 years of region-wide bird surveys, forest data, and land-ownership maps to test this policy’s effect on biodiversity. Clearcutting decreased rapidly, and we expected populations of older-forest–associated birds to stabilize on federal land, but to continue declining on private industrial lands where clearcutting continued. In contrast, we expected declines in early-seral–associated species on federal land because of reduced anthropogenic disturbance since the NWFP. Bayesian hierarchical models revealed that bird species’ population trends tracked changes in forest composition. However, against our expectations, declines of birds associated with older forests accelerated. These declines are partly explained by losses of older forests due to fire on federal land and continued clearcutting elsewhere. Indeed, the NWFP anticipated that reversing declines of older forests would take time. Overall, the early-seral ecosystem area was stable, but declined in two ecoregions—the Coast Range and Cascades—along with early-seral bird populations. Although the NWFP halted clearcutting on federal land, this has so far been insufficient to reverse declines in older-forest–associated bird populations. These findings underscore the importance of continuing to prioritize older forests under the NWFP and ensuring that the recently proposed creation of early-seral ecosystems does not impede the conservation and development of older-forest structure.

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confidence: 99%

Impacts of the Northwest Forest Plan on forest composition and bird populations

Phalan

Northrup

Yang

et al. 2019

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…In uncertain times, management might better focus on the long-term persistence of that native biodiversity which evolved within the local, culturally enhanced disturbance regime, and will likely go extinct with rapid or extreme changes to those regime properties (Newman 2019). Where possible, adapting local landscapes to conserve key aspects of culturally-enhanced disturbance regimes could be vital to preserving functioning ecosystems and to the native biodiversity that requires non-extreme disturbance for its continued existence Johnson 2012, North et al 2014), even where single species conservation and broader ecosystem goals may appear to be in conflict at other scales (Henson et al 2013).…”

Section: Reframing Management and Policymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2014), even where single‐species conservation and broader ecosystem goals may appear to be in conflict at other scales (Henson et al. 2013).…”

Section: Reframing Management and Policymentioning

confidence: 99%

Wildfire and climate change adaptation of western North American forests: a case for intentional management

Hessburg

Prichard

Hagmann

et al. 2021

Ecological Applications

145

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Forest landscapes across western North America (wNA) have experienced extensive changes over the last two centuries, while climatic warming has become a global reality over the last 4 decades. Resulting interactions between historical increases in forested area and density and recent rapid warming, increasing insect mortality, and wildfire burned areas, are now leading to substantial abrupt landscape alterations. These outcomes are forcing forest planners and managers to identify strategies that can modify future outcomes that are ecologically and/or socially undesirable. Past forest management, including widespread harvest of fire-and climate-tolerant large old trees and old forests, fire exclusion (both Indigenous and lightning ignitions), and highly effective wildfire suppression have contributed to the current state of wNA forests. These practices were successful at meeting short-term demands, but they match poorly to modern realities. Hagmann et al. (in press) review a century of observations and multi-scale, multi-proxy research evidence that details widespread changes in forested landscapes and wildfire regimes since the influx of European colonists. Over the preceding 10 millennia, large areas of wNA were already settled and proactively managed with intentional burning by Indigenous tribes. Prichard et al. (in press) then review the research on management practices historically applied by Indigenous tribes and currently applied by some managers to intentionally manage forests for resilient conditions. They address ten questions surrounding the application and relevance of these management practices. Here, we highlight the main findings of both papers and offer recommendations for management. We discuss progress paralysis that often occurs with strict adherence to the precautionary principle; offer insights for dealing with the common problem of irreducible uncertainty and suggestions for reframing management and policy direction; and identify key knowledge gaps and research needs.

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“…Carbon stores in these forest communities are increasingly vulnerable to the combined effects of more than a century of fire exclusion and a warming climate (Hessburg et al, 2019). Mildrexler et al disregard the ecological benefits of thinning projects that remove young shade-tolerant trees to enhance the resistance of old shade-intolerant trees that can store carbon over longer periods in the face of a warming climate (Henson et al, 2013;Bradford and Bell, 2017;Stephens et al, 2020). The errors, oversights, and misrepresentations in Mildrexler et al summarized below and in Table 1 make this study an unsuitable basis for evaluating policy change.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%