Forest managers have little information of the effects of common restoration treatments, thinning and burning, on dead woody material (DWM) dynamics in fire-suppressed forests. Fine woody debris (FWD; 0.6–29.9 cm), coarse woody debris (CWD; ≥30.0 cm), and snags (≥5 cm) were inventoried and mapped in eighteen 4 ha plots before...
In Sierra Nevada forests, shrubs are considered strong soil moisture competitors with regenerating trees, reducing seedling establishment, and
slowing growth. Recent studies, however, suggest that in some circumstances shrubs can facilitate tree establishment and growth by modifying
harsh microclimate conditions; increasing acquisition of water, carbon, and/or nutrients via shared mycorrhizal...
In Sierra Nevada forests, shrubs are considered strong soil moisture competitors with regenerating trees, reducing seedling establishment, and
slowing growth. Recent studies, however, suggest that in some circumstances shrubs can facilitate tree establishment and growth by modifying
harsh microclimate conditions; increasing acquisition of water, carbon, and/or nutrients via shared mycorrhizal...
The diets of a fungal specialist, northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus (Shaw, 1801)), and a dietary generalist,
lodgepole chipmunk (Neotamias speciosus (Merriam, 1890)), were examined in the old-growth, mixed-conifer forest
at the Teakettle Experimental Forest in California’s southern Sierra Nevada. Spores of fungi were identified from fecal
pellets collected from...
Prescribed burning and mechanical thinning are used to manage fuels within many western North American forest ecosystems, but few studies have examined the relative impacts of these treatments on forest wildlife. We sampled northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) and microhabitat variables in burned, thinned and control stands of mixed-conifer forest...
Prescribed burning and mechanical thinning are used to manage fuels within
many western North American forest ecosystems, but few studies have examined the relative
impacts of these treatments on forest wildlife. We sampled northern flying squirrels
(Glaucomys sabrinus) and microhabitat variables in burned, thinned and control stands of
mixed-conifer forest...
We examined the nest-tree preferences of northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) in an old-growth,
mixed-conifer and red fir (Abies magnifica) forest of the southern Sierra Nevada of California. We tracked 27
individuals to 122 nest trees during 3 summers. Flying squirrels selected nest trees that were larger in diameter
and...
Even after 140 years without a fire, mixed-conifer forest such as Teakettle’s Experimental Forest has a
distinct patch pattern and complex structure. Researcher Malcolm North and colleagues examined the
structure and function of these ecosystems and their response to widely used restoration treatments.
Collectively the studies found fire was essential...
In many western North American forests, prescribed burning and mechanical thinning are widely used to reduce
fuels and restore stand conditions after a century of fire suppression. Few studies have followed the relative impacts
of these treatments on the production and consumption of truffles in forest ecosystems, particularly in the...
In many western North American forests, prescribed burning and mechanical thinning are widely used to reduce
fuels and restore stand conditions after a century of fire suppression. Few studies have followed the relative impacts
of these treatments on the production and consumption of truffles in forest ecosystems, particularly in the...
Nitrogen is a limiting resource in many temperate forests and nitrogen-fixing plants are usually limited to the early stages of post-disturbance succession. In fire-dependent Sierra Nevada forests, however, Ceanothus cordulatus is relatively abundant even in old-growth forest conditions which are at least partly maintained by fire. We conducted a field...
Nitrogen is a limiting resource in many temperate forests and nitrogen-fixing plants are usually limited to the early
stages of post-disturbance succession. In fire-dependent Sierra Nevada forests, however, Ceanothus cordulatus is
relatively abundant even in old-growth forest conditions which are at least partly maintained by fire.We conducted
a field experiment...
We compared the abundance, diversity, and composition of truffles in riparian and upland areas within a
mixed-conifer forest of the Sierra Nevada of California. We sampled for truffles in a single watershed over two seasons
(spring and summer) and 4 years to determine whether truffles were more abundant and diverse...